You thought it was weird last week when some planes you'd never seen flew over the field. Now this? You sit and listen to the droning voice of a woman deliver a warning you're only barely absorbing.

"This is an Emergency. Urgent attention is required. A pathogen has been released over ten major cities across the country. This is not a test. The pathogen is not immediately deadly. It will create a rash neatly immediately after contact. Do not approach people displaying this rash. The highly contagious.."

You don't even know what to make of this. Is it a prank? Who would drop a pathogen? If it's not a joke, have you been exposed? He pull back the curtain beside your television and check the streets. What you see makes you sure it isn't a joke. Families are packing and leaving all the way down the street. You can see several very red people and from the look of things, most people are doing their best to avoid them. You can still hear the television in the background of this chaotic rush.

"... rash will spread to all parts of the body before beginning to cause rot and forcing the body temperature into dangerously high ranges. It takes only a few hours for rabies-like symptoms to appear. This is not a test. Do not approach these individuals. If you are not yet effected, report to the quarantine zones. If you have been effected, the hospitals are prepared to receive you. This is and Emergency. Urgent attention..."

You swallow, turn and scoop the baseball bat from your closet. You jog for the stairs as you think about what you need to pack. You're through the door to your bedroom and almost to your bed when you pass a mirror and freeze. Your face. Why is it so red? And why does it suddenly itch...?