I got ill at work the other day. It started with a sore throat, and a few of my coworkers disappeared with no real explanation. I think someone over there at work gave me a bug. Now my head is banging and I've got a hectic fever. I had to be sent to my town's decontamination center to make sure I wasn't horribly ill.

A couple of months ago, the world was suddenly swept with a debilitating illness. It was incurable and highly contagious. Anyone infected would essentially choke on their own blood before dying. The thing about this disease was that it started out with flu-like symptoms, and anything worse than that meant that it was caught far too late. Sending people to these decontamination centers for the sniffles sounds a bit extreme, but I guess it was necessary to curb the spread of the disease.

I sat in the waiting room, the bright lights and stark white atmosphere were overstimulating and making my headache worse. The building stank of antiseptic, but also had a slightly metallic scent to it. I was told to wear a long sleeved shirt with matching pants, the color and texture akin to a hospital gown, with a tag on my shirt labeling me as "219." The clothes I was previously wearing were taken to be "properly disposed of," which basically meant they were burned. The room I was in was filled with other people, but we all had to sit in small cubicles to prevent any direct contact. All I could focus on were the dull blue walls of the cubicle surrounding me, and the door to the decontamination room.

It was the only door in the entire building, besides the main entrance and any fire exits. It was a very heavy-duty door, it was made of metal and had three metal bars keeping it locked. There was a large light sitting on top of the door, and a large speaker sitting on top of that. Both seemed haphazardly installed, with bundles of wires sticking out of the holes cut in the wall that they were sitting in.

For what seemed like an eternity, I watched people enter and exit that room. Whenever someone was done, the light above the door would shine green with a loud buzzer, and a woman on the speaker would announce that whoever was in there had been successfully cleared. She would then announce the number of whoever was next.
For hours, I had to hear her say "Patient whoever is now ready for examination" and "Patient whatever had been successfully cleared." And I'm starting to think having everyone lined up like cattle for mild symptoms is a bit overblown.

Despite the loud buzzer, I was half asleep at this point, but I heard the number of a patient being called, which perked me up.
"Patient 218 is now ready for examination."
My tired eyes widened as afterward I would be up next. As I looked at who got up and left, guided by the nurses wearing blue isolation suits, I recognized who it was immediately. He's someone I knew at work, I recognized his blonde hair and pudgy stature from anywhere. That bastard must've been the one that got me ill.

I watched as he stepped into the room and the door slammed shut. I sat waiting and waiting, trying my damnedest to not fall asleep so I wouldn't miss my turn, but I was suddenly startled awake by a loud, siren-like blare from the speakers as the light above the door turned red, and an announcement played that made my stomach turn.

"Patient 218 has failed the examination. Decontamination will now begin momentarily."

A collection of gasps were heard throughout the building. Loud machines started roaring behind the door. It sounded like if someone were to simultaneously use a vacuum and a saw blade. The roaring got louder and louder, as he started screaming. The whole thing went on for several agonizing minutes. I covered my ears and shook violently the entire time, trying not to think of what could possibly be happening behind that door. The screaming, what little of it I could hear over the machines blaring, turned to gurgles, and went quiet.

Suddenly the machines whirred down. The light shined green as the lady on the speaker announced, "Contamination has been successful. Operations can now continue."

My heart sank as she made her next announcement.
"Patient 219 is now ready for examination."

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