CHAPTER TWELVE: The First Day

"I found the target," said a voice through an encrypted communication channel, "traced it down to Nairobi, Kenya."

"Well," came another voice, "does she have it?"

"Not confirmed yet, sir," said the other voice, "target escaped but the trace is still strong."

"You better get her as soon as possible!" the other voice snapped, "you know what is at stake here!

"Yessir!"

"And remember, I want her alive!"

The line then went dead, following the activation of another encrypted channel.

"We have a development sir," a new voice said.

"Finally, some good news. What is it?"

"The tests were successful just like you said they would be. The host cells are combining with the variant, forming an absolute symbiotic relationship."

"Very good."

"Shall I proceed to human trials?"

"No. Not just yet. . ." the primary voice paused, ". . . it's been a year since the new vaccine was passed out, right?"

"It will be. In the next three days, sir."

"Right, right. . ." another pause, ". . .then there's no need for human trials. The vaccine should begin activating the new variant and we'll see the results. You've done well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now, carry on with the normal. They will be coming to question you."

The line went dead.

A lot further from that unidentified location, something else was also dead but in a more biologically inexplicable way.

The first incident happened somewhere in California. A woman was seated at the balcony of her beach house in Malibu, basking in the summer sun when she felt her body suddenly go rigid. She coughed up blood, falling off of her chair. She tried to scream but the sound came out deep and guttural before her eyes turned black and she stopped breathing.

The WHO was currently held up with the alleged assassination, leaving the United States' CDC to respond first when the Californian incident was reported later that Saturday.

At the CDC headquarters, the body was brought in and an autopsy was performed.

"This is odd," said one of the doctors to the chief medical examiner.

"What?"

"According to the autopsy, the victim was severely attacked by a rogue contagion."

"We've been getting a lot of those attacks thanks to COVID--"

"No. Not like COVID, " the doctor said, showing the chief medical examiner the autopsy results, "coronaviruses attack the respiratory tract. Look at this. "

"The nervous system, " the chief medical examiner frowned, "that's impossible. SARS-CoV-2 can't affect the brain."

"Well, this one does."

"It has to be a new variant. Was the patient vaccinated?"

"Yes. Tested her blood plus she had a bracelet."

"Interesting. How many other reports have we had?"

"That was the first one."

The first of many to come.

It was at a treatment camp in Rio, Brazil, where homeless people were getting COVID-19 vaccine administrations when a man started coughing blood. He had left the camp to give room to others and had walked more than half a mile away. He fell on his hands, coughing uncontrollably before rolling over onto his back, convulsing and shaking. His eyes then turned black before his body went completely still.

More of this started to be seen in other countries. From South Africa, all the way to Australia. Nobody had a clue what was going on, for it was just the first day. The beginning. . .of the end.