The Virus

Prologue

It was a cold winter morning, I still remember. The sun had barely begun to rise and the grass outside was covered with snow. In fact, it was still snowing.

I remember it being cold. The wind had me holding my jacket tightly, hoping that I wouldn't freeze to death. No one had been outside for days. Everyone was scared.

I remembered Gerald, and the small cozy shop he had in the middle of the street which once was filled with the laughter of children and the sweet sound of the music he used to play there during Christmas.

Gerald... how much I missed that old man, with his sweet smile that made your day and his tiny frame that barely reached the top of my head.

He used to bring me a gift every Christmas, every single year for over 9 years. He even gave me a key to the store for the cold days; the days where no human was able to live outside.

I remember the sun being lost in the ocean of clouds that ran above us at incredible speed, sometimes too fast for the human eyes.

But my mind was elsewhere. I remember longing for warm winters near the fireplace, with a small fury pet that kept me warm and loved me with all their heart. I remember wanting a family that cared for me beyond words.

But all of that faded away as the days went on. The cold days that never seemed to end.