Nobody really seemed to notice the strange news reports from foreign countries trickling into the newspapers or onto our television screens. Who would, right? The minute I hear a country with more than five syllables in it's name, I completely zone out and carry on with what I was doing beforehand. It's not like it was anything important any way - just another pandemic like Swine Flu; some people will get it but it's not like it'll ruin us, and it'll be gone soon enough. But as the weeks wore on, the news became more and more full of bizarre stories, and they were getting closer to home. We were seeing more and more of the armed forces going through towns, and people in hospital weren't allowed to be visited anymore. That was what got me worried - when I recieved a phone call from the hospital telling me I couldn't visit my aunt anymore. The phone startled me when it rang, and I didn't get a chance to recover from it before I was told the news.
"What do you mean, I can't see her? What's going on?" I asked, getting concerned. I knew hospitals were strict on outbreaks and people visiting, but surely they could just get stricter with hygiene?
"I'm afraid the hospital is no longer accepting visitors in any of the wards whatsoever. People are getting very worried about the outbreak in France and it's only a matter of time before it gets here." the receptionist woman replied. She didn't sound very sympathetic at all - I could hear her playing with the phone wire, and her voice just confirmed the fact she'd had to say the same thing over and over to hundreds of people.
"But we're miles away! And it's not like it's anything serious! What could possibly be that bad that we have to stop visiting the sick?" I yelled.
"We haven't got the details yet, but it's not a matter to be taken lightly." she responded.
"Yeah well neither is this. What, are the staff not allowed to see the patients either? Are you just going to abandon them?"
There was a silence, and then the phone hung up.
Ever since then, I decided it was time to pay attention to the news and find out what was going on. They didn't seem to want to give away much about what was going on, so I practically got no help whatsoever and had to prepare for the worst. It took me three days to pack and find essentials for travelling, find a gas station with enough gas to last me as long as possible and get going. I thought about visiting the hospital one last time, to say goodbye to my aunt and wish everyone well, but when I drove past the hospital I saw that the whole place was covered in army vehicles and all of the doors were barracaded. I thought to myself that there was no way in - or out.
I started to walk towards the main entrance of the building, but was soon pushed away by an important looking man a bit too forcefully for my liking.
"What's going on? I need to get in there." I asked.
"I can't allow that, Miss."
"Mrs, actually," I snapped, showing him my wedding ring. Just because my husband was dead didn't mean I was no longer a 'Mrs'. "I need to see a relative, she's really sick."
"I'm afraid no visitors are allowed. Are you sure she hasn't gone home?"
"What do you mean, gone home? She can't, she's bed-bound and she has nowhere to go. Why would people have gone home? What's going on in there?" I was panicking, and he could hear it in my voice.
Before he had the chance to answer, I heard someone running and throw themself against the door of the hospital. I looked over and saw nothing but a person being dragged back into the hospital by a man in black.
"Now, I think it's best you leave. You don't want to go in there."
And he was right, I didn't. I wanted to say something more, but I couldn't think of what so I just ran back towards my car, and as I closed my door, I could have sworn I heard a gun being shot.