It was in the middle of the school day when the first occurrence happened.

Jackson sat in his seat, casually tapping his desk with his pencil as he droned out the teacher's rambling words. His eyes were glued to his desk, watching the pencil go up and down with the movements of his fingers. It was quite obvious he wasn't paying attention - he never was, anyway. His straight B's and C's weren't the only clue.

The sound was muffled by brick-cement walls, but it was audible... screaming. Someone was screaming. Jackson at first shrugged the sound off - the PE class probably went outside and were getting rowdy is all. But it wasn't that kind of scream - Jackson realized that pretty quickly. A scream of terror, words mixed into it like a child mixing paint. A modicum of words could be made out from the horrified scream - the most prominent being "eyes" and "they're coming."

It was obvious now that others had taken notice of the sound. A few of the kids looked up from their notes or distractions to the window on the left side of the room, trying to see through the blinds that covered it from their seats.

The teacher also took notice, but made the very same assumption that Jackson had - an excited PE class, that's all. "Everyone, please bring your attention back to me. I'm sorry they're a distraction, but I need you to focus on the lesson."

No one looked back. No one. Every student's eyes were glued to the wall.

Suddenly the screams stopped. One minute there, the next dead silent. The cut off seemed unnatural, too quick to be from vocals alone. Like it'd been... severed.

Almost immediately an announcement came over the intercom - the principal himself. "Students and staff, I need you all to stop what you're doing and listen to me. If you are currently busy, finish what you're doing and follow my instructions."

Jackson titled his head. This sounded urgent.

"The school has just been issued a warning that forces us to suspend this school day as well as future ones until further notice. Students, please contact your parents of this change, and call someone that can take you home. Teachers and staff, please do what you can to return home as quickly as possible. Thank you."

Cheers erupted through the room, boys and girls cheering for the freedom they'd just been granted. Jackson felt... less than optimistic. Any 7th grade boy would be overjoyed at the thought of being out of school for an extended period of time unexpectedly. But the screams he had heard outside barely a minute previous sent an odd feeling through his brain, an unsettling one that made him worried.

Shaking off the feeling, he got up from his seat, grabbing his backpack from where it slung over his chair and slipping it over his shoulders as he followed the sea of other 7th graders out the door.

After checking his locker and calling his mom to pick him up (and discovering from her that his sister's school was also let out, confirming that the whole corporation had been let off), he made his way to the back of the building for the car rider pick up. Strangely, one of the custodians stood by the door, standing like some kind of night club guard right next to it. When Jackson tried to go through, the custodian halted him.

"Car riders get picked up in the front today," the custodian informed him.

"Why?" Jackson asked out of curiosity, recalling that the window in the classroom he'd been in where the screams were heard led outside this door.

The custodian simply shrugged. "Sorry, kid. Not supposed to say. Go on, now."

Not questioning the custodian any further, Jackson turned and headed for the front of the school.

Other students were also waiting for parents, some walking away to the sidewalk to return home that way or grabbing their bikes. Jackson talked to no one, kept his head down or sweeping the cars that were beginning to pull into the school parking lot. A few good minutes later, he spotted his mother's SUV and made his way across the lot towards it.

As soon as he entered the front passenger seat, he was met by a happy childish voice that cheerfully yelled, "Jackson!!"

Jackson set his backpack on the floorboards beneath his feet and turned to the backseat, where a black-haired, copper-eyed little girl sat. She couldn't have been any older than six. Instantly he felt a smile break across his face. "Hey, little Jac!"

Jac, or Jacqui, gave a bubbly laugh at Jackson's response. Their mom gave both of them a warm smile before turning her attention fully to Jackson as she began to maneuver her way out of the parking lot.

"Hey, Jackson," she said warmly. "How was your day at school?"

"Fine, I guess," Jackson replied with a shrug. His thoughts circled back to the early dismissal, and the screams he'd heard in second period. "Why're they cancelling school?"

His mother shook her head, a dark curl loose from her bun bouncing with the movement. "I don't know, honey. Something's going around, a virus of some kind, I think. They're just trying to make sure no one gets sick."

A virus? That's weird. Jackson recalled learning about the COVID-19 pandemic from ten years ago - they didn't let out schools until mass numbers were getting sick. Jackson had no idea this was happening, and they'd already suspended the year until whatever it was passed. "Okay, then."

"What's a viwus?" Jacqui asked with bright, curious eyes.

Jackson smiled at his young sister, her innocence causing his heart to float in his chest. "Well, a virus is something that makes you sick. Remember when you had that fever last year, and you didn't feel well?"

Jacqui titled her head and nodded. "Yeah."

"It's like that, it makes you not feel very well," Jackson explained simply.

"Oh, okay!" Jacqui said, still ecstatic as ever. "I hope I don't get a virus. They sound yucky."

"Yeah," Jackson said, his smile slightly fading. His words were distracted as he once again remembered the screams he'd heard. "They're yucky, alright."

<O>

Ten minutes of driving, and Jackson's mother pulled into the driveway of their small house. It looked just like all the others in the neighborhood, with the exception of the scribbled, fading chalk drawings in the driveway and the small landscaping rock with black letters on it, spelling out "The Victors" in serif font. Jackson sighed as he stepped out of the car, backpack slung over one shoulder as he walked to the other side of the car to help Jacqui out.

Once Jacqui was standing next to him holding his hand, Jackson made his way inside after his mother.

As they entered, they were met with the excited commentary of an announcer on the TV, talking about some touchdown that had happened before they arrived. The lights were on, too. Weird, doesn't dad have to work today?

"Lincoln, we're home!" Jackson's mother called out, confirming that his father was, indeed, on the couch.

A male voice called back, "They let you guys off, too?"

"Yeah," Jackson called back. Jacqui ran into the living room, probably to go see her dad, but Jackson stopped her.

"Hold on, Jac," he said, kneeling down to her level. "What kind of snack do you want?"

Jacqui seemed to think for a moment before replying, "Macking cheese!"

Jackson laughed, always finding the strange pronunciation funny. "Alright, I'll get you some Mac and cheese."

Jacqui excitedly giggled as she turned and ran off to see her father. Jackson got up from the ground, setting his backpack on a kitchen bar chair and walked in, grabbing a small package of microwaveable macaroni from the cabinet. As he placed it in the microwave, he managed to catch a glimpse of the game his dad was watching (or was watching. Now he was playing with Jacqui). It was a normal football game, the commentator looking over footage from past plays. News subtitles scrolled horizontally across the bottom. Jackson quickly read them to himself as he watched.

...and no one knows what is causing this strange, virus-like disease that seems to be spreading like wildfire in the western United States, Canada, and parts of coastal and Central Europe. Schools near the eastern coast have started to shut down after the president gave an official notice of a growing epidemic throughout the states, as in Europe, Eastern Asia and Northern Africa.

More scrolled across the screen, but Jackson stopped reading there. Epidemic? Virus? I feel like we should have heard of this by now. Or maybe we just weren't paying attention to it? It just got bad and before that it wasn't too awful?

He tried to shake the foreboding feeling that crept up his spine and began to fill the macaroni container with water. But the screams from earlier came back to his thoughts. Could this have something to do with the screaming?

The thoughts swirled in his mind so much that he barely registered anything he heard outside of his head. Once he finally did he froze, hand just over the handle of the microwave where he was about to get the macaroni out. The same screams from earlier - different voice, but same terrifying message.

Fear.

"What is that?" Jackson's mom queried aloud. Jackson simply shrugged subconsciously, eyes glued to the wall where the screaming seemed to come from the other side of.

And then suddenly it was gone. The same way the other screams stopped - an abnormal, unforeseen halt that was too immediate to be conscious human will. Jackson's mother looked perplexed, and walked to the door to peer outside.

Visibly she froze.

Jackson couldn't see her face, but could almost sense her terror from where she stood. "Mom? What's wrong?"

The voices from the TV stopped as his father shut off the TV, telling Jacqui to stay where she was and walking over to where his wife stood at the door. He, too, also froze, a small gasp escaping his mouth.

"What is it?" Jackson asked, grabbing the macaroni from the microwave and beginning to stir it with a fork.

His father looked back at him. "Stay inside. We'll be right back."

Before Jackson could ask any more questions, both of them were out the door.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy going?" Jacqui asked, her head peeking over the back end of the couch.

"I... don't know," Jackson replied. He dumped the packet of powdered cheese into the bowl of macaroni and walked over to the couch, making sure the cheesy pasta was cool before handing it to his younger sister.

Another bout of screaming caused him to jump, and for an icy chill to run down his spine. Not because of the sound itself, really.

But because of the voices behind them.

Immediately Jackson ran to the door, telling his sister to remain at the couch with her mac and cheese as he burst through the front door.

As he laid eyes on the scene unfolding outside, his feet froze to the ground. His vision was glued to the limp figure laying on the ground. Blank sockets filled and pouring with dark red blood stared at the sky, a look of pure terror twisted on the stone-cold face. Somehow through it Jackson recognized the ponytailed blonde hair of his neighbor, Patricia - the connection made him sick. He wasn't too close to Patricia, but she was a living human being and seeing anyone like that made him want to puke. That wasn't even all - a torn hole was visible in her chest, messy and uneven as if she'd clawed out her heart with her own hands. The slick red liquid covering those hands confirmed the sickening thought.

The next figure he saw strengthened his urge to vomit, but at the same time caused a cold despair to spread through his body. His dad, in the same shape that Patricia was in - eyes bloody holes, a messy wound over his chest. However his mother was still alive, her back against the garage as she stared into open space. Each breath was dragged and heavy, eyes filled with a deep horror Jackson couldn't quite describe.

"Mom!" He finally found the words to speak as he ran to his mother, trying to keep the two dead corpses out of his mind.

His mother didn't quite seem to see him, even as he knelt down and touched her shoulder. He was terrified, truly scared of something that wasn't there. He looked into her eyes, which held pitch-black dilated pupils that barely revealed the white sclera that usually lay behind it. Under her breath she seemed to be muttering something - Jackson managed to make out one full sentence:

"Stop watching me..."

"Mom...?" Jackson said timidly. Seeing his mother like this made his heart want to collapse in on itself.

She kept repeating that same sentence, each word getting louder and louder in a crescendo that turned her soft, paranoid muttering into a chaotic scream of horror.

"STOP WATCHING ME!"

Jackson jerked back, dodging her legs as his mother lashed out in a kicking motion. He stared wide-eyed at her as she brought her own fingers to her eyes, screaming as she clutched her fists over them. Liquid began to stream through her fingers, red in the sunlight as it flowed down her arms and dripped onto the ground. Even through the immense pain she must have been feeling at the time, she still was screaming those same words.

Stop watching.

Who's watching...?

She only stopped gouging her eyes when there was nothing left to gouge. Blood fell like a waterfall from the two empty holes, like someone crushed an orbee and now the water trapped inside was spilling out. She still screamed, even though she couldn't possibly see anyone staring at her now.

Her hand reached for her chest.

Jackson, traumatized, raced back into the house, slamming the door behind him. He stood there. And waited. And waited.

Until his mother's screams abruptly stopped.

"Where's Mommy and Daddy? What's going on?" Jacqui stared at him curiously. The corners of her mouth had remnants of orange liquid cheese smudged on them.

Jackson breathed heavily, a look of fear and dread spread across his face as he ran into the living room, grabbing the remote and turning back on the TV. There was a news reporting there, replacing the other football game broadcasting.

"...and the president has issued a state of emergency, closing all borders to foreigners. This does appear to be pathological in some ways, for the disease spreads through close contact, but at an abnormally quick rate, causing deaths in the thousands in a very short time. It is not something recognized by doctors, nor is it something that has any sort of cure or vaccine. People are dying by the sec-"

The sound of a scream was heard off-camera, and suddenly the screen moved away from the news man and toppled. A "no signal" message crossed the TV, accompanied by random colors in the background.

Jackson stared at the now glitched TV. Stared like it would magically come on and revive everyone, cleanse his mind of what he had just witnessed. Stop whatever was happening so suddenly and bring him out of it. But it didn't. This was real.

And he was in danger.

A voice spoke in his head.

Run. You need to get out of here. It's dangerous if you stay.

Not giving the voice a second thought, he grabbed Jacqui's hand and bolted to the door.

<O>

Already this "virus" was as out of control as the news man had said.

Along with the bodies of Jackson's parents and his neighbor, there were multiple other people laid on the ground. Each had the same or similar self-inflicted injuries on their chest and face, eyes and heart violently gouged by their own bloody hands and what was left of their faces painted with horror. Multiple cars rolled by, urgent to escape at the news the cut-off broadcast (and other broadcasts, most likely) had brought. Jackson contemplated grabbing their own car, despite not knowing how to drive and not being the legal age yet, however he quickly scratched the idea when a car swerved from the road, toppling into a yard as it hit the curb with a crash. Fearful, he squeezed Jacqui's hand as he looked for a way to go.

This way. The voice again, and a small flicker of blue to his left. He pivoted without question, following the voice's instructions as he darted with his sister close down the sidewalk.

"Jackson, where are we going??" Jacqui asked, confusion and fear penetrating her voice.

"Just... away from home for a while," Jackson replied hurriedly. "We'll... be back soon."

"Okay..."

The two continued to run away from their home, passing through many blocks and eventually making it to the main city. Everywhere Jackson seemed to look there where bodies, people running, people driving - though most of the drivers were forced off the road by this "disease" taking hold over them. Each body was mangled by their own hands. Jackson looked down, keeping his eyes away from the crimson puddles and limp masses that lay all over the road. If he looked, he felt that he wouldn't find the strength to keep his pace.

His foot skimmed the ground, and suddenly he was face-down on the concrete. Jacqui rushed to his aid, her child face filled with terror and worry for her sibling. Jackson reassured her once again, slowly getting to his feet.

He heard voices to his left - not the head-voice, but a living person's. Strong hands pulled Jackson and Jacqui from the ground, a masculine voice urging them to follow him. Jackson stumbled, too shaken to realize what was happening. He heard more voices as the siblings were herded into a house, and Jackson met the worried eyes of a woman he'd never met. Blue eyes, straight, dark blonde hair framing them in thin, wispy strands.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, care in her gentle tone.

Jackson's breathing was heavy and shaking, but he nodded. He held Jacqui close to him, unsure of whether the strangers whose home he'd just been pushed into were to be trusted.

"Here, just take a rest. If you need anything, just tell us." Her soothing voice reassured Jackson as he stood back up and turned to talk with the man that had brought them in- a darker skinned Mexican man with a white dress shirt on. There was a fresh splatter of blood on one of the cuffs.

Jackson took a deep breath, and closed his eyes as he laid his head against the wall.

"Who are they?" Jacqui asked in a hushed tone, referring to the strangers.

He sighed, tears welling up in his eyes as he choked out, "I don't know."

<O>

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