It was a dilemma really.
The virus spread all over the world like a freight train, with emphasis on fright, but in the end, it only mutated a handful of people in each place where an epidemic broke out.
The mutations themselves were the fear factor. The virus drastically changed the people who fell victim to it, sometimes to a point where they were unrecognizable, or to a point where they could no longer be considered human.
In this case, the dilemma meant: don't get vaccinated and risk severe mutations, or do get vaccinated, and mutate anyway.
A whole debate went on concerning Ramsay and Farukh's inventions, in the end, there was a fifty-fifty balance between those who went to get vaccinated, and those who didn't.
"This is going to take only five seconds sweetie," the woman said with smiling eyes as she held the small syringe in front of her. The cure had been discovered not even a month ago, but cultivating enough antidotes for the entire US population, and those outside of the country, required lots of effort. Janice couldn't really wrap her mind around the whole thing. Only two weeks ago she was having a fun sleepover with two of her besties, now she was in the row for a cure that would change her life forever, but not in a good way.
And there was a long row, multiple rows even. Hundreds of people in front of, as well as behind or next to her, both male and female, young and old, all capable of carrying the virus. The occasional cough brought wary glances your way, and waving it off with a small apology and saying you had the cold wasn't believed sometimes.
There was a small prick in her arm. The volunteering nurse quickly removed the syringe after injecting her with the poison that functioned as an antidote, and then dabbed the punctured skin clean with a drip of iodine on a cotton wad. Janice was asked to step off the stool and follow the line towards the exit of the building.
Her mother was already waiting for her there, waving at her to come. It was a funny coincidence that Mary was also there with her own parents.
"Hey Mary," Janice said shyly as she moved over to give her best friend a hug.
"Hey to you too girl, how you holding up?"
Janice thought about it for a moment, then drew out a long sigh. "This is messed up, you know. Everybody is bound to experience unwanted changes to their bodies. It makes you wonder what the vaccine is good for anyway."
"Were you against it at first then?" Mary asked.
"I dunno, maybe? It was mum who dragged me here after all. What's the point of getting mutated if that's exactly what you want to prevent?"
Janice held up my hand before she could bring anything up.
"I know, I know. It's bad or worse," she added as a counter, "but would I have needed it anyway? I'm a healthy teenage girl, mum always says so. Then what's the point, I might never even have caught it."
"The news readers said it had nothing to do with anybody's health," Mary said. "It can hit any person of any age. You don't want to risk hitting the worst of the brunt."
Janice shrugged. "All I'm hoping for is that nature deals a good hand to me."
Her best friend grinned. "I doubt that it's nature doing that job for you girl. Lab-made chemical mix and all. How did they make a virus out if it anyway?"