_PLAUGE_

Chapter one

//WARNINGS: Twitching/Stuttering. Slight display of Tourettes?//

    It was a dark night in London, a small family living in a small house. A small boy ran through the halls, giggling and laughing as his older sister chased him. The young boy had dirty-blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and light freckles dotting his face. His sister had her ginger hair tied up in a very messy bun behind her head, emerald eyes, darker freckles, and a large scar across her cheek. The laughter of the two children filled the house with a happy and friendly feeling, despite what was going on right outside the door. The siblings were having fun, till suddenly the little boy froze. This concerned the older sibling, so she walked up behind the boy and hugged him from behind in a comforting manner.

    "Emmy, duh-do you t-think Mommy will be oka-oh-okay?" The blonde male choked out, staring intently at the door in front of him, melting into his sister's warmth as it was extremely cold in the home.

    The ginger froze, a sickening feeling washed over her as her eyes went from the boy's dirty hair to her Mother and Fathers room that was standing before them. She now knew why her little brother stopped. Her former playful smile faded away from her face, but soon returned though it wasn't real.

    "Of course she will, Timmy! Father will take care of Mother, don't worry Timothy." The girl said with a small chuckle, ruffling the young boy's hair and causing him to giggle.

    "Ok-Okay Emily!" The small boy with tics yelled, his voice cheerful again, "Let's go- go out-outs-side!" He squealed and squeezed out of his sister's grip, running to the back door.

    Emily sighed, staring at her parents bedroom, her mind flashing with images when the series of events first occurred. First, Mother complained about headaches, then Father found she had a fever. She often told Father that she was cold when she was extremely hot and she vomited quite a lot. She seemed to constantly be sleepy and sore though she never did anything anymore. She really only came out of the room to use the restroom and throw up or get food, but now she barely did that. Emily had noticed symptoms similar to this, Headaches, Fever, Chills, Weakness, Sore, Vomiting, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue and sleepiness, going through the small town she lived in. From what she knew all of London was suffering the same fate, and it seemed to be becoming a big issue.

    She reached out for the doorknob, wanting to go in and check her Mother, but was stopped as she heard Timothy from behind her.

    "Eh-Emmy! Hurry uh-up, I want to go ou-outside!" He called, practically hitting the ceiling as he bounced up and down in an excited manner.

    The ginger couldn't help but giggle when she saw her little brother this way. The boy squealed with delight as the ginger approached the back door of the home, unlocking it and walking outside. The rays of sunlight hit the young girls face, warming her cold body and giving her a sense of comfort. She hummed quietly as she followed the little boy out behind the clothes line where her and her mother used to out clothes up to dry, now it was her duty. It seemed like ever since this sickness overcame her mother that all the women's chores in the house became hers to take care of, and some of the men's too with her Father having to take care of her Mother and all. Emily let out a small sigh as she pushed the thoughts of all the overwhelming chores out of her head, focusing on her current task: Watching Timothy.

    As the two young children approached the end of their Mother and Fathers property, they spotted a small stream. You see, the Rodger family didn't live close to the town, rather more in the country, the outskirts if you will. Their home was located on a small hill, overlooking the village. The hill was scattered with a few homes here and there, but none of them extremely close together as you would think. Tall overgrown grass, trees, and other shrubbery surrounded the Roger residents. Their property only extended about a mile, but since no one was really there to stop them the children would often explore the surrounding woods. They had been up there often, so they practically knew the paths by heart.