Hope for the Cure

Louise was in a panic. It had been almost two days since the storm had hit and decimated the lower sections of Manta Carlos Island; destroying businesses and homes, injuring the people within and killing many more. She had left the school mere moments after she was sure the storm had settled and had done her best to get to those that needed her assistance, but, upon arriving, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it on her own. She created the Hurricane Daniel Task Force, recruited students and gave them their own assignments; being from Starlight Academy she hoped that they'd all be able to hold their own against what they were dealing with. And what they were dealing with she honestly had a hard time believing.

[color=89a185]"They're infected, all of them,"[/color] she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she felt the chill from the dying winds sweep past her. She was standing outside the tent she had taken as a sort of base of operations, waiting for whatever sign she could find that told her things were going to be alright, [color=89a185]"I won't lie to you...what we're up against is dangerous, I'll even go so far as to say deadly, but we can't let that stop us."[/color]

She turned to the student that she had chosen to assist her for the sole purpose that she believed the young girl's ability could be of great use to her.

[color=89a185]"Claire, I'm sorry to have forced such a tremendous weight upon your shoulders, but we must do our best to find a solution to this outbreak,"[/color] walking over to the young girl, she placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave a weak smile.

Her expression looked tired, she felt like she hadn't slept in days and by all means she hadn't; every waking moment had been spent attempting to get everyone organized and taken care of the best she could. Most of her first day had been spent carrying injured civilians to the tented housing where they were to be treated followed by a weak attempt at draining whatever pain and fear they were feeling so that they could get a restful sleep; this unfortunately meant that she would not, but it didn't matter to her. Not when there were people she could be helping. It wasn't until late on that first day that she began to notice there was something off about the patients, she noticed that the patients she had thought were lost were beginning to reanimate and were moving around the tents in a sluggish manner.

It had taken all of her power to keep them from touching the other patients, but she couldn't keep them all back. Some patients had been taken, others, mauled violently, but in the end she was able to push the reanimated, and obviously infected, back and, with the help of whoever was on hand, immediately quarantine them in a barricaded section of town. It was flooded there and obviously dangerous, but she had no other choice; it all seemed to happen so fast and it was the first thing she could think of. Even that didn't seem to work as the barricades were being torn down and the infected were beginning to escape and seek out more of the 'living'. Now here she was, standing outside with a fourteen year old student who she hoped would help correct this mistake and she was beginning to feel the effects of all those weak, frightened energies she had consumed.

[color=89a185]"Okay...let's try our best shall we?"[/color]

Louise was appreciative of the girl's determination and would remember to borrow some of it when the time came, but for the moment she felt a bit hopeless about their situation. She hadn't a clue as to where exactly they were going to begin, but she knew that she didn't have the time to worry about decisions. They needed action and if a fourteen year old girl was going to show more determination than someone of her age and standing, well, then they really were doomed. Clearing her throat, she moved the hand on Claire's shoulder to the girl's back and motioned for her to enter the tent.

[color=89a185]"Well, Claire,"[/color] a forced laugh escaped her throat, causing Louise to clear it again as they walked forward out of the blistering wind, [color=89a185]'I have no idea'[/color] she thought tiredly, [color=89a185]"I have an idea."[/color]

When they entered the tent, Louise retracted her hand from the girl's back and moved silently over to a table that had papers, half empty bottles of liquids and pens thrown about it's surface. The place had looked nicer before, but her constant shuffling through notes in an attempt to locate something she hadn't thought of before had caused a mess to form, giving her the appearance of disorganization.

[color=89a185]"Mmm, more like multiple ideas, but mainly one,"[/color] she slid the papers around until she found the one she had been searching for and lifted it from it's brethren, [color=89a185]"Here."[/color]

She handed the paper over her shoulder absently as she continued to shuffle through her notes, [color=89a185]"On that sheet of paper are the notes I took during the beginning of all of this."[/color]

Stopping her shuffling she waited for Claire to take the paper before turning and staring at her, [color=89a185]"As you can see, many of the patients have been displaying similar symptoms before they die. Which means that what we have is an epidemic."[/color]

Her face was blank, emotionless as her lidded eyes observed the girls reaction. She had since steeled herself against feeling anything for the departed who had been infected, already having a sense of hopelessness of ever getting them back. At the moment, all she wanted to do was find some sort of vaccine that they could give to the survivors in order to keep them from changing; a cure would come later, but for now prevention was their priority.

Louise stared at Claire as she spoke, wondering exactly where she got all of her information from when the paper just had a few notes about the symptoms of the near survivors.

[color=89a185]"What exactly are you implying-"[/color] it was a little out of left field for her and her tired mind almost didn't process it, but after a moment she realized that the young girl was beginning to make sense. Water, food and location were always three of the most important factors after a hurricane hit a populated area. The survivors needed these three things in order to continue to thrive, but unfortunately for them the location they had been given was right in the middle of a soggy apocalypse, [color=89a185]"Ah, right, symptoms."[/color]

Shaking her head slightly, she began to pace around the tent, her arms behind her back as she recalled what she had witnessed first hand.

[color=89a185]"Fever, frothing foam from the mouth, bloodshot eyes...it was almost as if they had been inflicted with a rabid virus,"[/color] stopping, she closed her eyes and placed one hand on her hip as well as the other on her forehead, [color=89a185]"They were all so fitful. Their bodies seized up after the fever and then, eventually, they died. I tried to ease their suffering but it seemed that it was all too much...like their pain was never ending."[/color]

She opened her eyes again and stared at Claire, [color=89a185]"After they passed it took, at the latest, ten to fifteen minutes before they came back. And even then they seemed to be suffering."[/color]

An image flashed through her mind of a teenage boy lunging for her throat and she recalled having to drain him of the fear and anger he was holding within. The last thing she felt from him was immense pain before he collapsed to the floor. It made her twinge visibly, but she pushed past it.

[color=89a185]"I have a vague, very vague, idea that the cause of all this is somehow in the water,"[/color] she gathered her hair absently into her hands and threw it over her shoulder, letting it curl along the back of her neck and down her back, [color=89a185]"Its not uncommon. Flooded waters have been known to contain pathogens and irritants that can make people sick if they were to come in contact with it...but this, this is something else. There's a possibility that, since our island is so unique in regards to supernatural inhabitants, that something else has entered the flood waters. Something terrible and obviously deadly."[/color]

Continuing to stare at Claire, she wondered what the girl had faced in her young life to make her appear so calm in the face of such an imminent death, [color=89a185]"That's where you come in, my darling...your ability to control water might just give us the upper hand in this hopeless situation."[/color]

Louise felt a small smile form on her lips as the child attempted to make sense of their situation. She seemed simple minded, but had good ideas and that was exactly what they needed right then.

[color=89a185]"My powers aren't that simple, but you've got the basic idea,"[/color] stepping back towards the previous table, she placed her hands on the edge and leaned against it, letting her head loll forward so her chin rested on her chest, [color=89a185]"I can't take energy from non-living hosts...so it's near impossible for me to take the virus out of the infected water."[/color]

She paused as Claire continued to speak, lifting her head and watching her closely. It was interesting enough that the young girl seemed to have so many ideas, but the fact that she had them where as Louise herself had not just made them all the more important. Sighing, she smiled softly and shook her head. Bringing a group of fresh minds into this scenario was the best idea she had had all day.

[color=89a185]"I get my water from the school, they had a couple dozen cases of it shipped here so that we'd be able to safely treat the patients,"[/color] reaching over, she grabbed the water bottle that sat a few inches from her and tossed it to Claire, [color=89a185]"It's purified, naturally, at whatever factory it originated...but it looks like we agree on something. This is all about the water, now, I sent two students out to help find where the hotspots are- the most contaminated areas. They're going to be areas that have a heavy concentration of the slicked liquid that seems to be seeping into the surrounding waters. My guess is that something broke somewhere beneath the surface and it combined with the storm waters has created a sort of reaction- thus the birth of the infected whenever someone comes in contact with it."[/color]

Louise couldn't help but smile a little wider as Claire played with the water bottle she had given her, it was the innocence the young girl seemed to embody that made it so interesting to her. And that despite the predicament they were in, they shouldn't forget to take the time to appreciate what little happiness they had left to enjoy. As she played with the water and continued to speak, Louise seemed to trail off; her eyes closed again and she let her head fall against her chest as she inhaled deeply, letting her breath out on a long sigh. She still felt so tired. If it was only for a few minutes, a few short minutes, she would have liked to take a short nap, but she knew that was impossible right then; they had important work to do. After what felt like an extremely long minute, Louise spoke without lifting her head or opening her eyes.

[color=89a185]"No, we can still do some trial and error tests while we wait for the others to contact us with their information,"[/color] Claire's words seemed to blur into each other as she continued to speak, causing Louise to miss everything she had said as her tired mind began to wander back to the prevention tent and whether or not her other students had arrived there safely.