Note: This is partly based off of The Eleventh Plague. If you want to understand it better than I can explain it then it would be best to read that book. It's a really good book.
Lukas watched as Ian and Francis lowered Arthur's emanciated body into the shallow grave they had dug for him. Ian kept a straight face even though he was burying his own brother and Francis had a hint of sadness in his features. It wasn't surprising that he had died, even if he was a country. He had caught the strand of influenza that China had released onto the world. There wasn't a single person Lukas knew that had survived it.
Ian silently covered the body with the dry, sandy dirt that now made up what used to be rich fertile soil. It was amazing how over a span of twenty years the world had changed and now almost two-thirds of the world's population was dead. First almost all of Beijing had been wiped out by the nuclear bomb sent by America, then China had spread the P11H3 into America which eventually spread to the rest of the world. In those few years the world fell into pandemonium and all governments collapsed. A lot of nations had died including the two nations who had started it. All the countries who had lived were weak, dying, and their chances of surviving looked bleak. It was just lucky that so many of the European countries had managed to meet up before the power was gone for good.
Ian set a handmade cross at the head of the grave to mark it. He said something in what must have been Scottish Gaelic then bowed his head for a moment. The others all did something from their country to pay their last respects to their fellow nation.
"Well let's move on." Ian said, turning away from the grave and gathering up the supplies they had obtained from scavenging, trading, and stealing.
Normally it would have bothered most of them that they had been stealing from people, but in this lawless world that they lived in it bothered no one. Everyone had experience in stealing, pickpocketing, and things of that sort but they usually left the stealing up to Lovino and Ravis. Lovino could pickpocket anyone and run away so quickly that no one had a chance to catch him and Ravis was so quiet that no one would have noticed him.
Everyone quietly helped out with packing up the supplies. Even Mathias and Gilbert who usually would have been talking and laughing were silent. The death of a nation was no time for anyone to be laughing or screwing around. It was always serious, and always sad. Most likely no one would be talking for an hour or two, but once the depressing aura that hung around the group after a nation's death passed, everyone would resume their normal activities.
Lukas looked up at the bleak sky. The clouds that were tinted green hid the sun from view and cast shadows over everything. It was normal to see the sky so bleak and dull. It would be a miracle to see the sun peek out from behind the clouds and give something a chance to grow. Even if the sun had come out the rain would surely destroy the plants with the high amounts of acid that was strong enough to burn the skin. The only places that had a chance of growing something would be by the coasts, where the sun seemed to be brighter and get more light through the clouds and where they had water they could use to grow something. Anyone who was inland had no chance of growing something and would most likely die if it weren't for all the stores and houses left, though by now most of them had been picked clean and there was nothing left.
Mathias slung his arm around Lukas's shoulder, trying to smile and make conversation.
"So...how 'bout that weather?" Mathias's speech seemed forced and Lukas could easily see through the fake smile on his face. Not even Mathias had something to laugh or smile about.
"It's awful and you know that, idiot" Lukas snapped, not in the mood to talk.
Mathias's smile faded and he nodded, acknowledging how the weather was horrid. Everything was horrid really. The weather, the world in this state, having to see all the people that they've known for so long die off one by one. It was all horrid. Most of the European nations were dead, all of the North American nations dead, as well as South American nations and Australia. A lot of the Asian nations were dead too, along with the South African nations. If there were any nations that had survived that weren't with the group, they had no idea. As far as they knew Im Yong Soo, Kiku, Mei, and Kaoru were the only ones left out of the Asian nations.
Everyone stopped when Finland broke into a coughing fit. It looked like another nation would become a victim of the P11H3 disease.