The Virus

== November 3, 3029 ==
Today was going to be a good day. That’s what I thought, at least. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and I just felt happy. I was getting ready for classes with my best friend, and roomate, Sara. I adored Sara. We have went through hell and back with each other, and I considered her to be family. That morning, we were brushing our teeth, and flicking water at each other, giggling. Giggling, with our innocent play. Indeed, today was going to be a good day. 
Sara and I dried ourselves off, still giggling, and grabbed our backpacks. I liked college. College fave me new challenges, and as long as I’m with Sara, it made all the more better. 
College was going normal. Get the needed supplies for the specific class, write the notes, do the work, you know the drill. Everything was fine, till Avery coughed. 
The first time she coughed, I thought nothing of it. One measly cough is pretty normal, and for all we knew she had choked on her own saliva or had a tickle in her throat. 
Avery coughed for a second time. Yet again, I ignored it. Until suddenly, she started to continually hack, over and over again, and with more force with each wheeze. We turned around to look at her, concerned. Sara and I exchanged glances, confused, and worried. Avery then screamed, and dropped to the floor. Copious amounts of blood came out of her mouth. The class screamed, as the teacher rushed over to check her pulse. Sara and I immediately grabbed our phones, and called 9-1-1. Soon, we heard the sound of sirens, and the ambulance workers came in with a stretcher. The police also came, and began with their interrogation. 
We each told our part of the horrid events, recalling each and every terrible moment of that tragic day. We watch as Avery is carted off on the stretcher, her once healthy skin now pale, gray and sunken. I look away, and cry on Sara’s shoulder. 
The teacher, sweating, and distraught cleared her throat, and dismissed the class. Thank goodness it was the end of the day, the last class. College was hard enough, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if it was in the morning. 
Sara and I trudge down the hallways to our dorm room. It was in silence, not a word was spoken. I think it was better that way, to be honest. Suddenly, Sara’s phone dinged, and she looked at it. Her face dropped. 
“What?” I ask, confused. 
“Avery’s dead.”
== November 4, 3029 == 
I had officially pulled an all-nighter. I couldn’t help it. My mind just kept wondering about Avery who was now dead. The images of the blood pooling out of her mouth, in a crimson puddle next to her as she lay. And the way her skin looked-… I shook my head rapidly to maybe get rid of the “Avery” fiasco. I looked at the time, 6 in the morning. 
I sighed, and got up from my bed. I grabbed the remote, and turn on the TV. The morning news was on. I decided I wanted to see the current events, I haven’t in a while.
“Breaking news! A new virus is plaguing the world by storm. So far in America, there have been 103 cases, and 100 have died over the range of 24 hours. Symptoms include having a cough, followed by screaming, then immediately passing out, with then large amounts of blood emerging from the mouth. Skin afterwards usually is sunken, and gray. Infected usually die 10 minutes after first cough. The CDC recommends wearing masks, avoiding crowds, staying at home-…” 
I shut the TV off, my heart pounding, my brow gleaming with sweat. I couldn’t handle seeing anything more. I didn’t even notice Sara, who had woken up, and who had seen enough to know what’s going on. 
“What,” Sara started but paused to collect her thoughts, “what do we do..?” 
I looked at her. Her face was pale, and the look on her face, was complete utter fear. She was downright terrified. Not that I blame her. I took a deep breath, and sighed. 
“We have no choice but to go. We have to be careful, I… I think I have some masks in the bathroom drawer.” I mumbled in a quick, panicked pace. 
I mentally thank my mother for giving me some masks, "just in case", as she had said. My mother was a famous doctor, and was very specific and strict when it came to good hygiene, being up-to-date with vaccines, and the sort. So it was only natural that she would make sure I have masks at hand. 
Sara comes back with two masks, and we both put them on. Grabbing our stuff, we open the door. Immediately, chaos was invoked. Sirens were blaring non-stop. People randomly would scream that god-awful scream, followed always with passing out and the blood leaking out of their mouths. People were dropping down left and right. 
A few minutes later an announcement on the loud-speaker was heard. We all had to go to our dorms, and quarantine. Sara and I started to pack our bags. We then heard them a scream in the loud-speaker, followed by a thud. I wince, realizing what had happened. The secretary just got infected. 
We had no choice but to go to our dorms, and Sara and I walked, once again, in silence.
== November 8, 3029 ==
Sara and I have been quarantining for five days. We were kinda goofing off. It was terrifying, yes, but there was plenty we could do. We still had our phones, our TV, computers, and radios. There was plenty to keep us entertained. Sara has been kinda acting a little more… quiet. 
Sara has always been this happy-go-lucky type of person. She always would laugh, smile, joke, and just make everything happier. She also will say what is exactly on her mind, lest it be good or bad. I remember when I first met her, she looked at me, and said “I hate your hair. Let’s be friends”. Ever since then, we have been attached to the hip. 
Maybe Sara is just adjusting to the new quarantine life. 
== November 13, 3029 == 
Okay, Sara hasn’t smiled in three days. No jokes. Nothing. She always has this forlorn face. Her eyes don’t twinkle their happy little twinkle, they are empty, and melancholic. 
She starting to eat less. No, she is starting to not eat, period. She has not taken a nibble of food since my last entry. I confronted her about it, and her response rubbed me the wrong way. 
“We are going to die anyways, so why try to eat? It’s still going to end up being either me dead by starvation, or by me dying by this virus. Or even by old age, Lord only knows.” 
I asked her why she would say such a thing, and she only answered me with “It’s true!”. I didn’t argue with her. That argument probably wouldn’t get anywhere.
I’ll have to force her to eat.
== November 17, 3029 ==
It’s been 2 weeks since Sara and I had started quarantining. Most of the human population has died. Sara and I have been doing rations with our food. Every so often, our food stash will be completely gone, and we would have to scavenge. That’s what we call food finding. Food has been hard to get, because the people who produce the food are most likely dead. So we have to go around every nook and cranny to try to find at least one can of beans, or one moldy loaf of bread. Yes, moldy. It's either moldy, or starving. 
Sara has been eating again. I yelled at her, and ever since then, she started to go back to eating the small portions of food still left. I’m pretty glad about that. 
Clothes are hard to get to. Sara and I had to wear what we had till it was rags. Then, we had to try to find some more clothes. There were plenty of bodies out there (the clothes companies stopped manufacturing like the food companies, so there weren’t any clothes OR food), so we had to strip the dead of their clothing. It was pretty common to see a decaying body with dried blood pooling from their mouth, and no clothes. I sometimes smile, thinking about that old saying, "Rest in Peace". We really don't follow that saying anymore, now do we? 
Nobody picked up the dead anymore. If you were dead, you stayed where you died. Seeing decaying corpses was a normal thing to go by now. Everything was so apocalyptic, you just have to survive. That’s what you focused on. No dreams. No future. Just survival. 
Sara and I reeked. We haven't had a proper shower in a long time. Our hair was filled with lice, and knots. We also don't have toilet paper, so you could only imagine what we probably smell like. B.O., and shit. 
That’s just how things were. Sara said “It doesn’t matter what we smell like, we are going to smell like death anyways. Especially me.” I don’t know what she means.
== November 19, 3029 ==
I confronted Sara today. I’m worried she might kill herself. Shes been acting weird, saying odd things, and is just being strange. 
I even found her with a knife in her hand with the blade to her wrist. I that day was screaming at her so bad her ears probably were bleeding by the end of the lecture. She didn’t do it again. 
I’ve been watching her like a hawk. She hasn’t tried it again, which is good.
== November 25, 3029 ==
Today is Sara’s turn to scavenge. Our food rations are completely gone. I didn’t realize how low it was till now. 
Right now, Sara was trying to find a mask. Finding one, she stopped and turned to me. 
“I’m going to go out and scavenge now since it’s my turn and we are out. Anything specific?” Sara asked. 
“No, not really. Just the normal things. Food, fresh water, toilet paper, clothes. More specifically food.” I told her. She nods, and walks out. 
I stare out the window, all by my lonesome. Electricity doesn’t work, so we can’t be on our phones, or watch TV. Sara found some books and a deck of cards, and that was our entertainment. I usually do solitaire as a form of fun while Sara was gone. When we weren't scavenging, we played War, Poker, Rummy, and Crazy Eights. We get kinda competitive, and its kinda fun. It also made us forget that we were fighting for our lives, which was a plus. 
An hour went by. Two. Three. I tap my foot, waiting. Four. Five. I started to get worried. Scavenges usually take up to 2 hours, at most. Five hours is… a little too long for my liking. Finally, the door opens, and here comes Sara, with some clothes, and food. I stand up, and walk to her to help her. 
“What took you so long?” I asked, worriedly. 
“Uh, I wanted… um, to have a larger amount of supplies! Yeah, y’know, so we don’t have to go out that much.” Said Sara, hurriedly. I looked at what she had gotten. It was the normal amount of food, it wasn't doubled at all. On top of that, she was obviously nervous. If this stupid virus wasn’t here, I would’ve questioned her, as she is blatantly lying. But right now, I just don't have the grit and strength to fight with her. 
She takes her mask off, and puts away the stuff from the latest Scavenge. Suddenly, she coughed. I freeze. My heart starts to beat out of my chest. 
“Sara”, I say with a shaky breath, “did you just cough?” 
“Uh! It was.. I had a tickle in my throat. Yeah, a tickle! Heh…” She said, and you could see the sweat gleaming off her face. I slammed the can of beans that Sara had found, and she flinched. 
“Are you sick?!” I yell, livid. 
“Uh, n-no I’m not! I-I’m fine I promise-” says Sara, before coughing again. 
“YOU FUCKING LIAR! WHY?! Why…” I sob, as tears start to run down my face. “You can’t leave me, why, why did you get sick, please Sara, I have nobody-… how? Did you get it, I mean.” 
Sara looks at me, then looks down. 
"Maybe I didn't feel like living anymore." 
Sara started coughing again. Those wheezes became more rapid and violent. I wail, I can't lose her. She smiles through coughs, as she heaves, struggling for air. 
“Thanks for being there for me…” She said with a smile, “I do-don’t know what I'd do… without you…” 
Each word she said her volume became less and less, and her last words became just a whisper.
She screams. I became hysterical, sobbing violently, as I watched my best friend, my other half, my sister from another mister, fall to the floor. And like a bomb, there comes the blood. I run to her limp body, as I shriek from grief, and I hold her, begging her, please don't go, please don’t go. I bawl my eyes out, holding the now dead body of the only person I loved, the person who was there for me. I weep uncontrollably, and I feel my tears fall, down my cheek, to my neck, and on Sara’s face. 
I cried myself to sleep, and I’ve never felt more pain than what I felt right now. 
== December 20, 3029 ==
I am the only last living person on this earth. All the food is gone. I have now resorted to cannibalism. Sara’s body is still in our dorm room. I can now see her skull, and maggots and other larvae have creeped in her insides. Her eyeballs have rotted out, and the smell is terrible, but I don't mind. I can't bring myself to eat her. Nor can I seem to bury her. I can’t live without her. So I’m over here, watching as Sara’s corpse rots away. I don’t care if it's just bones. 
Sometimes I talk to Sara. Maybe that's another reason why I haven't eaten or buried her. I talk to her, and I know she won't answer back ever again, but there is just this sense of security to talking to the corpse. Maybe its because it makes me feel more sane than I am. I find talking to yourself is just to close to madness. Maybe it's of equal closeness to insanity, talking to dead bodies and talking to yourself, but I don't feel that there is any. 
One thing is for certain, I can't get any answers to my questions. I have so many of them. How did the virus abrupt? How come we couldn’t find a cure? How did Sara get the virus? Did God not care for us anymore so he got rid of us? I have no idea. Never will. Maybe when I die, I can ask in heaven, if I do go to heaven, my questions. I wonder if there is a heaven. I wonder if there is an afterlife. Will I be able to see Sara when I do die? Why the hell did she choose to kill herself with the virus, considering it’s so painful? Maybe because it’s so accessible, literally all you have to do is take off your mask and boom. Infected. 
I have a sort of theory of why Sara became suicidal. Sara was always extremely sensitive to death. When happiness seems to disappear, Sara starts to become depressed. I remember, there was a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest, and Sara and I had found it. Sara burst into tears upon seeing it, and was so depressed the entire week.
It feels so lonely. The winter is so brutal without heat. The cold air and the emptiness of this earth is just so depressing. I shiver. I want my mom. I want Sara. I close my eyes, as a tear runs down my face. At least I know I will be with them soon. I smile at that thought. 
I look at the gun in my hand, and put the muzzle on my temple. I pull the trigger. 
Category:Weird
Category:Diary/Journal