Day 1

.x.

It's been three months. It feels like it's been a hell of a lot longer than that. It's been three months since I made the mistake of coming home, three months since I've been stranded on a planet that's been quarantined with no hope of that verdict of ever being reversed. Three months since I made the mistake of trying to be a decent human being, three months since the virus claimed hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of lives in a single night, three months since I left the peace of space for this hellhole.

I slowly let my eyes open, the hot water of the shower soothing away some of the tension that had been settling nicely in my body. It wasn't fair to blame the world for my misery. It was the victim more than I was by a long shot. I am simply being sour because I miss space or rather I miss my ship. You would think that by the 24th century we would have been able to discover a cure for just about everything. I mean, we can travel through bloody space for crying out loud! We, humans, managed to get off our backwater little planet and actually travel beyond our solar system! We were able to meet aliens and visit distant worlds that we could only once imagine! But, heaven forbid a little virus gets into our water supply and we're all but fucked!

The tension is back. I bow my head and watch as the water washes away the dirt and dust that has settled onto my skin like a second layer. It really did feel nice to have a hot shower again. I am really glad that the virus could only enter the body orally, so as long as I keep my mouth shut while I shower I will be fine. I tip my head back again and close my eyes. I can see my ship; I am a Captain you know. Captain of one of those few selected individuals that are given the honor to travel from planet to planet and I love it. The ship and her crew are my very life. I shouldn't even be here. My lips tug downward at the thought. Yes, I choose space over Earth. I don't have a reason to stay, even more so now all things considered.

My brothers were total bastards, but that wasn't to say I didn't love them; at least I think I did. I mean, sure a nice part of my annual salary went to them but that was more to make sure they left me alone rather than me actually caring. I should have known that the arrangement was too good to last. In fact, the whole money issue was exactly why I was on Earth when the virus hit.

I was on shore leave and my brother had sent me a so-called urgent message. It had said something about him and his third wife getting into it or some other rubbish like that. I wasn't particularly concerned for the stupid git, but I rather liked the wife. Unfortunately, I can't remember her name off hand, but the point is I was concerned for her. I knew that the bastard would probably end up divorcing her for some obscure and totally stupid reason and take everything. I had seen him do it to the last two; I wasn't going to let it happen if I could help it, so took my shore leave on Earth despite the invite from my number two to join him.

They were arguing when I pulled up. The windows and front door was closed but I could still hear them shrieking and throwing things at each other. I marched up to the door and threw it open; the first thing I was going to do was get the poor woman out of that house as soon as I could. I found them in the dining room, her on one side of the room and him on the other. I bee lined for her, grabbed her elbow, thus stopping her attempt to throw a steak knife at him, and had started to pull her towards the door when she screamed. This time, it was out of terror. I had looked over and watched as my brother clawed at his throat, eyes wide and blood shot, skin a strange grey color, and body convulsing. He was the very first victim but he was far from the last.

I don't understand the specifics (I'm not big in the science department I know enough to get by so I'm good) but I know enough to hope I never contract the bugger. They don't understand where the virus came from or how it even got into the water supply, but once it had it there wasn't much they could do about it. I had received a phone from my number two; poor chap was worried out of his mind about me and the rest of the crew that had taken the leave. Fortunately, most of them had gotten back before it got bad. A few of them weren't so lucky but because of the situation I didn't even get to know who it was, I had lost. In fact, I had no idea what was going on with my ship even now.

I sigh through my nose at the thought. The water was beginning to cool off, which means this is the end of my hot water for a while. I quickly scrub down with what warm water I have left and step out of the stall. The cold tile floor sends a shiver racing up my body as soon as my foot touches it. I reach for a towel and loosely drape it over my hips as I use a smaller one to scrub my hair. I pause in front of the foggy mirror and take inventory.

I have lost weight, it was to be expected given the situation, and although I have never really been built before hand, now I am nothing but a slender mess of skin and bones. That isn't saying I don't have muscle, I did work out thank you very much, but now I was just more girly looking. My eldest brother had been so fond of making fun of me at every chance he got. Anyway, my hair was growing out again, long enough for me to pull back with a band. I guess I really should have gotten that taken care of before I left. All well.

I pick up another small towel and wipe away the fog on the mirror so I can see better. I still have these dark circles under my green eyes and this was to be expected too. I lean closer to the mirror and poke gently at the red swelling on my right cheek. Some bugger had tried to mug me yesterday, wanted my bottled water (which is the only kind safe enough to drink now) and my vehicle. I know the situation is pathetic but there was no way in hell I was going to let him take what was mine. The end result was the bastard running off with his tail between his legs and me nursing a few bruises and a sprained wrist. I roll said wrist and wince a bit at the pain that shoots up my arm.

"Look at you now," I talk to the reflection staring back at me, "the great Captain reduced to this. Once known throughout the UTN for his skills now barely scraping by on a planet that's all but dead. How far you've come, Kirkland."

I shake my head and move away from the mirror. I try not to look at myself too often. It makes my stomach roll unpleasantly whenever I do so. I pad out of the washroom and into the master bedroom connected to it. The towel slips and I barely catch it before it falls from my hips. I'm not sure why I care, it's not like there's anyone here to look, habit I suppose. There are a select few on my crew that do not understand the concept of "knocking first". I cross over to the bed and pick up the clothes I washed yesterday. A simple white shirt and dark faded jeans with a hole at the bottom and the left knee, I slip the shirt on and climb into the jeans. I grab the belt lying nearby and slip it into place as I look around for my boots and socks.

I find them sitting on a chair on the other side of the room. I push them out and onto the floor as I plop down into the recliner, reaching for my communication device sitting on the table next to the arm. I run my left thumb over the screen and wait for the device to start up. The UTN insignia flickers to life before I'm let onto the net. I do a quick search of my usual places and find nothing new. I sigh and drop the two-inch-by-two-inch flat screen device back onto the table before reaching down for my socks.

The UTN does a damn good job at keeping the information to a minimum. I can see their reasoning though. Humans aren't exactly the favorite species in the galaxy. Many of the other species see humanity as a bully, pushing our way into their business and pretending to be this big hot thing. The last thing the UTN needs is for the other less friendly ones to get whiff that more than half their population had been wiped out over the last few months.

I run a hand through my still wet hair and lean back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. The UTN, or United Terra Nations, consisted of all the little nations that had once made up old Earth. Now, although many still kept their individual names, once nations were nothing more than city-states of a larger nation. It was the leaders of old Earth's attempt at peace by getting rid of all the individual nations and putting them on equal ground with each other. I can't say whether it really worked or not, but it did allow all those petty fights of the time to finally stop and concentrate on more important things. If one thing came out of it, I guess it was a good thing because that's how we managed to get off Earth in the first place.

I sit up and pull my boots on deciding that thinking about it will only put me in a bad mood. So, I dress and stand to begin to gather up the things I had scattered about the room. I pocket my mobile and pick up my leather jacket from where it's lying by the door and grab my keys. I don't give the room another look as I walk down the hall and make my way into the kitchen area. There's a box sitting on the island counter and I slide the keys onto my right pinky finger as I pick up the box, doing a quick check to make sure I had gotten everything usable from the place, before heading to the front door. I don't bother to close the door as I walk out and down the path to where my sleek hover vehicle is waiting silently.

I pop the trunk and drop the box in with all the other boxes before closing the trunk and going to the driver's side door and sliding it open. I slide into the driver's seat and toss my jacket into the passenger's seat as the door slides shut. I pull a band from my wrist and pull my hair back out of my face before reaching for the sunglasses sitting in the first cup holder by my thigh. I put them on and start the vehicle, looking back over my shoulder and all the boxes in the back seat as I pull out of the drive. I put the thing in drive and gun it, easily making it well over the speed limit in a matter of seconds.

I'm not worried about breaking any laws; after all, I had just spent the night in someone's home and taken their things. Well, at least it would have been their things if they were still living. Anyone who was still alive where either in the camps or forced to fend for themselves. I reach over and push the on button for the stereo as I roll the window down. It is something else really, to drive down a neighborhood or highway and see nothing but abandoned homes and vehicles. It is an eerie sort of peace. One I had resigned myself to living in until someone killed me or the virus got me first.

And from the look of it, it was going to be another boring day in this bloody hell.

At least until some yahoo throws himself in front of me.