The Gray Brittle Life

Dear Diary,

This morning I was watching the sunrise and listening to the news, with a cool November breeze running chills up my back. When you're raised by that “zen” mom, you know to meditate, enjoy the little things and nature, and to trust your gut because it knows best. I stopped thinking this way of thinking was weird, like, when I was 10. Anyway, I was listening to the news and it was some medical thing that was affecting a bunch of animals and causing rabies. Something felt… wrong. 

A clip of a woman having an over-the-phone interview plays, I was just watching my baby and I had left my dog, 4-year-old Bear, a somewhat-overweight bloodhound, downstairs. I went down and took him outside, then went back upstairs to rock my baby. The location where I rock her is right by this gigantic window that overlooks the yard, this way, I could watch Bear while rocking my darling Amelia. He went back into the corner where he usually left the yard to see other dogs, but I had filled that a week ago. He was back where I couldn’t see him….. Then he came out. A sniffle and some rustling. He looked normal, though if I paid attention to the details, I would have seen he was moving sluggishly and a lot of fluffy white drool was gathering on his lip. I went down and brought him in. When I pet him, he flinched. I went down to the basement to get out some baby food for Amelia. I heard crying. I went back up with the food and Bear wasn’t downstairs. I went up and… and.. and Bear got that disease thing and he killed my baby girl! The clip ended and I felt tears in my eyes. I got up and packed up, following the voice in my gut. 

A messenger bag carried the blanket and radio, which were the only things I had with me this morning, and it rested across my chest as I jumped on my bike. Pedaling faster, I rode from the dock and waved to the neighborhood. I headed right through the neighborhood and into town, straight to the grocery store. I pulled out the emergency credit card that my mother gave me for “when the time feels right” and looked intently at it. I then rushed through the store. I filled the cart in less than two minutes with canned goods, and a few baked goods that are less likely to go bad, but would be like gold in… the near future? When I wrote that, I was thinking about what is happening, which was what I thought could happen. Nowhere near as bad, though.

Anyway, I keep getting off-track. I bought a lot of stuff. Medicine. Canned goods. Candles. Batteries. So. Much. Stuff. Then, I checked out. The guy looked at me weird, and even weirder when I pulled out a credit card (because I am only fifteen). Then, I called my mom. 

Hey Honey -----t’s up? -----nnection ------ -ad right--ow.

“Mom, where are you?”.

I am driv---g

“Okay, Mom, come to the grocery store in town. As fast as you can.”

On m-- wa---, Is the--- -----omething wrong?

“I have a gut feeling after listening to the news.”

Tell me --bout -t wh-- I get the---, I wa-- t- test if I thin- --e sam-- thin--g.

“Got it.” I hung up and saw her pull in. We loaded in all of the food and batteries and even tools and wood into the back of her van. I brought some empty gas containers with me when we got back in the car. I told her we needed to go to the gas station before I could explain. She said okay and off we went. At the gas station, we filled up a lot of gas containers and the van. We also got some non-perishable snacks from the inside. 

“Okay, Mom. Did you listen to the radio this morning?”

“Actually… It was on while I was crocheting blankets, so I heard bits and pieces.” 

I told her what I had paid attention to and then what I thought could happen, and to our luck, would happen. She agreed. Mom is definitely the best. We got home and loaded the pantry and while mom ran out to get lots of ice, I creatively stacked everything to fit. We had a big pantry, but we had more food. She got back and we filled the basement freezers with the ice in case of emergency. We also washed all of the laundry, blankets, towels, and everything we could. We strung a line across the basement for non-electricity drying clothes and stocked up on buckets. We covered all of our outdoor items and took anything meaningful into the house. Then, we boarded the windows. All of them. As mom went out to stock up on pellets for the pellet stove, I moved furniture and packed away all delicate things. I took packing boxes and each room had at least one where you put the breakables and unnecessaries. Mom got back and we stocked all of our pellets over by the stove. After that, we put piles of blankets in every room. 

We did so much that our limbs were about to give out. We finally just got the stove running and we sat down to listen to the radio and crochet blankets. Before crocheting, I sat here and wrote about all of it. I will update you in a bit.

Okay, so, I better write this fast, but I want to fill you in my best. We listened to the radio, and… Here is what it said:

Scientists say that all animals are getting affected by rabies. If you have a pet, we recommend getting rid of it someway. The pounds are taking many and all animals they can, however are filling up fast. Here we are, live, at the east-end lab with Dr. Fresalski, who is going to tell us about his testing, experimenting, and conclusions. To you: Dr. Fresalski.

Thank you. This guy’s voice was deeper, especially compared to the high-pitched voice of our newscaster. Hello fellow humans. Hehe. Anyway, I am excited to share the information I have found with all of you. I’ve had animals, all different kinds, brought into the lab to see how this rabies spreads since we have come to the conclusion that it is not like normal rabies. This one is spread through contact, even a brush against the tree that an animal who carried it will spread it. I have now come to the conclusion that this of what we call “rabies”, needs a new name. It is called the “Gray Brittle Life”, because the carrier no longer has control over him/herself, it is much like death, but worse. Life. Also, through recent experimentation… And this is the part that changed everything.

Humans can catch the Gray Brittle Life too.

He went on and… the end of the news report was…  The man was walking into all of the animal's things and… He… changed. It affects humans differently. It’s a good thing I had a gut feeling. Mom and I have to go move the furniture in front of the doors, as well as locking them, and boarding any cracks. Bye, I’ll update you later.

Wow. Life is… And it is only a…. One day. Anyway, This is bad. We turned the radio back on after that and… I guess you could call them zombies. They are all over. I see them running down the street and I hear them banging on the house. They’ve torn down the power lines and ripped up some of the water pipes. Not ours. We are lucky.

I am glad mom raised me to be like her. I am thankful that I listened to the radio this morning. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and who knows if we will even live to see it? Mom calls them zombies, but I prefer to call them Gray Brittle Life. That is what they have. We are no longer listening to the radio since there is no point. 

Usually, to feel better, I look out the window to look at the dock, or I go there. I love how peaceful that lake is. 

I am writing this while sitting in the pantry. It is pretty cozy in here. I am eating some muffins because they are perishable, Mom is sitting next to me eating too. She just got up to refill the pellet stove. This muffin is really really good. Mom is-

Mom was screaming. It was them. They got in through the chimney. They got her. I beat them off, but some of them are wandering around the house. It is dark out and I found their weakness. Water. I don’t want to go into detail, but let’s just say: They are not smart and melt when touched by water. THEY MELT. 

The lake isn’t too far and they follow humans. They want to spread the virus. I am going, and mom isn’t even here to stop me. 

The moon. I can’t wait until I get to the dock and can look up at the moon.

I am running. Running as fast as I can. They are following me so close behind.. So so close.

The wood dock is under my feet and I don’t even get a chance to look at the moon.

The last thing I see is the moon reflecting off of the lake...

Before I plunge into ice-cold water,

With millions of slowly melting bodies following me.