The Sickness

John needed a drink, it had been a long day, his knees and feet were killing him, he needed to relax take his mind off the day’s events. It was over, his divorce was finally settled and he was free for the first time in his adult life. John smiled as he sat watching the news with only Jack for company. Out of the blue a news flash filled the large 50” flat screen, a small bomb had went off in JFK, but he was miles away, dreaming of a small farm far away from everyone, far away from the rigors of his normal life.

Mila was in a hurry, she was late for her class, she always had to rush to Professor Johnson’s class, working in a bar at lunchtime meant it was a desperate dash to make it there in time.

Hanna was daydreaming, she wanted to fly away to a tropical destination, all she saw all day was people rushing off to other destinations, and she hoped one day to join them. The news flash was causing a bit of the stir amongst the hierarchy at the airport, everyone was on alert, the bomb that went off in JFK was thought to be part of an extensive terrorist attack. Why anyone would want to bomb here she could not imagine, but she was asked to check for left baggage, and she had to check the female toilets. I get all the fun jobs she pondered.

Manish was finishing his shift at the local call centre; he was walking towards his favourite bar with some of his work colleagues when Jay caught them up.

“Have you heard the news?” Jay asked.

“What news?”

“A bomb,” he said, “in New York at the airport.”

Great, Manish thought, more grief.

Alexa was in a bad mood, she was not happy that the Prada handbag she had wanted was now unavailable to purchase, she shouted down the phone, as she walked down the high street. Disgusted she hung up and steamed a sigh, before heading towards the nearest boutique.

The news about the bomb was spreading, and as the days past and the President said he would do everything to find the terrorists, people started to get sick.

Sickness around New York was increasing and the doctors were unable to know what was the cause, people showed signs of having a virulent flu bug. The hospitals in the New York area watched in horror as more and more people came down sick. The dots were not joined until three weeks after the bomb blast. Scientists and doctors started realising there must have been something in the blast, but at this time no one knew what it was.

Patients lay in the hospital beds or at home or even now on the streets, as the sickness turned into a pandemic. And this was not just a problem in New York many cities around the world were seeing the same terrible signs.

On the 23rd day it was announced that there had been a virus released into the atmosphere at JFK, and that all flights to and from the city were cancelled. Unfortunately it was too late, as many victims lay wasting in beds unable to die, lingering in a painful agony no one could explain.

A state of emergency was cast throughout America and Europe, all flights were cancelled as more and more people fell to the sickness. There was now no room in hospitals and with all emergency services stretched to maximum, panic filled the streets though it was turning into a silent panic as so many people, young, old, fit, healthy, people fell to the dreadful sickness.

The world was in a state of disaster; over five hundred million people had contracted the sickness, civilisation was starting to collapse. No one still knew what was causing so many people to fall into this painful agonising sickness.

Then a fanatic militant fundamentalist leader for a far flung ancient religion took responsibility for the attack. Everyone was shocked they had been convinced it must have been Muslim or Christian fundamentalists but it was an ancient death religion.

The statement released throughout the world said this.

“You the darkened world; you who have destroyed all that is strong and powerful; you who have lost yourselves in commercial despotism, will pay the heaviest price. You who have shamed yourselves, you have shown the true gods that you are not the gift, you are not the enlightened, you are death and so you shall pay by having no death. You will linger in agonising pain for all eternity; you will behave like the beast below the animals of the world. You have been poisoned with a deadly infection, and now you will all rot in the hell you have created forever.”

A chill filled the hearts of the fortunate or unfortunate as they listened to the whole broadcast, and then the sick started to die, yet they did not die they changed and the change was the curse of all humanity, they changed into Zombies.