The Plauge

by William w2


My Story

The sight me and Jarod went in to was a very distressed looking Spike and Twilight holding each other. It was a strange sight to come to. It wasn't quite a relationship bond, but....more like family. They cried together and we gave them their time to talk. Eventually I walked over to them and sat down it the chair on the other side of the room.
"Alright, we need to talk." I said in a questioningly serious manner. "What did you mean by 'another dimension', Spike?"
Instead of Spike answering, Twilight was the one to speak up.
"It's all my fault!" She said in a sad tone, keeping her face down from the questioning stares of mine and Jarod's. "It was around yesterday. I think. Well, me and my friends were gathering at my house and I was going to perform a spell, but this wasn't even CLOSE to where I was aiming to go. I was trying to just go to my friend Pinkies house! I tried so hard to take us back, but I just couldn't do it! Then some other...people came and got us and gave us clothes and a place to stay. But...they didn't..." Her voice had rose with every word then gradually cracked and squeaked out. She was crying and wasn't about to quit. Spike gently laid his hands on he shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
Then he started to pick up after her. "That group wanted us as bait. They wanted us to be bait and they wanted us to be slaves. We fought back, but....they took the others and brought us here and left us. Then you came and helped us. We are very grateful for your help. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, how did you mean you 'transported' here. That's all I've been stuck on."
Twilight answered,"That's also what's confusing me. I was trying to do a mass teleport and and I must've tuned into the wrong feed. It somehow brought us here. I'm still not sure why we were brought here and changed to (quite obviously) the native, or dominant species. It seems here that magic is not quite an element found here. Back on my world I wasn't one of you, but I was a....pony." She said everything slowly, enough time for the words to sink in.
"So....what you're saying is that...you used to be....PONIES? Does something seem to be wrong here?" Jarod said in disbelief and turned to me.
"You're story seems to be rather....strange, to say the least, but how does magic and ponies fit together?" I asked very questioningly. "Are you saying you were a unicorn or something?" I said with a slight laugh.
"Yes, and there are also pegasai. They regulate the weather year-round." She said in an all serious manner.
I stopped my laugh and looked her dead in the eye. She returned the challenge.
"Woah, woah. This has got to be some kind of joke or something. Why are you saying all this stuff?" I asked
"Now think, why would we be lying to the very people that saved our lives?" Spike said in his slightly puberty affected voice.
"Touché." I responded. "I don't want to get into the complicated stuff, so lets put off the questions until later. For now, lets just get to know each other better."
"Like....how?" Twilight asked.
"Just, you know. Talk about ourselves. I don't know." I said.
"Well I actually want to know what all is happening. I heard some of the people at the resistant area talking about some kind of Plague. I've gotten that this world is very...different from our old one, but...what -kind- if Plague?"
"Damn. Well, that's getting into the really crappy part of this life, but I guess you'll have to know sooner or later." I turned to Jarod. "Should we tell them?"
He gave me a very queasy look, but nodded.
"I'm gonna talk about Jenny, ok. Can you handle that?" My heart twanged on a bitterly sad note when I said her name.
He nodded.
I took a shaky breath and spoke the story. "Well, it was about two years ago. I was at Madison Ridge high school. I was in...10th grade at the time, I think. Anyway, I was heading to fifth period when the counselor came into the room and asked my teacher to go outside. She had tears in her eyes and was babbling. They went outside and talked for a few minutes. I was confused as to what they were talking about. The teacher eventually came back into the room and she was crying. She got in front of the room and spoke 'Everyone, be quiet! This is an important message! I have just gotten news from the counsellor about some strange occurrences outside of the state. There has been a strange illness documented over the past few weeks, I'm sure you all know. Now, we all need to understand that sometimes a situation can be made bigger than it is by the media, but the disease has been spotted in other countries and has some very serious side effects. There has been some reports of mass riots in the other states because of them being blocked in a vain attempt to keep this sickness from spreading, so school has been dismissed. There have been some reports of cases in our area. The school has been advised to keep civilians as far away as possible to keep the disease from spreading. You may all go home now. You will be told when school will be restarted over the news.'
Nobody knew what to do, so we all were just sitting there and kind of shocked by the news. I mean of course a widespread disease doesn't really effect you until it actually can affect you. I got my stuff and went and got Jarod in my car and we went off to get our younger sister, Jenny.
We were pulling into town and there was a few people in the streets. Quite literally -lying- on the ground. They weren't moving. Just lying there, not moving. Jarod and I went out to go check it out. The whole days events made everything just seem a little duller and at the same time that much more interresting. I went over to one and -almost- stepped in a pool of blood. I stopped and stared at the body and then panicked a little. I grabbed the shirt and flipped it over. And regretted it. The body was all eaten up. I turned and threw up in the street. The others were just the same. I ran back to the car and stomped on the gas. I -had- to get away.
'Holy shit, man! Slow the fuck down!' Jarod was freaking out in the passenger seat.
"We need to get Jenny." Was my only reply.
We were silent for the rest of the time as I sped down the road, not caring about the bodies in the way. As we reached the middle school, the bodies multiplied and changed from those of older people to younger ones of children. I started to feel sick again. I jumped out of the car and smelled putrid meat. It smelled of that of dead fish, rotted eggs and guts. I threw up in the grass until I couldn't anymore. Jarod did the same. I didn't want to find out of it was any worse on the inside. But, I had to. I didn't want my sister to face the same fate if I could still prevent it. I turned back to the car and opened the glove compartment and pulled out my .45. I always had it, just in case. I grabbed a few extra bullets. I ran towards the building and Jarod wasn't far behind. He must've hid his favorite knife in there too, cuz he had it. It was a badass 9" combat knife. It could cut a hand, or head, clean off in a powerful- enough swing. We ran through the doors, not caring who saw us. I ran into my sisters class and saw....bodies. And bodies. And blood. The smell was that of a copper tang with rot. I immediately ran out and slammed the door closed. I was about to run out and away from the school, but a gentle voice stopped me.
"William?"
I stopped and turned around and saw....Oh God! It was Jenny! I ran to her and grabbed her up in a hug. I pulled her off and checked her out. "Are you ok? What happened?"
A sudden deep voice from in front of me stopped our loving embrace. "Stop! You move and I will fucking blow your brains out!"
I looked up and saw...a police officer?! What the fuck?
"Woah!" I raised my hands.
"I said STOP!" He had a strange look in his eyes. Aaand he had a gun pointed at my chest. It looked like a Glock, but I wasn't sure.
I stood frozen, not wanting anyone to get hurt.
"Officer, I assure you that there's nothing to fear from us. We actually are wondering what is happening."
"SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP!!!" He said pointing the gun in random directions, but keeping his bloodshot eyes on me.
My sister whimpered and I slowly started to move her behind me.
A strange moan came from behind-
BANG!!
The shot was ringing in my ears a few seconds after it faded away from the echoey hallway. It took me a minute to feel a warm stickiness on my shirt and face. I looked down and stood shocked as my sisters wide eyes met mine and she struggled for breath and collapsed in my arms. I stood dumbfounded looking at my sister. I slowly looked at the police officer and my shock VERY quickly went to anger. I charged at him and he kept his eyes locked on mine and I heard a empty click from somewhere and the police man opened his arms and smiled, only making me angrier. I tackled him and threw the gun away from him and punched him- hard. I punched again, and again. Again. I couldn't stop. I heard a voice calling my name behind me, but I didn't care. My focus was on the police officer. I punched and felt bones break, skin split. I think I broke a finger, but didn't feel it. I felt something pulling my shirt and I finally broke from my trance. I looked up and saw my brother, pulling my shirt. I turned my head to follow his panic-stricken eyes. There was a mass of moving bodies crowding the hallway.
'How long had I been attacking him?' I wondered.
Jarod had my sister on his back and I ran over to the fallen police mans gun, which was dangerously close to the moving bodies. I grabbed it and ran back to the shooter. I grabbed two rounds from his belt and loaded the gun.
I turned to see Jarod running down the hall with my sister draped over his back. I quickly caught up and took my...dead sister away from him. I handed him the Glock. He was a pretty decent shot. He turned and fired half the clip into the crowd and he turned back to me 'They're not going down! How are they not dying?!' I turned and got a good look at the pursuers.
They were even worse than the bodies. They all looked like they had died long ago and were half decayed. I didn't recognize any of them. 'Go for the head!' I yelled. He turned and emptied the rest of the clip into the mass. Several -thunks- were heard and guttural growls followed as I'm sure the others preyed on their fallen brothers. Jarod turned back and caught up and ran to the car. I opened he door and gently sat Jenny in the back.
I hopped in the front and sped off, not caring what I ran over, or what was alive or not. I was heading home.
/. .\
-
I pulled into the driveway about ten minutes later and hopped out. The door was wide open.
'Shit. The dogs probably dead then.' I thought. My dog couldn't stand a chance out there, being a curious, friendly Brittany. 'Oh, well.'
I pulled my pistol out of my waistband and went inside the already open door. I was greeted with my neighbor hunching over my cat. There was gruesome smacking and tearing noises and a wet -pop-. When I gasped he jumped, turned and snarled at me. He started to fast-walk toward us. I aimed my pistol at him and shot. He didn't slow. I readjusted my aim to his head and shot. He fell three feet in front of us. I ran up to my moms studies and saw...my dog....EATING my mom!
"No!" I yelled as I ran over to my mom, kicking the dog out of the way. She was already eaten in half, her guts spilling onto the floor and the white of her spine still half showing. I went over to the dog and kicked it several more times. I stepped on its head, feeling its skull crack under my weight. I heard a final whimper as my foots weight made the skull cave in and the animal died instantly. I went over to mom and felt her wrist for a pulse I knew wasn't there.
....thump......thump...
Oh God...."William..." A weak voice croaked out of her and into my conscious ears.
"Mom....Oh God, MOM! No! You can't die!" I cried into her shirt.
"I...love...y...." Her voice trailed off as she struggled for breath. Her chest heaved once more and she went limp.
"M...mom?" I asked. This time knowing I wouldn't get an answer. "I-I l-love you too, mom." It barely got out of my mouth before the cry of agony escaped. It was full of the days....just everything. I never cared enough. I've never cared enough. Now it's gotten me a dead family. I didn't think I could survive that day, but Jarod brought me back. I drove to the mountains, with our dead family in the backseat. They're buried out near a large heart-shaped rock that I found out here." I think everyone was crying when I was finished.
"That...thats terrible!" Twilight said through her sobs. She got up and came over to me and gave me a hug. I didn't know what to do at first, but I eventually returned it.
"Thanks. I think I needed that." I said. Tears glistening in my eyes.
/. ,\
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