New World Order

• Alesha Hussain, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2021

Run.
That was my only thought. Running through the forest, my breath quickened, sweat dripping down the sides of my face. My heart was pounding against my chest, begging me to slow down. It’s been 13 hours since I’ve been running, finding salvation in the depths of the forest. That’s how long they’ve been following me.
It’s been 20 days since everyone I’ve ever known, had mutated into some sort of creature. The whole world stopped, and every single person was transformed. Except a select few. No one knows why, no one knows how. I am one of those people. I’ve watched everyone I love and care about, turn into these horrible monsters right before my eyes. However, there’s a group of elite scientists, who are believed to be the cause of this epidemic. They’re believed to have infiltrated sewage and water systems, spreading this virus to everyone in an attempt to experiment on society. It was a surprise when some people resisted their virus and hadn’t turned into these violent creatures. Along with experimenting on their monstrous creations, they’ve made it their jobs to seek out the humans from the small corners of the world. These scientists want to know why these humans fought the virus, and how.
Pushing the past to the back of my head, I focused on the task ahead of me. Staying alive. I’ve heard screams from their lab, and they were horrible. I can’t let that happen to me.
Distracted by my thoughts, my ankle snagged onto a low tree root. I fell face first into the dirt. Pain shot up my leg, and I let out a cry in agony. This can’t be happening. Not now. I needed to get away, so I tried my best to stand up, using the help of the tree for balance. I tried to walk, but it was impossible with my ankle in this state. Trees rustled behind me, and I panicked. I tried to run, but my ankle failed me, and my face was in the dirt once again.
Arms grabbed me and I was being lifted off the ground. A sharp pain exploded on my neck, as they injected me with some liquid from a syringe. My eyes gradually fluttered to a close.
My eyes slowly opened and there was a bright light glaring right into my eyes. I was laying on some sort of bench. I slowly turned my head around to see people wearing hazmat suits, and surgical masks. One of them turned around and looked down at me. They reached over for a mask and began to lower it over my face. My eyes widened and I began to shake my head rapidly. I couldn’t tell them to stop, I couldn’t even talk. They lowered the mask onto my face and some sort of gas came out. My eyes fluttered once again, until they slowly closed shut. I only heard one thing before I was unconscious.
‘Welcome to the New World Order.’