[ WP ] The cooties have mutated to become lethal . Physical contact with the opposite sex is considered worse than even Ebola .

Day 134: Those who spent more than a week in the Opposite's company immediately before quarantine are dying like flies. The Long-Terms and Marrieds had their own section of quarantine, but it was only a matter of time before death took hold of them. The Overseers were expecting it sooner, but I do n't think that matters now. 
 
 It all happened so quickly. First it was the news reports, people had red eyes and severe chest pain. Then there was the health warnings, to stay away from the workplace for fear of a contagion that had morphed into symptoms like swelling and bleeding from the ears and nose. Suddenly, people in hazmat suits were patrolling streets, entering homes and pulling people away from the Opposites. We became numbers, `` us versus them'' and in quarantine, mere mention of Opposites had you landed in isolation. It did n't take long to change the language syntax. Men became `` Opposites'' in a matter of weeks, relationship status began to define survival. 
 
 134 days ago, I was bemoaning my solitude. Now, I am watching women die from the touch of their lovers. I'm not feeling horrible, I think my symptoms are mental rather than physical. I simply hope that the rapid mutation of this disease is n't enough to spark something from my last male contact. I would hope after three years, the contagion that has been affectionately named `` cooties'' would be unable to spark something in me.
