Raven's Blood

by Cassandra Lawson

  * * * *

  Two weeks and one day later

  Charles laughed as the worried newscaster discussed perhaps the greatest event in modern times. She didn’t realize how lucky they were yet. Even if she did, the news had to report this as a great catastrophe. Her face was suitably somber, and she’d even let her mascara run.

  “Government officials and healthcare professionals are baffled by the sudden pandemic that has decimated entire cities in the last twenty-four hours. Death tolls are unknown at this point but estimated to be at the very least five million. Travel to and from the United States is prohibited as other nations fear the spread of this unknown virus. Anti-vaccination groups are claiming this is a side effect of the flu vaccines that were administered yesterday, but no one can explain why it only affected certain people in certain areas, including communities that did not receive the vaccine for religious reasons. In most areas, the bodies of the deceased are being left in their homes or in the streets as officials struggle to find ways to collect them. The rest of us live in fear of the spread of this deadly and fast acting disease.”

  “Those poor people,” gasped his idiot wife. She’d likely be trying to host some charity event to help the families of the dead or some such nonsense. As usual, she’d spend more money than she raised. “I really must do something to help them.”

  He gave her a placating smile. “It might be best to wait. I’m sure the government can handle this.”