Avery's Mom
Day 3
————

I sat up quickly, alerted by the sound of Avery coughing. Then the faint movement of his feet across the boards above my room. He tapped three times and then went back into a fit of coughs. Everything went quiet after that. No sounds, nothing.

CRASH!

The sound of glass shattering could be heard from the living room. I prayed Avery's coughs had subsided so that whatever caused the noise wouldn't find him.

The floorboards creaked beneath heavy boots that made their way down the hallway. Stopping just short of my bedroom door. The sound of a man's voice echoed.

"I thought you said the boy was here?" He demanded. The slight shuffle of feet. Indicating that someone had been snatched up.

Have people lost all manners? I thought. He could have used the door. Slowly I opened my bedroom door to a built bulky man holding a much smaller man in a lab coat up by his collar. Both men looked over at me, one with fear, the other bringing a colt .45 level with my head. I swallowed hard, overly aware of my dry throat and the severity of the situation.

Please don't cough Avery...

"Where's the boy?" The bulky man demanded. I did my best not to look at the door above his head. The rope dangling a few inches from his crew cut.

"He died." I pretended to cry in hope that all the years in drama had paid off.

"Shit!" He snapped, dropping the man in the lab coat.

"That leaves one!"

The smaller man cowered at his outburst. Fumbling with his glasses, he takes out a notebook with a list of names all marked out in red, aside from Avery's and one other. I couldn't quite make out.

"I'm sorry.." I offered.

"Diego! Get your ass on the phone and inform HQ!" He then stepped closer to me. The barrel of the .45 pressed to my temple.

"Lady if you lied..." He growled his face right next to my ear.

"Are you going to fix my window?" I asked unfazed by his threat. All the while praying Avery didn't cough again.

Avery
Day 3
———

I woke up coughing my brains out. My mouth was dry and a dull ache was starting in my lower back. I think that's from sleeping on the floor. I keep forgetting to ask my mom for some blankets and stuff. I could use a shower too.

The itch in my throat started again sending me into a fit of coughs. It felt like I was going to cough up my lungs. My chest constricted and I heaved. Breathing in huge gulps of air to regain control. I sat on the floor trying to remember where my moms room was in the house.

Slowly I shuffled over to where I thought it was and I tapped on the floor boards three times then waited. I could hear her bedsprings groan as she climbed out of bed. Which means she heard me. But, I wasn't prepared for the sound that came soon after.

A loud bang with the sound of glass shattering. I froze in place, had the world gone crazy since I got locked up here? Oh God is mom okay?!

I pressed my ear to the floor listening. The sound of men talking quickly as they made their way down the hall could be heard.

One sounded like they were being strangled. I couldn't quite make out what was being said. I heard mom's door open and then the sound of her voice. I strained harder to hear what was being said. Something about there only being one left and that one had died. That's all I could make out.

Who died? One left of what?

Mom...

It went silent. Then mom asked about repairing the window.

Wait what? Is that all she cares about?

Avery's Mom
Day 3
———

"You won't be needing it. This whole street is being relocated." Diego informed, placing his phone in his lab coat alongside the notebook filled with names.

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously, still hyper aware of the barrel pressed to my temple. I'm sure it was leaving an indention.

"This street is being relocated to a health facility."

He eyed the bigger man.

"Put the gun down Hastings."

Hastings holstered his gun frowning. Clearly he wanted to shoot something. My eyes drifted above his head to the door then to Diego.

Diego was staring at me over his glasses. I wonder if he had seen me look. But he gave no inclination that he had.

"Sorry for the trouble Ms." he bowed, turning to head out the front door. Just as she was closing the front door Avery went into another fit of coughs.

Hastings narrowed his eyes and started coughing in hope to cover Avery's faint ones. His eyes went wide as he covered his mouth and ran for the vehicle. I watched him grab a sanitizer, covering his face and hands with it.

Diego was still standing on the porch watching my fit.

"Take this." He said, raising an eyebrow at me. In his hand was a card.

"What?"

He placed a finger over his lips tilting his head in a just trust me kind of way. I took it from him, staring at the cursive writing and the bold numbers on the grainy card. When I looked back up, the vehicle along with its occupants were gone.

Strange.

Inside the house I grabbed the broom and dust pan. Going to work on the shards of glass riddling the floor of the living room. Why couldn't they just knock?

I worked hard for over an hour when I remembered the coughing very much alive child of mine in the attic. Let me revoke my application for mother of the year right now.

Panic set in as I rushed up the ladder, throwing the latch back then peering inside. There he was hunched over. His breathing labored from all the coughing. Weakly he looked up at me. His eyes grew wide when he registered who I was. Reaching for me he pulled me up through the opening and hugged me.

"Mom..." he cried, clinging to me hard. I hugged him, rubbing circles along his back.

"It's okay... you're okay."

He leaned back tears streaming down his face watching mine carefully. The pale light casting his shadow. Yet another change to his appearance showed. His once hazel eyes were now a gray white. This was another sign of the virus taking over. He would soon be gone.

"Mom, can I take a shower?" He asked. I nodded helping him climb down the ladder.

"When your done, grab a few things then go back up... okay"

He simply nodded, disappearing into the bathroom down the hall. A while later the water sounded and a sense of calm rushed over me. He was still here. But for how much longer.

I sat down at the kitchen table searching my phone for news updates.

The latest was about the A strain recipients. All had been completely wiped out aside from one. They wouldn't release the name. They figured it was a matter of time before that person passed as well. But again gave no information on their well being.

What was more disturbing was those that received the B strain. Only received a placebo. Which was just water and sugar. So many people were furious and yet no one could explain why that group hadn't died. Not a single one.

I raked my hands through my hair. This whole thing is crazy. It's nothing like anything I had ever seen in movies. This one was a monster of its own.

God help us all. I prayed.

Avery peeked around the doorway. A small smile on his pale face.

"Thank you, mom."

I smiled at him.

"I'm sorry for being angry."

I shook my head at him, standing up to hug him again.

"Shhh..."

"Who died mom?"

Fear and guilt plummeted into my stomach like ice. He had heard the conversation from earlier.

"A bunch of people... and Uncle Phil."

He stilled in my arms.

"What?"

"The first day after you were vaccinated."

We both cried for a while then. Dropping to the floor just crying. He was our family and it didn't hit me as hard until I told Avery.

"I just wanted to help to save others." He sniffled. I patted him on the shoulder.

"I know you did. Maybe you still can."

I wasn't sure how true that was. But, I'd give him hope even if I was losing my own. His moods were up and down lately. I think maybe that was a side effect. I couldn't be sure of that either. His once beautiful hazel eyes turning that gray white though, was.

After we ate dinner he settled back in the attic. A few more items to keep him company. I wrote down the changes in my journal.

Avery
Day 3

I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair had turned completely white and my eyes looked like they did when I wore my white out contacts for cosplays. I frowned at the circle scar on my collar bone where they had administered the vaccine. They had to use a strange instrument to give it.

I'm still not sure what possessed me to go up there with my uncle to help out with volunteers. Something along the lines of I owed it to my father to keep the family name alive.

Sure Uncle Phil... I would have to call him later and inform him that I was a dead man.

I brushed my teeth and my hair. Then changed into a black zip up jacket with some sweats. From the bathroom I could hear the news playing from mom's phone. Almost all the volunteers had passed away from the vaccine. All except one. Who though? Was it me? But what if I was the ones who go sugar water as a placebo. I stared at myself again. Then why was my hair and eyes white?

Fear washed over me. Death was at my doorstep. At this rate it was inevitable. So I might as well make nice with mom. Try not to be such a stuck up entitled teenager.

Standing in the doorway to the kitchen I smiled. She looked at me with tired eyes, her light brown hair a little disheveled. She laid her phone down on the table mat and stared at me.

"Thank you, mom."

She smiled at me.

I'm sorry for being angry."

My mom shook her head at me. I could feel a knot forming in my throat just as she hugged me. The next question was hard.

"Shhh..."

"Who died, mom?"

"A bunch of people... and Uncle Phil."

I froze, all the air escaped my lungs. I felt as if I could die right then. She held me tighter and we just dropped to the floor crying hard. Why did she wait so long to tell me?

"I just wanted to help people..." I sniffled. My mom patted my back reassuring me that I still could. I don't know how she can be so positive. Maybe it was for my benefit. Who knows.

She made lasagna and then I went to settle back into the attic. I hate this place. Shortly after I laid down on the sleeping bag, I heard her lock me in.

"Goodnight, Sweetie."