Down one sailor

    As the cold and pernicious night went on my crew and I made our preparations for the dangerous voyage ahead.

    Ethan and Jelo, my first mate, pulled the wagon and moved it closer to us. Our weapons were placed within reach of the handle. We figured that this would be the best position for them so that Ethan and Jelo could defend themselves easier since they were in the most vulnerable position.

    After that, it was time to board the ship.

    Thea was the first one to get on. Though she tried to hide it, I knew that from the look the pain she was feeling was getting worse. After her, it was DJ's turn. He sat right at the back telling us he'll be looking out for incoming threats. Jelo and Thea tried telling him to rest up but he kept on saying that he wanted to be useful. He would've insisted on it too if Thea didn't explain to him that he needed to physically and mentally rest and that doing so would be the right thing to do. 

    We still weren't sure how badly DJ had gotten hurt from being crushed under the locker. There was no open wound which relieved Thea a little but he did have a nasty bump on his head.

    Then it was my turn. Ethan helped me up and I sat beside Thea. That's when I noticed that she was shivering.

    I took off my blazer and handed it to her, "Here. Take it, go get some rest."

    "Thanks but I'll be fine. Don't worry about me, you'll get cold," she said, but I placed the blazer on her shoulders. Who does she think she's fooling?

    "Just take it. You need it more than I do. Just try to get some sleep." I smiled and then patted her head.

    "She's not a dog you know?" said DJ from behind, "And if she was, she would've bit you." 

    I shook my head and turned my attention to our two drivers who were busy looking at the GPS on Ethan's phone. The two of them were at it for a while, they were looking for a shortcut that we could take once we were out of the forest. 

    After a couple of minutes, I noticed Ethan slowly looking toward the moon in the clear night sky. Jelo on the other hand looked pissed because he would have to explain the route to Ethan all over again. He got Ethan's attention again he explained once again the route which he thinks would encounter fewer Inmourtis.

    When they were done Jelo faced us and asked, "We ready to go?"

    Since Thea was already asleep it was only DJ and I who answered, "Yeah, we are."

    "Good," Jelo said, and then the both of them grabbed the wagon's handle, "Let's hit the road."

    After what was probably two-to-three hours wandering the woods, we made it out and found ourselves on the main road just five kilometers away from the city. Of course, Jelo had already planned out the route so we knew that we'd be taking the shorter but menacing way. 

    And by that I mean we went through the dense and rocky parts of the forest, the dangerous parts.

    But thanks to his and Ethan's perseverance we were closer to town.

    Unlike Thea, DJ and I couldn't sleep a wink. 

    My attention shifted to her, who sleeping soundly. She used the bag she brought from her locker as a pillow though I wonder just how comfortable that was.

    Hrrmmmhh...

    By the look on her face, I'm going to guess that it was making her very uncomfortable.

    Then I noticed something and went in for a closer look. I can tell she's uncomfortable, but she's sweating buckets!

    I placed my palm on her forehead, and my eyes widened with worry. Thea was burning up!

    "Lanz, what's wrong?" DJ asked, after seeing my worried look

    "It's Thea! She's burning up!"

    "What?!" he exclaimed.

    "Her wound must've been infected, it must be what's causing her temperature to rise!" I said, remembering something that Thea explained to me before about wounds and infections.

    Ethan's face didn't hide what he was feeling, it was a mix of worry and fear, "Okay, but when you say infected, what do you mean exactly? Like is Thea here going to acquire a certain appetite, say, human brains?!"

    "Ethan!" Jelo and I shouted.

    "What?! It's a valid question!" 

    "We don't even know if the Inmourtis even eat brains! They're zombie-like, not actual zombies! We don't even know what they are!" I explained.

    "What do you mean you don't know?! Didn't the letter you read explained what they are and what they do? Or how people are even infected bg it?!" 

    In the hours we spent in the forest, we caught DJ and Ethan up to speed about all that we'd learned, what Mrs. Jung had told us and the letter from the homeowners association. 

    "N-No!" I answered after thinking long and hard on whether or not it did, "They forgot to mention that important detail."

    "Lovely." I heard DJ say from where he sat.

    "Look, we can deal with those questions later. Right now, our priority is getting to town, specifically to Valens Medical. DJ needs to be checked out and Thea needs proper medicine."

    "And you need to get that foot of yours examined as well, or did you forget that you're injured too?" Jelo said with a stern look on his face.

    "I didn't, don't worry."

    "WELL WORRY NOW! GUYS INCOMING!"

    DJ's scream made us all look towards the front of the road and what awaited us brought horror to our eyes. 

    Ggggrrrarrr!

    Grrr!

    Three Inmourtis were blocking our path!

    Jelo and Ethan immediately arm themselves and are ready to defend at a moment's notice. We weren't being noticed so the two of them pushed the wagon slowly, and as quietly as possible.

    Arf! Arf!

    Our eyes shot wide open and our heads turned around seeing a Golden Retriever, whose fur was stained with red, I'm guessing it was blood.

    Now, normally I'd be happy to see dogs. I happen to like Golden Retrievers a lot too! But this is just bad timing!

    Ggggwwwarrr!

    "Bad doggie!" Ethan shouted before trying to fend off the now-incoming Inmourtis with Jelo.

    "Lanz, keep an eye on her!" DJ shouted.

    To my surprise, DJ grabbed Thea's sticks and jumped down the wagon to join the two of them.

    Thea and I were now the only ones left inside, I grabbed my frying pan and stayed alert. All I know there could be more of them around us!

    Ggggwwwarrr!

    One of the Inmourtis actually would've looked like a fine gentleman in a nice suit if it weren't for that gaping hole in the right of his stomach, which mind you, I could see the other side of the road through it!

    He leaped towards Ethan who was busy facing another Inmourti. Luckily for Ethan, Jelo pushed him away from danger.

    Good for him, but Jelo? Not so much. Because it meant he'd be facing not one, but two Inmourtis!

    "Hrrmph! Ethan!" DJ grunted, "Get up!". He pushed away the Inmourti he was fighting hard enough to help Ethan get back on his feet and into the fight.

    "Wait for a second… I recognize him…" Ethan mumbled, looking at the face of the Inmourti that DJ was fighting, "Isn't he the guy that went missing a year ago?!"

    "What?!" I questioned, confused about what he was talking about. 

    I took a closer look at him and realized what Ethan was talking about.

    A few months ago there was a lot of talk about this guy that went missing in the Alder Woods. The local law enforcement searched for him for weeks but he was nowhere to be found. His family was worried sick, and I saw flyers and posters about him all around.

    He certainly looked like the man in the posters! Could he be that guy? 

    "Urgh!" Jelo was having a hard time himself but managed to free himself from the two Inmourtis that pinned him down with the help of Ethan.

    "She's one of them too!" he stated, "I remember her from the police station! She's another one of the missing people!"

    "You've got to be kidding!" Ethan exclaimed, "What's going on?!"

    Hrrmmmhh…

    Grrr

    Besides the noise Thea was making in her sleep, a familiar growl came from behind. 

    I turned around and saw an Inmourti just a few meters away from us. The Inmourti's long dark hair covered her face, and her white hospital gown made it look like we were in a horror movie yet again!

    Despite my fears, I knew I had to act and had to muster every ounce of bravery I could. It's not just my life that depended on it, but also Thea's!

            When she lunged at us, I won't lie, I was horrified! As soon as she got within arm's length, I hit her on the face with the frying pan hard enough to knock her back. But of course, that didn't stop her. She immediately jumped back up to get us but I was already waiting and hit her again and causing her to fall again.

    That's when I noticed, "They're all wearing the same thing!"

    "You're right, they are!" DJ agreed after a glance and got right back into the fight.

    "Except for Suits here!" Leave it to Ethan to give a nickname to an Inmourti.

    "We have to get out of here!" he said as he hit Suits and out came the same weird yellow substance that was leaking from Uncle Paris, "Huh? What is this stuff?

    "I couldn't agree more!" I said, ignoring his question. Now exactly wasn't the time to hypothesize about Inmourti anatomy.

            "Well then," DJ shouted, kicking the zombie he was fighting to the curb, "Does anyone have any idea how we are going to get out of this mess?!"

            "Not really!" Jelo answered as he tried to keep an Inmourti from eating his face while pinned to a tree, "Up until now, it was Thea who was making the plans!"

            "We can't exactly wake her up and ask her to come up with one right now, can we?! We have to think of something!" I exclaimed, continuing to play a game of whack-a-mole with this zombie. When I looked up the road my heart dropped, numerous Inmourtis were once again coming our way, "And fast! Because we have more incoming!"

            "Where are they all coming from?!" DJ asked, "And why are almost all of them wearing the same hospital gown?!"

            "Deej!" Ethan called out, "Survive now, ask later!"

            "Grrraahh!" Jelo shouted as he broke free from the Inmourti, "It's all downhill from here right?!"

            "What?!" DJ exclaimed.

            "Jelo this is not the time to be pessimistic!" I shouted, continuing to hit Little Miss White Lady here!

            "The road! I mean the road!" Jelo clarified, "After this, it's a downhill road, right?!"

            "It is!" Ethan answered.

            And then it hit me. I realized what Jelo wanted us to do, "You're not suggesting-"

            Ggggrrrarrr!

            For a second, I got distracted and Little Miss White Lady used it to her advantage. She grabbed my face and pulled me out of the wagon. I landed on the concrete face first, again! I quickly got up forgetting the fact that my right foot was both bleeding and sprained!

            I gritted my teeth and tried so hard to reach my frying pan and get back onto the wagon. 

            "WOAH!"

            Thud!

            Ethan's scream was so loud that it grabbed my attention. Like a ball, he was tossed back and landed on his back pretty hard. His exhaustion was taking its toll. I offered him a hand and got him back on his feet. We both stood our ground as the Inmourtis drew closer and closer.

            DJ ran towards Jelo as soon as he took care of the Inmourti Ethan was fighting and made him join the other one who was crawling back towards us at the curb.

            "Jelo, are you telling me that your brilliant plan is to ride the wagon down to the bottom of this hill?!"

            "Well Deej, technically Valens is a city in the mountains so it isn't a hi-"

            "Not the time for random facts Lanz! I told you to stop hanging out with that Bookworm! You're picking up on her habits!" DJ turned to Jelo and demanded, "Answer the question Jelo!"

            "Yup! That's the plan!" 

            "You do understand that your plan sounds crazy right?! Not to mention, it stinks!" DJ pointed out, "What if we get injured in the process, or more Inmourtis are waiting at the foot of this downhill road?!"

            "Then at the very least, we go out trying, right? Besides, if there aren't any Inmourtis down below the wagon would eventually stop giving us the distance we need to get away from these guys and would save us some time to reach town!"

            "Jelo, it sounds like your plan rests on a hypothesis!" he stated

            "Hey, if you have any other ideas I am all ears! But I don't see you coming up with a plan! As far as I know, my plan and hypothesis are the only ones we've got right now!"

            Mrrrmmh…

            I turned around and saw Thea still sleeping in the wagon. I know she's sick and all but how is she sleeping through all this noise?! If it were me, I would have woken up at the first scream and be so pissed off for waking so abruptly and then be scared out of my wits because of all the Inmourtis surrounding us!

            "Act now, discuss later!" Ethan shouted as he helped me back up the wagon. Though if we don't make it thanks to this crazy plan there won't be any discussion for later!

            Not having much of a choice, DJ got in after me with Jelo's aid. He grabbed the bat and shovel from the two of them and tucked them away inside.

            Jelo and Ethan pushed the wagon as fast they could and as strong as they could with all the strength they had left. When we reached the slope, they jumped onto the wagon. 

            "AHH!"

            Unlike Jelo, Ethan didn't land inside the wagon!

            "ETHAN!" I shouted, desperately trying to grab his hand.

            Thankfully, Jelo and I got him and pulled him inside. The two of them ended up bumping their heads into each other.

            "Yawn! Hey guys…" Thea said as soon as she woke up, as she rubbed her eyes, "Why does it feel so wind- WHY ARE WE GOING DOWN?!"

            I didn't have time to explain our situation so I just grabbed her hand and placed it on the side of the wagon, I held on to one side of the wagon while my other hand kept Thea's skirt from getting caught up in the wind, "JUST HANG TIGHT!"

            It was a steep drop. The experience reminded me of that roller coaster at the theme park that Czyrus forced me to go on, it was horrifying! I felt like I could fly out at any moment!

            Eventually, like all roller coaster rides, we reached the bottom. When the wagon had stopped, we looked around to see if there were any Inmourti near us and only breathed a sigh of relief when we confirmed there were none. 

            "What a relief!" said Jelo.

    Ethan closed his eyes and lay on the wagon, his head landing on Thea's bag, "I can't believe that crazy plan worked!"

            "Does anyone want to explain to me what just happened?!" Thea asked.

            "Well, do you want the short version or the long one?" DJ replied.

            "The short one?"

            "You don't sound sure."

            "The short one!"

            "Okay, short version it is. We were in a tight pinch, we had to act fast and the only plan we came up with was Jelo's plan that involved a hypothesis that if it weren't right could have cost us our lives! But as you can see we haven't kicked the bucket yet so good job Jelo."

            "Thanks, I guess," Jelo responded, wondering if DJ was complimenting him or what

            "W-What?" a confused Thea asked.

           Ethan and I shook our heads. Leave it to DJ to complicate a simple thing.

            "I'll explain everything later." I told her, "In the meantime, you should rest up, you have a fever."

            "Which leads to my question," Ethan said, cutting in, "Feel any different? Are you hungry? Does DJ look like he'd make a good dinner for you?"

            "Leave me out of this, Ethan!" 

            "What?! I'm just asking, relax!"

            Thea seemed to get why he was asking the question, "Seriously Ethan? Would you relax? I'm fine! It's probably just an infection."

            "Forgive me for being paranoid, can you blame me though? Have you seen what's on top of that road?!"

            "I get why you asked, it's a valid question."

            "Thank you!" he responded before looking at me and Jelo, "See, Thea gets it!"

            "I don't feel weird or anything different other than the pain in my leg and the dizziness that's probably from the fever. If anything else, out of the ordinary comes up, I'll tell you guys. After all, it's better, to be honest, especially given the state of things. I'd rather have you guys tie me to a tree than put you all in danger." 

            The three of us chuckled but I noticed that she was serious, "Guys, I'm not kidding."

            "Thea…" Jelo said, unsure of what to say afterward.

            "If I feel something wrong with me or if I try to take a bite at any one of you, I want you to tie me to a tree and you guys get as far away from me as possible. Do you understand?"

            None of us answered. How could we? She was asking us to tie her to a tree if she became one of the Inmourti. We don't even know how someone becomes one, yet we're having this conversation. 

            "I said, do you understand?"

            "We get it," I answered, "But why don't we postpone this conversation for some other time, okay?"

            I didn't want to continue that conversation even further. Just thinking about what she was asking us to do made me uncomfortable. I know what she's asking us to do is for our sake but this is Thea we're talking about here. I am not just about to tie her to a tree just because she might be infected.

            "Lanz is right, let's save this kind of talk for another time," Ethan said before jumping down the wagon. He tapped Jelo's shoulders and told him"Come on, we've got work to do."

            After Jelo came down he and Ethan stretched for a little before continuing to push the wagon. 

            I told Thea to get more rest but she insisted that we needed the extra set of eyes on the lookout. I know I can't convince her otherwise so I just monitored her condition. Though he tried to hide it, DJ kept an eye on her from his seat. Jelo and Ethan as well, even if they didn't want to make it obvious. They were worried about her too.

             The growls and groans grew distant as we moved forward into the dark road in the dead of the night.

            If it weren't for my phone, I couldn't have known that two hours had already passed and the sun had started to rise for a new day.

           Jelo and Ethan must be exhausted by now. They've been pushing the wagon all night long and we aren't exactly light. But despite that, neither of them didn't take any breaks. I tried telling them to take five but they just said no. 

             Suddenly the wagon stopped moving and a smile appeared on Jelo's exhausted face.

            "Why'd you stop?" asked Ethan.

            "Look!" he answered while nodding towards the sign of Valens Medical Hospital, "We're here!"

            Both of them enthusiastically pushed the wagon towards the entrance but we were all puzzled at what we saw.

            There were chairs stockpiled behind the door as well as mops, pots, and other things to make sure nothing gets in or out even when the door is slid open.

            "What in The House of Valens is this?" DJ said, staring at the barricade.

            "I don't know, but there must be people inside, let's head to the ER," Thea instructed and the two guys followed.

            When we got there we saw it was barricaded too but not as much as the entrance. 

            Thea looked uneasy. I was about to ask her if she was alright when she shouted, "HELP! IS ANYONE THERE? WE NEED HELP! MRS. WALKER? DR. SANTIAGO? DR. PERALTA? MOM?! IS ANYONE THERE? PLEASE, WE NEED YOUR HELP!"

            After she said that I saw figures from behind the glass, though I couldn't quite see them. 

    When the small barricade was put away and the door opened then out came two nurses whom we knew and were close to, it was Mrs. Walker and Miss Kagami. 

    "Althea is that you?!" Mrs. Walker said and afterward noticed us as well, "Kids?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were at Prasinos!"

    The two of them immediately helped us get inside and once again locked the door and barricaded the entrance. 

    "What happened to you all?!" Miss Kagami questioned.

    Ethan helped Mrs. Walker get Thea in a wheelchair and she noticed her temperature, "T-Thea! You're burning up!"

    "Y-Yeah, I got scratched. The wound must've been infected by germs, it wouldn't be a surprise given all that we've gone through tonight."

    "Let's get you to the on-call room. We'll fix you up there," Mrs. Walker said.

    We were about to make our way to the room I heard Jelo's voice from behind.

    "What… a… relief…"

    "Are you okay man- JELO?!"

    As soon as I turned around I saw the guy falling to the ground!

    "What's wrong Lanz?" DJ asked as he looked back and saw the situation, "HEY!"

    Thud!

    I tried to catch him but he fell to the floor flat and motionless.

    Everyone's heads turned and saw Jelo now lying on the hospital floor out cold. Ethan immediately rushed to his aid and lifted him as soon as he got to him.

    "Don't lift him that quick!" Miss Kagami said but it was too late, Ethan was already slapping our unconscious friend. 

    A doctor rushed from behind and acted swiftly.

    "Is he breathing?!" DJ asked.

    "Has he been experiencing headaches, dizziness, and muscle weakness?" the doctor, whose voice I recognized to be Dr. Santiago, asked.

    "What? Oh. We're not sure. Though I think I heard him say he was feeling a little light-headed a few hours ago."

    "What about his vision? Did he tell you it was blurry? What can you say about his concentration, was it poor? And his reflexes, were they slower than usual?"

    "The thing about his vision I can't say since he has poor eyesight, to begin with. But his concentration and his reflexes were off. He rammed the wagon into a tree despite our promptings." DJ answered. 

    "Is he okay?" I asked.

    "Your friend is fine," Dr. Santiago answered, "He fainted most likely because of fatigue. He needs to rest."

    Two nurses assisted Dr. Santiago with Jelo and brought him to one of the empty beds.

I don't know if it was just me but it seemed like she was sad when she caught a glimpse of Thea, "I'll take care of him here. You take care of it."

    Mrs. Walker nodded and instructed us to follow her to the on-call room. 

    I didn't like the idea of leaving Jelo alone but I knew that he was in the good hands of his future sister-in-law.

    As we were walking, I noticed that Althea was looking around as if she was looking for something. It didn't take me long to realize that she was looking for her mother.

    You see, Thea comes from a family of nurses. Both her mother and father work at this hospital, it's why the people here know her and by extension, us. 

    "Mrs. Walker," Thea called, "Are my mom and dad here?"

    "N-No, Althea. They aren't."

    "W-What?" 

    "I'll explain everything to you once the doctors have finished tending to you all."

    "Us all?" Ethan asked in a whisper, "I'm fine though?"

    Two doctors came into the room and cleaned our wounds, they also made sure that we were okay. Though by now I was positive that I wasn't imagining things, all of them were looking at Thea with pity and it was worrying me. The way Mrs. Walker answered when Thea asked about her parents also bothered me. 

    "Where did you get this nasty cut? Whatever made it almost cut through your skin!" one of the doctors asked.

    Thea and I looked at each other before she reluctantly answered, "It's from uncle Paris…"

    "Who?"

    "Our neighbor." I cleared up, "He's… one of them… An Inmourti."

    We told them all that had happened and they listened to what we had to say.

    "You've had quite a rough day. It's no wonder your friend fainted. But from what you've told us, we're going to have to take you to our makeshift isolation area, Althea," Mrs. Walker stated sullenly.

    "What?! Why?!" I exclaimed.

    "People get the Apethantha Disease by direct contact. It isn't airborne. From what we've seen it's common from a bite or a deep enough scratch. Right now, we can't be too sure." 

    "I understand," Thea agreed. "Please lead the way."

    "Thea! You're not serious are you?!" 

    She grabbed my hand and just before I was about to say something she squeezed it harder. She was looking down but I knew just from a glimpse that she was trying to keep her tears hidden from our view.

    "Please… Don't make this harder than it already is."

    "Althea," I whispered.

    "But before I go, can you please tell me what happened to my parents? Are my siblings even here?"

    "Your mom and dad were one of the few who volunteered to go to the safe zones being established as we speak and probably one of the reasons for that is your siblings. You see, the day you kids left for Prasinos there were military vehicles that came that afternoon. We didn't know what was going on but we were alert."

    The doctor continued dressing Thea's wound as Mrs. Walker told us what happened, "A colonel came and gave us the gist of everything. We knew about the rise in patients in Oram and have been briefed about it before but we were always told by them that it was contained and wouldn't become a full-blown outbreak so we weren't that concerned, but here we are."

    "Them? Who's them?" DJ questioned.

    "The government?" Ethan guessed.

    "No," answered Dr. Peralta, the doctor who was dressing Thea's wound, "Not the government. Though these people are pretty powerful themselves."

    "You didn't tell me what happened to my parents!"

    "She's getting there little Ackerman," Dr. Peralta said then ruffled Thea's hair.

    Though at that moment Mrs. Walker was called to assist someone. She looked at Dr. Peralta and it looked like he understood what she was trying to tell him without even saying it.

    "I've got it covered, Mrs. Walker."

    She nodded and then left the room after taking one last look at Thea with a bitter smile.

    "Stay strong dear. Stay strong." I heard her say as she left.

    "After we were told about the situation we were informed that the residential areas in Valens were being evacuated for the citizen's safety as everything was getting out of hand. So everyone tried to contact their families to give them a heads up on what was going on. I got to call my family and warn them, and Mrs. Walker did the same too. But Dr. Santiago and your parents weren't able to."

    "What?" she mumbled, all puzzled.

    "The reason is that Arbor Town was the first place in Upper Valens to be evacuated. By the time your parents called it was too late, your siblings were already being transported into a safe zone in Mare. They were trying to contact your parents but unfortunately, they were assisting in surgery around that time."

    "The colonel informed us that medical volunteers were needed in the safe zones, your parents immediately said they'd go after hearing that those who would be sent to Mare as well."

    "So they're all together? That's good! But… Why didn't they call me? If everyone in Arbor Town was evacuated first, how come none of our families contacted us? Me, Jelo, and Lanz didn't even know something big was going on in our town!"

    "I'm pretty sure they tried to little Ackerman after all your parents didn't want you to worry about them let alone be separated from your family. You must've been busy when it all went down."

    "What time did this all occur?" DJ asked.

    "Hmm… Probably a little after lunch till half past four."

    "That explains it. We were in a lecture from one in the afternoon until five. If any of our families tried to contact us then we wouldn't even see since Mrs. Jung asked for everyone's phones to be left at the entrance so that we could focus on the Deep Blue Underworld. Though I think I saw Lanz slept through it."

    Nope. I just couldn't look at the pictures or video presentations so I shut my eyes. 

    "I get that we couldn't answer our phones if they'd called but they could've texted us at least!" Thea remarked.

    "I doubt they had the time to," Dr. Peralta said. "Everything was going so fast and to avoid mass panic, I'm pretty sure they would've asked your folks to surrender their phones to them as well."

    "So you mean to say our families are in Mare right now?" I asked.

    "If your family was home during the evacuation, yes. From what I've heard, only one town in Lower Valens was evacuated to Mare, the rest went to the safe zone established at Oram."

    "Oram?! Isn't that where the outbreak began?! Why there?!" Thea exclaimed.

    "That's just it, I don't think it started there."

    "What do you mean by that, doc?" Ethan asked.

    "The first patients in Oram who showed symptoms of the disease weren't from there. Most of them were university students who were on a team-building trip from Deliciae University."

    "Wait? Did you say Deliciae?" I was so surprised to hear this that I stood up from my seat and immediately fell back because of the pain I felt in my foot. I think my sudden stand annoyed the doctor that was tending to me, I apologized of course.

    "Yes, Deliciae. A famous university here at Valens."

    Somehow things were lining up in my brain but I wasn't liking the picture it was painting.

    "And given the military's immediate course of action here in Valens rather than Oram, I'd say Oram isn't the place of the outbreak, it's just where the disease was discovered."

    The atmosphere in the room was tensing up and I knew I wasn't the only one who noticed this. The look on my friend's face was filled with horror.

    "Call it a hunch but I think we're exactly where the outbreak is. Valens."

    Beeeppp-

    Our heads all turned toward the television hanging on the wall. The loud beep made me jump in my seat and almost threw the frying pan I was holding! 

    "Sorry!" I  said, apologizing to the doctor again.

    Can you blame me for being so jumpy though? I didn't sleep a wink since our little voyage started, not to mention the Inmourtis that could come at me in one jump!

    "We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you an important message."

    Our eyes widened as a person appeared on the screen. And it wasn't just any person! She wore an elegant dress with fabric woven from abacá with traditional Insulian designs of seashells, her short bobbed hair was neatly fixed, and her signature Gladiolus brooch- a flower that symbolizes strength- was on her right chest. Her posture and voice exuded authority.

    It was none other than Deborah Coffey, the 20th president of the Republic of Insula!

    "Citizens of Insula, my fellow countrymen, it is with great sadness and urgency that I deliver you this news. In October 2019, I was informed of a surge of patients experiencing dehydration, delirium, and deterioration of eyesight in the capital city of Oram. However, these were only symptoms of the growing virus in their bodies. As we have observed, the virus affects the higher brain functions of the person it takes hold of.  They will become violent and become incapable of rational thought. Those who have been infected with the virus all seem to have one goal, to continue to infect people. The disease can only be caught through direct contact, two of the most common ways we have seen of catching it is through being bitten by one of the infected, being scratched deep enough, or through blood contamination. The disease has been medically referred to as the Apethantha Disease caused by a virus of unknown origins, as of now, the Inmourti Virus.

    We immediately acted on the situation to avoid further escalation and on the 14th of December 2019, I was told by the then Secretary of Health, Ms. Natalia Richardson, that the problem was no longer a threat. However, it seems that this is not the case.   

    Two days ago, I was informed by the newly appointed Secretary of Health, Mr. Maxwell Romero, that the information we were given was false and that the situation was not handled and that the threat of this virus was even worse than before.   

            Given the circumstances, we find ourselves in and the danger we all face, today, Insula's Department of Health has declared that the Inmourti Virus has become an epidemic. It is due to this reason that we are closing the Insulian borders to thwart the spread of the disease. 

    We are in a dire situation and must stand united to face this affliction!

    The government has issu-"

            Whispers filled the broadcast, it seemed like something was going on at the capitol. How could I tell? The president's worrisome look with a touch of fear was a dead giveaway. Nonetheless, she continued, "The government has issued a nationwide evacuation. Local government officials and military personnel are working hand in hand in ensuring the safety of the citizens. As of now, only the provinces of  Auctor, Patriam, and Regnator have been evacuated to one of the four safe zones stationed all around the country. More will be put up."

    "Madame president!" shouted a man somewhere behind the camera, it was probably the head of the president's SFL, Security of The Leaders. "They're inside, we need to get you, and the rest of the first family to safety!"

    The president looked directly at the camera and put on the bravest face she could make, "To anyone in the provinces of Auctor, Patriam, and Regnator that hasn't been evacuated, I am urging you to stay safe until help has arrived. To those that can and have the means to, head to the safe zones. As I have said before, there are four save zones currently scattered around Insula. In the north, in the province of Regio; in the south, in the province of Oram; in the west, in the province of Litus; and in the east, the city of Mare."

"Madame president, there is no time, we have to go!"  And with that, the broadcast was cut off.

    "I guess it's official," said DJ "We are in deep trouble."

    "That feels like such an understatement," Thea remarked.

    When the doctor tending to me had finished and opened the door, I overheard people in the hallway, some were looking towards us, specifically, at Thea.

    "Who are they?"

    "Look!" one said, "It seems that one of them's been bitten!"

    "Which one?!"

    "The girl! I saw her foot bleeding! One of them even fainted!"

    "That's dangerous!"

    "What are the doctors doing?! They should be quarantining that person with the rest of them in the basement parking!"

    I didn't want Thea to hear any more of what they were saying so I shut the door.

    "Someone was bound to notice," Dr. Peralta said as I closed the door.

    "Can't people just mind their own business?!" I exclaimed.

    "Lanz…" she called out, "You can't blame them for reacting like that. They're scared. I'd be worried if they were smiling and laughing when they saw my foot. Cause that wouldn't have been normal given what's going on!"

    "Point for Thea," Ethan said, slipping into the conversation.

    "I don't want to be a cause of fear around people. I've told you earlier that if I felt funny or out of the ordinary, tie me to a tree and get as far away from me as possible." Thea stood up and looked at Mrs. Walker, "Take care of them for me, please."

    "I will, don't worry sweetheart."

    "What? THEA NO!"

    And at that instant, five nurses came in and crammed the room. One held me, two were on DJ, and the other three were holding down Ethan. All of us were putting up a fight to get to Thea who was escorted by Dr. Peralta to the basement parking lot.

    "LET ME GO!" I shouted, "THEA! THEA! LET GO OF ME! DON'T TAKE MY FRIEND! ALTHEA!"

    "T! STOP! DON'T GO!" DJ screamed at the top of his lungs while desperately trying to get away.

    Ethan wasn't screaming or saying anything, though from the look on his face you could tell how he was feeling. It had worry and desperation all over it. He hit one of the doctors in the gut by accident and almost cut loose, almost reaching Thea before the doctors pinned him down again.

    "Guys, you're not kids stop with tantrum," she said calmly as she turned to us with a smile. Tears were forming at the corner of her eyes as she spoke, "Take care."

    We couldn't do a thing but watch as she gave us one last smile as she was out of view. 

    From five to four.

    We were now down one sailor.