3:35 PM, November 16th, 2051
I slowly wedge myself into my rubbery, sticky, hot suit, my breath coming in short gasps. I close my eyes, and the bright, lime-green plastic slides up over my face. I can see through the mesh in front of my nose and eyes, which worries me. This is all that's protecting me from the most dangerous bacteria in the world?
"Come on, Alyssa." my fellow scientist, Evan, says. "Don't be so scared. Nothing bad is going to happen."
"Yeah." I remind myself in a whisper. What we have to do is easy. It will take ten minutes, at most.
After all, what's the worst that could happen?
3:40 PM, November 16th, 2051
I walk as quickly as I can, which is about the speed of a snail. I need to get this vial out of my hands as soon as possible.
The tiny bit of liquid at the bottom of the vial makes tiny splashing sounds as my hand shakes.
The door of the lab opens. I jump in surprise.
I turn to see the leader of the experiment, Angela walk through the door.
Everything slows down. Angela and Evan both leap towards me, their mouths open in screams silent to my ears. I turn my head...
Just in time to see the vial smash on the floor.
December 4th, 2051
I spread the morning holo-news in front of my face, completely forgetting the breakfast in front of me. The headline sends shivers up my spine.
Dangerous Bacteria Released Into Population
It must just be a rumor, and the media picked it up and ran with it. It's not true.
Right?
December 20th, 2051
It's spreading, that's what they say. It will kill you.
So far, the disease seems like it has spread. It has spread from the Epicenter (that's what we call it), where the vial was smashed. I think that it was somewhere near New York.
That scientist, Alyssa, was infected, along with her two colleagues.
Was.
January 3rd, 2052
The disease has spread all along the East Coast now. Anyone who has enough money to is moving out of the U.S., because the disease is still spreading.
Scientists are still racing for a cure, but the disease continues on, like some sort of huge, unstoppable monster, the kind you see in movies. My family and I, we don't have enough money to move away. We live on the West Coast, luckily for us. Or maybe unlucky. We have to wait, while this plague slowly advances towards us. We have no way out.
February 18th, 2052
In just a few short months, this disease has spread. It has become a plague. It has spread over most of the U.S. It has spread up to Canada, and down to Mexico. Somehow, it got to Europe. It hasn't reached Australia yet, but it will.
We don't have a name for it yet. Some call it the Plague, or the Pandemic.
I call it Fear.
February 18th, 2053
The disease has spread even further. It's on all of the continents, except for Antarctica. Right now, the likelihood of getting infected is 1 in 25.
It's almost unnatural in its time to spread from person to person. Even being in the same room with an infected person will get you infected.
The scientists have given up working on a cure. Now, they're working on trying to save the human race.
November 16th, 2053
This is it. Two years since the Plague first started.
We finally have a way. A way to save humanity.
It doesn't mean underground bunkers, or little forest utopias. The Plague would reach them there, someday.
But there's one place that the Plague can't go.
Underwater.
YOU ARE READING
The Atlantis Plague
Science FictionIn the future, a deadly plague is spreading across the globe. Billions are dying. Humanity has one last chance. The sea.