The Virus - DISCONTINUED INDEFINITELY

The Virus [1]

Thank you for choosing to read my story, The Virus!!! By the time I get this one actually published, I'll definately have another couple on the way! Oh, and a little bit of warning, they may not be all that great.... Anyway, hope you enjoy!

-Tickie

------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had all started so normally. The New Year had started, some of my friends and I were on our way to year 11 at a different school, and I would be able to see my boyfriend every day, with our schools being so close to each other.

But that all changed. With the arrival of the Virus.

The Virus was an accident, brought about by scientists playing around with stuff they shouldn't have been. It was supposed to stay in America, where it was created, but then it just got too much to handle. The Virus spread to neighbouring countries, and got completely out of control. But, the thing was, all of us under 18 were safe. It was only the adults that got infected. No-one really knows why. The symptoms were subtle to start, slight insanity, but then got more obvious. Their hair started falling out, and they lost the ability to go out into the sun. And the insanity just got worse. Way worse.

It was around the start of February when the Virus finally made its way to Australia, around the time we were supposed to go back to school. The government declared a state of emergency, and the adults, and those nearing adulthood, were all quarantined. The plan was fine, but that left us children alone. That, was not so good. Sure, some celebrated and had a good time, but when the party stopped, reality stepped in. But that was only some. Others lost it as soon as it happened, not being able to handle watching their parents being dragged away by authorities in hazmat suits. It was hard on all of us, but for others, harder. They went insane, agitated. They started ripping their hair out and attacking anyone that got too close. Then they started drowning themselves, throwing themselves off tall buildings. Meanwhile, the rest of us knew what we had to do, and did it. We collected what provisions we could, and met up with those who we were close to, and rationed out our supplies.

Things took a turn for the worse. The Government got the Virus, and Parliament fell apart. The infected adults got loose, infecting every other adult that were still uninfected. Pretty soon, there were only us under 18 left. That brings it up to now, with everyone running around, hiding out for the night, trying to stay alive.

My "tribe" as we called ourselves consists of my boyfriend, Toby, my friends whom I had caught up with; Cara, Annie, Eleanor, Freya, Willa, Jessa and Ciel, some of Toby's friends; Callie, Mason, Gael and Daniel, and a couple of others that we have picked up; Darren, Rachel, Andrew, Dean, Morgan, Patrick, Sean, Shaun, Erik, and Ashley. We don't really have a home, and we move around pretty much every day. It's starting to become too dangerous to do that now, and we need a place to stay. We are just packing up our last hiding spot, when Cara cries out. We all pick up our assorted weapons, ranging from bits of wood to bats to a bow, and take up defensive positions. I look around, and I notice everyone else doing the same. When it seems like no one has seen anything, I relax a little.

"What is it Cara?" I ask, rushing over to her.

"It's a sp-spider, under my bed," she stutters, pointing to the blankets on the floor she calls her bed.

I sigh and lift up the blankets, revealing a harmless huntsman. I squash it with the heal of my boot, drop the blankets, and walk back to my own pile of blankets. It's usually me with the problem with spiders. Back before everything started happening, that is.

I continue folding the blankets and putting them in my back pack. I look over at Toby packing up, and relief that I found him washes over me once again. At first, I didn't think I would be able to find him, and I was starting to think that something had happened to him. But then we found each other, and have been inseparable ever since.