Stories of my Existence

Blight

This is dedicated to Rainy_Day_Writing for coming up with the idea! (and being awesome) You should check out her works too! =) This isn't meant to be totally serious, it is really stupidly unbelievable. Sorry! =P

  Jon. I apologise for the informality of this, but I need help. I don't know if you've heard of the people dying here in Chicago, but it is getting worse and no one can figure out why. I figured that since you research this kind of thing maybe you could figure something out. I'll tell you everything I know, which isn't very much, but please try to help me. I know it is a long trip to Chicago from Miami, but please, I don't know what to do and people are dying everywhere.

So, pretty much, people are dying. No one knows why, but they are. The basic symptoms are their eyes turn a bright sky blue, and their lips and hair turn black. Weird, right? But that's not all. After they die their bodies don't rot, they crumble. The best way I can describe it is like they turn into black flour, they just turn into this weird black dust and blow away. My daughter was killed by this and I found her body on the doorstep right as it was disintegrating. People are dying by the thousands, and I can't think of any reason why. The government has been doing tests on the water and everything else they can think of, but they haven't found anything. I don't think they will. People are calling it "Blight". I really want to leave the city, but it is quarantined and if I try to leave I will be shot.

Again, please help. I think I am going to die soon. I can feel it. Please stop this thing before it kills any more people! Sincerely yours, Richard.

I sigh softly, tapping the letter on my chin, lost in thought. Richard and I went to high school together, and I wanted to help him. In fact, I had heard of the deaths in Chicago, but only that people were dying, nothing like Richard had described. The thought of people dying for no reason, then turing to black dust and blowing away makes me feel sick. But then again, there isn't really anything I can do. The government should be able to find whatever it is and deal with it without the help of a thirty-two year old medical researcher. And besides, if the city is quarantined, I won't be allowed in.

"Unless..." I whisper, making my border collie Sable look up. Unless what? Her dark eyes seem to ask, and I smile. "Unless I say that I have family in the city. Richard is the only family I have, and I want to help him. Even if he isn't blood related, I think of him as a brother." Her tail wags twice, hitting the wood floor with a steady Thump thump.

  "I know girl, I won't really be any help. But I can at least stay with Richard until this gets resolved. I'll leave you and Mrs. Davis's house, if you don't mind? She loves you."

Well, ok I guess. I like Mrs. Davis. But make sure you come back. I wouldn't want to have to stay there forever, even if she does feed me table scraps.

"I'll make sure." I promise, grinning. Sometimes I wonder if I am going crazy, the way I talk to my dog, but living alone like I have since my parents died I have to talk to someone. And Sable always seems to understand and know what to do.

"I guess I'll pack my stuff then drop you off at Mrs. Davis's house. I should be able to buy plane tickets at the airport." I say, standing up from the porch chair to pack my meager belongings. Packing goes quickly enough, with just an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush and razor. I grab Richard's letter on the way out, stuffing it into my small backpack.

"C'mon Sable!" I whistle, opening the door to my jeep for her to jump in. She does so eagerly, and I climb into the drivers seat. We drive the short distance to Mrs. Davis's place in silence, with me lost in thought and Sable sticking her head out the open window. As we pull into the driveway Mrs. Davis stands upright from her bent position, and waves, a watering can in her hand from watering the flowers.