[ WP ] In another universe , an apple a day actually keeps the doctors away . One day , you forget to eat your daily apple .

& nbsp; & nbsp; *Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, * shit! 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; *OK, OK, do n't panic. You forgot your apple, yeah, I know, and yeah, I'm a dumbass, I know, but it's gon na be* OK. *I mean, shit, it was just one apple, and it was just one day. How are they gon na know? * 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; *Oh, fuck.....what's that? * 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; They came by twilight, cresting the hill, silhouetted by the sun. Lurching and shambling, the doctors converged on the house at the end of the cul-de-dac. Looking out through the windows, she saw her neighbors close their windows and draw their curtains against the sights and sounds they knew were coming. One, a guy she's been on bad terms with ever since her cat killed his backyard squirrel, smiled as he held up an apple core before closing his curtains against her. 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; *Bastard. * 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; Quickly she ran to lock the doors; already she could hear the first of them bump against the back, calling, `` *Meeeeedddssss.... You need to taaaaake your meeeeeddddsssss... *'' 
 & nbsp; & nbsp;'' *Leeeeeettt'ssss taaaaalllk* nutritioooon,'' moaned another. 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; She ran to the kitchen and quickly took stock of what she had. She was fine on antibiotics and her first-aid kit was fully stocked. Her multivitamins were low, though. Shit, how did that happen? 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; No time to wonder. Sweeping everything she had into a bag, she ran back into the living room towards the stairs. One of the doctors smashed the window as she ran by and attempted to hook her with a blood-pressure cuff. Dodging the physician's flailing hand, she dove and rolled under the stethoscope of another, and - jumping to her feet - ran up the stairs to her bedroom. She slammed the door, locked it, and dragged the heavy oak dresser in front of it as the first of the medics tripped on the stairs. 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; *One. Little. Apple! * 
 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; Her own fault. How many times had she heard it since kindergarten - `` an apple a day keeps the doctor away''? No time. Open the window. Check... yes, the main trunk of the tree was just within range. She could n't jump from the window, but she figured she could *just* make it if she rolled and swung over to it. She did n't have a lot of time. Already, she could hear them banging on the door, asking how she felt and if she would cough for them as they listened to her lungs. No, no time at all. 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; She adjusted the bag over her shoulder, and prepared to swing. She had what she had until morning; the lack of multivitamins hurt but there was n't much she could do about it. She had only to last until morning when she could hit the store and buy another bag of apples. 
 & nbsp; & nbsp; Swinging her leg over the sill, she prepared to jump.
