Burying the Plague

Death is no stranger to me. To the few that remain after The Noxious Plague decimated the world’s population, Death has been an unwelcome friend.

Turning the heart-shaped locket around in my hand as it dangles from my neck, I stare down at the freshly covered grave. My husband is buried there. The locket was the last thing he gave me before he was killed. My enemies have no idea how important it is, or they would have killed me instead.

His death is meant to scare me. Keep me from finding a solution to the Plague. The military leaders are using it to scare the remaining population into following their orders without question or opposition.

I’ve spent the last twenty years on finding a vaccine, but I didn’t know those who stuck with me were just spies until this morning. Over time, they hindered my progress without my knowledge. Years have been wasted because of their repeated sabotage.

Finally, I created the solution. All it cost me was my husband’s life and my daughter’s freedom. If I’m not careful, she could die, too.

No tears are shed today. Rage bubbles inside me now, causing my entire frame to tremble in waves. I miss my husband, but grieving will have to wait. Now, I have to find my daughter before she’s killed, too. All because I wanted to save the human race.

Even twenty years after its introduction into history, the Plague has remained airborne – taunting the few of us immune. It was “accidentally” released from the CDC, back when I was a young virologist researching how to combat deadly illnesses like this.

I was there the day the security system failed.

The Noxious Plague ravaged the US first, spreading quickly to Canada and Mexico before crossing the ocean. It spreads through the body without obvious symptoms for two weeks, even though it is highly contagious. After a couple weeks, the nose bleeds and coughing blood begins. By that point, Death is inevitable and comes quickly.

Although quarantine protocols were put into place, the Plague spread without prejudice and killed without mercy. Immunity is not guaranteed, and is not always passed down from parents to children. Death continues to take casualties.

For that reason, and the sake of my daughter, I stayed in Washington, DC with a few colleagues to end the suffering. While a cure may not be possible with it being airborne, I’ve spent my life working towards a vaccine.

Still, life isn’t what it was twenty years ago. Along with the quarantine protocols, the government used the Plague to force the few remaining humans into submission. Many are housed inside military controlled zones which were used as quarantine zones back when the Plague first hit.

These zones are strictly governed and controlled by military law, the head of which is essentially a dictator. That is what’s left of the United States government, as far as I know. I haven’t lived within the zones, but I know the people live in fear.

The CDC here in DC has remained outside their hold. I thought it was because the military believed it to be abandoned. Now I know it’s because they were watching me all these years.

We have, essentially, been in hiding. I thought that if the military knew we were still operating, we would be shot on sight. It was just my husband, daughter, and two other doctors and their families here. A total of twelve mouths to feed and people to protect.

Now, my husband is dead, and my former colleagues have taken my daughter with them into the belly of the beast. Deep into the Arlington quarantine zone – where the military leader keeps his throne.

Outside the CDC building and the quarantine zones, chaos reigns. There are no laws and not enough military to control the people who have chosen to live in the ghost towns that were abandoned when the quarantine was first initiated.

I’ve seen entire families murdered for nothing more than entertainment.

That’s why leaving the facility only happened when there was no other option. When supplies were low, sometimes a few of us would venture out into the chaos to ensure our survival so that our research could continue. My research.

However, today is an exception. Today, I buried my husband in a small plot just outside what has been our home and safe haven for twenty years. The place that is now corrupted by the people I once considered family.

Now, I’m on my own. A few days ago, I finally created a vaccine to fight against the airborne Plague. Today, I fight my way to Arlington to save my daughter and free humanity from a tyrant.