The Virus

Chapter One

It's been three years since the virus. Three years since the fall of half of the population. Times are hard, it's not so much about living as it is surviving. Those who weren't infected have quarantined themselves in colonies, little communities bordered by a thick cement wall, only venturing out for supplies and taking extreme precautions such as hazmat suits and gas masks. Going outside the wall alone is forbidden. Taking off your mask when in the wastelands is forbidden. No exceptions.

—

"Hey", Claire calls from across the mess hall, "Guess who got approved to go outside the wall?" She follows, a smile beaming from ear to ear.

Olivia moves closer, shaking her head slowly, "Oh Claire Bear you didn't." She murmurs in a low somber voice.

"Well that's one way to say congratulations." Claire remarks sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She sees the fear in Olivia's eyes and continues, "Hey, smile! Your baby sister is 18 today."

Olivia lets a single tear escape her green eyes and roll down her cheek, "I want to see my baby sister make it to her next birthday." She reaches out for Claire's hand and her eyes turn hard, "You know how strict they are. Never take off the suit or the mask. Don't touch anything you're not supposed to and DON'T wander off."

Claire smiles back, that's as close to a Go! Have fun! as she was going to get but she didn't care, she knew her sister was only trying to look out for her and despite the excitement she knew that going beyond the wall was not for the faint hearted. Claire squeezes Olivia's hand, "I love you." She breaks away, "Well then, I have to go get changed, I have training in an hour."

She sticks her tongue out playfully and turns to make her way to her sleeping quarters. It's a quick walk to her room, it's simple with its plain white four walls, complete with a small single bed in the corner covered with the same shade of white sheets. A tiny bathroom is to her right, containing the basics, a shower and toilet. She stands before the mirror on her wardrobe staring at her reflection, her piercing green eyes staring back. Her long red hair reaches down to her waist, gently grazing her porcelain skin. She is small in stature, and wearing the regulated uniform of a white singlet and army pants. Claire takes a deep breath, "You've got this". She assures herself whilst scooping up her hair into a bun on the top of her head.

—

Claire stands outside of the training room staring up at the building before her. Nerves welling up in the pit of her stomach. She swallows them down and opens the heavy glass door, opening into what looks like an old school gym, however, instead of sporting equipment it's lined with various sized hazmat suits and other safety devices. She makes her way into the semi circle that the other newbies have formed, taking a look at those around her. None of them make any effort to greet one another, they stand rigid, hands clasped tightly behind their backs, all standing identically. A stark contrast to Claire, whose small and thin stature pales in comparison.

A large man enters the room from a doorway no one had seemed to notice, he stalks over with a strong intensity in his eyes. He would have had to have been a drill Sargent or something, his hands alone looked like they could snap a person in two. Claire gulps, already feeling intimidated without him even uttering a word.

"Attention maggots, if you do not listen to my every word I promise you", he pauses and stops in front of Claire, narrowing his eyes on her, "you will NOT make it." His loud booming voice fills the room, his words reverberating through Claire's tiny body.

What the hell have I gotten myself into.

"You may call me sir." The large man says, looking down his nose at those who stand before him, pacing in front of them like a caged lion. "This is my house, my domain, in here I am God. My word is law. Rule number one, speak only when spoken to. Rule number two, those who fall behind," he slows to a stop, again in front of Claire, eyes cold and unfeeling, "stay behind." He finishes, never dropping his icy stare. She stares back, indignant. Their standoff continues, neither one of them daring to look away, to back down and admit defeat. The air is thick with tension. He breaks first.

He turns his back to them and Claire squeals slightly at the victory. "Today is weapons training." He gestures to the side of the room where handguns are laid out on the table. "Choose a gun."

One newbie starts toward the table and the rest begin to follow suit, Claire shifts forward but is stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Not you, pipsqueak." Sir says, flashing a wicked smile. " It's not target practice without the target."

Claire lets out a shaky breath, her heart hammering in her chest. "I'm sorry Sir, I don't understand." She says, trying to sound calm, not wanting him to see how much he rattled her.

He spins her around and begins walking to the opposite side of the room and stands her in front of the pieces of plywood spray painted with human silhouettes. "Let's see if Red here has the balls it takes to survive." He yells toward the others.

He takes a gun from one of the newbies and silence falls on the group. "Here's how this is going to go, you're going to stand there and I'm going to shoot." He eyes her carefully, challenging her, "Unless of course you want to quit."

Even if she wanted to run she wasn't sure her legs could carry her. Claire lines herself up with the target and looks straight back, trying to appear confident. "I'm ready."

He cocks an eyebrow teasingly, "Alright then, I'm going to empty this round at the target. If you move you die. You flinch, you die."

She nods and takes a breath to steady herself. He raises the gun aiming it at the fragile girl.

One. The bullet hits the target, narrowly missing her left leg.

Two. The gunshot echos through the room.

Three. So close she can feel the air blowing past her.

Four.

Five.

Six. It's over. A searing pain extends from Claire's right shoulder. It hit me. Blood trails down her arm and begins to pool on the floor. She doesn't dare look. He was testing her and she knew it.

He smiles at her nodding his head in acknowledgement.

She'd won. This time.

Chapter Two

It wasn't always like this. However, the time before is becoming a distant memory, slipping further from our grasp with every passing day. Everything just changed so quickly, without warning our whole world flipped upside down. It's been three years, almost to the day. September 4th, it was just like any other.. Until it wasn't.

News reporters covered as much as could in the days before it went dark, apparently it started in Montana. Legend has it a man walked into a bar near Yellowstone, sweating, spluttering... some say he was crying blood but no one knows for sure. One man. Two days later it was five hundred. All dead. Once you're infected it takes about 2-4 hours for it to take you. Every patient the doctors had were dead before the lab results came back. Then the doctors got sick, the scientists.. Within six months those who remained gave up searching for the cause... and the cure. Instead those unaffected decided to isolate themselves from the outside world.

They rebuilt cities, surrounding them in thick walls. We now call them colonies, it's unclear how many there are.. or if there are any at all. The world is crueler now. We follow strict rules, anyone who dares break them are punished or worse, banished. Our food supply is limited. For fear of contamination, we eat a diet of canned food and that which we have grown ourselves. Everything is rationed, though for some it's not enough. Those so out of their minds with starvation try to escape, the hunger trumping the fear of the unknown.

The council who run the city allow the survivors to choose from the five main job assignments; The Hospital Wing (Doctors, Nurses etc.), Cook, Teacher, Guard and Gardner. Those who venture outside the wall, the Scouts, require special training and clearance, even then only a select few have ever actually been.

Those who return are different... distant, they never speak about what lies beyond our borders. They couldn't even if they wanted to. One man did. He ventured out, when he came back he was crazy.. erratic, screaming in the mess hall. The next morning he was found in his bed, his throat slit. Everyone knew who was responsible but no one dare ever say it out loud.

The council.

That's how it works now, the little snags in the fabric that is our society are eliminated.

Upon your eighteenth birthday you are to choose a job and resume training. The work is taken in shifts, day or night. The work is hard, but everyone is too scared to complain, with the guards looming in every corner, the gossip of their extreme and brutal ways spread like wildfire.

This is no fairytale. Nor is it a story with a guaranteed happy ending. It is our survival.

I was 15 in the time before, a young girl with aspirations to finish high school, go to college, settle down, even start a family one day. Those dreams were ripped away so suddenly.

I was at school, the bell had just rung for 5th period.. that's when it happened. The screaming. I will never forget that sound. The blood curdling screams that echoed through the halls. In an instant everything turned to chaos. People were stepping over each other, trampolling teachers, classmates.. friends. One of the infected got into the school grounds and within an instant my whole world had changed. My sister, Olivia, and I managed to get out.

We drove home, breaking every speed limit known to man, but we were too late. Our hearts hammering in our chests' as we saw the front door, opened, blood smeared on the entryway.

Olivia took charge, she barged into the house with me on her heels, screaming at the top of her lungs. No one ever answered. The silence was deafening.

We grabbed all we could carry and before we abandoned our family home for good, we just stood there, in the family room looking at our family portrait above the fireplace. It was there we made a promise, not only to them but to each other. We would come back them.

That promise is the only thing that has kept me going. Even after everything went dark, that promise burned bright in my soul. I won't give that up. I can't.

Everything I have done in these past 3 years is so that one day, somehow, I will find them again.