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intheheartTitle: Infection
Rating: R
Summary: The virus laughs.
AU: Apocalyptic
Notes: It had been A Day. Killing off 90% of the world's population was right up my alley. Brought to you by the book "Return of the Black Death."
WARNING: graphic depiction of viral infection, specifically hemorrhagic fever.
The Black Death was a virulent disease that ravaged Europe in 1347 and continued to appear sporadically for the next three centuries. It killed ferociously, with estimated fatality rates of anywhere from forty to ninety percent of the population. Summer was the worst time for infections; deaths usually occurred from April to December, with peaks in July and September. At the height of the disease in Paris, thousands of people died every day.
The disease announced itself in many ways; with fever, with swelling of the lymph nodes, with constant coughing and spitting up blood.
Wherever it landed, it killed.
--
Patient zero is not really patient zero. This round-faced, middle-aged man from Messina is only the last in a very long chain, a final link to a silent, screaming past. Nor has he done anything wrong-- he was merely unfortunate enough to be bitten by a dog who had been digging in the wrong place.
He is waving goodbye, now, to his relatives, beaming through the glass. He is going home after a family reunion. He is happy. He misses home.
He waves one last time to his family, and steps on the plane.
With every exhale, the virus advances.
--
Local Man Found Dead
Roberto Guisino, 51, was found dead in his home this morning by neighbors complaining about the smell. The deceased had not reported to work in days.
Police state Guisino probably died three days ago due to natural causes, but have no comment beyond that.
Guisino emigrated from Messina in 1986, founded his own business in New York City, and became an American citizen in 2001. Condolences may be directed to his company. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the American Cancer Society.
The body will be returned to relatives in Sicily for burial.
--
It is a few weeks before the virus makes another appearance.
A woman in the apartment downstairs begins to cough, and stares in astonishment at the reddish droplets on her hand. A man pulls off his shirt and finds reddened, hardened patches on his torso. A child wakes up crying with a swelling beneath her arm.
The woman goes to the ER, and is told not to worry unless the problem worsens. The man decides to ignore the patches. The child is given painkillers and sent to school. Their death lurks within them, if they only knew.
The virus spreads.
--
Outbreak of Unusual Symptoms Not a Problem, Doctors Say
ERs and hospitals across the country have been reporting a sudden outbreak of cold and flu-like symptoms accompanied by swelling lymph nodes and reddened patches on the skin. According to medical authorities, these are likely symptomatic of a new strain of influenza. Doctors recommend rest, fluids, and plenty of both. They also recommend that any sufferers remain at home and cover their mouths and noses when coughing, to avoid spreading the disease further.
If you develop these symptoms and are over sixty or under ten, see a doctor.
--
The next death occurs in a New York City hospital.
Lindsey Pitts, 37, mother of two, first noticed the red patches on her breasts two days ago. She ignored them, thinking them nothing, until she collapsed with a high fever the next night. Her terrified husband rushed her to the hospital. She dies early in the morning, her eyes open and staring, screaming from the pain.
Her husband, weeping, does not notice his own red patches, or the swelling beneath their daughter's arm. Their son coughs incessantly, dry and hacking.
The virus flexes its muscles, and finds its strength appealing.
--
Recent Deaths Caused By New Disease... Or Old One?
A panel of scientists has stated that they believe the recent rash of deaths attributable to a very old disease indeed-- the Black Death.
The scientists, including zoologist Christopher Duncan and historian Sue Smith, claim that the Black Death was not bubonic plague, as commonly believed, but a violent, virulent hemorrhagic fever. The symptoms, they say, match those occurring in the recent deaths.
Medical authorities condemn the panel's conclusion as "useless fearmongering." They state that the deaths are anomalies, and urge people to remain calm.
The panel issued their response Monday night: "Be afraid."
--
The deaths are not anomalies, and they continue, rising in frequency as the summer warms. The authorities continue to insist that nothing is wrong, but sharp-eyed physicians are keeping counts, and the death rate is rising-- one a fortnight, one a week, one a day.
Somehow-- no one is sure how-- these figures appear in the papers, and the panic begins.
People make runs on stores, on banks, on bus companies. People riot in the streets. People steal and loot and hide.
And people run, as always, farther than they ever could run before.
The disease runs with them, gleefully.
--
REMAIN CALM
REMAIN CALM
THIS AREA IS NOW UNDER MARTIAL LAW. REMAIN CALM.
The public is instructed to remain in their homes. Anyone found outside without a reason or a pass will be subject to immediate trial and possible execution. Remain in your homes. Do not attempt to leave the area.
If you display symptoms or know anyone who does, you are required to report to the authorities immediately. You will be brought to a secure location for quarantine and treatment.
Most importantly, do not panic. The situation is under control. Remain in your homes and remain calm.
REMAIN CALM.
--
The death toll rises.
It's confined to the island and the surrounding city, under quarantine. They think they have succeeded. Three weeks and the dead are mounting, but they think they have succeeded-- if half the population falls victim, still it is not so many. What is five hundred thousand lives to the world?
No one goes in or out. The death toll rises. The people who have fled count their blessings. The world breathes a sigh of relief.
In Massachusetts, a woman who fled lifts up her skirt and sees the red patches on her legs.
The virus laughs.
--
The Black Death disappeared abruptly in 1666, never to reappear in the course of human history. After three centuries of terror, humanity could finally sleep safe in its bed, freed from fear of plague-- or could it?
Other diseases have taken precedence. Smallpox, tuberculosis, polio, AIDS, all have claimed untold numbers of people. But none have moved so fast or so viciously as the Black Death, and none have claimed so much of the population in so short a time. None has disappeared so thoroughly, and so mysteriously.
Could the Black Death come back?
What would happen if it did?
Rating: R
Summary: The virus laughs.
AU: Apocalyptic
Notes: It had been A Day. Killing off 90% of the world's population was right up my alley. Brought to you by the book "Return of the Black Death."
WARNING: graphic depiction of viral infection, specifically hemorrhagic fever.
The Black Death was a virulent disease that ravaged Europe in 1347 and continued to appear sporadically for the next three centuries. It killed ferociously, with estimated fatality rates of anywhere from forty to ninety percent of the population. Summer was the worst time for infections; deaths usually occurred from April to December, with peaks in July and September. At the height of the disease in Paris, thousands of people died every day.
The disease announced itself in many ways; with fever, with swelling of the lymph nodes, with constant coughing and spitting up blood.
Wherever it landed, it killed.
--
Patient zero is not really patient zero. This round-faced, middle-aged man from Messina is only the last in a very long chain, a final link to a silent, screaming past. Nor has he done anything wrong-- he was merely unfortunate enough to be bitten by a dog who had been digging in the wrong place.
He is waving goodbye, now, to his relatives, beaming through the glass. He is going home after a family reunion. He is happy. He misses home.
He waves one last time to his family, and steps on the plane.
With every exhale, the virus advances.
--
Local Man Found Dead
Roberto Guisino, 51, was found dead in his home this morning by neighbors complaining about the smell. The deceased had not reported to work in days.
Police state Guisino probably died three days ago due to natural causes, but have no comment beyond that.
Guisino emigrated from Messina in 1986, founded his own business in New York City, and became an American citizen in 2001. Condolences may be directed to his company. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to the American Cancer Society.
The body will be returned to relatives in Sicily for burial.
--
It is a few weeks before the virus makes another appearance.
A woman in the apartment downstairs begins to cough, and stares in astonishment at the reddish droplets on her hand. A man pulls off his shirt and finds reddened, hardened patches on his torso. A child wakes up crying with a swelling beneath her arm.
The woman goes to the ER, and is told not to worry unless the problem worsens. The man decides to ignore the patches. The child is given painkillers and sent to school. Their death lurks within them, if they only knew.
The virus spreads.
--
Outbreak of Unusual Symptoms Not a Problem, Doctors Say
ERs and hospitals across the country have been reporting a sudden outbreak of cold and flu-like symptoms accompanied by swelling lymph nodes and reddened patches on the skin. According to medical authorities, these are likely symptomatic of a new strain of influenza. Doctors recommend rest, fluids, and plenty of both. They also recommend that any sufferers remain at home and cover their mouths and noses when coughing, to avoid spreading the disease further.
If you develop these symptoms and are over sixty or under ten, see a doctor.
--
The next death occurs in a New York City hospital.
Lindsey Pitts, 37, mother of two, first noticed the red patches on her breasts two days ago. She ignored them, thinking them nothing, until she collapsed with a high fever the next night. Her terrified husband rushed her to the hospital. She dies early in the morning, her eyes open and staring, screaming from the pain.
Her husband, weeping, does not notice his own red patches, or the swelling beneath their daughter's arm. Their son coughs incessantly, dry and hacking.
The virus flexes its muscles, and finds its strength appealing.
--
Recent Deaths Caused By New Disease... Or Old One?
A panel of scientists has stated that they believe the recent rash of deaths attributable to a very old disease indeed-- the Black Death.
The scientists, including zoologist Christopher Duncan and historian Sue Smith, claim that the Black Death was not bubonic plague, as commonly believed, but a violent, virulent hemorrhagic fever. The symptoms, they say, match those occurring in the recent deaths.
Medical authorities condemn the panel's conclusion as "useless fearmongering." They state that the deaths are anomalies, and urge people to remain calm.
The panel issued their response Monday night: "Be afraid."
--
The deaths are not anomalies, and they continue, rising in frequency as the summer warms. The authorities continue to insist that nothing is wrong, but sharp-eyed physicians are keeping counts, and the death rate is rising-- one a fortnight, one a week, one a day.
Somehow-- no one is sure how-- these figures appear in the papers, and the panic begins.
People make runs on stores, on banks, on bus companies. People riot in the streets. People steal and loot and hide.
And people run, as always, farther than they ever could run before.
The disease runs with them, gleefully.
--
REMAIN CALM
REMAIN CALM
THIS AREA IS NOW UNDER MARTIAL LAW. REMAIN CALM.
The public is instructed to remain in their homes. Anyone found outside without a reason or a pass will be subject to immediate trial and possible execution. Remain in your homes. Do not attempt to leave the area.
If you display symptoms or know anyone who does, you are required to report to the authorities immediately. You will be brought to a secure location for quarantine and treatment.
Most importantly, do not panic. The situation is under control. Remain in your homes and remain calm.
REMAIN CALM.
--
The death toll rises.
It's confined to the island and the surrounding city, under quarantine. They think they have succeeded. Three weeks and the dead are mounting, but they think they have succeeded-- if half the population falls victim, still it is not so many. What is five hundred thousand lives to the world?
No one goes in or out. The death toll rises. The people who have fled count their blessings. The world breathes a sigh of relief.
In Massachusetts, a woman who fled lifts up her skirt and sees the red patches on her legs.
The virus laughs.
--
The Black Death disappeared abruptly in 1666, never to reappear in the course of human history. After three centuries of terror, humanity could finally sleep safe in its bed, freed from fear of plague-- or could it?
Other diseases have taken precedence. Smallpox, tuberculosis, polio, AIDS, all have claimed untold numbers of people. But none have moved so fast or so viciously as the Black Death, and none have claimed so much of the population in so short a time. None has disappeared so thoroughly, and so mysteriously.
Could the Black Death come back?
What would happen if it did?
