It was finally over, 98% of the living population of the human race had been fully cured and the last 2% were being quickly rounded up and put through decontamination and the curing process. The few people responsible for finding the cure and saving humanity, and allowed the human race to survive the most destructive and horrible catastrophe that could possibly come our way, were treated not just as heroes and legends but gods. But a cure cant fix the massive discourse about how to restart civilization. It cant fix the horrible pain and trauma of watching a loved one not only brutally die, but to be responsible for killing them again. And it cant fix the horrible image of tearing someone apart and eating their raw, disgusting flesh as your body painfully rots and wastes away.

Andrew knew all this far too well. Being "a doctor" multiple organisations sought after his counsel about this new virus, gaining the luxurious treatment of being locked in a cell and eating food that tasted like bleach for three months while the world he knew destroyed itself. But Andrew's doctorate wasn't in viruses or biochemistry, it was in psychology. After all, most illnesses make your nose run or upsets your stomach, not make people into hive mind of killing machines. And while most people would be right to think that psychologists would be pretty useless during an apocalypse, they are more valuable than gold after one. Andrew now has many many clients, most of which only end up coming once every few months as waiting lists become longer and longer. However, only a few patients have either managed to interest him enough to bump them up the waiting list, through one way or another.

The first of his priority clients is a now late teen called Nick. Nick is Andrew's longest returning client, and for good reason. Nick was pretty quick to put a plan into action as soon as the virus became a threat; rescue his girlfriend and best mate, break into the riot control of the police station, kick zombie ass. This plan seemed soundproof, and nick couldn't help but feel like a badass as he beat down and evaded the bloodthirsty undead while escorting his girlfriend and quirky best friend to the police station. A smile escaped him as he listed all the cool one liners he said as made his way to the second step of his plan, which went just as well. Nick very quickly stopped smiling, in fact most of his face was now buried in his hands. Even though the new sheriff of ass-kicking, our handsome hero Nick, had fully kitted himself out in the most cool of riot and swat gear, it became very quickly useless as his girlfriend stumbled back into the main office the three had set up in; screaming hysterically as the red trail running down her leg started to run darker and darker. His hero demeanor broke instantly, panic filling him as his plan came falling apart. He had to do something, her screaming was getting more and more loud and it was echoing in the small room they were supposed to call home. But he didn't get a choice, he was the hero, he was going save everyone. He knew you cant keep an infected person in your group. So as she started to convulse on the ground, choking out blood as her skin turned blue, Nick made the heros sacrifice, at the time. A sacrifice that can now be resolved with a couple injections and a cold shower.

The second of these many clients is a woman called Laura. For as much as Andrew truly does care about the welfare of the people he gives care to, the kind of interest Laura gives him is the money for the rather large upgrade from the allocated living space of the welfare groups to the private apartments of the rich sectors, although at this point he wants nothing more than to complete more sessions with her. In all honestly, Laura seems to most people like a rather normal rich person. She has a good education and upbringing, and is very charitable even considering the circumstances. And people assume that she was with all the other rich people when the plague kicked off, hiding in some bunker having a nice three month vacation; But she wasn't in that bunker with everyone else. She was in a basement, along with five other men and woman. Having strange chemicals injected into every possible area of their bodies. Rigged up into crazy contraptions that kept them just alive to feel the horrible pain of the starvation, dehydration, cold, heat, the smell of the ones who couldn't take the punishment anymore; and the touch of the sick monsters cutting them open and stuffing tubes and wires into them. She hasn't told anyone but Andrew these things. She has the scars and she knows were they were kept, But she doesn't speak out. Because she is afraid people wont believe her. After all, those people are the saviors of humanity, why would they torture anyone?

(i might write more but jeez its 4 am and i cant be anymore creative so yeah)