His chest caved into itself as his cough strained his lungs into a convulsion. His eyes teared up as the worse of it passed, and Travis rested the back of his head against the cold tiles. His breathing was labored and he shifted his long legs inside the empty tub. He was burning up and he felt as if he would combust into scorching flames at any second.

I should of stayed home, he thought, reaching for the roll of toilet paper, tearing off a piece. He blew the mucus from his nostrils and struggled to take in a gasp of air. Who had he come in contact with, that he contracted this God-awful virus? He’d been so careful since the beginning of the outbreak. Did he really need to stock up on more water? He already had a couple cases in the pantry. Fuck!

A knock on the door.

“Travis?” A woman said. “You’ve been in there for a while, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Travis said, a cough trying to escape him. “Mildred, listen to me. Take the kids and go to your mother’s.”

“What? What are you talking about? Travis, what is going on?”

“Dont...