Will Anderson

Part of my Science Fiction course requires me to write a flash fiction. It turned out well enough that I’m not embarrassed to let people read it, so here it is.

Time Honored Destiny

It had been four months since the event. Four months of hell. If Thomas hadn’t started his project years before the outbreak, he would have given up weeks ago. The world had been shocked by how quickly the sickness spread. Thomas didn’t have time to be shocked. He just kept working. Before the sickness everyone had told him time travel wasn’t possible. They tried to convince him that he was wasting his time. He wondered how their opinion might change if they knew that his work might be the salvation of the human race. “It’s finally ready.” Thomas glanced at John, the only other person immune to the sickness. He was glad to have a companion to listen to his ramblings but wished it was someone who could respond. John was completely paralyzed. His body was so horribly disfigured it was almost unrecognizable as human. Thomas had found him a week after the first outbreak while looking for supplies at a nearby hospital. At first he’d thought the disfigurement was some strange manifestation of the sickness, but the hospital records said he’d been in a bus accident. He had never been identified by the hospital, so Thomas christened him John Doe. At the time he’d laughed at the generic name and promised to come up with something better, but with all of his creativity being poured into his work he never had the time. The machine only had room for Thomas, but if he was successful he would change history for both of them. John had been crippled before the outbreak, but by changing the past, Thomas could at least ensure he’d receive the medical attention he needed. Trembling with excitement, Thomas calibrated the machine to place him across the street from the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. He gave himself a month before the initial outbreak. Surely that would be enough time to prevent the world’s doom. All they had to do was find patient zero. By seizing one improperly sanitized needle from a washed up heroin junkie they could prevent the end of humanity. “Wish me luck.” He murmured. The countdown commenced. 3…2…1… After a few instants he immerged, dizzy and disoriented. He spotted the entrance to the CDC and stepped into the street. In his excitement he didn’t even see the bus as it raced toward him.

That’s it. Whatcha think?