Secret Love

Enck! Enck! Enck!

Genna’s 6’o clock alarm went off. It was time for her to get ready for school. Before she could move the strong aroma of her mother’s buttermilk pancakes and scrumptious bacon rushed her nose like a mighty wind. This happened every morning when Laura prepared breakfast for them. However, this temporary trance was quickly interrupted when Genna heard her newborn sister crying to the top of her lungs. Also, her three-year-old brother Sam was reconstructing the house with his toys while the twins (14 years old) are feuding about who gets to use the bathroom first. While trying to manage it all her mother remains calm in spirit.

Genna is a 17-year-old introvert who does not like people. AT ALL! She is 5’5 and of a slender stature with shoulder length black hair, and brown almond shaped eyes. She doesn’t like to be woken by chaos yet daily chaos tends to taunt her. She flung her blanket in an infuriated manner, hopped out of bed, gathered her clothes, shoved her sisters while on the way to the bathroom and slammed the door. About thirty minutes later, Genna came out and headed downstairs to eat her well anticipated breakfast. As always, her 6-year-old sister Anna was already sitting eating breakfast at the table. Anna was deaf and couldn’t speak. Her only line of communication with the family was sign language. Anna was Genna’s favorite sibling because she never caused her any problems. She wasn’t annoying like the others. When Anna locked eyes with Genna she stretched her arms out for a hug. As Genna began to walk towards her the doorbell rang. They weren’t expecting any visitors especially not this early. In a confused manner Genna opened the door and at that moment everything began to fade away.

Then Genna’s eyes snapped opened! She was laying in a corner of a dark room covered in a cold sweat and gasping for air. As she looked around and realized where she was she began to weep profusely. “It felt so real”, she exclaimed. After realizing it was all a dream. The life that she once had was merely a distant memory. One that she wished she could go back to. She quickly wiped her face using the back of her hand. Anna was laying near her and she didn’t want her to see her crying. She got up and walked to the other side of the room. There was a white bucket filled halfway with water, Genna used it to wash her face and freshened up for the night ahead of her.

Anna started squirming on the pallet Genna had made for her. It consisted of one blanket and two sheets. She attempted to make her as comfortable as possible in the abandoned warehouse they had been using to reside in for the last couple of weeks. Genna rushed over to check on her and she looked as if she was having a bad dream. Genna held her until she opened her eyes. Using sign language, Anna told Genna “I’m scared, I miss mommy, when can we go back home? ” Anna was unaware of the tragedy that had taken place. Genna replied “Me too, but we can’t go back home. I promise to keep you safe.”

Almost a year ago, everything changed. Genna was at home watching her favorite television show when breaking news hit the screen urging people not to leave the house unless absolutely necessary. The Consika virus hit the world out of nowhere and people were dying. It was unknown how the virus even formed. This virus was airborne so anyone who as so much shares the same air as another person contracts it. This was a highly contagious and deadly virus that can cause organ failure and death within hours. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), made many attempts to gain control over this virus however each attempt failed. In the first week the death toll worldwide had reached 100 million people. In the second week this number increased to almost 1 billion. In the weeks to follow it steadily increased to the point where almost half the population was wiped out. Genna’s mother along with her other siblings contracted the virus and died early on. Laura was a nurse at West Park Hospital. She received a call from the daycare center that Sam, was not feeling well and had not been himself all morning. She left work to pick him up and decided to get all her children and take them home. When she arrived at the school Sam was covered in a sweat and was unable to speak. Laura immediately changed her route to take him to the hospital. Halfway there Laura began to feel ill herself. Her heart began to race and sweat began to rush down her face from her forehead. She looked in her rearview mirror to see that all her children seemed fast asleep. Unbeknownst to her they were already dead. She was unaware that Sam had contracted the virus and now they were all infected. Within minutes her body started to fail and she lost control of the wheel and collided with another vehicle. The crash was fatal.

Genna was devastated when she heard the news and even more heart broken that there were restrictions that prevented a proper burial. She and Anna were left to survive ---all alone. All they had was each other. Genna’s father disappeared about 6 months prior to this disease that stole the lives of millions. He was a Scientist working on a big project in Switzerland. He never told them the details however he did inform them that if anything were to happen to him they were protected and that he would always be with them. As he was talking, he pulled out a heart shaped locket and placed it around Anna’s neck. He told her to never take it off that she was the key to his heart. They did not understand what that even meant all they knew was that this would potentially be the last time they would see their father. And it was.

Genna could only leave out at night. That was her only chance of not getting caught. Throughout the day there were military tanks and soldiers walking the streets and guarding the stores. The people that were still alive and not affected were breaking into stores, vandalizing property, and violently hurting one another in effort to get food and supplies needed for survival. There was no gas, food supply was devastatingly low, crops were unable to harvest, animals were dying, and there was no toilet paper or other supplies left. The military offered their protection and fed people one meal a day in exchange of becoming a part of them. Regardless of your age, they would use you to kill anyone challenging the new world order. Genna refused to submit Anna or herself to this type of life. She believed in her heart that there was a way out she just needed to find it.

Prior to Genna leaving the warehouse, she put Anna in a hiding spot in case anyone entered while she was gone in search for food and supplies. There was a hidden door, so no one could find her there. Genna put on her facemask and layered herself with clothes for protection in case she came in contact with someone. She tried to take the same route as usual however there were more guards out than normal. She was forced to take a different path. When she arrived at the convenient store there were three guards in the front and one on the side, so she crept in through the back. In a speedily manner, she shoved canned foods, snacks, batteries, and other items in her bag. As she began to exit the store in a quiet manner one of the cans fell through the bottom of her bag making a loud noise. She wasn’t aware that her bag had a hole in it. The guards that were in the front of the store peeked inside the windows but the guard on the side of the store entered. He was walking up and down the aisles and when he turned his back she jetted off running. The guard began to chase her. Genna was running for her life. While running all she could think about was that she had to get back to Anna to protect her. Shots were fired and Genna was hit in the side seconds away from the warehouse. She ran inside and stumbled to the hiding spot with Anna. Guards then began to surround the warehouse. When Anna saw Genna she panicked and started crying. There was so much blood. Genna was sweating, lightly shaking and turning blue. She was loosing too much blood and was dying. Anna looked down at the locket and opened it in hopes to see a picture of her family one last time. Instead of a picture there was a small tube with a liquid substance inside. She then remembered what her father told her that she was the key to his heart. At that moment with tears in her eyes she realized that her father was protecting them all along. She twisted the cap open and put one drop on Genna’s wound. Right before her very eyes the wound faded away and it looked as if nothing ever happened. The sweat subsided and her face returned to its normal natural color. Genna was completely healed within seconds. Anna told her everything that had happened. Their father kept his promise.

There was one thing left they had to face which was the soldiers surrounding the warehouse. Genna’s only solution for them at the moment was to surrender. She and Anna walked hand and hand through the door of the warehouse. When they saw the soldiers Genna shoved Anna behind her and put her hands up. The soldiers looked upon her in disbelief that she was still standing with no evidence of a wound in sight. She then yelled to the soldiers “Please don’t hurt us, we have the cure.”

The commander ordered that the soldiers put down their weapons. As he walked towards the girls, Anna took one step from behind Genna and he saw the shiny heart shaped locket. It is what they have been in search for since the outbreak. The secret assignment that her father was working on in Switzerland was with the government to create an antidote that’ll cure anything life threatening to the human body. The commander took Genna and Anna with him to a safe house that had food, clothes, toiletries and everything they wanted and needed. The commander told Genna, “Young lady you both are now safe and under our protection for life, this antidote single handedly just saved the world.” Genna was speechless. As the commander began to walk out the front door a man came inside. He removed his face coverings and to their surprise it was their father! They ran up to him and they all began to cry and embrace one another.

With all the tragedy that had taken place this past year finally they now have a sense of hope.