Mytoes are numb. My hands have no feeling at all; but my wrists hurt as if broken. My arms hurt worst of all, myligaments and tendons burning, as if t...e bones themselves have been split and my shoulders pulled apart. Mychin rests on my chest, my eyes are open but sightless in the dark. Apart from my slow, shuddered breaths andthe laboured thud of my heart, I do not move at all, hanging motionless.I am not aware of sleeping, and it can?t really be called sleep; but I do slip into a. Almost at once, I was in extreme pain as a fist landed on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me."Stupid bitch." A heard a growl, it was low and gravely, but sounded like a boy pretending to be a man.A hand reached between my legs, fumbling roughly at my snatch, I exhaled slightly, my body betraying me as this strange hand tried to ignite my inexperienced body. You'd think an Essex girl of 15 years old would be experienced, but no, I was still a virgin. Although I wouldn't bet on that status. While slow to onset, the virus exploits a weakness in the X chromosome to attack the brain, causing the patient's IQ to sink lower and lower over several weeks, finally resulting in a seemingly permanent coma. While everyone on the planet appeared to have contracted the virus, only the women seemed to suffer in any way from the mental degradation, or really suffer at all. Not only that, but it was quickly discovered that women who swallowed semen regularly were immune from the virus' effects.. He hadbeen a coal miner, after all, and the black was coal dust. When thepolice came and shooed away the gawpers from the corpse, I went backupstairs. My Dad was watching football on a small television. It was 3o'clock on a Saturday afternoon. "What's all the commotion?" he asked.I knew he wouldn't rush out to see for himself, as he hobbled with hismissing foot that he'd lost in an industrial accident.Frances was taken into local authority care, and went to a differentschool, and I didn't see.