Essay:Story Rough Draft

Chapter 1-

Sasha Marzano sat at his school desk. His attention to the history teacher, Craig Moss, was minimal at best. Mr. Moss acted more like a preacher than a history teacher. His stature was of an old, fat and short man. High blood pressure made veins all over his body bulged. That alone was enough to annoy Sasha; what made the situation worse was the fact that he was stuck in a Christian school. Every class had something about Christianity shoehorned into each subject. History class was weirdly more preachy than actual church. Go figure.

“The Kingdom of Israel was blessed by God! The Jews are the chosen people who laid the foundations of Christianity and western civilization! Now class, what does this foundation have to do with the American War of Independence” shouted Craig Moss. Craig’s voice was like a serpent. His words were toxic. Anybody with a brain would know that the foundation of the modern world was a result of interconnected events. It had nothing to do with a Godly being blessing a single ethnic group. Sasha just wanted to shout that but he lacked the nerve. He always lacked the nerve for anything.

Paying attention in class was always a huge chore. When everything in school was close to a church sermon Sasha was always bored. Physical education was the only real break from preaching. At least sports was fun; well fun to a degree. The locker room was a nightmare. Sasha always was made fun of for his body structure. All in all, school was straight up miserable.

Mr. Moss continued his rambling on how the Bible being the foundation of the American War of independence. His teaching had hardly anything to do with American history. Thankfully the public library was still running strong. At least he got an actual education there. Sasha’s thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Moss shouted, “Sasha! What Bible passage inspired George Washington to rebel against the British”?!

Sasha froze for a long second; unsure of what to say. The teacher shouted much louder, “Sasha! What is the answer”! On the fly Sasha had said Exodus 15:3 “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.”. That appeared to satisfy the preachy teacher. Mr. Moss talked about how George Washington led the Siege of Boston and how it related to Bible prophecy. Once that part was done Sasha’s mind went somewhere else; namely the boys he liked.

The bell rang, history class was finally over. Next was gym class. Before that Sasha had to go to the principal's office for his daily dose of medication. He took it daily but he was never told what it was for though. All he knew was that it made him feel more depressed after he took it. He was always depressed but the medicine made it a whole lot worse. What on Earth was that medication? Today Sasha would find out.

In the principal’s office Sasha was given the medication. He begrudgingly swallowed the mysterious medication. Sasha asked the principal, “Mr. Kingston, what is this medication I am taking? My parents never told me”. Principal Kingston dismissively responded, “I am not supposed to tell you. Your parents said that this medication is important to your health”. Sasha retorted, “You have the pill bottle. Mr. Kingston, you would have to have read the label”.

Principal Kingston’s face turned red from anger. He did not like it when people talked back to him. Sasha got a slap to the face that was swift and very painful. “YOU DON’T EVER TALK BACK TO ME YOUNG MAN OR WOMAN, I AM NOT SURE, DO THAT AGAIN AND YOU GET TWO MONTHS DETENTION”! Sasha was terrified of Principle Kingston. He was a former Green Beret and military veteran. The principal stood at 6 feet 9 inches tall. Rumors among students indicated that he physically and verbally abused students all the time. No parent actually cared what the principal did to the kids. The kids' pleas for help were brushed off as tarnishing the principal’s character.

As Sasha left the principal’s office he heard the staff mocking him; something about how they could not tell if he was a man or woman. What did that mean? He had no ability to ponder what that meant as he tried to hold back the tears. The painful emotions were almost too much to hide away. Sasha suffered frequent verbal abuse and bullying daily. The frequent abuse never got easier.

While walking down the hall, Sasha had heard a radio playing inside the janitor’s closet. The janitor often hung out there when he had nothing to do. Generally the radio was tuned to a conservative talk radio station. Political pundits would talk about various issues both foreign and domestic. However the radio broadcast an automated message. Sasha heard, “The following message is transmitted at the request of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. This is a Contagious Disease Warning. A new strain of Varicella Zoster Virus, dubbed A-07662, is spreading across the state of Michigan. Most cases are confined to the Detroit Metropolitan area. The virus is spread through close contact with infected people. For your safety, take the following actions…….” was all Sasha heard before a hall monitor told him to get to class.

Sasha arrived at gym class five minutes late. There was enough time to change into gym clothes before class really started. In the locker room, Sasha opened his locker and grabbed his clothes. To avoid being mocked for his body, he would go to a secluded part of the locker room to change. When moving away from the other boys, Sasha would still be insulted for his body structure and get called a he-she. Before putting on a shirt Sasha went up to a mirror and got a good look at his body. Taking a moment he really looked at his body. Sasha noticed curves akin to a woman and slight breast growth. His face turned red as realization set in. Before he fully understood, Sasha heard the gym teacher Russel Adams shout, “All students to the gym floor”!

“Okay kids, we are going to do warm ups. Afterwards we will be playing kickball. We will start with stretches” said Mr. Adams. Everyone began with basic stretching. During the stretching Sasha noticed a boy looking over at him with a dreamy look. That made Sasha blush. He knew the guy, George Sanders, he was a good friend and the only person he could tell personal secrets to. There was no doubt that Sasha was in love. He wanted George all to himself. Sasha dreamed of kissing him as well as having other more spicy thoughts.

Chapter 2-

Mr. Adams blew his whistle and shouted, “Alright students, fall in! I will be dividing you all into two teams; the Greens and the Reds. I want all rules followed and no fighting each other like yesterday”! The students lined up quickly. Sasha was chosen for the Reds as well as George and a bully named Luke Watson. Oh how Sasha hated Luke with every fiber of his being.

Luke looked over at Sasha and George with a sneer on his pimple coated face then turned to Mr. Adams and shouted, “I don’t want these two faggots on my team”! Mr. Adams probably knew that Sasha and George were gay but he really did not care; the teacher sighed and said, “Luke, I do not feel like going through this again. This daily mess is really getting on my nerves”. Mr. Adams rubbed the temples on his head and continued, “Go out into the hallway and sit there. We will discuss punishment in a few minutes”. Luke stormed out of the gym and shouted, “Sasha and George, this is not over”!

Once the kickball game began Mr. Adams went out into the hallway and he had torn into Luke. Hearing the yelling made Sasha smile. At least one teacher took his job seriously. Team Reds was up first and Sasha would be pitching the ball. Right at this moment Sasha was confident in himself. He would strike out the Team Green kicker with ease. Sasha pitched the ball at high speed. The kicker missed the first time. Sasha pitched again and the kicker missed again. The kicker stormed off after missing the third time. The same happened with the second and third kicker.

Instead of walking off graciously the third kicker picked up the ball and threw it at Sasha. The ball hit his nose, knocking him to the ground. Sasha felt his neck bend and multiple muscles pulled. His nose felt like it exploded into a million pieces. Blood got into his eyes. The pain from the broken nose felt like being punched by the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Sasha fainted; his body hit the ground with a loud thump noise.

Sometime later Sasha woke up in an ambulance. Paramedics were taking vitals. He tried to move his head but Sasha realized that he had a neck brace on. With a groan, Sasha asked, “What happened? I was in gym class and now I am here”. The paramedic checking his pulse, a young African American woman replied kindly, “You got hit in the face with the kickball. We will take you to South Mercy General Hospital. I will be putting in a morphine drip in for the pain. Do you want the needle in the left or right arm”?

Sasha groaned, “Right arm is fine”. The ambulance doors were shut as the IV was put in his arm. The paramedic, who introduced herself as Sandra Ahaja, had asked, “Can you tell me your name, date of birth and where you live”? Sasha replied, “I am Sasha Amsel Marzano. I was born on March 18, 2020 and I live at 2415 Elvis Drive in South Mercy”. Sandra then asked, “Can you tell me what date it is”? Replying to the question, he had said, “May 21, 2037” and Sasha added, “Do you need to know my shoe size too”? Sandra chuckled, “Not really, “These are just standard questions for someone who suffered head trauma”.

The ambulance siren wailed as they were heading to the hospital. Sasha was asked about medical history and he said, “I take some sort of medication daily. I was never told what it was nor why I do”. Another paramedic who looked Irish entered the information on a computer. Sasha passed out again from the pain again. Sandra shouted to the driver, “The patient passed out again. Step on it”! The ambulance picked up speed to the hospital.

Waking up again Sasha found himself in the emergency room at the South Mercy General Hospital. He had no idea as to how long he was out for. Suddenly he heard a person coughing badly. It sounded like the person was trying to call for help. Outside the room a nurse was walking by when Sasha shouted, “It sounds like the person next to me can’t breathe properly”! The nurse rushed in and went to assist whoever was in distress. The nurse shouted to the other staff members outside as the beeping of the heart monitor flatline, “Code Blue! Page Doctor McQueen now! Charging the defibrillator at 100”! Then an elderly nurse said, “We got him back”.

Several more medical staff members had rushed in. A male voice said, “Doctor McQueen. This looks like Chickenpox”. A female voice replied, probably the doctor, had replied, “For an intern, you are one sharp cookie. The symptom presentation and the blood test indicates Chickenpox”. Another female voice, probably a medical student, said, “Mr. Francis has had the Chickenpox vaccine and the Shingles shot. He is a healthy middle aged adult. This does not make sense”. Sasha continued to listen to the staff talk about the man, Mr. Francis, who apparently had Chickenpox. Doctor McQueen said, “Based on symptom presentation, this looks like the form of Chickenpox that is going around. I was informed that the current strain is originally from Kazakhstan back during the Soviet era”. Suddenly another doctor wearing a mask and a hazmat gown shouted, “Step away from that patient. Do not touch anyone or anything”. More hazmat clad people came in and the lead person said, “We are moving the other patient to another room. Orders from the chief of staff”.

Other staff members dressed in hazmat gear rolled Sasha out of the room. One of the hazmat clad people told Sasha, “Sorry about the mess kid. The resident, interns and nurses were being stupid. We will have to put you through decontamination and testing”. Sasha responded, “What is going on”? Another staff member said, “Disease outbreak. Nasty strain of Chickenpox. There is not much information available yet. Sasha was moved to a room across from where he originally was.

Yet another hazmat clad person walked in and introduced themself, “Hello Sasha, I am the attending physician Doctor Danica Lima. I apologize for the mess. Things have been crazy lately but don’t worry, we will take good care of you”. Doctor Lima seemed nice but Sasha was too drowsy to care one way or the other. The same went with the current viral outbreak. The pain medicine was high quality stuff. The doctor probed Sasha’s nose to determine the extent of the damage. Sasha asked, “What is the damage”? Doctor Lima replied gingerly, “Your CT scan shows no actual damage to your neck. However you will need surgery to repair your nose. The swelling has gone down significantly down to where we can operate”. Asking one more question, Sasha asked, “How long have I been here”? The doctor stated, “Almost two days. Your parents would be here but due to the outbreak, visitors are not allowed”.

Sasha pretended to be upset but internally he was jumping up and down for joy. Since his biological dad’s death, Sasha’s step father was completely terrible to him and his mother. Doctor Lima said, “In about three hours you will be going up for surgery. Do you have any questions”? Sasha stated, “No I don’t. I will just rest my eyes for now”. The doctor departed without another word. Sasha closed his eyes and started to drift off to sleep. Just before he went to sleep Sasha heard a doctor or maybe a nurse say to someone else, “One of the Chickenpox patients just turned violent and bit my forearm. I don’t know what is happening”.

Chapter 3- 1 day earlier

George was walking home from school hours after his precious Sasha was taken to the hospital. Yesterday he had a fight with him and they said strong words to each other. George completely regretted it after the ordeal. There was not much that could be done to deescalate the situation. George tried to think of what he could do to make things better; his thoughts were like knives in the back.

Four days earlier George and Sasha were at the library studying for a science test. They were completely quiet for several minutes as the tension between them was massive. A small argument erupted between them over Sasha secretly putting on lipstick earlier in the day. Normally things between them were good. That out of the way, what Sasha brought up was a shock to George. Specifically Sasha whispered to him, “George, I can trust you with this: I don’t really feel like a boy. Most of the time I want to be a girl”. What George said broke Sasha’s heart, “You are a boy and you will always be a boy. Nothing changes that”. White hot anger erupted in Sasha, he was so angry.

“How do you know that someone cannot feel different on the inside that doesn’t match your outside” said Sasha, anger in his voice. George retorted, he was now getting angry, “You will never be a woman. Stop being delusional”. Sasha wanted to scream at him. He was so damn angry. George was supposed to be Sasha’s friend. Sasha retaliated, “Just leave me alone. I need space”. George continued on his tirade of boys not being able to become girls. Then he finished with, “I don’t think that I can hang out with you for a while”.

George further broke Sasha’s heart with that remark. Sasha teared up and replied, “Go to Hell” and he stormed off. Their friendship, although heavily damaged, was fixable. Just not right now. George instantly felt guilty but he convinced himself that he was right. Currently George chooses to finish reading the next three chapters in the Physics textbook. He wanted to convince Sasha that no boy could become a girl.

Leaving the library George noticed a guy sitting on a bench in front of the building. He looked to be in his 40’s, the red hair on his head was receding and he wore a blue jogging outfit. George noticed that the man had rashes across his skin. Sweat poured down his forehead like a waterfall. It was easy to tell that the man had Chickenpox. George asked the man, “Sir, are you okay”? The man looked over, he looked like he was crying, “I tried waking up mommy and daddy but they didn't wake up. I am sick but they did not wake up at all”. George realized immediately that the man had a severe learning disability; he then asked the man, “What is your name? Can you tell me your name”?

The man screamed at George, “Mommy and daddy are still sleeping! I cannot wake them up! They did not answer me. I want my parents”! A sinking feeling hit George, he figured out quickly that the man’s parents were dead. George tried a different approach, “Where do you live? Maybe I could try to wake them up”. The man gave a small smile, despite being dangerously sick and probably not knowing that his parents were dead. “My name is Frank Sinatra Bellwood. Mommy is a Frank Sinatra fan so she named me after him” said the man named Frank.

Frank said, “I live next to the Walmart on Scranton Street”. George said in response, “Okay, I will help you. By the way my name is George Hyun”. Frank coughed up some blood. He needed immediate medical care or he would die. George followed Frank to Scranton Street. The walk took about five minutes. While walking and in between severe coughing fits Frank talked about his collection of plush puppy toys and the Sesame Street Elmo plush toy he got for his birthday last month.

Reaching the small house where Frank lived, he unlocked the door. George followed Frank indoors; then he told the ill man, “Just lay on the couch. I will see what I can do”. George managed to keep himself collected as he walked towards the bedroom. Even from a distance George could smell dead bodies. Knowing that he would have to play along, George said, “Mister and Miss Bellwood, can you hear me” as he walked in. The stench of the corpses was unimaginable. Quickly he grabbed out his cellphone and called 911.

“911, what is the emergency?” the dispatcher said to George. In response he had said, “I am at 1320 Scranton Street next to the Walmart. I need to report two dead bodies and a man who is very ill”. The dispatcher asked, “What are the man’s symptoms?”. He responded by mentioning Chickenpox and the dispatcher said, “Stay in your location and wait for the authorities. We have just dispatched the police and an ambulance to your location. Stay on the line”.

George stepped out and saw Frank crying, he muttered over and over, “Are mommy and daddy okay”? Quickly George had told him, “Don’t worry, some paramedics and police are coming by to help”. Frank started to hyperventilate, his breathing became erratic. The virus in Frank’s system was doing a number on him. George stepped back and told the dispatcher, “The man, Frank Sinatra Bellwood, is having a hard time breathing. What do I do”? The dispatcher responded calmly, “Get a paper bag, give it to him and tell him to slow down his breathing. Make sure not to directly touch him as he is highly infectious”.

Quickly looking around, George found a paper bag and gave it to Frank, “Okay buddy, I need you to slow down your breathing. Breathe in and out of this paper bag, it will help you”. Emergency vehicle sirens could be heard outside. Internally George said, “Thank God. I don’t know how much more I can take”. Paramedics and cops wearing N95 breathing masks came in. The medical team put an oxygen mask on Frank; he started to freak out. A tall Italian looking paramedic gingerly told Frank, “You will be okay. This mask will help you breathe”. George instinctively went to Frank’s room and grabbed the Elmo plush he mentioned.

George told Frank, “It might be good if you brought Elmo with you. I am sure that you want company”. Frank hugged his big plush Elmo as he started to cry blood. An elderly looking cop took George outside, “Sir, did you know the deceased”? George stated, “No. Mr. Bellwood told me that his parents needed help. I told him that I would try to help his parents but I did not touch the bodies”. The cop then asked, “Did you witness any suspicious activity”? Another cop car pulled up, the cop who stepped out was a middle aged, muscular and intimidating Korean American man; better known as George’s dad.

The cop questioning George turned and said, “Hello Chief Hyun”. Chief Hyun ignored the cop and said to George, “It sounds like you found a couple corpses”. George started to tremble, unsure of what to say. He started to sweat from apprehension. His dad sighed, “Don’t worry Georgie, you did the right thing. You were very brave”. George’s dad walked over to the other officer and told him, “Officer Swinson, I need you to coordinate with the health department in contact tracing. I will finish asking my son the needed questions”.

George told his dad everything, minus the fight with Sasha, about what happened. He was nearly panicked from seeing those corpses. Chief Hyun told his son, “I will radio that into the health department. You will be tested for infection and go through decontamination as a precaution. Wait by my car”. George’s dad gave the information to city hall and the health department.

Inside the house Officers Maberry and Grant were taking photos of the corpses for the CSI unit. The scene was almost like something out of a horror movie. Pockets of dried pus covered the bodies. Blood leaked from the eyes. Both officers had seen the most gruesome crime scenes ever. Maberry had seen bodies hacked into small pieces, dismemberments and terrorist attacks. Grant had seen some of the worst shootings in the history of the city.

Maberry said, disgust could be heard through her mask, “Shit, I have never seen anything like this. The disease has ravaged both of them. I doubt that Frank will last very long if he has the same disease”. A frustrated grunt came from Grant, “We have a job to do, let's just finish getting the pictures for the CSI guys”. Pictures of the corpses were quickly taken. Out of the blue twitches came from both corpses.

The cops jumped back. Twitching corpses shouldn’t be possible. “We got the pictures, time to leave the room” said Grant. The officers left the room and the coroner stepped in. Just as the police stepped out of the room, they instantly heard screaming followed by a loud wet crunch. Maberry and Grant rushed back in to see the bodies attack the coroner. Guns were drawn and they immediately fired.

Interlude 1-

On July 12, 1983 the Almaty City Clinical Hospital in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic was crammed with patients needing emergency medical treatment. The hospital was severely understaffed to the point where physical therapists and optometrists were acting as attending physicians. Some patients had already died in the hallway; their corpses lay unattended to. The bodies were covered in small blisters.

An outbreak of the Varicella Zoster virus commonly known as Chickenpox had created a mass casualty event. This Varicella Zoster virus strain was different from the more common forms. It had been noted that instead of the 1 in 100,000 chance of dying from this strain, a 1 in 1000 chance of death. Most infected people initially came from rural villages or small towns; they thought that major city doctors could help them. In the first week it was believed that the infection would die out and life would return to normal. The second week and authorities said that there was a mild epidemic. By the third week and the bodies began to stack up. With each passing week the infection had reached every major city in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.

Adilet Rostova sat in a medical lab in Almaty, going through research data on the Chickenpox epidemic. Graduating at the top of his class at the North-Eastern Federal University with a PhD in Microbiology and making breakthroughs in his field, Adilet was a sought after scientist. His expertise was indispensable. The current Chickenpox epidemic excited and terrified Adilet at the same time. He was terrified because the virus was quickly killing people; especially low income and those in poor health. At least nine thousand people had died by the fifth week of the outbreak. Adilet was also excited by the epidemic because this was a brand new viral strain that could lead him to a Nobel Prize. He would like fame and recognition.

As he read through the research data from his team Adilet noted a weird and possibly catastrophic characteristic of the virus. Being in the Herpes virus family, this strain of Varicella Zoster virus can hide in human DNA like every other virus related to it. Most commonly the virus reactivates and causes Shingles when a person reaches their 60’s. 

What made this form of Chickenpox different from the common forms of what it could do once it reactivates after surviving the original infection. Adilet compared data from lab analysis to the death certificates listing the cause of death. People who died from the new Chickenpox strain had developed either Meningitis or Encephalitis. This was the cause of death in 81% of the virus deaths. Even in people who have survived, they have developed Meningitis or Encephalitis. That happened in 65% of cases of people who lived. Adilet knew that these cases should not be happening. Brain scans showed unusual changes in cell structure. While Adilet didn’t know what would happen when the virus reactivated in people who lived, all he knew was that it would be catastrophic.

On September 3, 1983 Adilet tried to warn the central government of the Soviet Union of the threat that the virus posed. President Yury Andropov of the central government gladly ignored the first few warnings. After the fourth attempt at warning the central government, Adilet was given a cease and desist order. It was safe to say that the government did not give a shit about what was happening in one of its republics. He also assumed that the rest of the world was given a watered down version of the story. That was typical of authoritarian governments. They did not care what happened so long as their international image was everything is sunshine, rainbows and happy unicorns.

For several hours Adilet looked through his microscope; he looked like a statue. He muttered to the little virus particles under the slide, “Tell me what you are planning, you stupid virus”. Finally moving away from the microscope lens, he said, “Huh? Look at me, yelling at biological particles that lack consciousness”. Adilet went through the decontamination chamber and changed into a fresh hazmat gown. As he walked up from the basement area, Adilet noticed two guys in very nice Armani suits and sunglasses. Both wore military grade gas masks. Their demeanor was far from friendly.

The two guys in suits approached Adilet quickly; he could tell that neither of the men wanted to be here. The shortest guy said to him, “Doctor Rostova, we would like a few minutes of your time. Follow us outside”. He had no choice in the matter. The two guys in suits were likely from the KGB and you did not get a choice in what they wanted from you. The taller agent, probably in his late 30’s, stated, “We have been made aware of your messages to the central government. You claimed that there was the threat of a global pandemic”. Adilet replied, he knew that he would probably die soon anyways, “Yes, there is a pandemic threat from this disease. I don’t know how long before the worst effects will come”. The tall agent shoved Adilet against the wall and said, “You better keep your mouth shut on this filthy Turk or you will find yourself in extreme pain”.

A small knife blade was pressed against Adilet’s throat, a bead of blood formed. “I could kill you right now. However I was told to only give you a warning” said the tall agent. The shorter agent added, “One more slip up and not only will we kill you but we will kill your wife, son and three daughters. Each death will be gruesome”. Adilet was pushed to the ground and kicked in the stomach. Those KGB guys departed quickly. This made him realize that he had to get his family to safety. Once the agents were gone he went to the lab. He had to get the research data and get it into the hands of the scientific community.

In the lab Adilet copied all his research data onto disk drives, he copied patient records, lab results and everything else he could sneak out. He placed all of it into a briefcase and ran out, overriding the decontamination protocols. Wasting no time Adilet put everything in the car he owned and drove home. Today was the day that he would die, Adilet at least wanted his family safe and the research data into competent hands. He knew that death would be around the corner.

Adilet knew that he was no saint by any stretch. He assisted in the testing of biological weapons on political prisoners and dissidents; Adilet recording footage for the Soviet Biopreparat Program, helped in the production of highly infectious Rabies virus strains, personally injected pleading people with Plague bacterium and did surgeries that amounted to crimes against humanity. Adilet knew that he was just as monstrous as the rest of the Soviet central government, that fact was fact; nobody could rationalize their way out of that fact. Adilet was betraying his country to save his family and possibly redeem himself (the last part, he knew, was a joke- the lives he painfully ended could not be redeemed).

Reaching home Adilet quickly gathered his family; and his gun. Nobody talked as they drove away from the house. Adilet wanted no noise. He wanted complete silence. It would not be long before the KGB would catch up to them and Adilet just wanted some peace. His plan was simple: A criminal organization was sneaking out civilians and Adilet would have his family smuggled out of the country. The group was a mere five kilometers away. It would be easy enough. He drove down the backroads where the organization did their business.

“Lulia, I am going to take you and the kids to a smuggling ring. I need to get you out of the country. In this briefcase is very important information. Get it to authorities in western Europe, the United States, England or anywhere else” said Adilet. Lulia, his wife, replied with urgency, “What is going on”? Adilet gave the short version of the story. Lulia sighed as she trusted her husband without reservation. She would have to do this. His wife said, “I guess that this is it for us”. Adilet responded, “When you get out of the country, do me a favor- get remarried and forget about me”.

I will add updates

Let me know what you think as I update it.