Plague (Short MCSM Fanfiction)

Chapter 1 - The First Signs

Jesse's grip on the reins tightened as she anxiously adjusted her seat in the saddle. Her back was sore from hours of riding, but stopping wasn't an option. Not yet anyway.

Glancing sideways, Jesse looked over at each of her travelling companions. Petra was riding slightly ahead of her. She didn't appear tired like the rest of them, sitting upright in the saddle. Her blue eyes were troubled, a permanent frown edged into her forehead. Much like Jesse she would constantly glance around, her fists securely wrapped around the reins of her horse.

Olivia was riding on the other side of Jesse, their horses matching stride. There was a distant look in the engineer's eyes as she gazed down at her horse's mane, not seeming to register what was going on around her. She hadn't spoken a word in hours, their dire situation clearly weighing on her in a different way than it did the others. It was understandable considering what she's already been through.

Adjusting her seat in the saddle once more, Jesse focused her gaze ahead at the beautiful landscape in front of them.

It was a warm summer's day, the blue sky cloudless and the sun beating down on the lush green forests and fields. Birds could be heard singing in the trees, squirrels darting after each other between the branches. A clear stream was steadily flowing not too far from them, the sound of it's rushing water a reminder of all the rain that had already fallen that month. The world looked so peaceful and happy from afar, everything appearing to be nothing short of perfect.

It was a cruel reminder of how deceiving looks could be.

Jesse grimaced, closing her eyes and titling her head down. It felt like her whole life had been thrown upside down, after everything had taken a turn for the worse.

Everything started less than a month ago, at the end of spring when the first Beacontowners fell sick. It would have been mistaken for a common case of the flu, if it weren't for the strange purple rash that began to spread across their limbs after the first day or two. The victims quickly proved to show no response to any regular treatment as they steadily began to grow weaker before inevitably dying. And then, more people started getting it.

Nobody had expected the situation to escalate as quickly as it did. By the time people had noticed that something was seriously wrong, it was already too late. There wasn't much left that could be done as the large city's numbers began to go down, hundreds at a time.

As the Order, Jesse and her friends had tried everything they could. Olivia and Lukas both began to study the mysterious illness, trying to get to the bottom of it without exposing themselves. Olivia had discovered ways to treat parts of the disease, but no actual cure. Jesse, Petra and Axel focused on trying to help what was left of Beacontown, supplying the citizens with any resources they may need in an attempt to keep everybody who still appeared healthy, isolated.

Fortunately the three of them hadn't been working together closely, because one morning the mysterious purple rash had begun spreading across one of Axel's arms.

It was devastating to the entire Order, knowing one of their friends had limited time left and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.

Jesse shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, the thought alone causing a knot to form in her stomach. That was the day things truly went to hell.

Olivia had been the only one to interact with Axel that day, and immediately isolated both of them from the rest of the group. She had known it was already too late for the both of them, and used her time looking after Axel, to continue studying the disease. The other three divided their focus between supplying both the remaining Beacontowners and their friends with resources.