A Paranormal Pandemic

“Mummy! Timmy bit me!” cried George. His mother frowned up at the worker bringing him out from nursery.

“Ah yes, the boys had a slight altercation over a toy this morning, and the other boy did retaliate by biting him. It didn’t seem to upset him too much, and they made up after!”

With so many seasonal bugs and ever rising covid cases, biting children weren’t exactly ideal! She thanked the worker and hustled George home.

By bath time she noticed the bite was still quite red. Only one tooth had broken the surface, but she gave it a thorough clean and smothered it with antiseptic cream – just in case. The next morning, George seemed very grouchy, complaining the bite on his back was hurting.

A week later, the fever arrived. The bite had not healed at all. It was angry and inflamed, hot to the touch. George had been given antibiotics for a possible infection, but otherwise they were puzzled. Mother received a call from the nursery – more children were getting sick and Timmy had been admitted to hospital the previous night.

George was becoming fitful. His temperature wouldn’t come down and his complexion was unnaturally pale. In his rare lucid moments he was surly and aggressive. His mother was becoming more frightened for her child, and took him to the hospital.

There were 17 other children on an isolated ward, suffering the same symptoms. All were tested for covid, and all came back inconclusive. There were obvious markers saying it was, but there seemed to be something underlying the virus, something they couldn’t name.

Over the next few days, more children were admitted, and then as one they fell into a coma. The parents watched and waited, wept and shouted, begged and pleaded. The children were a sickly green in their restless sleep, their breathing harsh and laboured.

It was 12:01 am, Halloween morning. The machines suddenly started beeping wildly across the whole ward. The broken cries of terrified parents chorused the alarms as nurses rushed through the double doors.

Then, as one, the children sat up.