The 9HG7J Shot

I had all of my lights turned down low. I had a candle lit in my bedroom. My legs were pulled to my chest. I had sand surrounding the bed. I listened as my stomach rumbled like thunder on a winter day. I shook my head, grabbing a small Ziplocsandwichbag from my side~table. I buried my feet in buckets of sand and began sliding along the carpet.1

When I got down the obstacle of the stairs, I began siding my way to the window. I peered out the first one, making sure that there was still a full line of sand around it. I continued down the way of windows. The sand was properly put in it's place.2

There were screeches fro the back door. I didn't bother getting food from the kitchen. I looked at the television room and remembered the bowl of chocolate, almonds, and caramel corn I had there before the world was attacked by this horrid virus, made to remove the possible affects of stroke. 3

I headed into the television room and flipped on the television. I grabbed the bowl of sweet treats and placed it in one of the buckets of sand. It didn't sink, so I began to eat. As I munched on my first food in a day, I listened to the news report from when the virus had first affected the poor people, just a simple year ago.4

"And now we bring a concern to the news report. The 9HG7J shot from stroke that was tested on three a week ago has become a virus that evolves from one stage to another. They have been put into a hospital for treatment. Anyone who had been 'infected' with this medicine must report to either a doctor's office or a hospital as soon as possible."5

I looked out the window at the infected people who were clawing at the sand, trying to break it. I sighed as I flipped it off and walked out, back up to my bedroom with the almonds spilling over my feet. 6

***7

Everyone I knew had been infected by the virus. I had been too, but my bloodstream wasn't affected. It might've been that no one in my family had ever had a stroke or something of that sort, but I doubt it. I remember when I was taken to the hospital. The doctors didn't believe that I was given the shot, so I was told to go home and surround my home with sand. So I went to the hardware store an grabbed myself some ten pounds of sand or something of that sort.8

I looked out the darkening window, my eyes weary from no sleep. I hadn't slept for days. Most of the human race has either been killed by the ever~going virus or been infected. The stages were barbaric, settling from stage 6 to 8. 9

The fist stage was symptoms such as the ones rabies introduces. The second stage is when you begin to walk in n arch, your back crippling into a bridge~like structure. Third stage, you begin to walk on all fours, like a dog or feline. Then comes the major changes. You begin growing claws like a bear, blackness shooting out from your fingertips. At the sixth stage, many die, but most either change gender or their hands begin to widen and cup. If you get to the seventh stage, you grow a tail longer then a dog's, about as long as a dog all together, from head to toe.10

Most only make it to the eight stage, when they either die of the virus of become long. The length is about as long as a school bus. This process takes about three months. I have only seen one person in the stage nine. In stage nine, you get wide and your feet begin to be what you stand on. You hunch over, your hands only about three inched off the ground. They would be about the complete size of a small log cabin.11

I shuttered at the thought of my little sister, ten years of age, growing to the size of a house. I turned from the window and put my head on the pillow. I closed my eyes for a second too many, drifting to sleep. 12

***13

It was light when i woke up. I screamed because I was not supposed to sleep. Who know if I was infected by one of then other "humans"! What if there was a creature in my house who had destroyed the sand barrier? I jumped out of bed and put my feet into the buckets. I took my left foot out and removed the spilled almond mixture and glass bowl, placing them onto my side~table for later, if I was THAT desperate. 14

I began to slide down the stairs, holding the rail for safety. There was a loud pounding at the door. I slid a bit faster, almost falling from underneath my feet. When I reached the floor, I slid to the door and lifted the shade. There was a man screaming. I heard him faintly. 15

"Please! Please let me in!" He shouted.16

I looked at him and then were he had turned and slammed into the door to look at. There were people, stage sevens, running to him. I unlocked the door madly and let him.17

'Oh, thank you so much!" he said, grabbing my hand.18

I tore it away and walked into the kitchen, not taking my eyes off of him. I reached into a shelf and felt around for a sack of potatoes. I grabbed one and took it by the bottom, all of the vegetables tumbling our. I took the bag in front of me and ran over to him. I placed it over his head, took my headband off and put it around his neck. His muffled cries were pathetic.19

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying to shake the bag off of his head.20

"Come with me," I said, taking in the sound of human voice that was not recorded a year ago.21

***22

I had locked my bedroom door and removed the bag from his head. He was standing across from me, outside of the sand wall. I looked at his deep blue eyes. They were intimating, and if he was infected, I wouldn't want him to attack me. His lip curled into a smile.23

"What do you want me to do?" He asked, shaking his dusty blonde hair. 24

"Cross that line and then sit on the bed," I said.25

"Lady, are you kidding me?"26

"Nope," I said, frowning to express that I was serious.27

He made a ghostly noise as he crossed the sand . He waved his hands, making them into jazz hands. He sat on the bed and looked at me.28

"You're serious?" He asked, looking at me.29

I blushed, twisting my thumbs like a game. My black hair, tinted with a natural anime blue fell over my face, hiding it. I quickly flew it behind my ear. it hadn't bee washed for weeks. Once the stages of most people entered five or six, I had stopped taking showers. I would, on occasion, wet a face towel and clean my arms and legs, but I didn't wash my hair other then placing it in the sink and turning the faucet on.30

"Why did you rescue me?" He asked, putting his head under mine.31

I swatted him away. "I don't know, maybe because you were about to be eaten by giant dogs?" I said, looking at him.32

His skin was a light, oh so light auburn. It was almost like pink instead of red, but it wasn't. He had partly brown hair growing from the roots, do he dies it the beautiful dust color.33

"So why can't we just shoot them until we go to that place I forget the name of?" he said. 34

"Toronto? Because, shooting them is like committing murder," I explained.35

The gaze he had was beautiful. His lip was still curled up into the smile. I looked away.36

"Hey, are you hungry?" I asked him.37

"Very."38

"I have some food in the kitchen," I told him.39

Toronto was a Canadian city just off the coast of the Atlantic ocean, sitting with the only clue what'll happen once everyone is killed by the virus. There were also the remaining people like me there. 40

I gave him one of the buckets.41

What's this for?" He asked me.42

They can't go through sand," I replied.43

"Oh, I see."44

We continued sliding until we reached the kitchen. I looked through the refrigerator. There was nothing. The freezer held frozen foods I put them in the oven and we waited. I looked at him. His mouth was open. He was staring blankly at something. I turned around and saw what he was looking at. The basement door was open. 45

"Oh my god," I said.46

"What are we going to do?" He asked.47

There was no safe place now. We backed into the oven. The faint growl of the monster were quiet, but they grew louder. I waited until it was as loud as a rock concert. We backed as far as we could.48

'Before we die, can I ask you something?" He asked.49

"We're not going to die."50

"What's your name?"51

"Haley," I replied.52

"Haley," he repeated.53

"Yours?" I asked.54

"Rick."55

"Rick," I repeated.56

He leaned over and kissed my cheek. As soon as he did, I saw a pair of purple eyes glowing. I watched as a stage, I think three came over. They looked at us and leaned as close as it would get without touching us.57

"Goodbye," I whispered.58

"I love you."59