Sophomore Red

THE FEVER

Prologue

It was very...foggy for some reason. The fog is so thick I could barely make out the shape of my hand a few feet in front of my face. I can't even tell if I am wearing any clothes or not. I assume so though all I can feel and sense is fog. The fog moved and swirled all around me as if alive, pushing me prodding me to take a step forward. The idea of attempting to take even one step into this mess is scary.

The fog is becoming more invasive now. Wisps of smoke forced their way into my nose and mouth eyes and ears, any entrance of my body the smoke can exploit it used. I erupted into a coughing fit my body attempting to get rid of the intruder but it was only made worse the longer I stood there and coughed my lungs out. It was getting harder to breathe as more smoke entered via my mouth and nose. Self preservation kicked in and I began to move forward. Suddenly the invasion of the living smoke stopped only to be replaced by a pounding headache.

I stopped walking, rubbing my temples to get the pounding to stop. As soon as I did though the smoke began to seek entry into my body again. What is with this fog?

"Okay I get it!" I yelled into the fog as I began walking forward again.

A sense of time is non-existent in this... where ever I am. However, the amount of light coming through the fog suggest that it's day time sort of. A whisper of a voice tickled my ear. The peach fuzz on the top of my earlobe stood up as it attempt to help me locate the voice.

"Hello?" I called out turning my head in the direction of the whisper.

A second whisper this time behind me. I turn in time to see the disappearing silhouette of a human in the fog. More and more whispers one after the other coming from all directions. Yet the voices belonged to someone and no one. Louder and closer the voices attacked me engraving a fear of the unknown into my heart.

I ran. Zig zagging through the fog in my best effort to escape the voices that followed me. Tears stain my cheeks as I begin to question the events that is happening to me. 'Why am I here?' and 'How did I get here?' being the most important two. After an eternity of running I break through the fog and found myself at what looks like a school. Relief washes over me as I continue to run towards the building leaving the disembodied voices behind me.

The moment I entered the building I knew there was something wrong. To my left the hallway stretched into darkness to my right the stairs lead into darkness. Not wanting to trip and fall down a flight of stairs I decided to go left. It's not a school. I made three left turns before I found myself at the starting point. Again I went left took two rights and another left but still managed to end up where I started. On the third try I went left took three rights and was back at the beginning once again. This isn't a school, it's a damn maze.

I walk the halls of the 'school' trying to find someone anyone who could tell me what the hell is going on but I find that I am walking in circles passing the same point over and over again, before making any progress. I leaned against a wall with a poster of the soccer captain and his team. It's advertising for openings in the team tryouts are... the date is blurred, why won't my eyes focus on it. I study the rest of the poster the captain I recognize he was a kid from my school. The rest of the team I cannot see their faces wait the guy in the way back his face is small due to bad editing on the poster but his face I can see as well.

"What is going on?"

I exited the building I was in and entered a courtyard. The tree at the center is unmistakable. This is my school? The atmosphere suddenly changed becoming darker and colder. My heart began to race as adrenaline and fear took hold of my body. A black shadow man entered the court yard he slowly walked passed me and disappeared when he hit the tree. A few moments later screams of what can only be tortured souls trapped in hell echoed all around me. A black ooze spilled out of the tree and rapidly approached me. Without hesitation I began running into the opposite direction. Black ooze followed me where ever I went swallowing up everything that was behind me. Within seconds I reached the entrance of the school where the fog was waiting for me. Not wanting to be killed by black tar I entered the fog foot to smoke running like my life depended on it. I turn to see if the black tar was still following me but there was nothing but fog.

The headache came back in full force. It almost feels like my brain is trying its hardest to escape my cranium via my eye sockets. I closed my eyes and dropped to the ground entering the fetal position. This pain is making my whole body hurt I could just die. A shadow settled over me. Through my hazy vision I could barely make out if it's a real person or a figment of my imagination.

"Are you real?" I hear my voice speak raspy barely audile syllables

"Of course I am my love"

I would recognize this voice anywhere smooth and deep with a slight hispanic accent. This voice has been apart of my life since birth.

"Daddy?"

"It's good to have you back?"

Confused I ordered my eyes to focus on my dads face. Slowly the fog began to lift more and more light entered my eye sockets forcing them to blink in rapid succession. The headache began to dull slowly only a light hum in the back of my mind remained. Like a camera made to focus my eyes zoomed in and locked on my fathers face.

"Where did I go?"

My father chuckled and gathered me into his arms. "I was afraid that you had gone someplace where I couldn't reach you"

I could hear the tiredness in his voice see the stress on his face. I have never seen my dad so weak and broken. He had always been the source of my strength.

"Tell me dad what happened?"

"A fever swept across the entire planet." My father began to explain to me "Several generations, gone within days of the out break. Children between the ages of 16 and newborn where affected the most followed by the elderly 80 years and older. Thousands of people died. You caught it 9 months ago and have been in a coma ever since."

"What?" I said panicking. I looked around at my bedroom with the exception of several medical equipment nothing has changed everything is as I left it the night I went to sleep. I remember studying for my honors placement exam at Halimore prep. I remember getting frustrated because Calli kept telling me to stay away from her boyfriend. I remember being excited for the sword dance and knife throwing competition I practiced so hard. I looked down at my hands, 9 months everything that I know is gone. I looked up at my dad. Not knowing what to say or how to react I burst into tears.

"It's ok hun we will get through this" My dad said bringing me into a hug.

"Where is mom?" I asked when I got my crying under control.

"I called her when your fever broke she should be home soon"

"Zoe and Sarah?"

"They are both fine, However, Zoe and Sarah both lost a parent"

"What now?"

"Well... my dad breathed your due for a transfusion."

"Transfusion?"

"Yeah you are anemic now and need a cocktail of drugs to control it, and you have a mild sensitivity to the sun."

My dad got up to leave. "I'll go bring you some soup..."

"What?" I asked when my dad just stared at me.

"Don't look in the mirror" He said a worried smile on his lips with a nod he left me to bring the soup.

Nine months is a long time can I even walk? My mother might have kept my body conditioned so I don't lose muscle tone but...still. I looked across the room to where my full length mirror is. If I can reach that mirror I deserve to see what I look like I told myself. Removing the covers from over my legs I psyche myself up to do something that probably would take months of physical therapy to do. I swing my feet over the side of the bed surprised that they responded to my order so readily. Carefully I stood up, expecting a wave of vertigo to hit me I am once again surprised that I felt fine. I really do not feel like I have been in a coma for 9 months. Aside from the dull buzzing at the back of my mind and a sort of numbing hunger in the pit of my stomach I feel like I just woke up from a well rested nights sleep.

Carefully I took a step then another with confidence building in my chest I took the last remaining several steps towards the full length body mirror. On first glance I look the same nothing has changed. My hair is a little longer but my hair has always grown supper fast. I honestly look cute for someone who has been asleep for nine months. And then I saw them blood red irises. I screamed.