It has been 14 months, two weeks, and three days since X1-92 broke out. At least they think that's when it started; they don't know for sure, odds are it had been there for a lot longer. There are few humans left now. They are scattered across the remains of the world. Sick, dying. There is little hope for them. This disease exists only to destroy, it is succeeding.
They suspect that 80% of the world's population was already infected by the time it was discovered. It was discovered in a routine check up as nothing more than a core. They accepted to be just like a cold. Everyone would get, usually in winter, they'd get ill for a little while, and then get better. Except nobody was getting better. Nobody was dying directly from the disease but they definitely weren't getting better. It spread fast. Person to person, country to country. Through the air and through the water. It got to everybody.
By the time thinks started to get scary almost 93% of world had it. General cough medication was handed out. The world wasn't afraid. Works for a cure were started in a couple of countries but there was no particular rush. There was no real rush. The first death came on a cold Tuesday nine months into outbreak. The victim was an old man in his late 70's. Everyone put it down to his age and weak immune system, at least until late that night when the disease claimed two more lives. They were both young and healthy. No drugs or alcohol had been taken; they had no prior mayor heath concerns. There could be no accuses for their sudden deaths.
That's when it really started. It was like X1-92 had activated a kill switch with in itself. The population began to drop rapidly. It was quick but in no way pleasant. Doctors claimed the deaths were from sudden heart or respiratory failure. The calm turned to panic, chaos took over. From that day on the world had only one goal, to find the cure.
The world was united in its need to survive. Scientists worked in the lab day and night. They took shifts, some refused to go home. They ate, spelt, and, washed within in the laboratories. They fought hard to do their bit yet it seemed useless. Whenever they made a break through the disease would mutate and undo their process. It was like it was smart, like it was working against them.
It was if it had grown inpatient. It was tired of sitting and waiting. It had turned on everyone, all those billions of people who were unknowingly playing host to it, there was no way it was going to let a bunch of scientists stop it now. It sabotaged attempts at a cure, it learnt to spread and kill even faster. Diseases don't care who you are, a virus shows no mercy. It didn't matter where you were from, what gender you were, what age you were, what ethnicity, whether you were rich or poor. Everyone knew if you were infected it was only a matter of time before the symptoms showed themselves. After that you were as good as gone. It could be minutes or days, but you were dead. First you saw the coughing, then the rash, then the blinding dizziness. Most collapsed and died peacefully after that. Some tried to keep fighting. They spluttered blood into the streets; they only managed to infect the few who hadn't got it.
Millions died everyday. The percentage of those infected and the amount of people dead in each country was on the news everyday. It was all they covered, it was all there was to cover. Whole cities were swiped out, soon whole countries. The public felt that it was over for them. Humanities days had always been numbered, that number was up. Most resigned themselves to death. The surviving scientists would not give up. They weren't going to let their race perish, not if there was a chance.
It's been 14 months, two weeks, and three days since X1-92. You know odds are the people you once loved were infected a lot longer than that, but that's the amount of time since it was officially discovered. That's the time they gave you and the time you accept. 99% of the world has perished, the last few are infected. You laugh to yourself.
"At last" you think "I'm part of the 1%"
You're family is gone, your friends are gone, the world as you knew it is gone. You are sick, you are dying. The cough started last week, you discovered the rash a few minutes ago. You have lasted longer than most. You have heard whispering that the cure is nearly complete. The scientists never gave up. Most of them are dead or sick themselves, but they didn't stop. It'll be another week before it's done, several more days until the all world has it. What is left of humanity is saved. For those who aren't showing full symptoms yet this is a miracle, but you already are. The dizziness hasn't started yet, you have a chance. Humanity can last another week.
Can you?