WHISPERS OF THE DEAD

A WEEK LATER

Francis sat with his dad, watching the news about the outbreak. His mother and twin sisters were also present. According to the news reporter, over 500 people in Stanbridge had already been affected, but no deaths had been recorded yet.

"Such a headache," said Franklin, Francis' father. "Looks like we'll be leaving."

"You mean traveling?" asked his wife, Hannah.

"Yep. We can't stay here while this outbreak spreads." He picked up the remote and changed the channel.

A female news reporter appeared on the screen, also discussing the outbreak. Franklin was about to switch the station again when Francis stopped him.

"Dad, wait."

..

"News just coming in: The disease responsible for the outbreak cannot be identified. Doctors and scientists studying the situation have revealed that the disease is of unknown origin, with some experts suggesting it might be supernatural," said the news reporter. "Here with me now is Dr. Julian Edelbrock, a researcher at SDCA. Doctor, what do you have to say about the disease?"

"There's truly nothing to say. We've been trying to identify the cause of the outbreak, but every time, we hit a brick wall. We do know that the disease is highly transmittable, carried by small red worms named Nehushim. I know the name sounds strange, but we didn't give it to them. These worms have the Hebrew word 'Nehushim' inscribed on their bodies, which translates to 'Serpent' in English."

"What does that mean?" asked the reporter.

"It means that whatever this is, it might not be natural—it could be supernatural. Symptoms begin immediately after one of these worms burrows into the skin, causing blood to flow from every hole in the body. Once inside, these worms start reproducing at an alarming rate, producing over 60,000 eggs per second! These eggs hatch almost instantly. What's even more terrifying is that every living thing is affected. Plants die almost immediately upon contact with these worms or the blood of the infected, and animals suffer the same fate."

"So it's safe to say that the disease isn't airborne?" the reporter asked.

"It's not safe to say anything at the moment. Bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, along with the uncontrollable screaming, is just the first stage of the disease. We have no idea what the second stage is, but based on what we've observed so far, we hypothesize that violent behavior may be involved."

"Violent behavior?"

"Not just violent—bloodthirsty. The urge to kill might be the second stage."

"What do you advise people to do now, Doctor? Should the people of Stanbridge be worried about this outbreak, or will it just pass like a comet?" the reporter asked with a smile.

"It won't just pass," Dr. Edelbrock replied. "It might be a comet, alright—but this one will hit our planet hard."

"But humanity will survive, right, Doctor?" the reporter asked.

"I hope so."

..

At that moment, the lights went out. Luckily, it was still daytime. Franklin frowned. "What just happened?"

"I don't know... a blackout," Francis replied, standing up.

"Where are you going, young man?" his mother asked.

"I have to pee," Francis said.

"I'll go with you," she insisted.

"Mom, you can't keep following me every time I need to use the bathroom! I told you, what happened to Stephan might not happen to me. It's been days since he was infected, but I'm still fine."

"I think he's right. If this is really that man's curse at work, I'm pretty sure Francis would have died a long time ago," Franklin said, frowning at his son. "You disgust me, you know that?"

"Frankie! Mind your language!" Hannah scolded.

"But it's true," he insisted.

"Mom, is the world really ending?" Francis' sister, Ana asked.

"No, dear. Don't listen to what the reporter was saying," Hannah comforted her.

"It better not be true—I haven't even dated yet," said Annie, Ana's twin sister.

---

Francis walked into the bathroom and headed to the sink. Staring into the mirror, he started to cry.

"Vanessa, I'm really, really sorry... Please forgive me..."

"And why should I? You raped me, didn't you?" A cold voice whispered in his ear.

Hearing the voice, Francis panicked. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Vanessa... Don't tell me you've forgotten my voice so soon?" The voice chuckled.

"No... No... You're in my head... Get out of my head!" Francis screamed, alerting his parents in the living room. As soon as they heard his voice, they ran to the bathroom door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"You want me out of your head? Are you sure you want that, Francis?" the voice taunted.

"Get out!" Francis shouted again.

"As you wish!"

A shrill scream followed.

Francis was already panicking, but he panicked even more when he saw several worms moving underneath his skin. His head started to burn—it felt like his brain was on fire! Blood poured from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. He screamed in agony.

His entire body felt like it was being eaten by maggots. A putrid stench filled the air—like a corpse that had been rotting for three days.

His parents covered their noses as they struggled to break the door down, but it remained as solid as concrete. Then, suddenly, the door flung open.

Franklin rushed into the room, but Francis grabbed his father's neck and began choking him.

"You... You've always wanted to kill me! You never loved me! Today, I'll kill you! I'll end our father-son relationship!"

"Francis, no!" His mother tried to pry him off, but Francis' grip was too strong.

"You..." His father coughed. "I hated you, alright... You were weak... I needed you to be strong... to run my business empire. You can't be weak... The weak don't last... I know I've been hard on you... and that I haven't really been the best father... but you're still my son. Underneath my hate... underneath my disappointment... there was always love for you..."

Hearing his father's words, Francis' grip loosened slightly.

Then his father roared, "Love my foot! I'll kill you!"

Francis' grip tightened once more, and without hesitation, he snapped his father's neck. Franklin collapsed to the floor—lifeless.

Hannah stood frozen in shock, staring at her husband's body.

"Kill her! Kill her! She never loved you! She only loved your father's wealth! Kill your mother!" Vanessa's voice whispered in his head.

Francis turned to his mother, ready to strike, but before he could reach her—

A tranquilizer dart struck his forehead.

The man who fired it quickly pulled Hannah away from the bathroom, afraid she might get infected.

"Mom, are you okay?" Ana asked, sobbing.

"Mom!" Annie called out, but Hannah just stood there, motionless.

"Mom!"

"Mom!"

"Mom!"