Hope of the Dying World

CHAPTER 6 - THE INFECTED

March 15, 2022

Tuesday, 8:37 PM

Officer Alfarez and Officer De Vega planned to investigate in the middle of the night where everyone is surely at home. They are wearing an all-black outfit with a mask and a black baseball cap.

They're about to enter a barn when they heard footsteps coming from afar. Hiding behind a cart, listening to every move from the other person around.

"I need to talk to that bullsh*t farmer. Who does he think he is? Reporting this to the authority? I thought you handled it right? You're useless!" The guy said with irritation in his voice.

Alfarez and De Vega peeked from the small holes in the cart. The other guy didn't say anything but from the looks of it, he doesn't feel well.

"Hey! Are you okay? Talk!" The irritated guy panicked.

"I-I can't b-breath."

"Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! H-Hold on! I'll just get the car and i-immediately send you to the hospital." The guy said and ran away.

When he's not on the site, Alfarez and De Vega move closer to the poor guy who is hardly catching his breath. They switched on their flashlights and saw the purple skin color of the poor guy.

"H-Help..."

Alfarez was about to touch the poor guy when De Vega stopped him.

"What? We need to help him. Do some basic procedures."

"Don't." De Vega said and looked at him with serious eyes. "It's not just an ordinary disease. You might get infected if you touch or have physical contact with that man. We can't do anything about it. Just leave it to the other guy who's with him."

Timotheus stared at the man suffering from an unknown disease.

***

Everything is a blur. Voices are echoing.

"P-Please... Doctor! H-Have mercy on me!"

"You agreed on this... There's no turning back..."

"I don't want to die! No!"

A syringe with a purple liquid in it.

"H-Help..."

***

"We... We need to help..." he said without thinking straight.

They heard the roar of an engine coming nearer and nearer where they were. De Vega pulled Alfarez to hide behind the cart and gazed at the moving car.

Someone was screaming inside Alfarez's head. He put his hand on his ears, as if voices in his mind would stop. 'What's this? It's so noisy...'

"Alfarez! Why are you like that? You're spacing out. Focus."

"It's noisy." Cold sweat filled his forehead.

"W-What?" De Vega wondered what Alfarez was talking about. It was silent after the car left.

"Can't you hear the scream? He's... He's shouting for help."

"But the man left a while ago."

Alfarez looked everywhere and the voices disappeared.

'It's just my imagination? Do I need to go to the hospital? I swear! I heard voices. Unknown voices.'

"Why don't you want to help that person?" Alfarez whispered to change the topic. He doesn't want his new partner to think that he was out of his mind a while ago.