At the far end of an aisle whose shelves were dangerously packed with equally volatile looking potions, Amy spied a strange looking machine. A computer screen sat next to a glass tube with a door, about the size of a home shower.
The girl paused as she came up to it. It stood in stark contrast to the fantastical and old aesthetic of the aisles and items around her.
"Vir-O-Matic?" Amy read aloud to herself from the sign above the machine.
As she neared the device, it sprang to life, making the college girl jump in surprise. A cute informational video began to play, and the voice of a less than reputable sounding salesman began to speak.
"Welcome sir or madam! Please, don't be shy! Step closer!"
Amy hesitated, but she could do anything, the voice continued speaking.
"Ever wanted to be the start of a big change in the world? Ever wanted to sock it to those annoying coworkers and/or customers at [insert job here]!? Feel like you need to spice up life with a little sickness?"
"Well here and now you've got the perfect answer; the Vir-O-Matic! State of the art vector for all your transformative pandemic needs!"
An animation appeared of someone sneezing as they stared at the full moon. Their watery eyes turned gold as they shifted into a werewolf. Then a woman shivered on her couch with a fever, dabbing a tissue at her perfectly round red nose and giggling stuffily as her feet popped and expanded while her hair puffed out into a rainbow afro. A college kid in a lecture hall coughed heavily, the sounds slowly morphing into brays as their teeth expanded and their hair rose into a bristly mohawk.
Amy's mouth dropped open, but still she stared.
"Simply input the parameters of your desired transformations along with the magnificent illness that will deliver them to you and many others! Then, send patient zero into the chamber for a quick dosing, then watch the magical sickness begin!"
"Will you be subject to your own malady, or just a carrier? Will those infected be able to infect each other, or even send it right back to you? Will the sickness ever end, or have you added a new trouble to everyone's daily lives? The options are endless and affordable!"
The animation wound down and the salesman's voice began to lower in volume, yet increased in speed.
"Vir-O-Maticltd.takesnoresponsibilityforanychaos,deaths,malformations,divorces,orworldendingcalamitiesthatensuefromuseofourproduct.Anycomplaintsorrefundrequestsshouldbedirectedtotheninthlevelofthehellsforclaimsprocessesing."
The voice then stopped and the screen flickered off and on. A great whirring and humming emanated from the strange machine, and indecipherable characters flitted across the glitching screen. Everything went dark for a moment, then the device lit back up. The main screen now simply read 'TOUCH TO BEGIN'.
Amy glanced around, intrigued but uncertain.