The Real End

My body is shaking.  I can't stop coughing.  The pressure in the atmosphere that used to be my salvation is now haunting me with every hard-won breath.

I thought I was one of the Clean.  I was just a pawn. A vehicle for the Doctor.  (Hi, Doc.)  Hundreds of thousands die every day because of me.  These unworldly horrors from beyond are coming out of the woodwork, tearing up the remains left by the dead.


Mrs. K. remains unaffected by this terrible disease.  She devotes her days to taking care of unfortunate souls like me.  Every time she comes in I apologize for my actions.  Every time she smiles and pats my hand.  She truly is one of the Clean.  She has the pureness of soul I thought I alone possessed. 

She tells me stories of the world outside my apartment.  There is a wooden woman who wraps strings of control around the hearts of folks in Russia and Eastern Europe.  Fires light the skies of West Africa.  Carnival-goers in Brazil explode into mad frenzies of lust that end in death and dismemberment.  A thin man stalks the East coast while cults madly worship the risen dead on the West Coast.  A creature of gears and flesh eats the bones of Detroit.  The window of my bedroom is coated in frost and my apartment seems warm in comparison to the outside.  And there is more.  So much more.  Because of me.

I can't get up from my bed anymore.  I know my time is limited.

Hi, Doc.

It hurts to breathe.

Can you take the pain away?

I don't want to think about all those bodies being burned in the streets any more.  Make the pain go away, please.

I'm sorry I wasn't good enough.

Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.


Please.

Help me, Doctor. 

The Panacea

Hello, lovies.

That tremor in your hands? That's the Panacea.

The uncontrollable cough? That's the Panacea.

The vomiting, the loss of bowel control, the bleeding from your ears? That's the Panacea.  Incredibly virulent with a survival rate of a little over twenty-five percent.

The Clean will be spared. The Filthy will be scoured.

The Doctor wants us all to be healthy.

  

 THE END

Dinner with Terri

Hello, lovies

I forgot to tell anyone in my family that I'd lost my hand.  Whoops.  I told Terri some lie, I don't remember.  I don't really think she bought it, but who's going to argue with a cripple?  Not my polite and perfect sister, that's for sure.

Terri's fiance is a jackass. It was all I could do to smile and nod while I felt the filth crawling all over him. I gave him the heart weakness I stole from the patient I saw earlier today. Terri is still awkward around me, and that still hurts. But I have to put that aside, I have a job to do.

Terri has a pathology internship at the CDC, I think I mentioned that before. Today she mentioned the project she's working on, and I knew why the Doctor wanted me to establish a connection with her. She's working on something called Panacea.  I asked if I could have lunch with her one of these days.  I should be able to work in a tour of the facility.

Are we connecting the pieces of the puzzle yet?

Chore Is Dead

I watched firemen break into Chore's apartment today. Then a little while later, somebody from the city came in and wheeled out a body bag. That's when I realized... The body doesn't always let you know when it's about to break. There isn't always a convenient bile-spewing alarm. Sometimes it's invisible. Like Mrs. K.'s blood clot.

On a possibly un-related note, I find I don't need to sleep much anymore.  And I'm not hungry either.  The coldness of my room actually feels nice.  It reminds me of an operating room.  Clean.  Clinical.

I think I'm going to go scrub the floors some more.  It takes longer now, with one hand.  I can't use my stump yet, the stitches seep with blood if I put too much pressure on them.  I think I might try and cauterize it with the oven if it doesn't stop soon.  Don't worry about me, lovies.  It's just a small bit of pain to make sure I stay healthy for the days ahead.

Fun Facts

Fun fact: Sodium thiosulfate neutralizes chlorine.

Second fun fact: Chlorine is commonly used to ensure drinking water stays clean.

Third fun fact: Dad's water plant stores the neutralizer conveniently close to the final distribution point for the upper west side of the city.

Fourth fun fact: The Doctor loves us all and wants us all to be healthy.

I'm not sure why he wants me to talk to Terri yet, but I'm sure I'll find out soon.  I'll be going to dinner with her and her fiance on Friday.

Helping Hand

Ever since I broke his nose, Chore has stayed inside.  I haven't seen him answer the door, not even for the injured people who come to see him.

He left his stupid doctor's bag over here.  So I've been helping them.  And while I'm helping, I'm experimenting.  Drawing the disease from one.  Pushing it into another.  Brain tumors.  Pancreatic cancer.  Lyme disease.

Nothing immediate, though.  I don't want to have to get rid of the body.  I've been really lucky that no one's come around asking questions about the guy from Thursday.  Thursday?  Wednesday?  I've lost my routine.  The days blur into each other now.  It seems strange that it's only been a month since the Doctor started talking to me.  (Hi, Doc.)  I feel like I've been under Its care for a lifetime.

Phantom Hand

The hand the Doctor gave me is a pure hand. I can't see it, but I can feel it there. And with my new hand, I have a new job now, a new purpose.  The Doctor has charged me with a duty; I am to bring out the sickness.  I am a cure, your cure.

Hello, lovies. I'm about to start the next step of the Doctor's plan.  First things first, need to get in Terri's good graces again.  There's something of hers that I need.  This hand of his is good for one-on-one use, but there's only so much one woman can do.  I haven't met her fiance yet, I think I'll ask them to dinner so I can meet the man who wants to marry my baby sister.

I'm also going to have to ask for a tour at Dad's plant. There's more than one water treatment plant, it's a fairly big city, but all I need is to start the wave.