As I walked through the thick moist foggy swamp with this yellow leaves and green and red bark. I heard someone whispering “Arbor mortis.”I continued to wonder aimlessly for what felt like hours when I came to a house made from the strange trees. I heard a louder whisper coming from the house “Arbor mortis. ARBOR MORTIS!”
I slowly crept to the cracked door. and pushed it sounded like it was rusted shut. “Intrant my boy. Sit down.” An old man said sitting in an old rocking chair. I try to walk away but I get pulled by a stronger force. When I’m inside the door slams shut and then a fire suddenly sparks in the fire place. “All will die. Death and decay of the world and all it’s life. Only life to inhabit the future wasteland re the soulless walking corpse’s of the sick. To prevent this infection cut the tree at the roots. Remember to end the infection cut the tree at the roots.” The old man said
“What are you serious? How do you know?” I asked
“The gods have prophesized this before the beginning of time. to end the infection cut the tree at the roots!” the old man yelled slamming his cane on the ground.
When I woke up I looked around and I was unsure if the dream I had was real or not. I was thinking if should tell my mom and dad. When I looked at my alarm clock and it said 7:40AM. I had to be at school because me and my class are going downtown to tour the historical sites.
I got dressed in three minutes and bolted out the door. it takes me half an hour if I take my regular route, but the short cut through the ditch will take 20 minutes. As I came the end of the ditch I saw the school. I got there as soon as the bus was pulling away. “Hey stop!” I yelled banging on the bus. It stopped and I got on. I saw my friends Paul and Tony.
“Dude I had the strangest dream last night.” I exclaimed.
“Nice to see you too” Paul said.
“About what?” Tony asked.
“I was walking through a swamp with these strange trees. Then a house came out of nowhere. Inside there was an old man he said this thing about death and decay of life. And then something about cutting the roots I don’t even remember.” I said.
“That is weird. What happened after?” Paul said.
“Did he say anything else” Tony added.
“No just that. Oh actually he said that that is the only I can do to stop it, and the gods prophesized it.” I said.
The bus finally got downtown and I got off when I did I started coughing. For the entire time downtown I was coughing. Trying to get a lugie out of my throat. Finally at the end of the tour I spit it out before I got back on the bus. The sun was already setting so the bus just dropped us off at home. When I walk in my mom and dad are watching TV. “Hi guys I’m going to bed. Good night.”
The next morning my alarm wakes me up it not to the regular station. It was the emergency alert system. Then my dad runs in and tells me “Get up and pack some clothes and other supply’s you might need. We leave in two minutes.” I turn on my TV to see what was happening.
The anchor said “overnight this tree came up in downtown and all the residence living in downtown has fell incredibly ill. The sick people are showing Ebola virus and also extreme aggression. They also seem not to remember about who they are. It starts as looking like a regular flu but after about half an hour the symptoms of the Ebola virus. Please be aware no one knows how this sickness spreads, and the sickness will hit almost instantly. Troops are in the city evacuating the people. Start making your way out of the city after 30 minutes nobody will be allowed to leave the city.” Then the video repeated as it cut to a large tall tree towering over the skyscrapers. As I looked at it I know I’ve seen it somewhere, but I had no idea where.
As it played I packed up some clothes and then I ran downstairs. My dad and mom where already packed. My dad put everything in the truck and then we got in. but my dad ran inside then house. When he came back out he had his M4 from when he was a ARMY Ranger. Then he got in and speeds off.
As we speed down the road we saw a lot of people trying to get out of the city. Then my mom turned on the radio to get more information. When she did all that we heard was the blaring of the Emergency Alert System. Then after a few minutes a message came up. “The military as announced that no one is allowed to leave the city. The sickness as made it to the city limits. Troops are going in to the city to try and contain it. return to your homes and stay indoors.” Then it repeated.
Then my dad started to turn around. Then a girl came running out of a house. Her left eye had been gouged out and her lower right arm had been torn off. My dad slammed on the brakes and got off. When he did a man came bolting out of the house, and jumped on the girl. He grabbed her head and he started slamming her head in to the concrete. Then he looked up at my dad. Then he charged at my dad. He grabbed his M4 and shoot him twice in the chest. He went down and let out a unholy screech as he died. Then we went to our house. When we pulled up it was on fire along with a few other houses.
I looked up in the sky, and I see a little black plane flying high up in the sky over the city. Then I see 4 people jump out of it. I try to follow them with my eye but I lose them in the clouds. When I try and tell my dad about the plane it was out of sight.
“We need to keep moving.” My dad instructed.
“Where are we going to go?” my mom asked sharply.
“That’s not the main concern. Someone did this and we don’t know who, or if there still around, or how many there are. We need to go now.” My dad said getting in the truck.
So we all got in, and left the house. As we did we see a van speeding up the street. I look back and it turns around. As it comes towards us men start hanging out the windows. “dad the van.”I tell my dad.
“Get down!” He tells me. The van gets closer. When it starts tailgating us my dad slams on the brakes, and the van crashes in to us and a guy falls off the van.
“Hold the wheel and get down.” He tells my mom.
My dad hangs out the window with his rifle. Then he shot the driver. I hear the van crash and roll. “Y’all can get up.” My dad says as he turns on to a different street. When he does I see the guys from the plane.
“Dad look!” I exclaimed pointing at them. They were flying in to downtown. Then the emergency alert system on the radio cut to a message. “We have just received confirmation that the military has entered downtown. If you encounter them place your hands on your head and approach them slowly they are here to deal with the sick. We will update any listeners with more information as we get it.” Then the radio cuts off.
“We need to get downtown. Those guys must be military. If we find them they can help us get out of the city.” My dad says.
We drive through the city and the is bodies lying everywhere. I start to remember the dream. And his message “Death and decay. Cut the tree at the roots to stop the infection.” I cant help but think that this is what he was talking about.
We ride into down town. And there is a lot of fire. As we drive through the streets we get t-boned by a truck. Then 4 guys get off. They grab my dad out of the truck then me and my mom. When they do they start beating up my dad. Then a man gets a sawed off shotgun. And aims it at my dad. I close my eyes and hear a load pop. When my eye open the man with the shotgun is dead then the guy holding my mom got shot in the head. The guy holding me started running with another guy then they got shot. When I get up 4 SEALs are walking towards us.
They were wearing gas masks. They picked us up and told us to follow them. Then we run into a building. “Why are you guys not sick?” One of the guys asked.
“Why would we be sick?” My dad asked
“We thought the virus was airborne.” There leader said.
“Who are you and why are your guys here?” I asked
“We’re Navy SEALs. I’m Chief. This is Jax he’s our communication guy. Ton heavy weapons. Mike our medic and moral guy. And up the is Cliff our sniper. We are here to find and stop what’s causing this ,and if we can’t we need to place a beckon for a missile” One explained.
“A missile?” my mom asked.
“A nuke. It’s the only thing that can stop it.” Another continued.
When they said this I got a headache out of nowhere. Then I blacked out. I couldn’t see anything but I could hear a faint voice saying “To prevent this infection cut the tree at the roots.” It just repeated as it got fainter and darker and colder till the voice was gone and it was so quiet I could hear my blood flow. Then I woke up. When I did I was looking up at my mom.
“What happened?” My dad asked my mom.
“He’s up.” My responded.
“Dad I think I know how to stop it.” I exclaimed
“Stop what?” My dad asked.
“This. All of this. I just remembered I had a dream. There was trees just like the one in downtown. There was an old man and he said ‘All will die. Death and decay of the world and all it’s life. Only life to inhabit the future wasteland re the soulless walking corpse’s of the sick. To prevent this infection cut the tree at the roots. Remember to end the infection cut the tree at the roots.’ I think we need to cut it down.” I explained.
“Well on less someone has another idea. We’re chopping it down.” Chief said. “Jax what our options” Chief asked Jax.
“Let me see if we have air support. A bunker buster will do the job. Saber 1-5 to Saber. Over” Jax said.
“This Saber what do you need.” Saber said.
“We need a bunker buster for the tree. Is there air support available, or a NAVY destroyer. Over.” Jax asked.
“Negative Saber 1-5 NAVY destroyers are not available. Air out of Langley is in route. Over” Saber said.
“What’s the ETA. Over.” Jax asked
“ETA 30 mikes for takeoff. ETA to arrival after takeoff 10 mikes. 5 laser guided bunker busters on board. Mark targets with laser. How copy.” Saber said.
“Copy all Saber 1-5 out.” Jax said turning to chief and pulling out a GPS. “Ok bomber in route from Langley ETA 50 mikes. We need to paint the target. The building that will give us the best and safest vantage point is 70 minutes. We need a ride. I think we need to call in the black hawk boss” Jax explained.
“Ok call it in. Tell them to bring the targeting system I told Ton not to bring it.” Chief said.
“Saber 1-5 to Saber. Requesting air support along with laser targeting system. How copy.” Jax ordered.
“Copy all. Black hawk in route ETA two mikes. How copy” Saber said.
“Copy all, Don’t send it yet we’re waiting for a bomber in an hour. over and out.” Jax said. “We need to get to the roof of this building for pick up.”
When we get to the roof, and wait for the black hawk and bomber. After 45 minutes the bomber comes on over the radio. “Saber 1-5 come in saber1-5.” The bomber said.
“This is saber 1-5.” Jax said.
“We are about to enter the city be ready to paint target. How copy” The bomber said.
“Copy all. Over and out.” Jax said.
“Saber this is saber 1-5. Send the black hawk. How copy.” Jax said.
“Copy all. In route ETA 1 mike. Over and out”
After a few seconds I hear the chopper. When I look in the sky I see the bomber. Then dust starts kicking up. Then it lands we get on. We fly to the tree and we call the bomber.
“Saber 1-5 to bomber” jax said.
“this is bomber.” Bomber said.
“Ready the bomb.” Jax said
We start hovering and Ton starts getting the targeting system ready. Ton aimed it at the base. I looked up at the bomber. “Fire missal” Jax said. I look at the bomber and the missal falls then starts flying to the tree. It hits and blows a good chuck of it off. Then another one comes in and finishes the job, but as tree fell it fell towards us. We try to out run it but we get caught under the tree. I blacked out.
When I came to I was in a hospital with my mom and dad. Chief walks in. “Good you’re awake. You saved us all. All the infected blacked out when the tree fell and when they woke up they were back to normal. Do you have any questions?” he said.
“No.” I responded.
“Ok, get some rest.” He said walking out.
I could not believe this happened and I didn’t die. I stare at the soft glow of the lights. Then I drift off to the place where it all started. My dreams.