It is Just a Virus

Chapter seven

The third day in the hospital. Today for the first time I was allowed to walk through the hospital to stretch my legs. The state of health has improved, but the doctors will keep me here for a couple of more days. I was unable to find out anything about Pattie. Everyone whoever I ask, pretend that they do not understand what I'm talking about. The receptionists tried to convince me that there are no such patients here, as soon as I talked about unlicensed programs. And then they completely evade the answer. There is only one hospital in real life and in virtual reality. There are four buildings on the territory of the hospital. Four five-story buildings. I don't have the strength to bypass every department. Yesterday I heard briefly a conversation between two nurses, that there were too many patients. And like they are brought to the fourth floor. And, it seems, they are brought to the fourth floor, the building in which I was. But I'm not sure I heard their words correctly. What patients are brought to this floor, they did not specify. The phrase Dion said before he left that  Patricia was almost dead, spin without interruption in my thoughts. How much does Dion know about these programs? Why he did not tell me more? If he is right, and we will not meet again, I need to find out all the information myself. And to find out it is necessary here, in the hospital. She must be here, I can feel it!

I left the room and slowly walked along the corridor. My head was spinning slightly, because of this I was constantly stopping to rest. To lie a few days in bed without movement and eat nutritious droppers instead of normal food - damn disgusting and makes you weaker. Today even brought breakfast - oatmeal and tea. Portions are designed for toddlers, but not for adults of 18-year-old girls.

Besides me, other patients are wandering along the corridor. Someone walks with a dropper under the pen, someone staggers around, there are those who stare at one point, and without movement, they look at it. In general, fun and noisy. I go further. No one pays any attention to me. I approached the exit from the floor and looked around. Nurses are busy, patients are busy and doctors are not visible. The path is clear. I opened the door and went to the landing. I was on the second floor and I have to go through two floors, preferably no one on the road met. Hope that the elevators doctors and nurses use much more often than stairs. Steps were given with difficulty. Weakness with each step increased, stops became more frequent and longer. Pass only two floors! Why is it so difficult?! I had a concussion, but it seems that the fracture of all bones. It seems to me that I have been walking for half a day, and now they will start looking for me. But everything is quiet. 

I reached the fourth floor. My head is spinning, and an abnormal shortness of breath has appeared. For about ten minutes I came to a normal state before I opened the door. There is not a soul on the floor. It's strange. After the dim light of the stairwell, the bright light of the corridor hit the eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut. I opened my eyes and walked towards the chambers. The first room, the door is open. I look inside. There are six beds in the ward. On each lie the sick. Near each bed was a dropper. Everyone looks terribly the same. They have pale, almost blue skin, their eyes are slightly opened, the irises have rolled up to the eyelids, the breathing is heavy and rare. Everything was as it was with Pattie. I shivered. Is this all made pirated software? Eyes filled with tears.  Patricia looked exactly the same before she was taken to the hospital. I left the room, and went to the next. Then another one. And further. All the patients on this floor looked the same. Why are there so many? Maybe it's not a program, but a disease? There are two more chambers ahead. I started to feel sick. From the smell of these people. It seems to me that some people were already beginning to decompose, but for some reason they were still breathing. From the sight of these half-corpses. From the whole situation. I still have not found a friend. I go into the ward. Trying not to linger, I quickly looked at the patients. A bed near the entrance. A familiar figure. I could not hold back any more tears. I went to the bed.  Patricia looked terrible. The skin tightened around her face, like a latex mask. Too exhausted. The color of her skin merged with the white robe she was wearing. But the most horrifying thing is her smile.  Pattie was smiling. 

I was shaking. I tried to breathe, but the oxygen seemed to be turned off.

"What are you doing here?" the voice behind me scared me. I turned around and almost fell again. The doctor ran up to me and managed to grab.

"I was looking for her," I said through tears of fear and hopelessness.   

Before me stood my attending physician. He looked at me with regret.

"I couldn't tell you about your friend. We are forbidden. In order not to raise a panic in the city."

He took me by the arm and led me into the corridor.

"What happened to them?" I said stammering because of tears.

I looked back and sobbed even more.

"It's just a software virus. And programmers have almost found an antivirus," as if to reassure me, the doctor said.

"It's just a virus," already badly thinking, I repeated his words.

"You could not come here. You're still sick."

"She is dead?"

"Almost dead."

The doctor took me to the elevator. He said something else, but I did not hear him. I mentally said goodbye to my friend.