Outbreak by NiuTea (phonics reading books txt) 📕

Chapter 1

“The Start”

It’s 2015, three years after the world was supposed to end. Though it didn’t, something happened on the day of December 16th 2014, something catastrophic happened. No one was expecting it because we all thought the world would end in 2012. Boy, were we wrong…
It was obviously a normal and boring day for me, just sitting in my English class, tapping my pencil against the desk impatiently. JEEZUS, I thought to myself, why won’t this class just end. I lay my head on my desk and the teacher takes notice of me.
“Miss. Fayth would you like to tell me what we are talking about” Mrs. Voss said.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Voss, maybe something English related, cause you know, this is an English class” I said in a sarcastic tone, making the class chuckle.
“Maybe you would like to receive an F on your next quiz. Pay attention in class, Miss. Fayth.”
“Sorry Mrs. Voss.”
“Alright, back to the lesson.”
I look back down at my notebook and pretend to take notes, but really start doodling. Suddenly the intercom comes on. I thought they were just going to call a kid out to go home, but they said something else. Something no one was expecting.
“All classes go to an emergency assembly in the main gym. Teachers walk your classes in a single file line to the gym and wait in the lobby after your class is seated.”
The class all cheered happily for no more class.
“Now class, settle down and form a single file line in front of the door.”
As we all get up to walk to the door I make sure I stand by my friend Isabella.
“Dude, do you know what’s going on?” I ask.
“Not at all,” she replies. “I didn’t even know we were going to have an assembly.
“Yea neither did I. I hope it’s not some S.A.D.D. meeting again.”
“Yea, that would suck.”
We both chuckle and walk out the door into the main hallway.
As we’re walking down the hall to the gym I notice all of the school staff seems scared. Scared of what, I don’t know. None of the other kids seem to notice it though; they’re all too caught up in their conversations of what they’re doing over the holidays.
We arrive at the front of the gym and get escorted to the seats. I go to sit with my usual click, the “nerds”. I wave hi to them and we all sit down. Everyone is talking but me it seems. I’m still monitoring the staff; they all have the expression of terror. It’s not scaring me, just making me feel… worried. I don’t know what of, but this is the first time we’ve ever had to do this “Emergency” thing. I’m pretty sure it’s something serious.
The principle, Mrs. Cole, quiets down the gym when she walks onto the gym floor, though she was accompanied by not the JROTC, but actual soldiers. There were three walking with her. I could hear whispers throughout the crowd saying things like “How cool is this!?” or “Are we having an army presentation?”
“Hello students of MHS,” she stared. “We have a slight situation on our hands. Now don’t be alarmed, but we have a certain outbreak of a new kind of flu going around.”
“Like the swine flu?” Some student in the crowd blurted out.
“Yes, something along those lines.” She continued. “The military has issued a mandatory sweep for anyone who has come into contact with the virus. Now don’t be afraid, I was told that it hasn’t reached our area where we live yet. Here to talk about it is Lt. James.”
The principle handed the microphone over to Lt. James and was escorted out side into the lobby by one of the other men.
“Hello.” He said. “I am Lt. James here to talk to you about this outbreak that is occurring.”
By then most kids lost interest and started whispering about what they’re going to do over break again. I’m not one of them though, instead I text my mom asking if she got a call from the school saying something about an assembly. She immediately replies saying no and asking what the assembly is about. I just tell her it’s some kind of virus sweep the military is doing. She responds quickly again saying she’s coming to the schools and picking us up. By us I mean me and my three brothers, Noah, Caleb, and Seth. I told her it’s okay and to calm down, but she insists on picking me up.
“Dude,” I say to Isabella “my mom is coming to get me.”
“Why?” She asks.
“I dunno, I told her the military is here and she told me to get ready. Anyways, do you want to come with us?
“Naw, I still have to get my homework from history class, thanks though.”
“Yea no problem.”
I tuned back into what that military guy was saying, nothing but nonsense if you ask me. I only started listening when he was done though.
“All of you kids at the school will be released onto break right after this assembly; the buses are already waiting to take you home outside were they normally are.” He was saying. “Though we supervise you all to stay inside, wash your hands constantly and take a flyer outside that has more safety precautions. Thank you and have a wonderful day”
“Well now,” I turn to Isabella. “The ride home is still up for grabs.”
“Yea, yea, thanks.”
We both laugh and walk out into the lobby and grab a flyer, like all the other kids. We wait for my brother in the lobby as all the kids rush to the bus. My brother Seth is a senior this year. He’s on the varsity football team and has all the characteristics of a football player. He’s 6 foot 4 inches and his afro makes him look even taller than that, buff, and did I mention tall? He’s very sweet though, and what you could call “a lover, not a fighter” (though I don’t think he’d need to fight, he scares the shiz out of everybody) Isabella and I catch him as he’s walking out the double door to go to the buses.
“Yo Seth!” I try to yell over all the kids.
He turns around to find who called him. Seeing as how I’m short he can’t see me over the crowd, so I have to wave my arms at him to get his attention.
“Oh, Fayth and Isabella.” He responded. “What is it?”
“Mom’s going to pick us up and Bella is riding with us.”
“Thank god, I didn’t want to ride the bus.”
“What about Noah and Caleb?” Isabella butted in.
“Yea Fayth, what about Noah and Caleb?” Seth continued.
“Mom is picking them up too, she should almost be here.”
“Well text her to make sure, I’ll text Noah and Caleb so they won’t get on the bus.”
“Alright.”
Noah and Caleb are my other brothers. They’re both 7th graders in the middle school across the street from the high school. Those two are the craziest kids you will ever meet, It doesn’t help that their twins and love to play the “Swap-A-Roo” game with their teachers. They’re both shorter than me by a head (I’m 5’8 myself) they have brown wavy hair, and beautiful piercing green eyes like my mom, yet have the fashion sense of a rock.
“Alright, Noah and Caleb are walking over here, lets meet them at the cross walk” Seth said relieved.
“It’s like you doubted me that I would forget about them.” I said.
“Your Fayth, you’d forget your wallet if you didn’t keep them in those same pants you where every day.”
“Hey, in my defense these pants are comfortable.”
“That’s… not the point you retard.”
“You’re a retard.”
“Ugh, never mind, let’s just go get them.”
“That’s right we should go and get them.”
“You just don’t shut up, do you?”
“You just don’t shut up… do you?”
“… I hate you”
Isabella was laughing at our senseless fighting the whole time. Though I’m pretty sure it was more likely the fact that I don’t shut up just as much as the fight.
We start walking to the cross walk from the gym, it was only about a couple hundred yards away, but we had to maneuver around the buildings that were all inconveniently placed to make a box like court yard. They called it the “Patio” but it always reminded me of the schools lame attempts to making our school have more “class”.
We get to the parking lot where the buses were now departing. Across it, we see Noah and Caleb at the cross walk; waving at us like they haven’t seen us for years. In other words, just being dumb. Isabella, Seth, and I all walk over to the cross walk where they were standing. I was still a little worried about what was going on around school, why had we been released, what was so important to cancel the rest of the day? Though I tried not to think about it because I tend to creep myself out with that kind of stuff. I mean seriously, this will be just like the swine flu epidemic, or avian flu epidemic, it will get over-dramatized by the media to scare people, then be played down and make it seem like it never happened. Though why the military had to get involved was WAY over my head.
“Did you hear, did you hear?!” Noah said like we didn’t know what was happening.
“Yea, did you?!” Caleb doubled in.
“Guys,” Seth said annoyed. “I’m blind, not deaf.”
“Sorry… But did you?!” Noah and Caleb responded, like they didn’t hear a word Seth just said.
“Nooo,” I answered in a sarcastic tone. “We just happen to be standing here because we all decided to leave our future careers in education to become circus performers.”
Noah and Caleb stared at us blankly; like we had just described quantum physics to them. Not as if I know exactly what that is but, you catch my drift.
“It’s weird isn’t it?” Isabella said, trying to break the silence.
“Who Cares?” Noah cheered happily.
“We get out of school!” Caleb added!
“You guys are stupider than me…” I said “And THAT’S saying something.”
“Fayth, don’t be a dick.” Seth said.
I looked at him and was going to say something witty but was interrupted by a teacher.
“Excuse me,” The teacher said weekly “But where are you kids supposed to be?”
“Oh, hey Mrs. Ferriday.” Seth said. “We’re just waiting for my mom to pick us up.
The teacher didn’t look to good. She was very pale and had dark rings around her eyes. It looks like she wanted to throw up but was fighting the urge to do so.
“Well hurry up,” she said. “Teachers can’t clear campus until all students are gone.”
“Alright Mrs. Ferriday, have a nice day.” Seth said.
She waved bye to us as we turned around to walk to the pickup loop where some other kids were waiting for their parents.
“Have a nice day?” I said to Seth, mocking his very rare politeness.
“Shut up.” He replied very snappily.
Just because I said he’s sweet, doesn’t mean he’s sweet towards me.
“Anyways, did you noticed how sick that lady looked?” I asked.
“Who, Mrs. Ferriday?” Seth asked back.
“Yea, she seemed… sick.”
“Oh, well I didn’t notice it.”
“Yea neither did I.” Isabella added.
“I guess I’m just worried about the flu then.” I chuckled very sheepishly, but again, no one notices the bad details