The aftermath of release of a viral bioterrorism agent.....a long free verse poem. |
Without any warning, the deadly virus had spread like wildfire throughout the entire nation. Beginning simultaneously in six major cities from coast to coast, several hundred thousands had fallen deathly ill within the first week. Almost all of these infected had died. They died a very painful, horrible death with high fevers, skin lesions, internal bleeding, then organ failure. Within the first few weeks, the supply of all anti-viral antibiotics was exhausted, all the hospitals were filled to overflowing, and public services began failing. Still the epidemic spread until soon many millions were dead and dying. The dead filled the streets. The Armed Forces took over the management of all cities, trying desperately to maintain order, to cleanse the cities with giant bonfires of the decaying corpses. Then the armies became decimated and leaderless. All governments collapsed, commerce ended, great panic ensued, followed by lawlessness. The nation was consumed totally by anarchy, chaos, and untold violence. No one, no place was spared the deadly consequences of this modern-day scourge. Before its final broadcast, the last TV station reported that this conquering virus had spread throughout the world wreaking similar havoc everywhere, with no country known to have been spared. It was the end of all human civilization as we had known it. The few pathetic survivors now lived in armed packs, scrounging among the abandoned stores and houses, while the once great cities lay in eerie silence, filled with complete emptiness. Thus it was worldwide. All humans now thrown back to a barbaric existence as warlike tribes of foragers and hunters, scared of any strangers encountered who might be carrying the disease, so were worthy of being shot on sight. For what it was worth, the last TV report had explained the downfall of Mankind. It seems that the Russian Army had genetically engineered a new agent for biological warfare, a new form of chimeric virus that had the outer coat of the influenza virus but with the genome of the most fatal Ebola virus. Not satisfied with their new toy, these virologists had done further, more deadly biomanipulations to augment their virus' infectivity and lethality. Hopefully, these scientists died proud of themselves for having constructed this perfect killer. But maybe it was really the deposed Russian bureaucrats, desperate for their personal well-being upon the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, who had sold the virus to Muslim terrorists for money enough to last their lifetimes, that should be held accountable for the end of Man. No, no, the terrorists themselves must carry this condemnation all alone. In their eagerness to hurt America, they killed themselves as well, they killed all their own relatives, all their fellow Muslims. They successfully killed the whole world ... Well, not totally. The last computer model had predicted that precisely 1.142 percent of Mankind should survive. These pitiful few survivors now each and every day do curse those damned molecular virologists, curse those selfish Russian bureaucrats, curse those despicable Arab terrorists, curse the utter stupidity of Man!! Please check out my ten books: http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 |