The Laughing Plague - A "Crossed" TL

A short interlude until I can get my computer back and not rely on typing this on my phone.
........


They were already calling it the Black Spring, and that was before the Crossed came. Healthcare systems across Europe, the Middle East and North America were stretched to capacity and the cremetoriums were running 24/7 to deal with the enormous numbers of dead from the COVID19 Pandemic. South America and Africa were fast catching up.

People laughed at first. They said it was "just a flu".

Nobody was laughing anymore.

The world was united like never before in a sense of grief and fear. Whether in the United States or Japan, Italy or Iran, Scotland or Singapore, everyone was the same. Do I have enough food? Is my job safe? Will my grandparents survive?

Despite all the biohazard measures that had been already b
prepared to contain COVID19,they still would not be enough to contain the outbreak of the far worse I.D.V.(Inhibition Deficiency Virus) more commonly called the Crossed Virus or "The Red Death". Early conspiracies claimed IDV was a mutation of COVID19, though the truth was the human race was facing two unrelated disasters simultaneously.

...

BBC News 14th April, 5:00 PM

Live from Downing Street.

*A disheveled and exhausted looking Boris Johnson comes out of Number 10 and approaches the microphone. It is clear the last several weeks have aged him terribly as his country grappled with its worst crisis since World War 2.*

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. You will no doubt by now have seen the terrible images coming out of Hampshire, and likewise Washington DC, which we know now are directly connected. We currently are dealing with a highly volatile and fluid situation that has been caused by an as of yet unidentified viral strain that causes it's victims to engage in acts of violence.

The Chief Medical Officer will fill you in on the exact details of that after I am done. A significant number of members of the public and staff from the emergency services have been killed or wounded. Many others have joined in with the violence. Whilst information is still limited at this time,we do know the virus is spread through blood and saliva. We do not yet know if it is airborne. It is absolutely essential you avoid contact with victims of this virus at all costs, even if they are loved ones.

At this time, I am declaring Hampshire and all villages and towns within ten miles of the county boundaries a biohazard quarantine zone. Nobody may enter or leave without special permission under the authority vested in this government by the Civil Contingencies Act. The armed forces are at this time mobilising and will be assisting police forces and emergency services with containing this grave situation.

These past several weeks have been very hard. We have seen the worst in people, but we have also seen the best in people. We have come together like never before and I believe that that spirit will continue through this new crisis that we now must deal with alongside the COVID19 tragedy.

I urge you all to be responsible, be good neighbours and to avoid panic.

Now,there is much work to be done. Thank you for your time."
...

That could be interesting. I might try and include something like that later in the story.

"Mr President it's time to go!" The Secret Service agent practically yelled at Trump who sat on his chair in the Oval Office with his arms folded.

"Come on guys, we are safe enough here. You see those snipers in the roof? They're the best snipers, believe me." The President replied.

"Sir, I have to insist that we leave immediately. They're surrounding the perimeter. We can't hold them off any longer !" The young agent pleaded with the most powerful man in the world.

"You know what CNN will say right ? 'oh look Trump run away!'. No, I am staying right here and that's...." Before the President could finish his protest another two agents burst into the Oval Office and grabbed him by the arms.

"We have Mogul on the move. Be ready."

"Get your goddamn hands off me." Trump protested angrily as the Secret Service physically dragged the President from the Oval Office and out to the South Lawn where Marine One - the Presidential helicopter - was landing.

"Sorry sir. We need to keep you safe at any cost."

"This is bullshit." Trump muttered as he watched the helicopter come in to land. Beyond the fence he could see them. He could hear them. Screaming. Laughing. Thousands of people had surrounded the steel fence that protected the White House. Secret Service snipers on the roof had already killed over two hundred people but thousands more had joined in the raucous crowd. In that number there were infected members of the DC Police who were exchanging gunfire with the Secret Service. One of the guards on the White House roof was shot in the shoulder. As he fell back, his finger accidentally squeezed the trigger, showering the chopper with bullets. The rotor was damaged and the helicopter sent spinning wildly out of control, plunging towards the ground. The president's security detail pushed him to the ground and shielded him with their bodies. It made no difference. The President was dead.

.....

On board Marine Two - 9 minutes later.

"I Michael Richard Pence do solomly swear, that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God."

All 9 Supreme Court justices were either dead or missing. It had been left to the DC Appelate Judge to administer the Oath of Office over a video call to the Vice Presidents phone from her besieged office. Marine Two then changed its call sign to Marine One and within a few minutes would be landing at Mount Weather in Virginia where what few senior officials from the administration had been able to get airlifted out of DC in time were now landing too.

...

By this point, the Crossed had rampaged right across Washington DC, quickly overrunning the Supreme Court. After a brief battle with the Capitol Police, they quickly stormed the Capitol building. Congress had been meeting to try and sort out a new stimulus package to help the economy which had been left in near ruins by the Coronavirus outbreak. Dozens of Congressmen and women would be killed or infected among the most prominent lost being Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate leader Chuck Schumer.

The DC National Guard had been given very little warning, and were "caught with their pants down" as they were mobilising and were quickly swarmed. Hundreds of troops were turned and battles broke out between infected and non-infected national guardsmen. Across DC, hundreds of thousands of people who had already been under Shelter-in-Place orders since late March quickly ignored those orders and made a run for their cars , clogging up the streets that had been quiet for weeks as this newer, much more terrifying virus threatened their city.

The city was a bloodbath as terrified residents tried to evacuate in all directions and the Crossed followed them, spreading the virus further and further in only a few hours.

By nightfall, the first crossed were wandering into the southern suburbs of Baltimore looking for a good time.

stevep, only one thing can saved us from this...

The Doomguy...

Now that's scary.