Possessed

I

The first known case of the disease struck at 6:43 PM on April 30th. The sickness was named habiti, and it spread like wildfire across the earth. The only catch to the disease is that people can't catch it from family members—but who knows how long even that will last for.

At first they thought it was four separate diseases. But eventually they realized that it was only one sickness that was slowly taking control of the whole world.

And the people who became sick—oh, they were never the same. Some acted confused, looking around and crying like a baby. Some snarled like wild animals and attacked everyone with a thirst for blood that no one had ever seen before. Others acted like an animal, purring and walking on all fours, barking and meowing.

But that wasn't the worst part.

Some of them... some of them stared at you with blank, unknowing eyes. They ate and drank when they needed to, but when they spoke, it was just gibberish. And when they smiled, it was a mad smile, as if something inside them was shattered beyond repair.

I am Alexis Thret. I am twelve years old. My two-year-old brother is sick.

***

I wake up to feel something heavy on my chest. Half-asleep I assume it's my cat Mindy. I hear purring, and I feel the vibrations thrumming through my chest. It's oddly comfortable—until I open my eyes and see who's on top of me.

It's Kaden.

He thinks he's a cat, and there is something oddly catlike about the way he has wrapped himself up into a tiny ball. I sit up, and from my experience with Mindy, I assume my brother will wake up and get off me in an instant. Instead, he falls onto my lap like a ragdoll, limbs splayed out. If it weren't for his light breathing, I'd think he was dead.

And in the dark, gloomy parts of my mind, Kaden is dead, replaced by this imposter.

But I'm determined hold out for him, waiting for a cure to habiti. I am determined to cure Kaden, no matter the cost.

I'm determined to cure a boy I've known for two years, for whom I did everything and expected nothing in return.

And now I'm curing his incurable disease.

No matter what I think, however, I feel affection when I look at Kaden. And an unrelenting wave of guilt, as if there was anything I could've done.

I wince, thinking of George, Kaden's best friend. They were thick as thieves, so when George caught the disease, I knew it wouldn't be long before Kaden followed suit.

And the fact that I could've said something, that I knew still gnaws at me. But I know I could've told anyone and everyone about it and it wouldn't have made a difference. No difference at all, nothing.

Guilt, as I am quickly learning, is illogical. No matter what I tell myself, it is stubborn and strong.

I gently push Kaden off me and get dressed as fast as I can, shoving my phone into my pocket before returning to my bed. My stomach emits a faint growl but I ignore it. I need to do something about Kaden.

And my little brother does not move. That replaces the guilt with panic. Panic not for myself, but for this small, helpless creature eagle-spread on my bed.

I roll Kaden into his back, carefully, as if he's a statue made of glass. I unconsciously expect his skin to be cold and clammy like a corpse's, but it is soft and warm. I silently reprimand myself for daring to compare Kaden to anything dead. He is still alive, and there is still hope.

I hear a door creak open and look over just in time to see a dark gray paw reach in the gap between my bedroom door and the wall. The door is pushed open, revealing a Siamese cat with startling blue eyes. Mindy struts in like she's on a catwalk and jumps onto my bed. She turns to stare at Kaden then freezes.

The two have been close since Kaden turned, and I'm grateful. But this is odd.

For a moment, there is silence. I don't dare move. The intensity of Mindy's stare is almost human.

Then she begins hissing. Claws unsheathed, she raises a paw, flinching back from Kaden. Yet there's something about her that makes me realize that Mindy isn't angry.

She's afraid.

I put a tentative hand to Kaden's eyelid. I take a deep breath and push it up, for just a moment.

What I see is not the blue of Kaden's irises or even white.

Kaden's eyes have turned a piercing yellow.

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