Thursday, 12th July 2018
9:02 AM
The rain pattered down lightly against the window to the passenger seat of a blue Mazda. A young girl, aged fifteen, had her eyes closed with her forehead pressed against the cold glass. She wasn't asleep, she was listening to music through her earphones. The slow piano melody calmed her tired mind. It was too early for Ashley Winter, as is every school day. It'd been five months since her father had been taken from her. She hadn't bounced back from it yet. How could you? Ashley felt the car take a left turn and instinctively knew to open her electric blue eyes as they were reaching the school. The high school was one of the finest Rockwood had to offer. Her mother always put a large amount of pressure on her to do well in school.
'Have a good day hon.' a woman, with identical blue eyes, spoke softly.
Ashley wasn't listening. She stepped out of the car.
For a moment the world spun a little. She stumbled, feeling a little unbalanced. The doctor said the side effects might include dizziness. Almost immediately after it occurred, she was completely fine and headed toward the nearest tree for shelter. She shrugged off her bag and rummaged through searching for the pills. There they are. She unscrewed the cap, put one of the small blue disc shaped pills under her tongue and headed toward the tall modern school building for first period.
8:28 AM
Ashley's sat in a blue, cold padded chair and tapped her foot nervously on the white tiled floor while she wiped her clammy hands on her blue denim jeans.
'Try to relax, it won't hurt.' The doctor said calmly while he wiped an alcohol swab on her upper arm. 'Now I need you to hold still. One, two, three. Sharp
scratch'
She stopped tapping her Knee, held still and turned her head the other way. It's just a needle, how painful can it be? A pain shot through her arm. Sharp scratch? This feels more like a fire poker had been burnt into my skin. Though the pain seemed almost unbearable, she was determined to conceal her discomfort. Ashley had been told that the pain varies from person to person. They said that the pain can range from feeling like a pin prick, to a wasp sting. Sure, the wasp sting would surely hurt, Ashley knew from experience, but nobody said that it can hurt to this extent.
'And we're done.' He said confidently. +
Thank fuck. Without another thought, She was up and out of her seat heading toward the door gritting her teeth so she wouldn't cry. Well, at least it's over now. Ashley had been dreading this vaccine the moment she turned 15 as this was the ideal age to have the jab. With out it… well let's say, it wouldn't be a life worth living. That's if you contracted the virus of course.
'Now, before you leave.' He began.
Ashley stopped in her tracks and turned to face the doctor. He had grey hair, well, with what hair did have, and a receding hairline. A little badge was clipped to the right side of his chest. It read "Jared". His voice irritated her for some reason. Maybe it was the way his teeth would whistle when he pronounced the letter S. Or how everything he said was in a slow monotone voice that didn't seem to care about a single thing in his boring repetitive life.
'You should expect the following symptoms: tiredness, dizziness, mild confusion and nausea.' He reached down to his drawer and pulled out a small
orange pill container containing small tablets that rattled around inside.
'these will help reduce these symptoms if taken every four hours for 24 hours. Just place them under your tongue and they will dissolve-"
'Thanks' Ashley snatched the container from his grasp and left without another word. She didn't care whether how she acted seemed rude or arrogant.
Once she had left the room, turned the corner and was out of sight, she groaned in pain.
'What an asshole!' Ashley whispered loudly.
Instinctively, her attention shifted and she quickly looked at the area that had been burned by that needle. She'd expected to find her skin scorched and blistered but to her surprise… there wasn't anything there. What? Not a single mark? Not even a drop of blood.
12:32 PM
Ashley was staring numbingly at a computer screen while clicking the mouse rhythmically as she scrolled through photo after photo. These photos all had something in common. Mr. Maple had assigned the class to pick a theme and capture photos of that particular theme. Ashley's didn't have to think for very long to decide her theme would be Nature. Back in the days, before smart phones existed, before everyone was glued to a screen, people would actually go outside and enjoy the sun on their skin, or the wind in their hair. Not anymore. Ashley missed that but felt as though it was an uncommon desire to want to go back in to the past.
A buzz sounded under the desk bringing back Ashley's attention. She reached down into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The case was deep blue. That's all, no patterns, no flip case. Just a simple phone case. The simplicity was somehow calming to Ashley. The phone had buzzed as a reminder. It's pill time again. She threw her hand up and asked for Mr. Maple's permission to go to the toilet. He allowed it, of course. Ashley would rather ask to use the toilet than ask to pop a Zed pill. People tend to get nervous when you mention anything related to Zed-34. it has impacted nearly every family in some way. Its brutal enough hearing about it rather than actually witnessing someone die from it. No body should ever go through that.
Ashley stared at her face in the mirror of the girls school toilets. She had bags under her eyes, her hair wasn't pinned back neatly, she had freckles dusting her nose making her look like she hadn't slept in weeks. Sure it felt that way sometimes. She reached down into her bag and pulled out that small orange pill container containing the pills she'd been prescribed. After opening the screw top lid, Ashley tipped one of those 6 tablets into the palm of her hand. It appeared to be light pink and shaped like a disc. A wave of apprehension flooded through her body. Should I really be swallowing this? Even though the thought crossed her mind, it had left within a second. Of course she should be. It's not worth all the side effects that the doctor had told her about.
After downing that little pink pill, she escaped the bathroom and headed back to class to continue scrolling through those countless images.
The screeching sound of the bell rung loudly initiating movement around the classroom.
'Now don't forget, the assignment is due by Friday, no late submissions.' Mr. Maple reminded, as he did every lesson.
Ashley left the room at an slow pace with care. Just in case the dizziness decided to creep up on her again.
The cafeteria was packed with students. A large lineup where they served the food, was growing by the second. Ashley always brought her own food just to avoid that mayhem. In the far corner of the cafeteria, two boys sat with their backs to her. She wound her way through the crowd and took a seat before them. On the left side sat Nathan. He was a leader, well liked and built tough. He had light blonde hair that complimented his blue eyes and tanned skin. Think of a typical surfer boy. That's Nathan. Minus the surfing. Why he decided to even associated with Ashley, blew her mind.
'So Ash, did you get it done?' Sam asked Ashley.
Next to Nathan was the one and only, Sam. He had honey brown eyes that scanned over her face waiting for her to answer. He was the smart one, what do you expect with a name like Sam?
'Yeah, I barely felt it.' Ashley lied.
'See… I told you it wouldn't be that bad' He said with a friendly grin on his face. 'Mine hurt a fair bit but the pain didn't last long at all.'
Ashley wasn't sure why she decided to lie. Nobody had described the vaccine to be as painful as how she'd experienced it. That made her different, or weird. She didn't want to be either of those. The pain in her arm had subsided but she didn't dare to lift it. She feared the painful consequence that would follow.
She turned her gaze to Nathan. 'When are you getting yours?'
Nathan had always made the plans for the three of them, almost every weekend. They'd been friends since day one of high school. He and Sam had grown up together because their mothers were close friends.
'I'm not getting one.' Nathan shrugged, while he focused on eating a tuna sandwich.
'You're not getting one?' Sam's face had shock plastered on it.
'Don't give me that look. I'll get it eventually.' He said with a full mouth.
Charming Nathan.
'You know what Zed-34 can do right?' Ashley warned.
'Yeah. Catch that shit and you'll become catatonic.' Sam filled in.
'I know, I know… I said I'll get it eventually.' Nathan said eager to deflect and turn things into a joke, like he always did. 'Just for you, smarty Sam!"
Zed-34 has been around for 3 years now so it's hard to have all the facts on what it really is and what it can do to you. Mostly, The virus affects teenagers going through puberty but it isn't only limited to teenagers. Once infected, the host becomes and empty shell. They become completely blank and don't respond to any kind of stimuli. A vegetable. Most of the teenagers existing today have been vaccinated. You'd be silly not to. Nobody should witness just what it can do.
The first outbreak was roughly three years ago. A 21 year old woman named Tahlia Green was recorded as the first person infected with Zed-34. She was found almost lifeless in her bath tub. The only sign that she was alive, was her eyes darting around behind her eyelids. Other than that, there was no response to sound, light, smells or even pain. Eventually, Tahlia did pass away but not in a peaceful manner. Just before she died, her eyes sprung open and appeared bloodshot red. The rest of the story becomes more confusing. Some people say she died right there and then, end of story. However conspiracists believe she was trying to speak but was too weak to utter a full word.
5:00 AM
A large, tall white building reached toward the grey fluffy clouds that passed by steadily in the breeze. Sirens filled the air piercing the ears of anyone passing by. An Ambulance pulled out and onto the road with red and blue lights flashing as they took a right turn and disappeared over the highway. A set of automatic doors opened to display an upset Ashley. As she passed through the automatic doors a man with wispy shoulder length hair bumped shoulders with her.
'Sorry miss, you don't happen to have any spare change do you?' He asked.
Ashley noticed his unclean clothes and missing shoes. He appeared homeless.
'Umm.' she felt her pockets. 'No sorry.'
A light mist fell softly from above. She rubbed her arms with cold hands. Hospitals always gave Ashley anxiety. But she needed to be here. At least for now. Sorrow began to build up shadowing her judgment. Wait… something was off. The mist wasn't falling above at all. Instead it was rising. Ashley watched as the droplets lift from the pavement and floated into the air. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before. Exactly. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before. This couldn't be happening. It's not real.
'Not this again…' She exhaled breathily in realization.
The homeless man peered at her. Maybe in confusion. Ashley pinched her nose to block the airflow. At least it should have blocked the airflow. She could breathe through her nose without any trouble.
'it's just a dream.'
Ashley bent her knees before jumping into the air and taking flight. She had to leave. Be anywhere but here. The buildings looked incredibly tiny from up here. Your average teenage would probably be terrified of the height but not Ashley. She was used to this. Higher she rose into the air passing through the clouds. Cold little droplets of water collected on her skin as she did so. A smile formed on her freckled face in enjoyment at the sensation of freedom in her chest. She was just happy she wasn't at the hospital.
As she flew a flock of green and blue parrots were soaring through the air beside her. Ashley could hear someone laughing and was surprised to find out it was her own. No matter how many times she'd flown before, the euphoria was always exciting.
Ashley opened her eyes. No longer was she flying above the clouds, instead, she laid on her back, in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Usually she would wake up crying when she dreamed of scenarios related to that day, until, she started controlling those dreams, Ashley would just fly away from all her troubles. The hospital she dreamed of was the hospital they rushed her father, Tom Winter, to when he had a heart attack. A heart attack that changed everything. A heart attack that took her father away. It happened five months ago but it still felt raw. Dylan Winter, Ashley's brother, was with Tom in the dingy when it happened. The two of them were fishing in the river on a beautiful sunny day. Ashley remembered where she was when she got that dreaded call. She was out with her two best friends watching Interstellar in the theatre. Usually people say you can feel it when something bad is happening to someone you love. But she felt nothing. Nothing at all. Ashley didn't know much more about what happened because Dylan never talked about it further. It would have been traumatizing to see your own parent dying before your eyes knowing there isn't a thing you can do to help.
Ashley had been a lucid dreamer for as long as she could remember. That means she is able to control her dreams. The trick was to find the reoccurring features in your dreams. Once you do become aware of them, you need to test the dream world once the features crop up. The test is to make sure it is indeed a dream. You wouldn't want to jump off a cliff thinking you could fly when in actuality, you can't and that drop would be fatal. Ashley's little "reality check" was the block her nose and attempt to breathe through it. In the real world, that would be impossible. In the dream world however that isn't the case. You can breathe perfectly normal.
Ashley rolled over onto her side and drifted off into a deep sleep.
3:37 PM
The rain had stopped for the day and the sun's rays were peeking through the clouds. Ashley was sitting at the back of the bus, keeping to herself, on her way home.
Three girls were sitting ahead of Ashley. One girl had her left leg crossed over the right. She swung her foot occasionally. Her hair was blonde, dead straight and lengthy, touching her hips. Her nose stuck up in the air as she sucked on a lollipop.
'What about this one?' a brunette girl sitting beside her asked showing Cindy the screen of her phone.
Cindy turned her head and peered at the screen before staring at her in disbelief.
'No, look,' She pointed. 'That chunk of hair isn't tucked behind my ear.' She criticized turning away again.
'Oh, yeah, of course, you're right.' She stuttered hastily pulling the phone away.
Cindy was the most popular girl in the school. Stuck up, thinking her life was so hard. Many of the boys drooled over her but she thought herself too superior to be dating any of the boys at Rockwood's High school. She believed there was a "Mr. perfect" out there searching to find her.
Ashley turned her gaze to notice a couple of boys chuckling as one of them stuck a piece of white gum on the underside of the seat.
The bus followed a busy straight road that would soon be approaching a familiar bridge. Another boring day of school over with.
Mum wouldn't be home from work yet. Mum was a cashier at a small grocery store, "Woods Groceries" which was walking distance from home. Five months ago she only worked three days a week. That's when dad was alive… something made Ashley look forwards toward the front of the bus. Call it, intuition. An oncoming white commodore veered across the center line and was lined up to collide into the bus. Ashley gasped but there wasn't enough time to do anything. She felt something hit her hard on the forehead and she could feel cold water splashing at her ankles. She had hit her head of the back of the seat before her. The other students were screaming in panic. Nobody knew what to do. Ashley was half dazed from the impact, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Others were trying to break the glass with their fists. The water was now at Ashley's collarbone. Shit! She snapped out of her confusion and started pounding at the window too. The water was now at her neck. She stopped pounding and decided to look for an exit but there was none. This was it… her heart was pounding hard with adrenaline. There was now an inch of air left. Ashley took a intake of air before being completely submerged in water. She'd never see her mum again. Nor her friends. This was it, the end of Ashley. At least now she can be with her father again.
It didn't take long until the urge for more air took over. Unintentionally, she took in a gulp of dirty river water. Then another. It burned on the way down into her lungs. Another one. Everything began getting darker, either from the depth of water or loss of consciences. She could feel herself slipping away. It got darker and darker. Ashley felt a wave of acceptance envelop her. This was what it was like to die. This was the end…