The Most Dangerous...Bug
Author's Note- Good old CNBC gave me this idea during their program on the Body Snatchers or some bug show like that. Enjoy, and beware!
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"Jesus Christ!"
"What?"
"Look at the size of that mosquito!"
J.C. rolled his eyes as Justin studied the Texas-native mosquito. They were down in Texas for two days, having a concert and other publicity stunts. It was hot, sunny, and buggy.
"God damn, I think it's breaking through the windows!"
"Quick! Board up the window!"
"Are those teeth?"
Lance looked at J.C. and then they looked at the other three. "You guys are crazy," Lance laughed.
"Who's up for a game of basketball?" J.C. asked, getting up.
Justin, Joey and Chris were gathered around the window, watching the golf-ball-sized mosquito buzz hungrily outside. "I think it's watching us," Joey whispered as he stared at the bug.
"Hear that?" Chris said. "It's saying, 'I want to suck your blood!'"
Justin laughed as Joey replied, "Probably is."
"Okay, I'm leaving," J.C. said, heading for the door.
"No, don't!" Justin yelled.
"You'll get eaten alive!" Joey exclaimed.
"Guys, one bug isn't going to kill me," J.C. replied.
"One big bug could," Chris mumbled.
"Well I'm going. There's bug repellent around here somewhere. Find it then join me."
"Well why didn't you say so?" Justin smiled, getting up.
"Baby," J.C. muttered as he went outside.
The mosquito finally gave up getting through the glass and flew away. The three got and searched for the bug repellent for a few minutes before Joey found it. They each misted themselves with it, then turned to follow J.C. Lance joined them, and soon Busta was the bus's only occupant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You can't do that!" Justin yelled.
"Yes I can, I'm older than you," Chris replied, smiling.
"Guys, was that fair?" Justin whined, rubbing his recently tickled ribs.
"No, but it was pretty funny," Lance said.
"And original," Joey added. "You don’t see the pro's tickling each other to gain possession."
"My point exactly," Justin said.
"Justin, the only point you have is the one on your head," Chris teased, dribbling past his friend.
"Don't tease me!" Justin yelled, knocking the ball out of Chris's hands.
"I'm sorry," Chris laughed, jogging to the edge of the court to get the ball. The others got a drink as they waited for Chris. They were all sweating hard, but it felt good to play.
Chris bent down to get the ball and froze. An inch behind the ball sat a poised, five-inch long, black scorpion.
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"Um, guys?" Chris called weakly. The scorpion made itself taller by raising it's venomous tail in preparation to strike. It made a sort of hissing noise and Chris was frozen, afraid to move. The scorpion could easily plunge it's tail into his hand if it pleased.
"That's called a basket ball," Justin teased. "You can touch it. It won’t bite."
"No, but I think that scorpion will," Chris replied. His hand was frozen in midair, reaching for the ball.
"What?" The others came over to him and saw the scorpion.
"Okay, don’t move," J.C. said, trying to think of something to do.
"Didn't plan on it," Chris replied.
"Joey, get me your water bottle," J.C. said.
Joey slowly backed up and retrieved the squirt bottle, then handed it to J.C.
As J.C. took the cap off, Chris suddenly felt a sharp sting on the back of his neck. He flinched and pulled his hand back, causing the scorpion to plunge it's venom-filled tail into the basketball, missing Chris's hand by less than a centimeter. Chris slapped the back of his neck and looked at his hand as he stood up. He saw some blood on his hand, along with some tiny legs and a wing. "Damn mosquito," he mumbled, felling his neck begin to itch already.
Joey picked up the basketball, along with the struggling scorpion. It's tail was lodged in the ball's thick rubber, and it dangled by it's tail. "That would have hurt," Joey said, showing Chris.
The scorpion hissed and thrashed as it dangled from the ball. It opened and closed its pinchers, grabbing at the air.
"What do we do with it?" Lance asked.
"Kill it," Justin said.
"We can't kill it," J.C. said. "It's not ours to kill."
"It's a scorpion. It doesn't belong to anyone," Joey said.
"I know. We'll just let it go somewhere else."
"If I see it again, it's going to have a painful meeting with my shoe," Chris said, getting a drink.
J.C. took the ball and went off about 40 feet before shaking the ball and dodging the falling scorpion. Then the scorpion headed off into the tall grass.
"That's that," J.C. announced, rejoining the others. He bounced the ball to Chris and said, "I believe it's your ball."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've reached this conclusion," Chris stated.
"Here we go," Lance mumbled.
"Texas sucks." (Sorry Texas lovers! Chris said it, not me!)
"Why?" Joey asked, combing his bright red hair.
Chris put on his Fubu jersey and replied, "Because it's too hot and too dry and there's too many bugs."
"That hot air is all coming from your mouth," Justin teased, ducking a thrown pair of jeans.
"Well put up with it until the end of this concert," J.C. said, checking himself in the mirror.
They remained silent for a few moments, adding the finishing touches as they prepared for the concert. "God, it's hot in here," Chris sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"The air conditioning is on," J.C. said, combing his hair.
Chris scratched his itchy neck, feeling the mosquito bite become agitated again. He didn't feel right, kind of tired and sweaty. But he shrugged it off; realizing it was because of their basket ball game earlier. 'I must be getting out of shape,' he thought.
"You guys ready?" Lance asked, waiting by the door.
"Yeah," Joey replied, as the others followed.
"Wait!" Justin yelled. "We forgot to play!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a quick game of Hackey sack, the guys went on stage and had an excellent performance. Everything went perfectly, which for Chris, was hard work. His energy was drained, and even though he was sweating buckets, he felt cold. He managed to keep up though, not wanting to let the others down.
But he was relieved when it was over, and the guys ran back to the dressing room to change and unwind. Chris flopped down on the couch with Lance while the others got changed.
"We've been doing this for how long, and I still love it," Lance said to the others.
"I know. Seeing all those girls happy because we're doing what we love," J.C. agreed. "It's the best."
Chris grabbed a sweatshirt from on the back of the sofa and covered up with it. "What are you doing?" Lance asked. "Before you were dying of heat."
"I don’t' feel good," Chris admitted. "I'm cold now."
The others glanced at each other. It was unusual for Chris to admit he didn't feel good, and they were worried.
"Feel bad how?" Justin asked.
"Cold, tired…" Chris started to close his eyes. Although he was dog-tired, his heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest. Even as he sat there, he felt dizzy.
"Should we get his somewhere?" Joey asked as they studied their friend.
"We don’t' know what's wrong with him," Lance replied.
"That's all the more reason," J.C. said, throwing on a shirt.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Once they got Chris to his feet, they helped him to the car. If he moved too fast, things grew black. He never lost conciseness, although he looked like he could any second. He was pale and clammy, and even beginning to tremble.
They rushed to the nearest hospital where Chris was taken away by some doctors. Confused, the others waited in the waiting room. None of them could figure out what happened, but from the jerking and trembled from Chris's fever, they figured it couldn't be good.
There they waited for a good half-hour until a doctor finally came to talk to them. "What happened?" Justin asked first.
"Well, it seems your friend has contracted Malaria," the doctor stated.
"Malaria, I know that one…isn't it from ticks or something?" Lance asked.
"Mosquito, most likely," the doctor explained. "It's when a parasite enters the blood stream through the mosquito bite. The parasite borrows in the red blood cells to escape the white blood cells that are sent to destroy it. But by going in the red blood cells, the parasite is able to feed and multiplies, until the red blood cell bursts with hundreds more parasites. This onslaught is too much for the immune system, and it work over time." The doctor paused, making sure they were still with him. "Now there's four kinds of Malaria, and your friend happens to have the worst. The white blood cells become sticky, and they block the small blood vessels to the brain. We have him stabilized, but the next few hours will be critical."
"Wow," J.C. said.
"Um, okay," Justin added.
"But he will be okay, right?" Joey asked.
"Most likely, yes," the doctor replied. "But, now we possibly have a Malaria outbreak in the area."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And I'm guessing that's bad," Joey sighed. Nothing was ever simple with Chris.
"If we do, then, yes, it's very bad," the doctor said.
"Can we see him now?" Lance asked.
"Yes, go ahead," the doctor said, moving aside so they could get through.
They moved past him and into Chris's room. He lay in the hospital bed, tossing and turning in his sleep. He was still sweating, but the color had returned to his face and he seemed to be improving. The doctor followed them, checking the IV bag that ran to a vein in Chris's arm.
"Is he supposed to be that restless?" J.C. asked.
"It's fairly common," the doctor replied. "Everything is working overtime, and his muscles are just burning energy."
They watched him a little more, and then Chris woke up and looked around. "Hey buddy," Joey said, smiling.
"What happened?" Chris asked, blinking his dilated eyes.
"Been bit by any mosquitoes today?" Justin asked.
Chris looked at them blankly. "Seriously? Yeah, when we were playing basket ball."
"You've contracted Malaria," the doctor said, then explained everything to Chris.
"An outbreak? Damn…wait a minute, I killed it though! I smashed it. It bit me on my neck. See what long hair does for ya? I never got bit there before my haircut." Chris smiled, despite his predicament.
"You killed it? Are you sure?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah, I saw it's little legs and wings and everything."
"Well then we're in no more trouble. If any one else has it, they would have been in here by now," the doctor sighed.
"Cool," Justin smiled. "I guess Chris saved the day."
Chris looked at the others. "Damn mosquitoes. I hate Texas."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finnis!
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Email: jaysmyrascal@cs.com