The cockpit had so many buttons to choose from. Eager to get going, my eyes scanned over each and every button. Come on! There must be an on button. I need to get moving. If I stay here, I won't be able to get that woman to safety. So let's see here... my eyes again scan for any signs of an on button.

While they scanned, a blue button caught my attention. Maybe I should try this one. It looks like an on button. My fingers stretch out and touch it. But instead of turning everything on, I hear something slide around in the back. What did I do? I go out the cockpit and find the entrance to the outside is now closed. So that blue button was the door opener. Okay then. I guess I'll have to go back. But before I could take a step, I hear a loud groan. Is that the woman?

Quietly, I step back toward the cockpit. But instead of going straight there, I turn toward a door and open it. Inside was the woman. Her long white hair was over her face as she sat up. White hair is a side effect of being infected. Along with having those bleeding Plexion eyes.

"Where... am I?" She asked as she removed the hair from her face.

"On your ship. Are you okay?" The woman shakes her head.

"Who are you?" She asks. I stick out my hand and help her up.

"Rain Everest. I saved your life." The woman looks at me. Her expression is one of immense confusion. This happens with the Plexions I heal. When I heal them, they don't have any memory of what happened to them. But after a few minutes, their memory returns. I guess when the virus is gone, it gives them temporary amnesia.

"Rain Everest... Rain... Everest... I think... I" the woman grasps her head. Her memory must be coming back. As she grasps her head, I take her arm and lead her to the cockpit. When I do, the woman takes her hand away from her forehead. Her face no longer displayed immense confusion, instead she went pale. It was like the realization of what's happening fell on her like a sack of bricks. The woman's bleeding green eyes turned toward me. When I looked inside of them, I saw what looked like a mini thousand yard stare.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice quiet and gentle. The woman shook her head.

"This... everything... the Plexions they..."

"Shhh..." I said as my hands grabbed her shoulders. Gently, I sat her down in the drivers seat.

"Everything will be okay. It's alright." I kept repeating this for a couple minutes. Even though I tried to comfort her, her look of shell shock would not go away. She sat there, staring at me. It was creepy to see her this way, I guess being a Plexion had hit her harder than most. I would love to know why, but that's a question for a different time. I tried my best not to focus on her. I tried to refocus on finding the on button, but her thousand yard stare was burned into my mind. Every time I tried to concentrate on the button, my heart tugged at me. I wanted to help, I truly did. But that's not important right now. What's important is finding that button. We have to get out of here. I looked at every button. While they all looked the same, I tried to find the one that caught my attention. However, my concentration was interrupted. The woman said something. I asked her what she said. Instead of saying anything, she pressed a button that turned on the ship.

"Thanks." The woman nodded and grabbed the steering wheel. Instantly, the ship shot up and started to slowly glide away from the school. Immediately, I sat down. This ship flies a lot smoother than I thought. It's a wonder the Plexions don't use them more. As I made myself comfortable, I begin to notice the woman's stare had started to evaporate. Maybe flying this ship is helping distract her from her memories. Just in case, I ask her if she's okay.

"I'm... no. Not really. It's" her voice trailed off.

"I know. Serving the Plexions can do that to you." The woman's expression started to harden. Her voice began to sound angry.

"They're evil. Pure evil. Never in my life have I seen such evil people." As she talked, the anger in her voice began to intensify. To be honest, I don't blame her for being angry. They had her as a mind controlled slave for any number of years. I would be mad too if I had my free will sapped before my eyes. My only purpose to infect and control other species. It's monstrous what the virus does to you. Altering your thoughts to align with the Plexions. That's why I heal them. I do it to set them free.

"They're monstrous. They used me to do their bidding. But it's my own fault. I should never have accepted his offer" The woman said. Her voice turning from fury to quiet resignation. His offer? What does she mean? I ask her.

"Years ago, I was engaged. My fiance and I were driving the evening he proposed to me. While we were driving, a squirrel had run into the road. We swerved to avoid it and crashed into a tree. My fiance died and I was heartbroken. One day, I was approached by the Plexion king, Mordecai."

"Mordecai?" I asked. The woman nodded.

"Remember the broadcast that came on TV? Mordecai was the Plexion who threatened Earth. Anyway, he approached me. He claimed that if I joined him my sadness and broken heart would be healed. I accepted and became a Plexion. But what I didn't realize was that my sadness would be replaced with compliance. But thanks to you, I'm free. Thank you Rain." The woman turned to me. Her face no longer stiff with anger.

"You're welcome uhh?"

"Jessica. Jessica Burns." Jessica sticks her hand out. I take it and shake it. After shaking hands, Jessica turns her attention back to the ship. I watch as she pilots it with ease. She's a really good pilot.

"Did the Plexions teach you how to fly this?" I ask, my voice slightly cautious.

"Yes and no. Before I became a Plexion, I was a pilot for the UCA Air Force. I knew how to fly, the Plexions just had me adjust to flying this. To be honest, it's not that different from flying an army jet. This thing is just more sensitive to movement, that's all." I nod. So this isn't that different from a jet? Okay. But what about those buttons? I ask her.

"It's not hard. You just got to remember which button does which." Okay then, cool. Who knew flying a space ship was just as easy as flying a jet? I figured that flying this thing would be extremely complicated. But I guess it's pretty simple. After realizing how simple this ship was to operate, I turn my attention over to the city. The little city of Weddington was a strange site to see. Unlike your usual city, Weddington didn't have skyscrapers. Instead it had tall buildings mixed in with small buildings. Weddington, from the air, doesn't look like much. But on the ground, it was sprawling. I will admit, when I'm out in the city, I sometimes get lost and have to retrace my steps. It's that big. The view of the city, while not as beautiful from the air, is still nice to see. It's amazing what we humans can come up with when it comes to cities.

"Rain? You don't mind if I take her down a bit do you?" I shake my head. Jessica took the ship down some. When she did, the once nice view turned into a nightmare. Below us, buildings stood abandon and empty. The streets were empty with no one in sight. If I didn't know what happened, I would have asked about it. However, there was a question burning inside my head. Where did everyone go? It's like they disappeared. Maybe their reanimated corpses had somewhere better to be. Or maybe they're chasing after their next meal. Who knows?

"This is horrible. I can't believe this" Jessica said with a mixture of shock and horror.

"Yeah. It looks so nice from up in the air. But when you get a closer look, it becomes a nightmare." Suddenly, we stop.

"Jessica, what's..." Jessica pointed down to the ground. A badly injured woman was waving us down. From what I could see, her blue dress was covered in dirt and virus. And her skin was extremely pale. Immediately, Jessica landed the ship and opened the door.

"Hey! Hey! Please help us! Please!" The woman begged, her arms waving in the air. Without a moments hesitation, I got up and went to the woman. When I said she was heavily injured, I didn't realize how much of an understatement that was. The woman had wounds everywhere. On her neck has what appears to be a deep bite wound. And throughout her body, many cuts appeared before my eyes. Not only does she need my help, but she also needs a doctor.

"Please help my husband! Peter's over there! He's in worse shape than me."

"It's okay. I'll help you both." With that, I touched her face. Sparks erupted from her body. However, this didn't last long. Soon the sparks were gone. I guess this is because she was in the early stages of infection. When the sparks were gone, the woman touched her face. Immediately, she went from desperate to happy. I go over to her husband and see how much of an understatement his wife's phrase was. Peter, I could tell, was turning into a Plexion. Half of his body had their black coating and his left eye was bleeding green. When I approached him, he tried to keep me away.

"No kid... save yourself. Don't touch me!" he said, his voice betraying his sickness. I understand why he won't want me to touch him. But I have to help him. If I don't, he may turn into a Plexion. And we don't need another one coming after me.

"I must touch you. Here, I'll heal you." Suddenly Peter calmed down. When he did, I touched his face. Instantly, many sparks burst out of his body. After a minute, he was healed. Peter's wife came over to him and looked at me. Amazement filled their eyes like water in a balloon.

"That's amazing! How did you do it?" Peter asked.

"Well, if you want a scientific answer, I can't give it to you. But I know that if I touch someone infected with the virus, I'll heal you." Peter and his wife beamed with amazement. While they were amazed, I just wanted to leave. When I got on the ship, Peter and his wife asked if they could join us. Jessica obliged and we immediately took off, not knowing who laid in wait for us.