Shattered

-Six-

This chapter describes the plague, and it is a bit graphic. If you are seriously squeamish, I suggest you skip over that part! Enjoy.

"I am infected Jamie, I have the plague."

My breath instinctively shallows, and I resist the strong urge to pull my shirt over my nose and mouth, even though I know she is not contagious yet.

Stage one lasts a few days. During these few days, you feel and look almost normal, except for some bruise-like splotches on your arms and legs, and your joints may swell a bit.

Stage two comes with a high fever, vomit and diarrhea. Contact with any bodily fluid will result in almost instant infection. Getting too close may also result in infection, but only in occasional cases.

Stage three comes a few days later, and it is short, and violent. You vomit and defecate so uncontrollably, you rip holes in your throat and intestines. You essentially bleed out in a day or two.

Most people are reported during late stage one. Then they are taken to the city center and terminated, all before they are even contagious. I have seen stage two. I have seen stage three. I have seen people I love rip themselves apart from the inside out.

My parents were plague victims. I was six, Quinn was only two. My dad got sick first, but my mom refused to turn him in. She didn't want to watch him die in front of everyone in the city square.

My mom got it a few days later. She barricaded herself and my dad in their room. Quinn and I weren't allowed inside. We sat outside the room, and slid food the crack of the door, when we could get it open.

Dad died about a week after we discovered he was first infected. Mom didn't stop crying for the next day, and then she was gone too.

"Jamie?" Azura's voice breaks me out of my stupor. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I reply dazed, "what about you?" I immediately regret saying that.

Azura's face falls. "No," she whispers, "I'm not okay, I won't ever be okay again." A tear falls down her cheek. "I'm going to die Jamie, in a week. You have to report me, so you don't get the plague." She makes shooing motions with her hands. "Go, get out, you need to tell someone so they can take care if me."

"Take care of you?" I yell, jumping to my feet, "They would kill you! You saw what happened with the Hewetts, they were killed, and when we tried to stand up for them, we were arrested."

"Your right, but I don't want this to get worse, I was clearly near Kali long enough to catch the plague, and you could be next. I couldn't live with myself if-" she stops herself, and bursts out laughing, tears now pouring down her face. 

"What?" I demand.

She gasps, "I said that 'I couldn't live with myself', but I don't have to," she gasps again, " I don't get to." She is still shaking with laughter. "I'm going to die before I know if I infected anyone, I don't have to worry about it." 

I gape at her, but can't fully process what she has said because I heard heavy, thudding footsteps coming up the stairs. I start toward Azura to go under her bed.

"No," she yells, "stay away from me."

The footsteps get faster. The door slams open, and I whip my head around. Cora is standing there, and she looks very angry.

"I thought I told you to stay away," she growls.

Her fist comes flying toward my head and Azura shrieks. 

Next thing I know, the floor is rushing toward me and the world goes black.

A/N

Hiiiii, I hope you enjoyed.

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