Over 90 percent of the World’s population has become overtaken by the plague. Numbers are expected to have gotten higher based off of how fast the contagious disease spreads and many towns have had contact lost. All of Asia is wiped out. South America’s numbers are down to the thousands and is expected to be wiped off the map within the next few weeks. The numbers are record breaking. We urge everyone to take cover and hide until the world guard has taken out those infected by the plague. Avoid all infected.
This plague is much different from the plague that wiped out a large percent of the world long, long ago. Because of the chemical Frax1b2cc, the disease has spiked the brain as well as the body. The infected will be vicious and look inhuman, resembling that of a large, slimy and inflated beast. Their bite will bring the infection as well as the air they breathe. They are deemed incredibly hostile, so we urge everyone to hide. All infected by the plague must be wiped out.
The Doctor dropped his newspaper, allowing the grey, crinkled up pages to fall away by his thighs. He sighed, wishing there was another article to flip to. But no. The only event that sparked up interest was the plague, and the population had grown so small that not even enough reporters could come up with other stories besides the plague. He remembered not three months ago when the plague had taken over seventy percent of the world population. And eight months ago, it was only twenty. At that point, the world did not know what they were dealing with. They thought it was another, simple outbreak of the plague. But Doctors like Doctor Vassely had studied and known better. As years past, Fract1b2cc, a very rare chemical emitted from the sun that used to be so small it wasn’t even noticed in the atmosphere- had grown. It was absorbed through breath of every individual person, and had remarkable effect from the plague. Yes, it had turned all infected into brutish monsters out to kill.
The Doctor sighed, folding the paper up and setting it on the seat beside him. He forced himself to look out the window of a more remote part of Europe, never inhabited as much as other parts. He was on a train, a private one at that, the only other passenger being his sweet Merlot. Doctor Vassely looked up, his eyes bearing into Merlot’s.
They were practically dead at this point, the gleaming green eyes now faded to a foggy, seaweed grey. She had seen happier days, but much like the other survivors. It was one year ago, when it did first begin to break out and word spiked about the effect of Fract1b2cc that caused people to begin to slowly deteriorate in their lost hope. Merlot was among them. Her once striking, cherry brown hair had lost all of its shine and frayed at the ends, but young Doctor Vassely still admired her. The man hadn’t been overly affected from the plague, and if anything it only sent him into his lab. He still was handsome, admired by the remaining survivors. With his chestnut hair and glittering blue eyes, all the ladies wanted a Doctor Vassely. All expect Merlot.
“Merlot, you must understand, I am very sorry.” Doctor Vassely urged, reaching forward for her hand.
Merlot straight away pulled away. She scowled in disgust at the Doctor, showing no admiration or pity for him at all. He left her a wound that was yet to heal, far beneath her skin and all the way at her heart. She was cold to the bone, broken beneath repair. It was a mystery if the pieces of her heart could ever become pasted back together.
“You sicken me.” She hissed, turning away and letting her eyelids drop.
“Oh, Merlot, don’t do this to me!” The Doctor urged, falling down to the cart on his hands and knees. “Seeing you like this- it kills me.”
“Wilson, you are pathetic.” Merlot scowled to the man. “Pathetic. You think after what you did that everything could be ok?”
Doctor Vassely looked to the ground. The train continued roaring on, now preparing to cross a bridge over high and rocky mountains. A fog had settled now, and over the edge nothing could be seen. It was as if it could go on forever. It was true, after all, that what the Doctor did was unforgivable, but he formed a plan. His eyes full of sorrow, he lifted his head and looked back to his sweet Merlot.
“I could have chosen any other woman in the world to come with me on the getaway.” He urged. “But I chose you.”
Merlot shook her head. “Wilson. You could have brought hundreds of people if you wanted to. You are the only person to have created an antidote. Now everyone wants to kill you. So you know what? I find you bringing me on your expedition to be more of a punishment.”
Just then, the Doctor, who had set himself pleading on the ground, was thrown forward into the seat after the train suddenly screeched to a halt. A scream escaped from Merlot’s lips, the move so abrupt, but Wilson was on his feet in moments. He threw himself over Merlot, covering her mouth with his hand. He looked back and forth. Something about the halt was unnatural.
Just then, the lights began to flicker. The fog had seemed to grow larger by the minute, and a stunning silence split the air. And just like that, the lights went off. In fact, the entire train had lost power and was in utter silence. Not even the controller, Cromwell, had sent any sort of message over the intercom.
At that moment, the auto-voice in the train began to go out. If there was control in the situation, Cromwell would have spoken himself. But no. It was the voice set in to speak if the train ever lost power. It was so scratchy, so simple yet frightening in the frigid air…
“Stay calm, train has lost power. Stay calm, train has lost power. Stay calm, train has lo-“
A spark could be heard from the other side of the car, where Cromwell would have been controlling the train. Something artificial had cut off the intercom in such a way where it only could have been broken.
“Hold on.” The Doctor whispered to Merlot, grabbing his phone. He dialed up Cromwell. “Let’s try this…”
Merlot breathed sharply. She hadn’t even noticed it, but her hand had become wrapped around Wilson’s arm. His brow was furrowed in concentration, and his gaze got even more sickening as he waited with no answer. And finally, his gaze completely dropped and he slowly closed the phone. Merlot had turned white as a ghost, and the Doctor only shook his head. Just then, he stood up.
Merlot was confused as to what he was doing until the man reached behind himself and pulled out a small pistol from his boot. It was a shining silver, and the flicker could be seen even in the darkness. Merlot stood up to argue, but the Doctor shook his head as he set her back in the chair.
“No matter what happens, stay hidden. You know what’s happening.” Doctor Vassely told the girl, getting close. “No matter what. Ok? Promise me?”
“I promise.” Merlot whispered back.
“Good.” The Doctor nodded, padding softly to the door to the control room. He slowly turned back around. “I love you, my sweet Merlot.”
She didn’t even get the chance to reply before Wilson opened the door and softly padded inside. He shut it softly behind, and Merlot instantly slunk to the ground. She crawled under the seats, deep under them so a dark shadow covered her. Of course, if it really did come to what the situation was thought to be, she would eventually be found out. Surely would be found out. Hopefully would not be found out. But there was no question- the infected had found the train.
Merlot took a deep breath, instantly taking back everything she had spat at the Doctor before. It was most likely he would take down a few infected, but become overtaken over time. He had taken the antidote, so they could not kill him with disease. But he would still be able to be brutalized by the monsters, no doubt. She had only seen him work with chemicals, not with a single pistol. She wish she could have apologized for everything. Wilson had apologized countless times, and she had never once forgiven the man.
Back when the plague broke out, Wilson and Merlot had been together. Inseparable. That is, until Wilson went off to find an antidote and left Merlot behind. She fought to survive and not lose her wits, cold and alone. She cried out for Wilson for months until she finally realized he would not come back. But then, of course, he did. He came back with a chemical that could prevent both of them from becoming infected. Of course, starved survivors that too wanted to live followed him. And so Wilson pulled Merlot onto this train where they would make a hopeful getaway. But of course- it wasn’t so hopeful they would escape anymore.
Just then, she heard a loud clatter and screaming. It took everything for Merlot to not yell out and scream, running after Wilson. Deep down, she still did love the man. But his actions broke her heart. Then, she heard a shot. Then two. Then more silence.
There was a short period where not another sound could be heard. Then, just like that, another shriek and another shot. She thought it was over at that point, surely not more then three infected could have gotten onto the small car? But then a sound, so utterly terrible and pained sounded from the other car. Three more broken shots came out with more shrieking, then only a deep and steady moan could be heard. There was a little more clattering, but no more shots or shrieking. Could the Doctor have gotten away?
Just then, the door shot open. It slammed against the wall, and Merlot could only just see through the other side. She saw green slime obscuring the walls, and a hand on the ground in view. It could only be Cromwell’s. And staggering from the wake of it all was Wilson.
Merlot stretched out from under the seats and ran towards the man. He didn’t seem himself. There was death in his eyes, but there was no possible way he could have become infected. So what was it? When Wilson suddenly fell forward in Merlot’s arms, she could feel the crimson liquid touch her fingers.
“Oh.” She breathed. “Oh.”
Merlot knew what it was. He glanced down at the Doctor, seeing his white suit now stained with red. The Doctor seemed to choke on his own breath, every second with life draining out of him. There was nothing Merlot could do and she knew it. Slowly, she let him fall and lay on his back on the cold, metal ground where in the darkness she could see the gaping wound in his abdomen. No doubt it would have come from the infected, with their wiry and gruesome claws that had become adapted from fingers. Wilson had taken all of them out- at the cost of this.
“Merlot.” The Doctor breathed, stretching a hand to her cheek. “Do promise me you will get away. Take the antidote and escape.”
“Of course.” Merlot sniffled, brushing his hair back. “Wilson, I am sorry. I am so sorry.”
“It’s alright.” He breathed.
He looked into Merlot’s eyes, spreading a last bit of warmth throughout himself. Merlot felt it, tears now dripping from her eyes. Wilson blinked once, letting out a smile. And just like that, he shuddered, going still and leaving Merlot in his wake. She shook her head, the tears coming out stronger now.
“Rest now, my troubled love.” She whimpered, closing his eyes.
She could have stayed there until she herself died. She had to force herself to tear her own eyes from his broken form, and reached a hand out in his pocket. There, she lifted a red vial and stuffed it into her jacket. The Doctor could have truly been sleeping.
She lifted herself from his body, wiping her reddened eyes. She threw one last glance at the man she once loved before whirling around and running towards the back door. She kicked it open, leaping to the tracks. She would run in the direction she was headed to originally, because going back the way they came would be a death sentence. She kissed the vial, whispering under her breath as she set off at a run.