The kids were immune.
The adults were not.
He noticed something was wrong when his mom and dad suddenly disappeared and everyone over the age of eighteen was forced out of the state. He woke up that morning and ate some eggs, right beside his nineteen year old brother.
His brother had looked over, nudged him in the ribs and told him to pass the ketchup. He smiled and then time seemed to freeze. In that moment Elias Matthew Shephard's life completely did a flip, as did the lives of every other kid living in the state of Texas at that exact moment.
In the very instant, Eli was violently thrown to the slick, tile floor, while his brother was whisked away faster than he could process. He sat up, his teeth rattling in his head from the impact of bone on marble.
He saw dark things on the floor and registered that it was probably blood. His eyes were shaking, and he wasn't able to walk in a straight line once he stood up. When he closed his eyes, white sparks flashed painfully. One word stuck with him through the chaos.
Concussion.
In his state of confusion, he didn't remember exactly what a concussion was, but he did remember that they were bad. He stumbled down his narrow hallway to his room, falling heavily onto his bed.
Eli fell asleep with terror on his mind.
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