The Virus

Evan - February 6th

"Testing, testing, one, two..." I grin. I don't need to test my microphone, I'm only a television news anchor, but the sound girl is super cute and I've been trying to get her attention for a while now.

When she smiles back shyly, I wish I was better at flirting, then I might've worked up the courage to ask her out by now. In front of the cameras, I'm cool and confident since I have to be to get the job done. Real life is a different story. I've always been shy without a teleprompter to give me the words to say.

For the last couple of days, news of this 'super bug' has been one of our smaller pieces. Tonight it's about to be our headline news. According to our researchers, it's becoming a much bigger threat, and there's even the fear that it's killed someone.

I push my hair behind my ears, the way I always do when I'm concentrating. I need to get tonight right. I need to be detached, yet sensitive at the same time. It's so difficult to not let emotion get in the way sometimes, especially with some of the more awful stories, and that's something I need to master if I want to reach the big leagues.

My mind instantly flicks back to a gruesome homicide from a few months ago. The details were horrific and I couldn't get it out of my mind for ages afterwards. It even gave me sleepless nights, not that I'd admit that to anyone here. The only way to make it in the media is to be thick skinned and unemotional.

I often wonder if I'm truly cut out for this cutthroat industry. Although you'd never think it of me, being important is all I've ever wanted. Being known, helping others, and this seemed like the best way to achieve that goal.

Time is counting down, and I begin to feel slightly nervous right before being on air. Live shows can be unpredictable, and that terrifies me.

10, 9, 8...

My brain shifts into gear.

...7, 6, 5...

Deep breath.

...4, 3, 2...

And we're on!

I repeat the words as they flick up on the screen in front of me.

"Good evening. It's time for the 10 o'clock news. My name is Evan Parsons."

Cue music.

"Tonight's top stories: local celebrity contests super injunction, house prices sink to their lowest rate yet, and the newest viral bug is poised to affect 75% of the population."

Is that true? I think to myself as I mechanically read what's written in front of me. That's frightening! As I read the other stories, my mind is elsewhere, firmly fixed on finally finding out more details about this virus. I want to learn more about what's going to happen, what we need to do to protect ourselves. I hope this isn't merely another media scare, because even I'm worried about this one.

I find myself trying to rush, to hurry the rest of the news along. Is everyone else the same? Sat on the edge of their sofas, screaming at the screen for me to shut up about the depressing recession? I know I would be. We all know everything sucks with money at the moment; no one needs to be told that the housing market is still crashing.

And finally I'm there. I'm concentrating on the words so hard that they almost don't come out right. I hope I manage to relay the details in a suitable manner, because when a crisis like this comes along, giving people information is the best way to stop anything spiraling out of control.

***

Sitting at home later that evening, my mind is still reeling. I'm trying to organize my thoughts, work through the fog of tiredness to figure out what the hell is actually going on.

The news never reveals the whole truth, we all know that. It only reports enough so people feel informed. I hate that. I wish I could tell everyone everything, especially with something as important as this. But I can't. I say whatever's put in front of me.

Like a puppet I guess.

From what I can work out, some strange illness has come from God knows where, affecting everyone differently, all in a very bad way, and we need to do all we can to avoid contracting it.

How vague is that? Don't get ill. That's all they could give me to convey?

I need to find out more. What if I have it now? Am I really tired or do I have this bug? Maybe I should get myself checked out, just in case. You never know, it could save my life.

I look down, realizing the phone is already in my hand, the doctor's number dialed, as if my body already knows what I need to do.