The Green Flu

Chapter 9 - Blake

I awoke to the sound of my radio going off, telling me that it's 6:30 in the morning. Time to get up. As I pulled myself out of bed and looked for some clothes, an interesting news story came on the radio. The radio station was talking about the Green Flu, some sickness that has been floating around for two or more days. Apparently it got so bad that they had to call in a defence agency to stop the spreading infection.

After finding a plain T-shirt and a pair of jeans, I started getting my stuff ready for work. While searching for my keys, I listened to what the radio station had to say about the Flu.

"This is just something that CEDA wants everyone to be aware of." The man on the radio said. "If you are infected or have interacted with an infected individual, seek medical attention immediately. Everyone must help stop this infection from spreading any further. It's incredibly contagious and must be stopped from spreading anymore."

Incredibly contagious? That doesn't sound good. Yesterday my sister told me she was sick with a cold. Maybe it's the same sickness? I hoped not, considering how bad the radio station is making it sound. I shut off the radio and grabbed my phone, ready to head out.

Just as I picked up my phone, I saw that my sister, Sarah, had texted me. It was only a few minutes ago so I didn't miss it by much. As I grabbed my jacket, I checked the text and what it said worried me.

||The cold has only gotten worse, I can barely function. Come pick me up and take me to the hospital?||

It got so bad she needs to go to the hospital? My sister doesn't ask for many favours, so this must be serious. I would have to miss a day at work, but that's fine. Plus, Sarah doesn't live too far away. I could go pick her up and drop her off, then maybe I could get back to work.

I sent her a quick text while I locked my door and made my way to my car.

||On my way. Just try to relax.||

A few minutes later, I was in my car and driving to my sister's house.

***

Traffic wasn't bad, actually it was better than usual. Not many people were out, probably because of that Green Flu. I wasn't too worried about catching that illness though. Sarah falls sick easily and I grew up with her catching the slightest colds, all while never catching them myself. I like to think that my immune system is pretty tough.

I was at Sarah's place in no time. She lived with her boyfriend, Joseph, but he was off on a business trip. He doesn't leave often, but when he does he's gone for a couple weeks. It's really started to get to Sarah, but she won't let me or the rest of our family do anything about. She says that if she wants something to change, she'll get Joseph to do it.

Anyway, I parked and walked up to the door. I texted Sarah telling her that I'm here and gave the door a quick knock. There was no reply, from the door or on my phone. Strange, she knew I was coming. I tried the door knob and expected it to be locked, but the door swung open easily.

"Hello?" I called in, knowing better than to just walk in unannounced. There was no answer, which worried me greatly.

"Sarah?" I called again, hoping she would answer back. Something must be wrong, Sarah knew I was coming and wouldn't just ignore me like this. I took a step inside and shut the door, wondering if Sarah was just too sick to get up. With that thought in mind, I started towards Sarah's room.

Sarah and Joseph's place is pretty big with a bedroom and a guest room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. I assumed Sarah would be in her room, so that's where I went first, but I was still cautious. Something didn't seem right. I had a feeling in my gut and I've learnt to trust that feeling.

"Sarah?" I called out, wishing she would just call back. I was walking down the hallway that led to her room. Her door was closed and the light was off, so maybe she was just asleep still. Hopefully she only just asleep and she didn't pass out or something. As I got closer, I swear I could hear something from inside her room. Like footsteps, but not like regular footsteps. They were random and uneven, they didn't have any pattern like when people walk.

I reached out and tried the door knob, trying to keep my heart from racing.

It's probably nothing, I kept telling myself. Sarah is fine. Calm down, it's probably just nothing.

As soon as I thought those words, I regretted it. Never assume everything is fine, because it rarely is.

"Sarah?" I asked softly. I opened the door and the room flooded with light. And, there, standing by the foot of the bed, was Sarah. I grimaced, she must feel just awful.

Her skin was unbelievably pale and she was holding her head in her hands, like she had a bad headache or something. She was making these weird, high pitched noises that didn't sound like any words.

When I opened the door, Sarah turned and looked at me. Her normally dark brown, almost black eyes were now a gold yellow, making her look inhuman.

"Sarah?" My voice was almost fearful. When she had seen me, she snarled and ran at me, shrieking like a banshee. I quickly shut the door and backed away.

Oh, God! I thought. What has happened to her?!