Matt Doeden - Can You Survive a Virus Outbreak?: An Interactive Doomsday Adventure

For the best You Choose experience,
view in portrait (vertical) orientation.

YOU are living through a dark and dangerous time in the near future of humanity. A terrible new virus is about to wreak havoc on the worlds population. How will you survive? Start on the next page, then follow the links at the bottom of each page. The choices you make will change your outcome. After you finish your path, go back and read the others to see how other choices would have changed your fate. Use your device's back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice to make a different decision. Do you have what it takes to survive doomsday?

YOU CHOOSE the path you take through a Virus Outbreak.

You can barely contain your excitement as you gaze out the window of your airplane seat. You fidget in your seat, eager for the flight to reach its destination, Port au Prince, Haiti. You smirk, knowing your classmates are back home, sitting in algebra class right now. But youre getting a head start on spring breaka two-week visit to Haiti to visit your sister Tara. Shes a medical student, volunteering in a small village in the poverty-stricken nation of Haiti.

After you land, you check your phone. Theres a text from Tara: Running late. Sry!

Great, you think with a groan. You find a comfortable seat and watch people come and go. Its a bustling airport. People are scrambling in line at the ticketing booths.

A man in a suit and tie sitting next to you is reading the sports section of a newspaper. The front page sits on the open seat between you.

Mind if I read this? you ask.

He shrugs and hands you the paper. Be my guest. But theres not much in here for a kid. Terrorist attacks in South Asia, stock market crashing, a nasty virus spreading outside Santo Domingo. Adult stuff. Might be a crossword puzzle in the back, though.

You mutter a thank you and try not to roll your eyes. You may still be a kid, but that doesnt mean youre not interested in current events. You glance at every story. The outbreak in Santo Domingothe media is calling it Blood Fevercatches your attention. Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic, a nation that shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Nobody seems to know where the outbreak came from. Scary stuff, but youre sure that doctors will get it under control. After all, this is the 21st century.

An hour passes, then two. Suddenly you notice that the lines for customs are empty. People coming and going seem agitated. Several airport employees rush by, speaking loudly.

Parlez-vous anglais? you ask a woman at a help desk. Youre in French class at school, but youre not ready for a full conversation with a native speaker.

Oui, she answers. I speak English.

Whats going on? you ask.

Its Blood Fever. Theyve found some cases here in Haiti.

Before you can reply, you hear someone calling your name. Its Tara! She rushes over and wraps you up in a giant hug.

So sorry to be late, Tara says. One of my patients took a bad turn. Had to get her stable before I left.

Its not Blood Fever, is it? you ask nervously.

No, no. It couldnt be. Probably just a flu bug.

They say that the virus has spread to Haiti, you tell Tara.

Really? News travels slowly out here, but thats surprising. We knew it would spread. But so quickly?

Over Taras shoulder, you see lines at the ticketing booth growing. People are pushing and shoving, trying to move to the front.

Maybe your being here isnt such a good idea, Tara says. We should put you on a flight home.

Your heart sinks. Youve been looking forward to this trip for months.

Youre staying, right? you ask.

Of course. If theres an outbreak, theyll need all the help they can get.

Going home would probably be the wise decision. But you cant bear the thought of turning around and getting right back on a plane.

If youre staying, Im staying, you tell Tara, tossing your backpack over your shoulder.

All right then, she says. Lets get going. Weve got a two-hour drive ahead of us.

You climb into Taras small rental car. You leave the sprawling terraces of Port au Prince behind and trace the coast along the highway. Soon you turn north onto a small dirt road, rumbling up steep terrain to a little village.

Thats where were working, Tara says, pointing to a small group of tents. We live in a small barracks on the other side of the village. Mainly we kids against diseasesmeasles, whooping cough, the usual suspects. But we also help with locals who need care.

Tara parks the car and leads you through the village. The homes are run-down, and animals roam through the streets. But the people are warm. They greet you as you pass by, offering smiles and waves.

Here we are, she says, gesturing you into the crude field hospital theyve set up. Ill get you settled into your barrack in a moment. Just want to check on Maria first. Shes the patient I was seeing earlier.

Several people lie on cots. One has a broken arm. Another is bent over with a rattling cough. Maria is in the back, separated from the rest with plastic sheets. You watch from outside as Tara steps in and slips on gloves and a mask. Maria is a young woman, maybe 25 years old. Her skin is pale and waxy, and she seems barely conscious. Tara rests her hand on Marias forehead and frowns.

Shes burning up, Tara tells Jim, one of the other medical students.

I know, he says. We cant seem to control the fever. And it gets worse. Jim lifts the sheet and points to a bright red rash of tiny blood blisters covering Marias chest and shoulders.

Tara flinches. How it cant be here already.

Jim shakes his head. I dont get it either. But theres no doubt. Blood Fever is here, and were not ready for it. No one is.

Tara spends several more minutes talking with Jim. Then she peels off her gloves and mask and joins you outside. Look, she says. Im not sure having you here is a great idea. I didnt know the virus would be here so soon. Maybe its best if you keep your distance.

Please, you beg. I want to help. Its why I came!

Tara sighs. Shes never been able to say no to you. Okay, look. If you come back to the hospital with me, you wear gloves and a mask at all times. And no direct contact with patients. Or I have another way you can help. Jim has been studying the local herbs here. You could go out and collect some that have immune-boosting properties. They might just give us an edge against this virus.

I want to see you in action, you tell Tara.

Tara grins. Okay, then, she says, handing you a surgical mask. First thing, any time youre even near the hospital, wear this mask. The virus is super .

After a quick tour of the hospital, Tara puts you to work. Its not quite what you imagined. Instead of drawing blood or taking temperatures, youre fetching food and water, cleaning bedsheets, and setting up cots.

The cases start as a trickle. But soon they come more rapidly. After two days you have six cases. After three, the number swells to 17. Maria drifts in and out of consciousness. She doesnt seem to be improving.