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Saturday, 7 November 2020

ZERO BY MARK ANTHONY RAINES

 I am starting to wander if I see Veronica again today  as it's her normal visiting day.

The visit s used  to  be more reliable but something has changed; I beginning to sense the atmosphere of the whole building is one of fear and dread.

It now seems been  in my four sided preplex  room for months now ever since  I was  found at home on my own. 

But I digest i going to  refer  to  my personal journal to you  the reader of my story so hopefully you will know the truth not the fake news version. 


September  19.

Finally the picture I had been excitingly expecting had arrived; Verotica tapped on the preplex ;I smiled at her half asleep as I had  just woken up. 

It was the autograph; Veronica passed  it through the special opening in the preplex for me to inspect it. 

The autograph was from my favourite wrestler _The Monster _The inscription read. 

"To Jay; When I win the World ChampionshipI hold up the belt and dedictate to you "

Everyone  else  laughed  when  as I yelled and danced with the autograph around my room; I then fell due to being dizzy. 

Veronica asked if I was ok ;I put my thumb  up:the Janitor though i was a  bit crazy to care about the  autograph in such a manner. 

I thought to myself  did he not  know  The Monster was one of all time great wrestlers I had a massive poster of his on my wall above my bed. 

I had also a world map so I could go on pretend expeditions around the planet Earth. 

My only other  favourite thing I  owned was an cassette tape from the Prime Minister. 

In the  cassette  tape the Prime Minister said .

"Hi Jay This is The Prime Minister I hope you are feeling fine then he says in a serious tone  of voice that everyone was praying and thinking of  me "

I really wish I  could have  replied but  Veronica told me it was not the done thing.


I asked Veronica if anyone was coming to  fix my television so I can watch the  highlights on it of The Monster world championship match then she said something very odd all wrestling had did called off by the various companies and at the moment people were  not thinking about wrestling. 

The notebook I am using to recount my experience  was the idea of my tutor Mrs Smith :it was her that encouraged me to write down my thoughts and everything that happens to me ;I jokedI did not have thought so she said her favourite word ridiculous. 

By the way i should  tell you I am a ten years old I not been to regular school for sometime  but Mrs Smith says I doing well. 

Mrs Smith visits every week day  and has the weekends off :in would like to  call her by her frist name Emma if I could but she says it best just  keep it to Mrs Smith. 

She is always very smart apart from her shoes which are always  muddy as I observed from her standing outside the perplex with her see through plastic suit on.

September 20 

I asked  today why I never see Veronica on a Friday but got no reply.

I asked by Dr Ben the head scientific research adviser  what I wanted  for my birthday that is when  I mentioned I like a ticket for the wrestling but he said I have  better luck with  a autograph. 

Mrs Smith was in a strange reflective  mood and she even put a gloved hand around my shoulders and said. 

"Listen my little man, you are lucky as everyone wishes to be as healthy as you one day "

I sensed  people were waiting but  I don't know what for. 

Am I dying? 

October  5

The lights in my room are starting to  go on and off during the day again.It getting so hot in had to leave my vest off to be able to sleep. 

Mrs Smith was unable to do any lesson s with me due to this reason. She told me the emergency generator would be  working  soon and this why my television was removed to conserve energy. 

I hate being bored. 

I miss my television and video all I have now is this journal and staring at four preplex walls. 

October  22 

Veronica burst out into tears today :I didn't mean to upset her.Dr Ben says he knew it was an accident. 

Veronica was talking some of my blood as normal out of my arm when  my arm jerked  causing her to drop the needle on the floor. 

She started to swear :words I never heard say before, I asked what was wrong she pushed me away like a ragdoll then she ran to the door trying to punch the number code real fast she tried to pull the door open then her arm snapped like a twig.I remember the horid sounds it made.

She then collapsed on the floor in an emotional wreak .

I did my best to press the buzzer many times but everyone was ignoring me it took ages for someone  to come and when thier did it was with a sense of urgency. 

This made me angry and upset. 

I waited until Mrs Smith came around for  my lessons and I asked her how Veronica  was :she informed that she makes enquiries after my lessons. 

Later on via my  internal phone she got one of the scientific research team to call  me.

I was told that Veronica had poked herself and the needle had pierced  through her hot suit I asked if she was ok ,the scientific research assistant informed me that she was very ill and may not be back asoon this information sink in it burst out into  uncontrolled tears.

I had a nightmare that night I remembered the scared face of Veronica inside her mask and howe she pushed me away I admit  I let out a scream but nobody came to comfort me.

November 4 

Ìt seems a long time ago when I frist came to the  research centre; I remember watching the television talking about my family and how I was Patient Zero.

He said I was the Frist person  to  get the virus but that was a lie.

My dad was sick before me and he was sent home after one of his fellow workers  got ill drilling for oil in Alaska. 

He was honest by September; no job; no money.

My dad said the people he was working with were dropping like flies but the doctor advice was for him to go home. 

Two days later he was coughing every couple of minutes and had red eyes then my mum and brother got it thier all died somehow I survived. 

For a while my  Aunt Lucy was allowed to  visit me in the research centre to help me get used to my new environment; but she got red eyes I never saw her again. 

When the consent news was in the television  it upset me so much I would scream all day:That's when it was decided to fix the television just to play video games by order of Dr.Ben. 

Veronica not back yet. 

November 7 

No power in my room all day or a visit from Mrs Smith so I  stayed in  bed all day. 

November 12.

Mrs Smith lesson today was about medicine and how I was in a good position to help others. 

She taught me about various diseases which  killed people but science was always trying to stay one step ahead. 

But sometimes a new disease comes along or an old one that stayed dormant for a very long time and this was hard to find a cure. 

This new disease  had a Latin name is could not say but I was told by Mrs Smith it was referred  as virus J.

It was named after me by Dr Ben I hated this. 

The virus was  very aggressive and anyone who came in touch of it became gravely  ill. 

That's why everyone who comes near me wearing yellow plastic suits and airtight masks as the virus is in my blood and if I touch anything it is destoyed  as it is contained; I don't get sick but sometimes  I get a high temperature and I have to lay down for a couple of hours. 

That makes me a carrier. 

I wanted to know why I had so much blood taken it was because thier hoped my anti bodies would help with a vaccine but at the moment I was the only person not able to  get Virus J.

I told today Veronica had died. 

November  14 

Mrs Smith got very angry at me for askiing how many people had Virus J.

Then she said with sadness in her voice it was in the millions. 

I asked about her if her family were safe,she said at the moment yes;I mentioned she should go to them  ton stay and keep healthy. 

But she told me she was a volunteer and how she saw how sad is looked on the news report and she wanted to  help me.

She brought in some of her home grown vegetables for a treat for me to eat..

I mentioned I would love to go outside to her garden and help sow seeds but she said it was best I did not need to face the outside world. 

I decided I wanted to  help people get  better. 

November 29

Mrs Smith cooked me a surprise meal today then give me a hug:burst out crying and left the preplex room. 

Then most of the scientific research assistant s did the same. 

This made me feel paranoid _my cell as I have come to call my preplex room is beginning to feel uncomfortable I wish I was outside in the sun.

December 1

I found out Dr Ben is ill I have not seen him for five days. 

January 23 

This was my D day the time it made me realise I had to escape so I formulated a plan in my head I going to carry it out soon. 

A new scientific research Doctor turned up but he was very cruel as he slapped me on the ear for not listening to him. 

Then he took  so much blood I couldn't stand up.

Then I tried to lip read a heated argument between Mrs Smith and thus new Doctor. 

I think it's time to go.It will be soon.

February 14

6 4 7 9 4 3 

These are the numbers I remember watching Mrs Smith punching in the doors keycode lock. 

Mrs Smith was  very trusting and never saw me making a mental note of these numbers and go over and over in my mind until I  was certain that I had the right code.

I will soon be free. 

February 15

No lights i tried  to punch the number code in the keylock  but without light it's hard to see if I put in the right place or order. 

This is when I tried to make sure next time Mrs Smith puts the keycode in it observed the movement of her hands so ifar the lights go out again i can quench my thirst for the outside. 

February 16

The lights are out all the time :I cry out for help but no one is coming. 

Time to put my plan in action; I feel my around until I reach the keycode lock in slowly  feel the buttons and remember the pattern thier are in.

I have nothing to lose but a lot  to gain. 

6 4 7 9 4 3 

I hear the keylock click the door is open in am free. 

I wander down the dark passage ways:I notice thier  is no sound not the idle chatter of the scientific research team :no generator whirling away. 

I finally find a door :i slightly open it ajar  expecting my excavation to be discovered but nothing; I walk slowly I come upon a step it must be the emergency stairs out of the research centre. 

After what seems to  be  endless walking down a flight of stairs  in reach the bottom to find another door. 

I find the handle and try it ;the lever moves down in step outside. 

A few seconds of getting used to the blinding sunlight my eyes rejusted. 

I am free. 

I going to  find Mrs Smith and spend time in her vegetable garden. 

It ok I tell everyone is meet not to get too close as their may end up very ill. 



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