Eliot had just finished a small lunch and settled on the couch to watch some TV. He needed to finish his report by morning, but felt like procrastinating. There wasn’t much left to do and he knew could finish before he went to bed that night.
He was disappointed to see that one of his favorite shows was replaced by an emergency broadcast. He flipped through the stations, hoping that there was something else to watch. To his surprise, every station was running the same report. He stood up and went to the door, half expecting storm clouds in the distance. It was clear. Now a little more concerned, he sat back down to see what they had to say.
“While there doesn’t appear to be any threat to life, the CDC is urging people to stay in their homes until they know more.” A robotic voice declared.
The CDC didn’t have a habit of taking over the TV and warning people to stay home if it wasn’t really serious. He imagined a zombie apocalypse scenario and considered going out to stock up on groceries before things got too crazy. While he pondered his survival plan, the notice looped back to the beginning.
“The first reports came early Friday morning as local hospitals were forced to release nearly every patient in their care. It is not yet clear what caused the sudden recovery. The severity of individual conditions did not seem to have any affect on how quickly people recovered. It’s overwhelmingly positive news for many families but the sudden mass cure didn’t come without unexpected side effects.
Some patience found unusual growth, most often in the genital region. Those affected have not reported any pain. No viral infections or pathogens have been found.
This has not been an isolated incident. A number of civilians with no connection to the hospitals have also reported rapid tissue growth. While there doesn’t appear to be any threat to life, the CDC is urging people to stay in their homes until they know more.”
Eliot stared at the screen as the report looped back to the beginning again. He recalled that his younger brother had minor surgery scheduled last week and decided to call...