The sun rose brilliantly on Subangdaku. Anyone would have thought it would be a great day but unfortunately, it was not. Health facilities in the small district were full to the brim, especially in the public hopsital. People were still suffering from extreme cough, fever, colds, and muscle pains. There was still no clear explanation about the incident, except for the theory that an unfamiliar substance from the meteor could have caused the flu-like outbreak. Hence, the people were still fighting an unknown disease and this made them more panicky and terrified with each passing hour.
Like other similar facilities, a certain private clinic was catering to overloaded capacity. People writhing in pain and suffering were found in its lobby. Inside the ward rooms, patients were crowded on the meager floor space. It was in one of these rooms that an elderly man had a massive attack that fine Thursday morning.
He was sleeping soundly few minutes ago but when he woke up, he complained that he felt something like a knot of thick phlegm choking his throat. He was barely talking that time but when more nurses came to him, he felt more anxious and worried that his symptoms seemed to worsen. In a matter of seconds, he was violently shaking in his bed.
The nurses tried to restrain him but his present plight appeared to give him more strength so that he easily knocked the hands that touched him. By and by, he began coughing hard while trembling wildly in bed. With one last cough, he vomitted blood and phlegm on the floor. He opened his mouth wide to suck in air but he immediately lost breath. Instantly, he collapsed on his bed, cold and frigid.
One patient screamed despite her broken voice. The other patients also joined in as more nurses and doctors rushed to the scene. The man's primary doctor looked for a pulse and finding none, he shook his head. They did all means to revive him but only failed. By 7:52 AM, the old man was declared dead.
"Another death from the outbreak," one of the nurses said under her breath.
"Yes, the second one," her colleague answered.
"Will I also die?" their patient asked.
They looked at him, pity and sadness in their eyes. They could not give any assurance, particularly that it was an onerous time for the citizens of the district. The news about the new death spread rapidly throughout Subangdaku, sending everyone to a heightened state of panic and fear. In the local district health center, the situation was no less challenging.
"Please observe physical distancing," Cecilia was barking at the people in the lobby. "And your mask, wear them properly."
"Miss Nurse, have you heard the latest news?" someone asked. "There was a new death just an hour ago."
"Well, we should not be surprised," she answered. "More can die from this outbreak."
"Please don't scare us. No one should die anymore."
"We are fighting an unknown enemy," Tara interjected. "We don't know yet this thing from the meteor."
"So we will just get sick and sick?"
"Probably. It will never stop until there is a cure."
A sick woman cried. Already, life was hard for her, and this outbreak made life even more oppressive.
"So I will just wait for death to come," she said.
"Well, the government and Dr. Alvarado are working hard to discover what this disease is and how it can be cured," Cecilia said and raised an eyebrow at the woman. "Don't be so negative."
"I don't think I can survive," she said dejectedly.
"Well, good luck."
However, the second death did not reach the newspapers as it happened after printing was done. Sonny heard about it though and while waiting for Estella to come out of her apartment, he opened the newspaper and began reading. Their black company vehicle had been like a second home to him and thus, he enjoyed having his coffee, reading the news, and having meals inside it. He scanned for the news about the recent death and indeed, it was still not in it.
"I guess we'll just have to drop by the clinic first and cover the news," he said to himself.
He skimmed the newspaper's contents and found something intriguing. It said that experts found out that the composition of the meteor was not exactly the same as any substance on Earth. It was something novel and unique. Arbitrarily called as Subangdakudium, the new substance offered infinitesimal possibilities.
Sonny checked the paper and it was a tabloid type known for publishing unverified news, controversial commentaries, and overdone editorials. He went back reading the news feature, curious about the entirety of its contents.
According to the undisclosed writer, what was more concerning was the unknown disease caused by the substance. Because of its unfamiliarity, usual medicines to treat the fever, cough, and other simple sicknesses associated with the outbreak might not work at all. The writer called the disease as Falling Star Plague. The spread of illnesses might also not end sooner as the meteor crash could left countless dust suspended in Subangdaku. Eventhough there would be no local transmission from one person to another, anyone who inhaled the dust could be contacted with the disease. Moreover, he urged the local government to respond quickly like putting up more medical facilities and research laboratories for the new substance.
Sonny was blown by what he had just read. It was more like an opinion column than a news article. The theories were supported by some scientific explanations which impressed him a little bit. But as a whole, it sounded more like a fiction than a worthy news. For Sonny, it was the possible repercussions that worried him. The claims in the paper were not simple; they were actually worrisome and horrifying. What if they were all true? How would the readers handle such information?
"This writer is kind of irresponsible," Sonny whispered.
The passenger door suddenly opened. Estella hopped in and arranged her stuffs.
"You looked shaken," she remarked upon seeing Sonny's face.
"I really am," he answered. "You need to see this."
He handed her the newspaper and watched her face changed from being beaming to serious and then confused....