A State of Future Existing

Chapter 5

Peony's shrieks filled the junkyard, seeping into the cracks of broken machinery and outdated computers. Hyunjin's auditory interface couldn't protect him from the shrill memory, even as Peony's voice cracked, and she dissolved into hysteria. 

Hyunjin stood trembling, unable to move. Wanting to comfort Peony. Wanting to run away.

How was this possible?

Peony was young, healthy. She couldn't be sick.

Peony cried, brushing repeatedly at her skin, the spots.

Hyunjin's netlink took over, as it did in moments when he couldn't think for himself. Searching, connecting, feeding information to him that he didn't want.

Letumosis. The blue fever. Worldwide pandemic. Hundreds of thousands dead. Unknown cause, unknown cure.

"Peony-"

He tentatively reached forward, but Peony stumbled back, swiping at her cheeks and nose. "Don't come near me! You'll get it. You'll get it."

Hyunjin retracted his hand. He heard Iko at his side, fan whirring. He saw the blue light darting over Peony, around the junkyard, flickering. She was scared.

"I said, get back!" Peony collapsed to her knees, hunching over her stomach.

Hyunjin took two steps away, then lingered, watching Peony rock herself back and forth in Iko's spotlight.

"I... I need to call and emergency hover. To-"

To come and take you away.

Peony didn't respond. Her whole body was rattling. Hyunjin could hear her teeth chattering in between the wails.

Hyunjin shivered. He rubbed at his arms, inspecting them for spots. He couldn't see any, but he eyed his right glove with distrust, not wanting to check.

He stepped back again. The junkyard shadows loomed toward him. The plague. It was here. In the air. In the garbage. How long did it take for the first symptoms of the plague to show up?

Or...

He thought of Bong-Cha at the market. The terrified mob running from her booth. The blare of sirens.

His stomach plummeted.

Was this his fault? Had he brought the plague home from the market?

He checked his arm again, swiping at invisible bugs that crawled over his skin. Stumbled back. Peony's sobs filled his head, suffocating him.

A red warning flashed across his retina display, informing him that he was experiencing elevated levels of adrenaline. He blinked it away, then called up his comm link with a writhing gut and sent a simple message before he could question it.

                 Emergency, Dobong-gu district.

                                        Letumosis.

He clenched his jaw, feeling the painful dryness of his eyes. A throbbing headache told him that he should be crying, that his sobs should match his sister's.

"Why?" Peony said, her voice stammering. "What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," said Hyunjin. "This isn't your fault."

But it might be mine.

"What should I do?" Iko asked, almost too quiet to be heard.

"I don't know," said Hyunjin. "A hover is on its way."