Fan Fic: Dark Side of Today - Part 1 (WOWP) (Jalex)
Title: Dark Side of Today
Fandom: Wizards of Waverly Place
Pairings: A little Justin/Alex, references to Zeke/Harper, hints of T.J./Gigi
Characters: Justin, Alex, Max, Harper, Zeke, T.J., Gigi, Mr. Laritate
Rating: PG-13 (Teen?)
Warnings: Violence, horror, some language, incest, character death, various liberties taken with New York geography (lol, don't kill me!)
Word Count: 26,000+
Summary: A deadly virus outbreak decimates the Wizard World and sweeps through the mortal world, killing those with magic and turning mortals into monsters. Justin and Alex will need to find strength in each other if they and their small band of friends are to survive. “The world might be ending, but all I need is you.”
Part 1 - Outbreak
It is cold and raining when Justin first reads about the virus in The Wizard Times. As his eyes scan the paper, he listens to the sounds of his family around him in the living room and kitchen.
“Hey, have you guys heard about this virus going around in the Wizard World?” he asks.
No one answers, and he cranes his neck over his shoulder to see Max has his head stuck in his sweater, and Jerry is stealing strips of bacon as Theresa finishes cooking them. Justin sighs and goes back to reading.
Alex startles him by asking, “Is it like the bird flu or something?”
He looks at her where she is sitting beside him on the couch and lazily flipping through a fashion magazine. She doesn't appear to be paying attention to him until she lifts up her brown eyes to stare at him.
She cocks one brow. “Well?”
“I don't know,” he finally says with his focus back on the paper. “The article only mentions that a dozen or so wizards were admitted to the hospital with what looks like the same virus. They haven't determined the source, but they're warning everyone to be careful.”
“What does that mean?” Harper asks from the chair beside him as she puts aside the dress she was embroidering.
“Oh, who cares, I'm starving.” Alex flings the magazine in Justin's lap as she climbs over the back of the couch and nearly decapitates him with her foot.
Justin takes one last look at the article before he joins Alex at the kitchen table where he fails at keeping her from stealing his waffles. After that, school is the same as usual. Then it's the wizard lesson, his shift in the Sub Station, dinner, homework, and sleep. It is the same old routine for a week.
Then The Wizard Times reports the first deaths.
“The virus appears to be spread through physical contact or airborne pathogens. Nothing has been proven so far, but it looks to be limited to magical creatures. It is likely at this point that magic is the source of the strange virus.” Justin finishes reading aloud, and he rubs his face, wondering if anyone is listening to him this time.
“Is it like what happened with Uncle Kelbo and Max?” Jerry asks around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.
“It can't be an infected spell if it's spreading like this.”
“So, wait, what's happening? It's a flu but not?” Max asks.
“I know, this is weird,” Harper adds. “I thought wizards didn't get sick like normal people.”
“Not usually,” Jerry answers.
“Maybe it would be better if you guys stayed away from any other wizards for a while. I don't want any of you getting sick,” Theresa says, spooning eggs onto her own plate.
Everyone agrees and seems to forget about it. Alex briefly looks worried before she smirks and starts telling Harper about her latest art project. But Justin feels sick. There hasn't been an outbreak in the Wizard World like this for hundreds of years. It can't mean anything good.
-/-/-
Two weeks after the original reports, there are more victims, more deaths. It seems the Wizard World is finally taking the virus seriously.
Justin reads from a new article quoting a wizard doctor.
“As the cause of the virus is still unknown, it is suggested that all wizards and magical creatures take great care. The virus thrives on magic, and it drains the infected until there is no magic left in their bodies. Death is the imminent result.” Justin swallows his fear as he folds the paper and looks at everyone gathered around the table.
“This is worse than I expected,” Jerry says. He blankly stares at his French toast.
“Yeah,” Justin agrees.
“What can we do?” Theresa asks.
“There's nothing to do,” Jerry answers. “As long as the kids don't come into contact with infected wizards, they'll be okay.”
His answer seems acceptable for the moment. Jerry borrows Justin's wand to call Uncle Kelbo. Then he calls Aunt Megan in case she hasn't heard the news.
Justin goes up to his room and tries to read a book to take his mind off things, but he ends up reading the same paragraph over and over again. Alex startles him by walking in and plopping down beside him on the bed. She rests her head on his pillow, looking at the book held on his chest.
“What gibberish are you reading now? Where are all the pictures?”
He laughs and closes the book, setting it on his bedside table. “Nothing interesting right now.”
“At least you're admitting it.” She doesn't say anything else after that, so Justin tilts his head toward her.
“Did you want something?” he asks.
“Eh, I was just wondering how bad you think this virus is.”
“Oh. Well, nothing like this has happened for centuries, but-”
“How do you know that?” she interrupts.
Justin chuckles. “You really should pay attention to the wizard lessons. Anyway, I'm sure it's being dealt with as we speak. It should be under control soon.”
Alex sits up. She wants to believe him, so she smiles. “Okay.”
-/-/-
After that, the influx of wizards and magical creatures starts. They all come to the mortal world, hoping for safety from something they can't even see. It is only a matter of days before the first reports surface in hospitals in major cities across the country. But by that time, the Wizard World has had the worst of the outbreak. There is no one to run the wizard hospitals or even Wiz Tech, and it seems like everyone is sick, dying, or dead.
As a last effort of containment, the Wizard Council turns off magic. At first, Justin thinks this could be good. The virus won't be able to spread if no one can use magic. But that is the last word heard from the Wizard World. The Russo's portal in the lair stops working, opening into the wall. There is nothing on the other side. No one is there.
Jerry tries to call Uncle Kelbo again, but of course the wands don't work, and Kelbo's never been one to carry a cell phone like average people. Aunt Megan hasn't heard from him, but she also hasn't left her studio loft in Texas in a week.
“Maybe Uncle Kelbo will come here?” Max suggests.
“I'm sure he'll do that, sweetie,” Theresa says.
Alex sits at the kitchen counter, leaning her chin in her hands. “I wonder if everyone else is all right?”
“Like who?” Justin asks.
“I don't know. Professor Crumbs? Anyone.”
Justin doesn't know how to respond. He keeps going back to the same thought. “When everything gets straightened out, it will all go back to normal. Any day now.”
“Think so?”
He gives her shoulder a comforting squeeze. In the pit of his stomach, he doesn't think so. Not this time.
Magic is dead. And the virus is still spreading.
>>>Part 2 - Quarantine