The Fall

Part 1: Alecia

Prologue: Apollo
Waking up and not remembering anything about your life before that point in time, not even your name, is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. It makes everything worse if you wake up after what could be called an apocalypse. Trust me. I know from experience.
The Fall. Probably the worst thing that has ever happened to human kind. Why? Because most of us died. Dont be all astonished or anything. Its just a fact. 90% of the population died within 4 days. And more continue to die every day. All because Apollo hit earth. Apollo is what all those crazy scientists with their fancy telescopes called the asteroid that they found. The asteroid they never predicted would hit earth just a week later. Another thing they never predicted. That the very asteroid that hit earth would be filled to the brim with the most infectious and lethal disease known to mankind. Better yet, this disease from outer space, had never been known to mankind until this asteroid crashed into our perfect little world.
This airborne pathogen infects people and, through internal bleeding, kills them within a matter of hours. Basically, if you start coughing up blood your screwed. There are a few of us still alive because we have a random genetic mutation that makes us immune and others are still alive because they have medicine that can clot your blood and slow down the symptoms. I have found out that I am one of the lucky immunes, mostly because I am not dead yet. I dont know much more than that. Im not a scientist. Well, in all honesty I dont remember what I am, because well, you know, the whole waking up and not remembering anything. But I know I wasnt a scientist. Im not smart enough for that.
Ok, enough about me. More about The Fall. Thats what youre all so interested in. Not me. So, Apollo hit earth somewhere in the middle of Europe. Most of Europe was knocked out because of the shockwave of the impact. The magnitude of the wave caused problems all over the world. In some places it caused earthquakes, in other tsunamis, and almost the entire earth was covered with a fine layer of dust. Some of that dust is still in the atmosphere and I dont think it plans on leaving any time soon. Packed in that massive amount of space dust is the disease that killed most of the humans, that I have just been calling Apollo 18 or just Apollo for short.
Chapter 1: Awake
Eyes open to almost complete darkness. Some light flickers through a broken window and out of a flashing laptop on the desk across the room but not enough to see by. Stillness and silence fill the room. Swinging out of bed makes your head spin. Slow it down. You dont know what is happening yet just take it slow. Slowly standing. The floor is cold against your feet. Looking down the only thing you have on is a white hospital gown. Need to find cloths. Looking around there is a small wood door on one side of the room and on the other, there is a frosted glass one. There is a flashing light showing through the glass. Start with the wood one. It looks safer.
Behind the wood door is a small, dark bathroom with only a toilet and a sink. On the counter next to the sink is a stack of neatly folded clothes. Worn jeans, a black long-sleeved top, a grey sweatshirt with some sort of logo on the front, under clothes and a pair of black combat boots. Perfect.
Looking up after finishing dressing in the se surprisingly perfect fitting clothes you notice your reflection in the mirror. Long, slightly curled strawberry blond hair, blue-grey eyes and lightly tanned skin looks back from the reflection. Pretty but not beautiful. Walking out of the bathroom you again notice the closed laptop and the flashing light emitting from it. Strange.
Opening the laptop there is a sticky note attached to the side of the screen. Typing the password from the note on screen that pops up the computer gives a quiet beep and signs in. When the screen loads there is a report.

Patient number: 623
Full name: Alecia Lewis
Parents: Deceased
Current guardian(s): none
Relation:
Age: 17
Injury: Severe head trauma
Cause: Car crash
Notes:
Crash killed the patients parents
Possible memory loss
Put in a medically induced coma to assess severity of the head trauma
Must receive medication every 48 hours to stay in the coma
No apparent other injury

Tears start to fall as my eyes reach the notes section. Well at least I know who I am now. Taking a pen from the cup on the desk beside me I carefully write out my name on the back of my hand. Now I wont forget. Turning toward the frosted door I start to walk towards it, but then I stop. I'm safe in this little room. Should I leave? I dont know whats out there. And that screaming from my dream. Maybe maybe it wasnt a dream. If the screams came from outside my room do I really want to leave? I I I must leave. I need to find food and somewhere safe. Safer than here at least. I need to see what happened. Ive been asleep for 8 days. I need to see whats out there.
Chapter 2: Destruction
Once I open the door the metallic smell of blood and rotting flesh floods into my small sanctuary. Looking out into the hall and its flickering lights there are many spots of blood on the floor to the left and to the right there is a wall of rocks, a landslide that crashed into the building. I wonder why? From the mountain of rocks more blood, like the stuff in the puddles on the floor but thicker, drips from about half way up the wall. It seems that his is where the smell is coming from as well. Ok. Cant go that way. after ten minutes of walking down the hall and peering through the windows of the locked doors on either side I start to here the sound of crying.
As I turn the next corner, I see a small outcove doorway on the left side of the hall. Sticking out of the cove is the front of a small white and grey shoe. The sobbing and sniffles continue. Hello? I say. The shoe disappears and I her a shuffling as what I assume s a little kid scoots as far back into the corner of the outcove as he or she can. The poor thing. Its probably so frightened. Slowly walking forward until I reach the outcove. Siting there is a small girl. Maybe 6 or 7 years old. She is wearing a navy-blue dress with matching leggings. She has very long straight brown hair. If she stood her hair might even reach her knees. Her dress has a few darker stains probably blood and more dark blobs caked in her hair most likely more blood. She is curled up in a tight ball, knees to her chest and arms hugging her legs, sobbing and shaking from fright.
Hello I say softly Im not going to hurt you
Slowly she raises her head and her strikingly blue eyes stop me for a second. Hello there. I say softly Im I glance down at my hand Alecia. Whats your name?
Eva says the smallest and most frightened voice I have ever heard.
Hi Eva. You dont need to be afraid. I wont hurt you
A realization flashes over her stunning eyes and before I know what happened she has gotten up, ran across the hall to me and is hugging my leg. Her head is just as high as my waist. Tentatively I hug back, and she just hugs tighter. Somehow, she realized I was not a threat and now she has deemed me her friend. I need to find out more about her. Especially because she is the only other human, I have seen in this forsaken place
Even more tentatively than the hug I gave her I pry her from my leg and pick her up and rest her on my hip. Some maternal instinct inside me told me to do it. She looks startled for a second but the proceeds to wrap her small arms around my neck. Softly is ask where are your parents? She gets a sad look in her eyes and points in the direction of my room. Do you want me to help you find them?
Cant Dead she says solemnly
Oh do you want to get cleaned up some? She nods. Gently setting her down I tell her to stay here and I start walking down the hall, going from door to door and seeing if they are locked. After trying 4 or 5 doors I find one thats unlocked. Carefully opening the door, I peer inside. Its empty. Motioning for Eva to follow we enter the room. It has the same setup as the room I woke up in. Small hospital bed, chair, desk and a bathroom. Looking through the desk I find an emergency kit. Inside is a lantern, some first aid equipment, and some food.
In the bathroom I find 2 extra hospital gowns, a few towels and a few washcloths. Handing Eva one of the gowns I tell her to change into it co I can wash the blood and dirt off her dress. She complies, and I scrub all the grime off. Then I take Eva a washcloth and she proceeds to clean herself and rub it over to hair to get all the blood out.
Eva yawns. I pick her up and lay her in the hospital bed. Your dress will be dry by the time you wake up. I tell her as she drifts off to sleep. I'm so tired from all the excitement of the day but I feel like I need to make sure Eva doesnt get hurt. As a solution I pull the chair over to the door and firmly place it so the door wont open. I sit down in the chair and try to get comfy. After a few minutes of shifting I finally drift off into sleep. The last thought I had before the darkness of sleep took me was that I need to protect this child. I am all she has.