The Beginning of The End

Chapter 1

     "Hun, your waffles are ready!" Susan announces over the sound of running water, a dish in hand. Jackson, her youngest son walks in panicking, worrying that he's going to be late to another day at his high school.

"Time?" He asks for confirmation, grabbing his freshly made waffle from the toaster, backpack hanging loosely off his shoulder.

"7:48, twelve minutes!" He nods towards his older sister, who is currently stuffing her face with cereal. She also appears to be late, but not as worried as the other. Jackson has always been serious about his grades and school, so in his eyes, being late is not an option.

"Don't forget your coat, Jackson! It's chilly outside!" His mother stumbled over in her house shoes, an average sized beige overcoat hanging from her grasp. Jackson was already at the door when called, quickly spinning around to grab it with his free hand. "Give me the waffle," he does as told, slipping the article of clothing over his white t-shirt,  making sure to adjust the hoodie to his liking, before taking back his breakfast. "Be careful."

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     Jackson pulls into the parking lot of his school. He can't help but bite his lip, noticing he only has about a minute to get to his class on time. Knowing this, he wastes no time in grabbing his backpack from the back seat, running inside surprisingly just before the bell rings. The halls are empty, signifying that he is indeed losing time, so he speeds up, knowing perfectly well that his math teacher, Mrs. Osburne, was going to be quite displeased.

Finally, he arrives to class, slowly pushing the class door open in hopes Mrs. Osburne won't see him. "Hello Jackson!" Mrs. Osburne calls out from the corner of the room, causing Jackson to freeze up, along with the chatter in the room. All eyes are on him. "Glad you can join us." She says this with a sarcastic tone, eyes showing that of annoyance.

"Good morning Mrs. Osburne." He greets hesitantly.

Jackson makes his way to his seat tucked away in the back of the room, cowering slightly in attempt to blend in. As he sits down and gets his backpack situated on the ground, the girl beside him, Kelly, leans over. They never talk, so he is instantly thinking something's off. "Did you hear about the disease that has been spreading around the country?" She asks, her eyebrows narrowing in concern.

"No," Jackson responds, "What disease?" The conversation lacked interest to Jackson, his mind wondering a bit as he continues with seating himself in his chair. He assumes that if this was so 'important' he would have learned about it sooner.

"Well I'm not quite sure, but apparently there's some sickness spreading around, causing people to become easily irritated and aggressive." His hazel eyes glance back at the girl, noticing how she wasn't going to turn away until he replies. This news she has heard had affected her quite a bit, so she probably just needs someone to confide to. Why him? He doesn't know.

"Where did you hear this?" He questions, hoping the answer would be short and simple.
The way she scoots closer goes unnoticed by Jackson, her body leaning as if she's about to tell one of her biggest secrets.

"Some kids in the hall, talking as if the world's ending," she moves back towards her desk, causing a relaxed sigh to leave Jackson's lips. "Do you think it's true?"

"No more talking! Class begins now." Kelly's sigh can be heard clear as day, her disappointment known to Jackson, who is instead, thanking Mrs. Osburne for the save. It's not that he isn't worried, but the fact he doesn't want to worry. The idea of something disastrous happening has always scared the 18 year old, a phobia he's had since he was young. Growing up around a sister who's actually intrigued with this topic hasn't helped over the years, making him even more paranoid as time goes on.