Term 1 week 3

We had been working on it for so long that sometimes i wonder if it would ever be finished. The cure for the deadly Crotyn fever was at hand, but somehow evaded completetion. The Crotyn fever had been named after the first area it had broken out in - Crotyn. The population of five thousand was eradicated in one night when the deadly virus descended upon them like a plague. The helpless authorithies could only order the torching of the area to prevent the deadly virus from spreading further. But this was only partially successful in stemming the spread. Other towns perished similarly in the wake of Crotyn.

Just as sudddenly as it has came, the Crotyn virus seemed to vapourise in a single night. Traces of it existence could only be found in the bodies of the deceased who died from it. The world rejoiced, but the scientists at Disease Control knew that disappearence does not mean destruction. The crotyn virus would definitely be back.

I had joined the scientists in their quest for searching for the cure after having witnessed the destruction it had caused. The town i had known my whole life had been ravaged by the merciless fever. None in my family survived, and i often wondered why i was so blessed, or cursed to be the sole survivor. I will never forget the spasms of agony that wrecked my family, or the ubiquitous bleeding from the orfices that i had tried to stop. I could only watch them die in front of my own eyes, unable to do anything. I was forced to watch them die! Now, i was going to fight back. The vaccine would soon be completed, and i would be one of its creators.

I was extremely tired, having worked on the vaccine non stop since my arrival at Seng Po to join the team. I trudged back to the guesthouse that Mrs Chang mantained in such good order, thinking of the kind old lady and her delicious steaming soups. But the sound of someone wailing was the only thing i could hear as i entered the doorway. I rushed into the living room, what greeted my eyes was a shock. Mrs Chang was lying on the couch, obviously in agony. Her family was gathered around her, helplessly wringing their hands and sobbing away. I rushed to her side and they told me that she had collapsed in the morning with a high fever. She had fainted in the mid-noon, and had started bleeding from her nostrils.

I was shocked, the Crotyn virus was back. I recognised its symptoms. I had seen them happening to my own family. Her family members were so distraught that they became incoherent. I thought of the rosy cheeked old lady who had been like a mother to me since my arrival , I knew that i could not let her die suffering under the agony of this virus. I could not bear to see another of my loved one's life get destroyed by this virus. I dashed out of the house, blindly finding my way through the film of tears over my eyes.

When i reached the lab and told them what happened, everyone felt shocked at the virus's resurgence before the vaccine was even completed. But the head of the team knew that we had no choice; we had to arrest the virus before it was allowed to spread any further. Mrs Chang would have to test the vaccine immediately. With that, we rushed towards the guesthouse and injected it into her ailing body. The appearence of so many doctors more or less reassured her family members. They settled dowan to wait for the fever to subside.

At exactly six in the morning, Mrs Chang's fever broke. She appeared to be recovering and we all heaved a sign of relief, too tired to even celebrate the success of the vaccine. we made our way back into the lab, readly and confident to tackle any new cases. Suddenly the telephone rang. I reached for it. As i listened intently, my heart sank into an abyss of misery, I faced my colleagues stoically, trying very hard not to betray my shock.

"Mrs Chang had just passed away. She was bleeding from her ears and eyes as well. Looks like the virus had mutated since Crotyn...."