Hanahaki Disease

Chapter 2

This is not happening... this is not--

"Cassiel!" I heard Urriel shout my name over and over again which brought me back to my senses. I look at Mavis that is now kneeling and coughing blood. I kneeled and tried to soothe her back

"Let's take her to the infirmary---" but Mavis's hand stop me and grab mine.

"No! Don't...take me. J-Just keep me here in our---" she's having a hard time talking "h-here in our observation area," I look at Urriel but neither both o us do not know what to do next.

"W-Wait! What if we'll get infected too?!" I give Juno a sharp look, he's being a jerk as always!

"Are you fucking nuts?! Didn't you hear what did I just say a while ago?! If this is contagious in what way, there are more people to be infected within the same area. I can't believe your comprehension, Juno!" I gritted my teeth to stop myself.

"Come on! Let us take Mavis to the observation area," Sarrina looks worried for her best friend. We lifted Mavis and help her walk, we lay her on the bed and put on pulse oximeter on her index finger. Her oxygen is now on 97 which is not that alarming but she's still coughing. Sarrina is now wiping the blood around Mavis' face and hands. I left them in the observation area and go to the center table again to read the patient's history cause I cannot take it when one of my friends' life is in danger, I need to know what is the reason for this madness!

I zoom in on one of the profiles, it's patient number 5. Based on his history, he had a cough for almost 7 days, no phlegm, and just blood but after 3 days he started to vomit blood and had difficulty in breathing. Has a burning sensation around the chest but his X-rays show normal, laboratory tests also were normal.

"Did you find something?" Urriel suddenly asked me. I didn't know she was here beside me. I sigh and shook my head.

"No, I cannot find anything they just all suffered epistaxis and haematemesis but all tests done was normal. This is insane, Urriel..." I look at her and I know she's thinking how this can't be happening.

"This is not Mycobacterium nor a Streptococcus or any other bacteria..." She said. I look up and start thinking about what may cause this, "this is not a virus too, Cassiel. This is something opportunistic that we haven't discovered yet."

"Opportunistic? These people are not immunocompromised to begin with. Look at these profiles, some of them are athletes."

I swipe the profiles and search for that patient. I swipe up the hologram to make it big and something hit me. I look again at the other profiles details and they were all the same day...

"Urriel, look at these. They all went to the doctor a few days after the hurricane hit us." I saw her eyes go wide. "Juno! please search for the area that has been destroyed by the hurricane!"

Juno went to the computers and the holographic screen viewed the area that was destroyed by the hurricane. Urriel swipes the hologram then pictures of buildings, establishments, and lastly the greenhouse located at the center of the city.

"Holy shit. The greenhouse---" Urriel looks at me "This might be the cause of it,"

"Hey! What did you find out? Hey!" Juno shouted but Urriel and I ran inside to go to the observation area. We saw Sarrina is just holding Mavis's hand. She stops coughing and now sleeping

"Sarrina, I think we should wear our protective equipment starting now," I told her but she looks confused.

"I thought this is not contagious? Why are we wearing that?!" I sigh but Urriel tried to console Sarrina.

"The hurricane destroyed the greenhouse and after that, people are getting sick and we thought it might be a fungal infection that affects the people including Mavis. This is our universal precautionary, Sarrina and we should execute it properly." Urriel explains that this might be it but further examination might be needed.

"We need to get a sample of Mavis and all the patients to conduct a culture test. This might take time to know but this is better than doing nothing." I told them.

We assigned Juno to take the samples of all the patients and conduct a culture test. Urriel is now taking notes of the history of the other patients, Sarrina is tracking down the green house and what are the plants and other microorganisms that they are taking care of, and here I am looking at Mavis. She's sleeping and her vital signs are stable. Even if we find out what caused this, it does not make any sense since the body is not showing any abnormalities in lab tests. I took off my protective gear when I got out of the observation area.

"What are going to do, Cassiel?" I look at Urriel. I sigh and start to wander around. 

"This is something... that is hiding, Urriel and we cannot do anything for now until we get back all of the test results. For now, we must not tell anybody that Mavis is suffering from this unknown disease." I look at Sarrina who's looking at Mavis through the glass window.

"Sarrina, tell your boyfriend not to discuss this outside the premises. If somebody will find this out? We are so dead, especially to my Father." I told her.

She didn't glance at me she just nod. I know she's having a hard time since Mavis was her best friend and they were together since middle school. Urriel stood behind Sarrina and hugged her, then her sobs filled the room.

"I will be honest with you, I am clueless about this," I am confident in my skills but this kind of illness is extremely bizarre. As if it is hiding its own... hiding inside somewhere that science couldn't find.

Suddenly, we received an incoming call from Juno. I answer it on our computer here inside the laboratory. The holographic screen shows Juno's face and he looks flushed as if his blood were sucked by a vampire.

"G-Guys, I have bad news..." I frowned. Don't tell me he did not get any samples from the patients?

"What is it, Juno?" I asked but he couldn't talk well, he was stuttering.

"O-One of the patient... is dead." I can feel the lump inside my throat that I cannot even swallow enough. I bit my lip and gazed at the window of the observation area. Then Juno talks again but he is uncomfortable, I can see it in his eyes.

"A-And t-the strange thing...t-the strange thing is..." Juno's hand is shaking while his hand is holding his mouth.

"What?! Can you just please tell us directly?!" I was caught off guard when Sarrina shouted at his boyfriend.

"I--I don't know how to say it... the patient.. his mouth was full of petals..." my eyes squinted.

"Petals? Y-You are joking, right?" Sarrina blurred it out, "you must be joking, Juno and this is not the time for it!" I held her shoulders cause she was pointing her finger at Juno.

"I am not joking! I am telling the truth! The patient is dead and now his mouth was full of petals!" I look at Urriel with confusion. She looks puzzled too and gazes at Mavis through the window.

What on earth is going on?