The Instagram Story Story
My fans are genius. Together we began to write a story in my Instagram stories one sentence at a time. Each sentence was submitted by fans and randomly chosen. This is that story.
Chapter 1
The Great Hush had gone on for 18 months. No one was allowed outside. That’s when i found... a restaurant. It was opened and seemed lively but as soon as you walked in you could tell something was off. An old man greeted me with a smile and mumbled something to the waiter.
He led me to a table for 2 and there was already someone else sitting there. It was a man wearing a hood, you couldn’t see his face. All he said was “Sit”. So i sat on his lap.
He seemed confused, but asked , “Are you the one that started the silence?”
I said nothing. The silence crawled and the hooded man was desperate to get an answer. So he asked again in a louder tone.
I said “No, but i will be the one to end it.”
He replied in a whisper “it may not seem like it. but...“. As he spoke his intensity grew
“the disease or ‘the big hush’ as you all have been calling it is saving the world. And you want to stop it? I’m afraid we can’t let you do that. “
His hand clamped down on my leg as if he was threatening me. He looked over at a group of people in the corner and signaled them over. They crept over to the table holding some sort of syringe. I desperately tried to escape his grasp but his fingers sank deeper into my legs.
“You’ll never stopped me” i cried. “I’m saving the world and I’m saving my father”.
Panicked, I took the knife out from the table and jabbed it into his hand. He let out a gut wrenching scream. I shot off his lap and slammed into a few of his goons. I ran out of the restaraunt, and they were running for me. I looked for anywhere to hide.
A completely blacked out car pulled up. The driver rolled down his window, “GET IN” he yelled.
Bullets ripped past my head. I had no other choice but to go. I lunged through the passengers window. Deadly pellets richochetted off the hood of the car. I had made it to safety but only narrowly. We shot down the road at light speed barely dodging other broken down cars on our way.
“You ok?” said an old voice. I looked up to see the old man that greeted me at the restaraunt.
“Oh no! Not again” i said. “ What do you want from me?” I asked in fear.
“You have nothing to fear”, he replied. “ I’m on your side. “
As we barreled down the dead streets of the great hush, past more broken down cars and abandoned trucks, he explained who he was and what just happened.
He looked me straight in the eye and said. “The great Hush... it was a social experiment gone wrong. “
“What are you talking about?” I replied.
He looked at me again “well there was this scientist Dr Ferland.”
I interrupted. “Please stop looking at me while you’re driving” i said.
“Sorry”. The old man looked back at the road and continued.
“Dr ferland created the big hush disease to decrease the male population in order to get a date. But his plan went wrong. The virus is not just killing single men. It’s killing women and children too. “
“How do you know all this?!” I asked
“I’m part of resistance that’s putting a stop to all this. My name is Cadence and i was sent to rescue you”
Just then he veered off the road and we started heading towards what looked like a lab. It was a huge silver building surrounded by a tall fence. As we pulled up there was a woman in a white lab coat standing by the entrance. She approached the car.
“We have been expecting you”, she said.
“This is Lena, my assistant and the head of the research department for finding a cure”, said the old man Cadence.
“We believe you are the cure, the specimen we’ve been looking for all this time. “
“I’m sure you have many questions, first, we need to get some samples, come with me.” Chimed in Lena.
I followed them into the building which felt like an endless abyss.
As we walked down a long corridor i wondered if these people were being honest.
“You’ve been surprisingly understanding, Cadence mumbled.
“I don’t know that i trust you ... but if there is any chance i can save my father I am willing to try. ”
- I replied.
“What happened to your father?” Cadence asked.
Chapter 2
It was 6 months earlier. I could get in trouble for this I thought. The stay at home mandates from the government had been in place for about a year at that point. But i needed to see my father. We had gotten into a big fight about the way he treated my mom before the divorce. He apologized many times but i never got over it. Then he told me something I’ll never forget.
“ Your mother is a wanted criminal” he had said. She was one of the people that started this virus.”
This was a total shock to me and now i was headed to his house. I had to find out the truth. I felt like there was something dad still wasn’t telling me.
I had snuck across several state lines to see my father. Now i was at his door for the first time in years. As i approached the house I became cautious. The front door was wide open.
I hesitantly entered the house. As I reached for the light switch, a hand swooped out of nowhere and grabbed my wrist. A dark figure pulled me into a closet and lifted a trap door. They told me to jump into the hole. I jumped in. He followed. When i saw his face i was met with an uneasy relief.
“Dad...”
“You came, you actually came” he replied.
“I never thought ide see you again in my life”, he gasped.
He looked worried and disheveled, like a man that was falling apart. He was holding some sort of small makeshift weapon.
“Well I’m here now for answers” i said, voice cold. “Like what is that thing”
I motioned you the little gadget in his hand.
“ don’t ask” He snapped
There was a pause. A long one.
“Dad, what did you mean when you said mother started the virus?”
Dad sighed and grabbed my arm and said “we can’t talk here. It’s not safe.“
He started to pick up some supplies. A pack , and a rifle
“Dad...” i said with confidence, “You tell me now or I’m leaving. “
He paused for a second and stared blankely searching for the right thing to say.
“She was patient zero. “
“she was arrested by the police and as punishment was used as a test subject for it”
“I’m sorry what?!” I said
“There’s no time for this son we need to get out of here” - he replied.
“Dad!” I grabbed his arm to keep him from leaving. “Just tell me. Nothing is stopping you. “
Just then the police burst through the door. As the police searched the house for us we were safely hidden in the basement, but time was running out. As i panicked my weak looking father looked overcome w confidence. Like he knew this moment was coming.
“Follow me,” he whispered “I built a tunnel”.
My dad, moving with what little energy he had left, got me to the tunnel.
As we trekked through the tunnel I had so many questions.
How did he build this?
What did my mother do that was such a crime?
Why did my father look so frail?
Was he the good guy or the bad guy?
What was that little weird weapon he was holding?
What had i gotten myself into?
The tunnel was thin and we were knee deep in water. I wanted to break the silence. I opened my mouth to speak , but he quickly shushed me. “They’ll hear us” he whispered.
He put his hands in the water, as if he was feeling around for something.
He whispered “here it is” and pulled a lever. The rest of the tunnel caved in Behind us
“We’re going to die in here” i whispered to myself.
“I heard that” he said “ you’re not going to die. i am son”
I nervously crept forward in the tunnel and began to see a shining blue light.
My dad pulled out that mysterious makeshift weapon from earlier. It was tiny. About the size of a hotdog and bun. I know now is not the time for jokes but that’s what it looked like. It had a small canister attached with a small symbol on it. The type of thing you’d see on the warning label of poison. I guess it wasn’t filled with ketchup.
“What are you doing with that ehh poison?” I asked ever so innocently.
With a heavy sigh he put it up to his mouth an inhaled.
He pulled it from his lips and said “they injected me with the disease son this is the only cure, however it is only temporary.
“The only cure is poison?”
“It’s not poison son, although sometimes it feels like it. I know you are mad at me about mom but i was doing this all to protect you. “
I looked at the almost empty bottle. “What happens if you don’t drink it?” I asked.
“We’ll find out soon enough” he replied.
Chapter 3
Fast forward 6 months. It’s the night before i found the restaraunt. Im alone, “celebrating” my 18th birthday.
“Happy birthday to me, i guess”
I blow out the candles and cut a slice of cake. It doesn’t taste as good when you’re alone. Suddenly i hear the sound of claws clacking on the wood. My dog?
I turn around, and to my surprise, see an owl walking across my kitchen floor.
The owl turns to me. Looks me dead on the eyes and says “hello there”.
I jump back so much i almost trip and fall over. “Who.. or what ... are you?!” I asked baffled.
“I am your guardian angel” said the owl
It was white and had golden feathers at the tops of its wings. It’s eye’s were rainbow colored. If this was real, it was freaking me out.
The owl lunged at me. Startled, i flew back. When i looked up again it was gone. I have to get out of this house, i thought to myself. What is gong on? I can’t think straight right now. I need to clear my head.
I stumbled to a chair and sat down. “Breathe, just breathe” i thought to myself. I couldn’t calm myself down. I was far too panic stricken to just sit. I had to get out. I felt i was beginning to lose it.
I knew panicking would do no good so i collected myself and tried to find a way out. I forced myself up from the chair and staggered to the door. I grabbed the doorknob, and hit the ground out cold.
An hour later i awoke, i got up dazed, and opened the door. I stumbled outside very dizzy. I had a splitting headache. The bright sun didn’t help.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? last I remembered, IT WAS NIGHT TIME. I LOOKED AT MY PHONE TO CHECK THE TIME. IT WAS SOMEHOW 11 AM. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, I had six missed calls from my dad and one troubled message from him. I tried to read it. I could barely open my eyes without a splitting pain in my head almost paralyzing me. I was so naseous. I could barely make out the message. It read:
Delete this message when you read it. TRUST NO ONE. Meet me at filgonise restaurant ASAP.
There was one last sentence that i never thought would comfort me. It shook me to my core. It read: