The Deadly Disease of Love

Chapter One: The Consequences of Uno

Luciana walked along the dark halls of Nicolai's mansion, she had a love-hate relationship with his choice of mood lighting, 'light a candle once in a while' she would think. It was too late for that though, she had other things to focus on like getting to the meeting room before someone breaks something.

She tried to calculate how many years it had been since everyone had been together, maybe 300? No, that seemed too short. They all decided mutually to explore the world on their own terms, of course they would meet every now and then, but it was hard when you had so many angelic duties to care about.

Eventually the rhythmic clicking of Luciana's heels alerted the others that she had arrived.

"You're late" Nicolai said, laying down an Uno card on the table.

"Am I ever early darling?" She started.

"No-"

"It was a rhetorical question,"

"Shut up, I'm trying to focus." Someone else said, laying another Uno card on the table.

"Oh be quiet Sam," Luciana replied, "you take Uno much too seriously."

"No I do not," Sam said, gruff in his voice.

They all looked at him.

"Do you really mean that," another man said.

"Alex, shut your trap or I will find a draw four to personally ruin your next 5 decades." Sam had a look in his eyes that told everyone he would most certainly do that.

"My point has been proven yet again by our wonderful chihuahua with anger issues, Sam," Luciana made wide gestures with her arms as she spoke.

"Quit calling me that." Sam didn't look away from his cards, "Alex, it's your turn."

Alex took a moment to look through his options and then placed down a simple number card.

"Uno," Nicolai said, placing down a plus four card.

They all watched silently as Sam's face visibly turned red.

"Will that be a problem," Luciana said, positioning herself between Alex and Nicolais chairs.

"Hopefully not," Nicolai responded, "but knowing him it will be."

Sam took a few deep breaths and looked at them with sharp eyes. He drew four cards, never breaking eye contact.

"Hold on, what do you mean i'd be a problem?" Sam said, snapping out of his angered daze.

"You really want us to answer that?" Alex placed a card down.

"You literally started both world wars," Luciana said, crossing her arms.

"Not to mention all of 2020 through 2022," Alex added.

"The whole covid thing was Nicolais territory!" Sam said, slamming his cards down.

"Sam, you made me do that in my sleep," Nicolai sighed.

"How was I supposed to know you would do that!" Sam threw his arms up in defense, "not everyone starts entire plagues when their hand is placed in a warm cup of water!"

"I do!" Nicolai said, slightly raising his voice.

"Ooh, someone got dad angry," Luciana said to Alex. Nicolai wasn't actually their father, but he sure acted like it.

Sam looked at them then grunted and pushed himself out of his chair with so much force the chair fell over behind him.

He walked to the french doors and opened them dramatically before stepping out onto the balcony. He started to scream towards the sky, likey taking his anger out on whoever ran the world. His scream was long and gruff, Luciana's throat hurt just listening to it.

Once he finished he let his body relax, he gasped for air and started to breath heavily. He turned back round to everyone else like nothing had happened.

"Oh boy, I needed to get that out." He wiped his forehead, imitating wiping away sweat. "Where were we?"

Before they could move on, a loud crack of thunder ripped through the sky. Rain poured so hard it sounded like hail.

"Sam, what did you do?" Nicolai said, his voice stern.

"Nothing," he cowered at Nicolai's voice, something about the Russian accent could strike fear in anyone, even Sam.

Nicolai sighed and tapped a button just below the table top. A holographic screen appeared on the table, Alex shoved all the Uno cards away and peered down at the screen.

Luciana sat down between Alex and Nicolai, anticipating the effects of Sam's anger.

They all sat there, waiting for something to come up, instagram posts, news reports, anything. After minutes of resting in the silence a single news channel began to air.

A woman appeared on screen, a smile plastered on her face. She gestured to the screen behind her, displaying a predicted radar for the sudden rain.

"Nicolai, it's muted," Alex said after the news anchor began to speak.

"I noticed."

After another tap of a button the sound erupted from the table.

"The rain was unexpected so we don't believe it will be sticking around for long," she motioned her hands once more to the screen behind her, "the rain will be traveling through a few states before dissipating near Maine."

"So you just made it rain?" Luciana raised an eyebrow at Sam.

"Wait for it," Nicolai responded, without giving Sam a chance to answer.

The news switched quickly to another section, cutting off the meteorologist in the process.

"We interrupt your broadcast with breaking news reported ten minutes ago by the White House in D.C."

"Oh great," Luciana flew her arms up dramatically, "Sam started another war for America to exploit third world countries."

Nicolai put a finger up, indicating the worst was yet to come.

"The President has notified us that the war draft will be starting up again as a new dire need for soldiers arises," the news anchor looked down at the paper on the desk, "threats for war have gone to and from many countries as almost every world leader announces a sudden need to fight."

"There it is," Nicolai sighed.

"Sam look what you did," Alex chimed in, "even Switzerland is picking sides!"

Before they could pick on Sam anymore Luciana noticed something.

"Guys, I don't think war is the only thing Sam started."

"What do you mean?" Nicolai snapped his head towards Luciana, not wanting to cover up another one of Sam's tantrums.

"Look," Luciana clicked on a news article, she began to read it aloud, "after fights in the middle east have broken out, discoveries of old diseases that were presumed to be eradicated have come up, many patients in the local hospitals have come down with-" she was cut off before finishing.

"Bubonic Plague," Nicolai murmured.

They all fell into an uncomfortable silence, waiting for someone to say something, someone to change the topic.

{Chapter one besties, asdfghjklikjuytgrzsdfgjwecvrgbhjnukmiujnyhbtgvrfced, that last message was courtesy of my friends, who are whores.}