The Virologist

It's April, 2120. I'm at home, in a little house, in my little city with it’s not so little, 30 feet tall walls surrounding it. We don't know what this is, but we do know if we go near someone infected, we become aggressive and soon fall fatally ill and die. Mommy says because of this we must stay inside our house and never come out. When we are 18, however, we must come out in order to pass “The Test”. In order to pass the test we have to come in contact with someone who is ill and IF we survive we can then go on to become a part of the town leaders. Right now that number is only three.

My mom has been hiding for years so she isn’t forced to take “The Test” and she tried to stop my brothers from doing the same. She didn’t. They were far too curious and desperately longed to go out, just like my father. He didn't make it. I haven't heard from either of y brothers yet and it's been 4 years. My mom says they’re gone. Everyone was, really. Everyone was gone.

My 18th birthday is in 10 days and I fear for my life. My mom says I don't have to do it and she really just wants me to stay with her, but I'm afraid when Leader Sadie picked my brothers up, she saw me. She's close friends with my mom and she's never told on her, but I know she really wants me to come, explore, see what's out there. But what if I don't make it? Then there is nothing for me. I've been searching and searching for reasons that this has happened, and a cure to stop it but it seems science has gotten us so far. And my time is almost up. I'm sorry I've failed the people in my town. And I'm sorry I've failed my family. The world is ending for people and animals and there's no one to stop it. All because we don't have answers.

It's now the dreaded moment I’d been unrealistically hoping would never come. As I hear the knock on the door I realize Leader Sadie must've told on me. When I come to the door I instead see a scrawny man standing at the door, holding what looks like a birthday cake in his left hand. He seems tired and dirty, and appears to have just been in a fight, but despite all this he still smiles.

"Happy Birthday Lizzie. Happy Birthday sis."

It's my brother, Liam!

"Liam!"

I beeline him for a hug and begin to tear up.

"But where's Lucas?" I ask.

He begins sobbing.

"Gone." He responds hysterically.

I look back at him.

"So, do you think I should go?"

He looks at me, confused. Then he puts a supporting hand on my shoulder and leans down to look at me straight in my eyes.

"You don't want to, trust me. Plus, people believe I'm dead. We can be family again, just you, mom and I. " I sigh, but I know I can trust him.

"But why do they think you're dead?" I ask.

"Oh. well it's a long story...I tried to tell people I found microorganisms which seemed to be the cause of this whole pandemic, and even discovered a cure, which I gave to three people, who survived. But people thought I was nuts and a danger to society, especially after a person died after drinking my cure, so they decided to charge me for murder and give me the death penalty. So they electrocuted me. It actually tickled. They didn't put it to full power and I know why. I saw him. Dad was part of law enforcement, putting people to death on death row and he made it so I wouldn't die. So I went to live with him in his small apartment and tried to convince him to come here with me to bring you this cake we both made but he's had some complications from the virus and now has many seizures, which is the reason the city decided to not allow him to become a leader and thus labeled him as dead. They then changed his name and allowed him to do his old job, being a police officer. only his only job is working the electric chair on death row, for his seizures enable him to do only so much."

I was shocked. This was astounding. What was even better was that my brother discovered all about this on his own.

"What would you call this?" I asked.

"A virus. Rabies to be exact."

Right. he discovered all this about this...this…virus. If only it had been sooner. If only there had been more “virologists”, as he called himself. If only people had cared about science. Now it was too late.

There was no stopping it, no matter what my brother told me.

Everyone was dead and I was next…