OUTBREAK (A collection of Zombie Stories) |#Wattys2016|

PATIENT ZERO

  [Author's note: This is the story that comes first in chronological order. It is the story of Patient-Zero, the first person to be affected by the Zombie Virus.] 

FRIDAY

"Here you go, Satoshi" Said Doctor Nobuyuki Yamakazi, handing a prescription to a small child of 12 years of age. The child was of frail build, with short, black hair and brown eyes. He was extremely thin and pale, clearly sick. His mother, Yumi Nakajima stood behind him, looking concerned for her child. She asked the doctor, "Will he be okay?" The doctor simply replied, "It's nothing more than an average fever. He will be fine within a few weeks. Just give him plenty of rest. Do you have any exams in school right now?" Asked the doctor, directing his question to Satoshi.

"No doctor." Replied Satoshi quickly. "Well, in that case, take a few days' holidays from school. Constant strain will make the recovery time longer, and might make the fever worse." Satoshi's eyes lit up at the prospect of not going to school for a few days, and he gave a brief smile. The doctor smiled back as Satoshi was guided out of the door by his mother.

"Thank you doctor!" Said Satoshi, turning back to Doctor Yamakazi as he waked through the door. He smiled back as the door closed behind him.

Dr. Yamakazi went back to the research paper that he was pouring over before the boy had come in. He struggled to read the fine print of the paper before realizing that he wasn't wearing his Convex glasses. He gave a slight chuckle as he bought out his other pair, a truly ancient-looking pair of thick spectacles lined by a bronze frame that had faded due to repeated use.

Doctor Yamakazi continued to pour over the paper. As he did, his increasing age began to become apparently clear. He had celebrated his sixty-third birthday just a few months ago, and ever since, he felt his body weaken. His hair had gone stark white, with a few streaks of grey in-between. His skin had formed excessive wrinkles and he had begun to form an ungainly stoop. Even his mind, which he had maintained extremely well had begun to fray at its edges. The words on the paper began to flow right over him, his eyes beginning to close. His mind began to make its mandatory trip to thinking about retirement when,

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

--A few minutes earlier--

Satoshi slowly walked out of the room. As he walked out, he began to strike up a conversation with his mother. Satoshi was an unusually talkative person, and even his illness couldn't rob him of this ability. His mother listened on as Satoshi rambled on about seemingly mundane things with the utmost enthusiasm. It brought joy to her seeing that her son's illness did not faze him, or his ability to talk. Sure, it was annoying at times, but she found it strangely endearing.

Satoshi had begun to talk about his favorite baseball team and the chances that they would win the cup, when his eyes suddenly began to droop. His vision blurred, then began to go red. He stopped in his tracks, swaying on the spot like a drunkard. His mom got on her knees and shook him. "Satoshi? SATOSHI?!" Some of the nurses at the hospital ran to his aide, but not before Satoshi crumpled to the ground, vomiting blood from his mouth and nose.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

PATIENT ZERO 

 an Outbreak story

An unconscious Satoshi was hoisted into a stretcher and rushed to the Emergency room. His whole body convulsed and he was continuously vomiting up blood from his mouth and nose. His skin had gone uncharacteristically pale.