The Sickness

He was looking in the mirror as he rubbed his eyes and then put his thumbs to the sockets and pressed. Sometimes, he wished he could just pluck his eyes out of his head. All the destruction and death he’d seen over the last year was just unimaginable.  He didn’t wonder why others would want to live a few months more, to do what? Get all their belongings in order, to say goodbye one last time, to prolong the inevitable.

This sickness, plague, virus, flu or whatever it was they were calling it this month, he was apparently immune. He noticed the silver flecks a few months before the sickness spread, they just appeared one day. After speaking at length with people, a few mentioned them but most hadn’t even noticed the change. And then it happened, everyone just started getting sick and dropping like flies. It started with a cough, then a fever and then they were gone, sometimes it took a day, sometimes a few hours. So many people died in such a short amount of time. 

At first he left to get away from the death, he wanted to be alone and avoid the sickness. The longer he walked he realized he couldn’t out run it. There was a few of his kind, using the portacath to try and do the most good. The people who measured up to the criteria could get the small drink, a small sip of his blood that would temporarily extend their life, with hope, until one day a cure could be found.

 William looked in the mirror and stared at his haggard face. He looked at the silver flecks in his eyes and cursed as he squeezed the sponge and watched his blood mix with the water and swirl down the drain in a pinkish mixture. He sterilized the portacath and covered it back up with a bandage. 

“You understand I won’t be able to help you again.” He spoke loudly through the closed bathroom door.

“Yes, I know, but these extra few months will help.” He heard the soft reply.

He pulled his back pack on and leaned down and kissed his mother’s forehead. “I won’t be back this way. I love you.”

“Thanks Bill.” She said as he walked away.

William headed across the valley and over the warped train tracks heading off into the distant foggy expanse. They were all vampires to him and he didn’t care if he ever ran across another living soul.

Keep Calm by Peterson Lee