Dr. Lena Morris, her hair pulled back and eyes rimmed with fatigue, sits alone at a metal table, fingers nervously drumming a file marked “VIRUS X.” Her gaze flickers to the outside world, where the city’s skyline is blurred by rain.
"I’m the last one left," she whispers, the words barely audible, echoing in the emptiness around her.
Lena moves cautiously, but exhaustion slows her reflexes. She fumbles, and the vial slips—shattering on the cold tile floor. The vapor rises, shimmering in the artificial light, and she inhales before she can react.
"No... not now," her voice cracks with dread as she realizes what she’s done.
Lena sits curled on her sofa, clutching her knees to her chest. She reads over her own notes, tracking the virus’ progression, knowing exactly what comes next. Her hands tremble as she tries to reassure herself, but her mind races with fear.
"Symptoms appear slowly—fatigue, nausea, then..." she trails off, unable to finish.
She spots the first hints—her skin flushed, a new heaviness in her limbs, a tenderness she can’t ignore. The realization is a silent scream inside her, echoing the stories she’s heard from those infected before her. Yet, she presses her palm to her abdomen, feeling the warmth growing there.
"This can’t be happening," she murmurs, voice shaky with disbelief, but acceptance begins to flicker in her eyes.
She records her symptoms, methodically, voice steadier with each entry. For the first time, she allows herself to hope that her research might still help the next generation—those who will be born into a changed world. Despite the fear, she feels a strange kinship with the others who came before her.
"If I’m the last, then I’ll leave behind a record. Someone must know what happened,"
The air carries a sense of finality, but also of new beginnings. She watches the city below, no longer feeling alone, but part of something larger—an unbroken chain. As the first stars appear, Lena closes her eyes and breathes deeply, embracing the uncertainty and hope that define her future.
"I am not afraid anymore," she says quietly, her voice full of strength and resolve.
