ecstasy | corpse husband

chapter 8.

corpse's apartment — seattle, washington
morning

elowen wakes to the sound of anderson cooper's voice coming from the tv.

she's nestled into the love sac, a tiny bit of drool falling onto her wrist, and squints to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the room. it takes her a few seconds to notice the drool before she uses her sleeve to wipe at the corner of her mouth and then she's rubbing her eyes and sitting straight.

CNN is playing on the tv. she recognizes cooper, the popular news anchor, from the countless mornings she'd wake up and find her dad drinking coffee to his reports. he loves that guy. though she prefers chris cuomo, she likes to hear his reports, too.

except, written across the bottom caption of the screen, reads: "BREAKING NEWS: VIRUS OUTBREAK SHUTS DOWN WASHINGTON D.C."

cooper carries a weary face, puffy bags under his eyes and hair unusually unkempt. the cuffs of his white dress shirt—no suit jacket—are undone and a pale sheen glosses over him, giving him an almost ill complexion. even the room he's filming from is different from the normal studio; he appears to be in a safe room of some sort. 

"...the source is currently unknown. the terrorist organization has not yet been identified but many are in custody to be questioned. as of eight AM this morning, the infected they released have not yet been contained..." 

infected?

blurry videos from street cameras appear on one half of the screen beside cooper's face, showing footage of the semi-trucks releasing those deranged people into the capital last night. the sight of them shocks her; they're pale and wild. the white house is visible from the distance. 

"...the President provides no comment on the current status of the country..." 

she's hardly surprised. a brief clip of the President appears, the camera shaky as it follows him while he's being transported into the white house by a huddle of bodyguards. a crowd of reporters surround him amongst the disorder of the violent events of last night. "the President has nothing to say on the subject at the moment," someone speaks for him. no words of reassurance for his country.

elowen turns away from the tv a moment and observes the unfamiliar territory in new light. she finds that she's alone. there's a blanket strewn over her lap.

anderson cooper resumes speaking. "...as far as the virus goes, the CDC is working to find answers as quickly as possible. they have classified the outbreak as an epidemic and strongly advise everyone to stay at home and minimize contact where possible..."

once his words absorb into her brain, she stiffens at the mention of this being a virus. how can they know that so soon? perhaps they just wanted to give it a name so people could have some sort of answers. it leaves her with more questions and concerns than being clueless before, and a frown settles into her expression as she continues to listen.

"...though our information at this time is limited, here is what we know right now: the virus is contagious. documented cases and hospital flow within the last eight hours has increased at an exponential rate. this is like nothing we've ever seen before. the virus has been linked to reports of violent, aggressive behavior in those infected. they can also be characterized by a loss of color in their eyes and as being in a state of mania. confrontation is discouraged..."

she squeezes her eyes shut, a sick feeling washing over her from all the information thrown at her before she's even fully woken up. It sounds like a horror story. her limbs feel heavy with sleep, and her eyelids yearn to stay closed every time she blinks. sleep is easy.