The Disease

Chapter 10

                                                                                             Ivaria

Everything felt different. My world seemed to be disintegrating every minute of the day. Florian tried to cheer me up with jokes, but he couldn't even get a smile out of me.

"Sorry Florian, I just— I'm gonna take a walk, okay?"

"Alright, but take this with you just in case something happens." He handed me Zayden's TouchPad, and I luckily didn't burst into tears as I took it into my hands.

"Thanks."

Florian smiled sadly, and his eyes sparkled as he whispered, "Everything's going to be okay Ivaria. Just trust me."

I nodded, then pulled on my tennis shoes and hoodie and walked out the door.

It was a warm day and good for taking a walk, though I secretly was hoping it would be stormy to match my mood. I pulled my hood up over my head and stuck my hands in my pockets. The streets were bustling with HoverCars and people walking their RoboDogs. I always thought real dogs were cuter, but the robot ones seemed to be in style. I kept walking with a small twinge of fear from the last time I went on a walk by myself, but this time I was surrounded by people, so I felt much more secure. I had a few chips in my pocket so I walked into a coffee shop. It was completely empty except for one person working at the counter

"Hello! Can I get you something?" the man behind the counter asked me.

"Yes please, could I get some hot chocolate?"

"Sure thing, it'll be ready in a few minutes. That'll be one chip please."

I handed him the chip then sat at a table to wait for my drink. The man brought the drink to my table a few minutes later and I started sipping. After I drank about half of it I started to feel sleepy.

"Excuse me sir?" I asked groggily.

"Yes?" the man asked, turning toward me with a smile on his face.

I started to feel so tired I could barely speak. "What—what did you put in this?"

The man laughed. "We don't reveal our recipes here."

"You pu—put sleeping powder in this didn't y—-." but I never finished because right then I fell asleep.

Everything was blurry when I woke up, but I could make out that I was laying on some sort of hospital bed and next to me was a small table with a syringe filled with clear liquid. It was the Brain Disease poison. I tried to sit up, but when I did, I was forced back down by chains locked onto my wrists and ankles.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a man said from the door across the room, "I was beginning to think they gave you something worse than sleeping powder." I could tell he was joking but it didn't sound any less sinister. The man was wearing a black suit, and I had never seen him before. "I would've just done this while you were sleeping, but for some reason the injection only works if you're awake. Must be some chemical we put in it."

I nodded, though I was barely listening. A few seconds later, the man picked up the syringe, poked it into my skin, and pushed the liquid in. He [then pulled it out and set it back on the table.

"All finished. You should start feeling the effects of the Brain Disease soon, if you didn't already know that." he winked, but I didn't laugh. All I could think about was that I was going to die.

"All right," he started, "come with me, I need to take you to the helicopter."

He undid my chains, then I followed him out the door. He was holding onto my arms so I wouldn't run away, but right before I walked into the helicopter, he made the mistake of letting go, so I bolted.