Lethal Ladybugs: Chapter 1

Prologue

Things I Believed Without a Single Doubt Would Happen, Before the Outbreak of Axy:

- A solid four years of high school

- Four hard but fun seasons of marching band

- A class trip to Italy my senior year

- Junior prom and senior graduation

- Awesome parties with friends and family every year until I went to college

- Never having to quarantine with my family because of a despicable disease like the COVID-19 pandemic

I was wrong. Completely, utterly wrong.

I used to live in a decent, two-story suburban home about 5 minutes away from Menomonie University. A white wooden fence isolated my backyard from the constantly traveled but never too busy road behind it.

In my backyard were two "genetically modified to fully grow within five years" evergreen trees I had planted with my dad for my eighth birthday, along with a shed that had seen better days, a few dying apple trees, and a garden that never turned out more than a few green beans and a handful of cherry tomatoes every summer. That didn't stop my dad from trying, though. Each year, he'd attempt to help our garden out, whether it be by putting a new fence around it or trying a different fertilizer. It was kinda funny, actually, to watch him try every possible way to produce more produce and fail. Though, you can't blame a guy for trying, I guess.

Besides the garden, shed, and trees, my backyard was a place where multiple get-togethers for not only me, but my sister, brother, and parents occurred. I remember the summer nights when we'd have my parent's friends and their kids over. We'd spend the night splashing around in kiddie pools, chasing each other with sparklers, and gorging ourselves with s'mores. Then there were the birthday parties and sleepovers where my friends and I would dart through the freezing-cold water leaping out of my family's state-of-the-art garden sprinkler on 60-degree days. Although it was rare for a day to be under 70 degrees at my house, no matter the time of year, thanks to the Home Bubble my mom purchased a few years before the Axyridis Pandemic.

AKA, the idiotic pandemic that ruined my life.

My entire life changed at exactly 1:52:34 PM on Tuesday, December 22, 2098. I was sitting in CCC (College Credit Course) Ethnic History of America when an urgent announcement appeared on the corner of my teacher's holographic diagram representing something about the ethnic issues in America from the year 2020. My teacher, Ms. Martinez, immediately stopped lecturing about the president at the time, Donald Trump, and his effects on the issues (which, by the way, he sounded like such a horrible person. I'm glad I wasn't alive back then) and tapped the message to increase its size. I could tell she was quite annoyed, especially because we were supposed to have a test the day after. However, as soon as she read it, I knew something was off. A blank expression adorned her face as she turned around to face the class. I remember what she said after that like it was yesterday.

"Ahem. Well. It looks like the sickness plaguing Asia, Axyridis Disease, has finally spread to the U.S.. Since The President is shutting down the whole country for a period of time, the President of La Crosse Schooling would like to relay that our schools are to be shut down for the same period of time. That means there will be no more school for four weeks, not including winter holiday break."

At that moment, the entire class erupted with cheers and shouts of the word "yes." I instead became concerned as my lips twisted into a frown. I knew the situation had to be serious if Aqua High was closing its doors.

Before any more celebration occurred, my teacher quieted down the class by shouting that, "just because you are not physically at school does not mean you will not be doing school work! After holiday break you will be expected to complete assignments just as though you were actually in school. The only difference is that you will not be in Aqua High completing your work."

As soon as she said that, the class erupted again, this time with moaning and groaning. I quietly thought to myself about what idiots these people were thinking that they wouldn't have to do homework over a four-week 'break.'

When the class had finally settled down, Ms. Martinez finished reading the announcement. "The President of Lacrosse Schooling also says that you will be expected to attend class as holograms at your correct class times as though you were physically with everyone else. She advises everyone to bring home everything they would need to learn at home either today or tomorrow, as the school will not allow any students in after tomorrow. Tomorrow is your last day of in-person school until February second as of today. Finally, she would like to remind everyone that the return-to-school date of February second is tentative and could change at any moment. She thanks all the students and staff for their cooperation and wishes everyone good luck."

Ms. Martinez concluded her proclamation by telling the class that the test originally scheduled for the next day will not occur, and instead we would be preparing for the four weeks of virtual learning. I personally was relieved at that because I was definitely not ready to take that test, and I did not feel like pulling an all-nighter. Then, the bell rang, and I headed to my last class of the day: study period. I used the time to compile a list of everything I'd need to take home that day for virtual school so that if I forgot anything I could bring it home the next.

The following days passed in a blur. Every event was canceled, even my family's annual holiday bash, which I was very frustrated about. My mom and dad rushed to any store they could buy food and other essential supplies at and picked up as much as they could stuff in their cars. They would be gone for hours at every possible store due to the enormous lines stretching from the iShopping pads in the stores' lobbies all the way to the ends of the parking lots. Before long, my entire house was filled with food, water, disinfectant, toilet paper, and other supplies to last multiple years. It was the craziest holiday season I've ever experienced.

After the holidays were over, me, my brother, Elon, and my sister, Gianna all began holographic school, while my parents continued to do their work in person. It was a whole different experience learning at home. My school gave each one of their students a device that allowed everyone to have a hologram of themselves sitting in our assigned spots in the classroom at a push of a button. That was how the teachers took attendance and knew their students were actually paying attention to their live streams.

That way of learning continued long past those four weeks. That part of quarantine really wasn't that bad, it's everything else that was. I felt lonely a lot of the time since I couldn't hang out with any of my friends. Yes, I had my family, but there's only so much you can take of them. Or, at least that's what I used to think. I realize now I took a lot of things for granted before Axy demolished my world. That terrible disease left almost my entire family stuck in bed for over a week. Except for my mom. She was stuck for a month before her body hung up the towel, if you know what I mean. I won't get into the details.

Anyway, that brings me to where I am now. It's the end of March, and there's word that a vaccine/cure is about to become available to everyone. If I'm being honest, I feel as if this is a bit quick to have a supposed "Axy Antidote," but who am I to judge? If it works, it works, and life can go back to normal. Wouldn't that be amazing?