A Scent of Vermin

Not my cat.

He was the last one left. The only thing that gave me company. He sat on my notebook, made me laugh, and bit me. Now he’s dead. The worst thing about it is that I know it was all my fault.

And the plague I started.

Perhaps researching plagues using rats wasn’t the best idea. On the first day, it killed two people. That was three months ago. The plague has infected over ten thousand people now. Until now, everyone in my family had died from the plague. Not anymore. I’m probably going to live alone for the rest of my life now.

Before I started the plague, I never would have thought this would be the way Barnaby leaves me. Only one rat escaped but it decided to spread a plague across Australia.

I had to clear the house of the plague as soon as possible. I put on safety goggles, gloves and a mask. I killed the fleas with boiling water and chemicals. I was about to place the carcass in the fireplace but something was odd. How had we survived three months after every other family member had died from the plague?

Barnaby’s dead. My mind is scrambling. Journalists are on the hunt for answers. I need to think of something.