It all happened so fast. Disaster. Widespread panic.
A Pandemic.
It wasn't long before the Infected were everywhere.
When Hayley Brookes near-perfect life comes crashing down around her - due to a new, widespread, incurable strain of virus and she...
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I was at her side in less than a second, barely able to believe my eyes. She was awake. Alive.
I cradled her in my arms, afraid to ever let go. Only when she began to cough did I loosen my grip and frantically begin to check her over, trying to pinpoint the source of her distress. I gently rubbed and patted her back until her coughing fit eventually died down.
"How are you feeling?" I gently pressed, not wanting to push her. She had almost died so I knew I needed to take it slow.
She opened her mouth to speak but the only sound that managed to escape her lips was a dry, strangled croak. I quickly grabbed a water bottle out of our dwindling supply and held it up to her lips, hoping that she would be able to keep it down this time. Her tiny sips soon turned into greedy gulps as she quenched her thirst. When she had almost finished the bottle, I took it away from her, not wanting her to over-do it and all the while cautiously eyeing the only two 500ml bottles we had left. It needed to last us as long as possible.
"How do you feel?" I repeated softly.
This time I was able to understand her quiet, strained voice. "C... cold..." She wrapped her good arm around her shivering body to enunciate her point. Confused, I felt her forehead, surprised by the icy temperature of her skin. That couldn't be right. She was burning up less than an hour ago.
As she rested her head against my palm, I could see her eyes begin to droop and close. Desperate to keep her from falling asleep, I clicked my fingers in front of her face whilst calling her name loudly. She jumped upright, waking from her trance as I let out a breath of relief. She was awake. For now at least.
I wrapped the previously discarded blanket around her shoulders and held her close to me to raise her body temperature. She was practically a living ice cube. Nothing I tried seemed to make any difference. Even when she felt warmer to touch she was still shivering. I covered her in another blanket before trying to coax some food down her.
At first, she flat out refused to eat and looking at the dismal baked beans I could hardly blame her. I wouldn't give up though, she had to eat and eventually I was able to persuade her to take a few mouthfuls, watching as she painstakingly swallowed each bite.
I felt my heart swell with happiness as I watched her eating. Perhaps there was a chance. Maybe she would be okay. I knew it was still too soon to tell, but she'd woken up and that had to count for something, didn't it?
My heart sank though when she suddenly doubled over, spewing everything she had just eaten all over the floor. At a loss for what to do, I just rubbed her back comfortingly until it was over. How was I meant to help her recover if she wasn't able to keep a meal down? Was it the virus? I didn't know what to think anymore. Surely she would have turned by now if the virus had taken hold of her.
"It's okay, Lily. You're okay." I soothed, still rubbing her back as she cried, her tears of pain eating me up inside. I didn't know what to do and it was killing me. I would do anything to take away her pain, taking it on myself if I could.
