INSIDE AN ABADONED GAS STATION — A wheezing, sickly looking man whose origins remain a mystery has informed the rest of the survivors that anyone among them could be infected, in between fits of coughing out blood into a wadded up napkin, other survivors have confirmed.
“It’s tough to say, it could be any of us,” said the mysterious survivor, who insists the bandages on his side don’t need to be changed, despite sopping with blood. “Before I found refuge here, I was wandering around the northern quadrant, and some people were only exposed to the air out there for a minute or two and came down with the infection. I saw this happen to like two dozen people while I was out there. I had my nose pulled up over my shirt though, so I think I’m fine. We can’t be too careful, though. It could literally be anybody.”
Scientists have warned that the new virus that’s infiltrated the world at an alarming rate has a multitude of visible symptoms, making certain detection difficult in many cases.
“It could literally be anyone you know,” said Dr. Melanie Hasker, a virologist at Purdue University, in an emergency broadcast that’s been playing on a loop, giving everything a cool, cinematic feel. “Your brother, your sister, the guy that joined your gang yesterday that won’t take off his coat in front of you and keeps swearing that he doesn’t care what he has to do to make it home, your next door neighbor. Literally anybody. Just be safe, and make sure you go out in pairs, because that’s as foolproof as a plan gets.”
As of press time, the mysterious sweaty man coughing blood into a napkin said that he didn’t mind taking first watch while everybody slept tonight.
