Terab-24

• Lachlan Wells, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2014

29 May 2024

It just happened. Out of know where it happened. It was dreadful, everyone was in danger no one was safe. Just three insignificant people caught it and then the world was in deep trouble. It's been 2 years since the incident and more and more excruciating deaths happen everyday, it's just horrible. It was so confusing when I first heard it I was speechless. Everyone is rapidly trying to find an answer to this apocalyptic problem that threatens the end of the entire world but no one is safe. I am a survivor, my name is Tom Anderson. I have survived this horrendous incident..... I have survived Terab-24. The life threatening disease that has killed over 80% of the worlds population. The remaining 20% percent are us survivors, we have lasted this long due to either high precaution, strong immune systems or plain luck. Luck, I don't believe in that anymore.

Most of my family has died through this destructive disease but I don't think about them anymore, it absolutely tortures me to think about it. Sometimes I have little break downs. Sometimes..... Sometimes I've pointed a gun at my head but no, I need to stay strong for my family and for the fate of humanity. We've built a small settlement here in the heart of San Francisco and we work together to help each other in hardships like loosing family or friends. It's not much of a substitute for the original world but it does the job. We also have a laboratory, I work down there with some of the other guys, working on a cure. Every time we get close to a cure it just hits a dead end, it always hits a dead end, a very dead end. We usually experiment on rats and we've had some amazing mutation, disturbing sometimes but amazing and unfortunately unsuccessful, always. Usually we loose people down there due to infection, it happens so fast it's hard to take in when it happens to someone you knew just seeing them, dying and you can't do anything, not even touch them. When someone does get the infection in their blood stream it freezes your blood until your skin turns into a dark purple colour. Then you feel a shooting pain through your veins and your completely dead in around 5 seconds but that's not the worst part. Then the body is eaten away at in such a rabid way until all is left is your eyes, it always leaves the eyes.

Humanity needs help. We fight everyday with all our might for freedom from this disgusting curse. We try so hard and we make such an effort. We work as a team against this disease. We will not stand down. My name is Tom Anderson, I am a survivor.