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"My name is Dr William Matras," he said in a calm, clear voice that was entirely at odds with his appearance "I am--I was; I suppose I’m not anymore--an epidemic researcher for the Centers for Disease Control I have been working on the issue of the Kellis cure since it was first allowed into the at the developue, Dr Christopher Sinclair" His breath hitched, voice threatening to break He got himself back under control, and continued "Chris wouldn’t sanction what I’ he isn’t around to tellto you This is not a virulent summer cold; this is not a new strain of the swine flu This is, and has always been, a herconjoined with an experi-based cure for cancer It is airborne It is highly contagious And it raises the dead

"Almost everyone who breathes air is now infected with this virus Transmission is apparently universal, and does not coe for from the passive ‘helper’ for Kellis-A that can stop it Anyone whose virus has begun to change for to beco around our streets Why? We don’t know What we do know is that fluid transer the active for in your eye Some people may seroconvert spontaneously We believe these people were involved with the Marburg trials in Colorado, but following the destruction of the facility where those trials were conducted, we have no way of being absolutely sure

"Let overne about the walking plague, saying that ould trigger a , and I don’t think keeping secrets is doing anybody any favors Not at this stage

"Once someone has converted into the…hell, once soer the people you have known all your life Head shots seee to the body will eventually cause them to bleed out, but it can take time, and it will create abut fire or bleach We have…God, we have…" He stopped for ahis forehead into the palm of his hand Finally, dully, he said, "We have lied to you We have withheld infor we know about this disease, and the simple fact of it is, we know there isn’t any cure We knoe can’t stop it

"Early signs of amplification include dilated pupils, blurred vision, dry , loss of coordination, unexplained es, apparent lapses in memory, aphasia…"

If you have been infected, please contact authorities immediately If you have not been infected, please remain calm This is not a drill Please return to your homes Please remain calm This is not a drill If you have been infected…

July 31, 2014: Berkeley, California

Marigold felt bad

There had been a raccoon in the yard She liked when raccoons ca, but they ran ran ran when you chased them, and the noises they er andShe had chased the raccoon, but the raccoon didn’t run Instead, it held its ground, and when she cah, it bit her on the shoulder, hard, teeth tearing skin and flesh and leaving only pain pain pain behind Then she ran, she ran from the raccoon, and she had rolled in the dirt until the bleeding stopped,the wound, pain pain pain muted a little behind the haze of her confusion Then had co for chasing raccoons; bad dog for getting bitten when there were so e

So Marigold did what any good dog in fear of being terone to the hole in the back of the fence, the hole she and her brother worked and worried so long at, and slunk into the yard next door, where the boy lived The boy laughed and pulled her ears sometimes, but it never hurt The boy loved her She knew the boy loved her, even as she knew that the , really, all the way to the heart of her She was a good dog

She was a good dog, but she felt so bad So very bad The badness had started with the bite, but it had spread since then, and now she could barely s, and the light was hurting her eyes soshe could find her feet, wishing she knehy she felt bad So very bad

Marigold felt hungry

The hunger was a new thing, a strong thing, stronger even than the bad feeling that was spreading through her She considered the hunger, as s, and herway to alien instinct She was a good dog She just felt bad She was a good dog She was…she was…she was hungry Marigold was hungry Then she was only hunger, and norustled through the bushes The dog that had been a good dog, that had been Marigold, and that was now just hungry, rose slowly, legs unsteady but willing to support the body if therethat had been a good dog, that had been Marigold, looked without recognition at the figure that parted the greenery and peered down at it ide-eyed curiosity The dog, which had always been ready with a welco bark, made a sound that was close to a moan