Category: Fiction

Amy tossed and turned. Water was all she could think about but she couldn’t muster the strength to ask. She opened her bleary eyes and looked about the room. She found the cup; and noticed her parents asleep on chairs outside. She reached as far as she could to no avail. Defeated, she closed her eyes. In her mind, viewed the cup coming to her still outstretched arm and felt a splash. Her eyes bolted open; startled to be holding the cup she couldn’t even reach a mere moment ago, warm water dripped down her hand and wrist. Shock and panic began to overwhelm her, she tried to fake calmness as she sipped her water and gently placed the cup down on the bed rail.

A nurse mustquietly exited the room – leaving a crowd of speechless and panicked doctors and scientists in his wake.

“It appears that the case containing a weaponized smallpox virus is missing” stated the man, as calmly as possible to the room of colorless faces. Fear-struck questions filled the air before he’d finished speaking. Sighing, he sunk into a chair and waited for the crowd to calm down before continuing.

—

The Chem lab on campus was closed for vacation, but Amy had her own setup in the basement of her parents house. She went to her car, carefully placing the case so as not to disturb the contents and started driving towards her home on the other side of town. She passed familiar landmarks and parks full of school children, like she