When The Plague Struck England - The Worst Time of My Life

Chapter 1

The last few weeks have been hectic here in York. We have recently had am outbreak of the plague, most likely brought here by merchants from Europe. It is horrible having this disease here. It's foul odours and terrifying screams that riddle the air. There is only a small area that the infected are at the moment, over in the south west corner. And only a few people have it. But, once you have it, you and your family are locked inside your house and left to die essentially. The bring you food through a hole each day but you are cut off from the world outside. My mother has to go to the southwest corner everyday. It is where she gets the things we need. There are some small markets over there with the best food but they were shut down. People are flocking to the larger markets but even they are hard pressed to have enough food for everyone. More than one family goes hungry because they didn't get in early enough.

I don't leave the house much. While my father and older brother work in the forges, I stay at home, cleaning the house helping mother and doing all that society deems fit for a fourteen year old girl. They don't know everything though. They don't know that I sneak out at night and meet my best friend to go on wild rides through the country or that I have learnt to hunt with a bow and arrow. Everyone thinks that when I lay down at night, I don't get up until dawn the next day. How they are wrong.

I lay in bed waiting. I have my own little room in our small house. I don't have to share it with anyone as I am the only girl. It is simply furnished with a bed, dresser and chair places so that at night, you can see the stars when you look high through the small window. When you look through it normally, there isn't much. A small alley, usually for rubbish or wooden crates, lies just outside. It is shadowed, no lanterns light the alley. Too small and unimportant. Not to me though. This alley is my escape route. This small, unimportant alley is how I get out of the house and in to wild adventures. I am leaving soon. Just have to wait for Father's snores to fill the house and then I'm gone.

I hear a deep rumbling noise cut through the silence. Not normally loud but it seems magnified while I'm tensed. I recognise it as my father snoring. It's time to go. I gently pull aside the thin cloths used as curtains and ease the window open. I put one leg through the window and start to get my torso through. I'm lucky I'm small otherwise I wouldn't fit. As I get my head out I hear a break in the rumbling. I tense, not moving a muscle. The rumbling starts again and I relax. I swing my leg out of the window and am off into the night.

I crawl through a drain to get out of the walls. I open the hatch and climb onto the grass, the knees of my trousers damp from dew. I curse silently at my own lack of thought. Of course the grass would be wet, I think to myself, now I'm going to freeze. I make sure no one has seems me and whisk away to a line of trees. I walk up to the tallest one and knock four times. After thirty seconds I knock again. I do this twice more and then see a shadow step out from behind a tree. The shadow is tall - not much more than me, though I am above average - and and broad near the head.

"William, you've been trying to scare me like that for the past month. It won't work." I say to the shadow. The shadow slumps and steps forward, the moonlight giving light to his face.

"I will never know that it won't unless I keep trying, will I Francesca?" He asks, using my hated full name. I look up at his eyes, thank God I don't have to tilt my head too much. That would get painful after a while.

"Well, when it does, tell me. I'll pay you 20 silver coins." I reply. He huffs and walks out towards the forest. I follow him with a triumphant look on my face. As we walk I notice he is tired and his movements that were once fluid and graceful are know slow and heavy.

"Are you alright Will?" I ask concerned.

"Fine. Just a little tired. I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. Not to mention our little excursions." He said with a smirk. All of a sudden he collapsed in pain, clutching his side, the smirk replaced with a grimace of pain. He writhed on the dead leaves that blanketed the ground for a few minutes, though it felt like hours. I knelt next to him, trying to hold him down but I wasn't strong enough. I ended up lying on top of his torso, his mid-length black hair tangling with my long blonde hair. We rolled for a bit and then finally he was still. I take of his shirt to have a look at his side. There are black and blue blotches all over his left ribcage and near his right kidney. I move my hand to feel them but jerk back quickly. His skin was hot to the touch. I check under his arm and find swollen patches. I look at the base and back of his neck and find the same there. Why hadn't I noticed before? I asked myself. The hair. He hasn't cut his hair for ages. I sit there for a little bit while he lays there unmoving, his breathing shallow. I start thinking, actually processing what's happening. Black and blue blotches, pain, swollen spots and tired demeanour. Then it clicked. These are all symptoms of the plague. No! This can't happen. My only friend can't die.

"WAKE UP WILLIAM! WAKE UP!!" I shout at him, standing now, "WAKE UP YOU BASTARD! DONT DIE, WHAT WOULD I DO WITHOUT YOU? WILLIAM WAKE UP!"

Then suddenly he sit bolt upright shouting absolute nonsense and then he falls backwards, his eyes motionless and empty.

"No, this can't happen," I sob. I collapse onto his body and the tears come freely. "WHY LORD? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO DISPLEASE YOU? WHAT DID I DO TO EARN SUCH CRUELTY?" I shout to the sky. I keep shouting until my throat is dry and my voice a mere rasp. I continue to shout until my voice is gone. I wipe away my tears, grab him by the legs and drag him back towards the city. It's surprising how heavy a limp, dead body is. I managed to drag his body back to the alley way outside my window without raising any suspicion. I climb into my room, close up and fall asleep.