The CBI Virus Crisis.
Reports indicate that a virus known as "Cordyceps Brain Infection," or "CBI," is rapidly spreading across the globe. The southern regions have already been completely overrun, and now large numbers of infected individuals are appearing in both the eastern and western areas as well.
The World Health Organization, in collaboration with medical teams from around the world, is working tirelessly to combat the CBI pathogen. There is hope that a vaccine could be developed by next year.
In response to the crisis, the government has urgently established the "Federal Disaster Relief Agency," equipped with the latest "infection scanners." Their mission is to rescue as many people as possible from the infected zones and to quarantine anyone detected by the scanners as infected.
Meanwhile, cities are seeing massive protests on the streets. Demonstrators are condemning the government's quarantine policies, demanding democracy and freedom.
Brian sat on the couch, constantly switching between radio stations with his left hand, while his pen scribbled furiously on a piece of paper, recording the information he heard. It had been a full week since the plague broke out, and he and Sarah had been here the entire time. Joel and Tommy had not shown up once. After Sarah's leg healed, they searched every area near the bridge and even retraced their steps, but they found no one.
Gradually, they learned to accept the reality that the people they were looking for might never come back.
"Be careful, Bart," came a playful voice from outside.
"Heehee, catch it, Sarah!"
Listening to the laughter outside, Brian put down his pen, closed the notebook, and walked to the front door to look outside.
The signal they had sent out hadn't brought Joel and Tommy, but it had attracted two nearby families who were also on the run. Three figures were playing freely on the lawn outside the house, passing a soccer ball back and forth. By the lake, a fire was burning, with a pot hanging over it. Two women were busy cooking, and Brian could smell the fish from where he stood.
Around the house, a middle-aged white man was sharpening long wooden stakes with a knife and hammering them into the ground to create a fence. On top of the shed beside him stood a black man, holding a handgun and keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. They chatted intermittently.
The white man was named Kenneth. He had found his way here with his wife, Kathy, and their 10-year-old daughter, Angela, the day after the signal was sent out. The black man was Taylor, who had come with his wife, Yvette, after being chased by the infected. Their son, Bart, was the black boy playing on the lawn.
Though they had all come together for safety, the growing number of people meant a growing burden on their food supplies. Fortunately, their location by the lake allowed them to fish for food, and they had also made a few trips to the nearby town to gather supplies. Otherwise, they would have been struggling to feed everyone.
Watching Sarah playing with Bart and Angela, Brian smiled. He was glad the kids were keeping her company; otherwise, she might still be drowning in grief over losing her family.
He leaned against the door and began to seriously consider their next destination. Though life here seemed peaceful for now, there was no reason to stay if the people they were looking for were gone. Brian didn't want to remain in this dangerous place, especially with the strange changes he was seeing in the infected.
Some of them were growing odd red and white lumps on their heads, which he learned from the radio were fungal spores. The most severe case he had seen had half the person's head covered in these spores. It was eerie and seemed like some kind of "evolution," which was another reason he didn't want to stay here.
He had two options for leaving. The first was to go to Dallas to find Arman. Brian still had the note the old man had given him, but he couldn't be sure if Arman would take them in. Dallas was in chaos, too, and even if Arman was willing, would his daughter and son-in-law be okay with it?
The second option was to go to Washington, D.C., to find his parents. Though Brian was in someone else's body and felt awkward about facing them, it was undoubtedly a good place to go. The only problem was the distance—nearly 2,000 miles.
"Ah, forget it. We'll take it one step at a time," he muttered.
"What are you thinking about?" Sarah's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see her standing beside him, looking concerned.
"You've been daydreaming a lot lately. Is something on your mind?" she asked.
After a moment of silence, Brian walked to the porch steps, patted the spot next to him, and waited for Sarah to sit down. Once she did, he glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then said, "I'm planning to leave."
To his surprise, Sarah didn't seem shocked. She simply nodded and said, "Okay. When do we go?"
"You knew I was going to say that?" Brian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep," Sarah replied. She had noticed how Brian was always keeping an eye on the news and stockpiling easy-to-carry food. She had known he would leave eventually.
"Impressive. You do know me well," Brian said, leaning back and gently taking Sarah's hand. "Want to come with me?"
"Of course. Wherever you go, I'm there," Sarah said firmly.
The Decision to Leave.
That evening, as everyone sat around the pot enjoying the delicious fish soup, Brian stood up and announced that he and Sarah were leaving.
"Why leave? We're doing just fine here," Taylor said, clearly confused. He was content with their current situation. He knew the world outside was chaotic, and even in the city, things might not be better. At least here, as long as they kept quiet, they were safe from the infected.
"Taylor, let it go. They need to find their families. We should understand," Kenneth interjected. Unlike Taylor, Kenneth was more than happy for Brian and Sarah to leave. He had always seen them as burdens, consuming their limited food without contributing much. He had even tried to take the assault rifle from Brian's room, claiming it should be used to protect everyone. When Brian refused, Kenneth was furious. Now that they were leaving, he had other plans.
Taylor knew what Kenneth was thinking. He had heard him complain about the "extra mouths to feed" more than once. But deep down, Taylor agreed. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "When do you plan to leave? Do you have a destination in mind?"
"Well, we'll head to the town tomorrow to gather some supplies and spend the night there. If all goes well, we'll leave the day after. As for where we're going... probably Dallas," Brian said, pretending not to notice the looks on their faces. He inwardly scoffed. This was another reason he didn't want to stay—Kenneth's hidden agenda.
Hearing they would spend the night in town, Kenneth's eyes lit up. He suddenly sat up straight and clapped his chest, pretending to be chivalrous. "It's too dangerous for you kids to go to town alone. How about this: I'll go with you, make sure you're safe, and then come back."
Brian gave Kenneth a sardonic glance but didn't refuse. "Thanks, Uncle Kenneth," he said.
He then looked at Angela and Bart, who were huddled around Sarah, clearly upset about their departure. He picked up his bowl of fish soup and said, "Come on, let's eat before it gets cold." Everyone picked up their bowls and silently drank their soup. Kathy and Yvette remained quiet, as usual, following their husbands' leads. In their minds, having two fewer mouths to feed wasn't a bad thing.