Plague: Death was only the beginning! by Donald Franck, Francine Franck Page B

or two out of millions prior to that point. They walked the quiet empty streets and called out to whoever might answer. Man is a social animal and does not enjoy the solitude of a lonely existence. Even the King of New York got lonely.
    Simon walked the empty streets of Bangor Maine, a toy wagon pulled behind him as he cried out for help. His mother, brother, and sister lay dead behind him in the dark and brooding house down the road. There was no milk or cereal left, and even Jonesy, his dog, lay quiet and still. He put on his hat and coat, filled his backpack with his schoolbooks and Iron Man toy, and headed for Grandma’s—wherever she lived.
    Simon gave a tug to free his wagon from a hole in the street and wiped his eyes of tears. Grandma’s was nearby he thought, and he should get there soon. Glancing up, he looked to the cloudy skies and prayed that his father would come home soon. He had been gone for so long, and Simon missed him terribly. Looking back down, he saw a lone figure watching him. Daddy?
    He started to run but quickly stopped again. This was a woman wearing men’s clothing. She just stood there watching him as he started to back away.
    Pooling on the ground at her feet, a flood of red slowly gathered, meandered and crept its way between the stones. Here was another lost soul wandering the empty streets in search of life, but she had already given up hope of even finding it. Except now, it had found her! And it was either blood loss or hope that left her in a shivering mass on the wet ground.
     

 
     
     
    “Sin has left us cold and alone in the gathering darkness.”
    -Thoughts from the Author
     
    Chapter 24
    Worldwide Deaths: 197,000,000 est.
     
    It was more than a month after the fall that Raj roamed the death-filled streets of New Delhi. Days before, he had been driven to find a gas mask to help cover the smell of rotting bodies lying about the streets. He was loath to stay any longer, but he was also terrified of having no destination if he did leave. The newspapers, television, and radio programs had all stated the level of death that was creeping through the cities. And living in a country of over one billion lost souls was too horrifying to contemplate. He considered finding a boat and sailing away, but he didn’t know how to sail. Even his driving skills were pretty poor as he had never owned a car, an impossible luxury even now and still totally out of reach. He even contemplated suicide but felt too cowardly to carry it through. So he walked, bag in hand, as he walked from shop to shop searching for who knows what just to get him through the day.
    Finally, he made his way to the Temple of Shiva to pray to the God of death and destruction that now ruled the land. Maybe he could make the gods smile upon him by offering sacrifice of food and grains to appease their appetite. Surely, by now, they had eaten their fill. And kneeling by the feet of the statue he bowed his head, prayed, and fell into a deep sleep.
    In Perth, Australia, Jimmy Joe filled out the back of his lorry with the final load. He figured he had enough food and water to last him more than a year or two in the outback. The long years of heading up a land train in the outback had given him the skills to survive almost anywhere. And as he watched civilization crumble about him, he filled up the multiple tanks on his lorry and began loading up to make one final trip at his favorite watering hole well past Alice Springs.
    He was still amazed at how quickly the world fell apart around them. Two passengers on an intercontinental flight had gotten off the plane in Melbourne, and in a matter of days, the first people started dying in the streets. No one could understand the severity and the ferociousness of this particular strain of plague. Standard dosages of ciprofloxacin as well as other powerful antibiotics were completely helpless and did not even slow down the growth of the plague bacilli. They could only watch in horror as it