OUTBREAK; The Final Hour

Introduction

June 21st, 1996

It was graduation day, and the group was getting ready. The school year had been long, they had gone through many struggles. Everyone was excited, graduating would be a fresh start; a new chance to do whatever you want. A new chance at life.
"Can you help me with my uhh.. Thingy-ma-jiggy?" Soni spoke, Laine and the others looked at him with a confused expression.
"Your...What...?" Laine asked.
"You know? My grad gown?" Soni gestured to the gown he had in his hands, seeing as the others already had theirs on. A collected 'ohhh' filled the room as they realized what he meant.
"I thought they were just called 'grad gowns.'" Ruth laughed. Soni couldn't help but smile at her, they had all been looking forward to graduation day -- they all had very different paths for the future.
"I'll help you." Sera said, putting her hands out, gesturing for the gown. Soni placed it in her hands and she started to unfold it.
"Sooo...What are you guys thinking about doing after highschool?" Soni asked with a big smile. The group paused for a moment, pondering their futures, Seraphine was the first to speak.   
"I want to go to college to be a scientist, I want to study diseases and make cures. I mean, I've been choosing courses that would push me towards that path and you guys know I've always been good at chemistry," Seraphines smile radiated with determination. She continued on with her rant, "I just want to make a difference in the world, impact it in a way where we don't have to live in fear. Unknowing the moment we could just suddenly catch an incurable virus... but I want to be that person to ensure that every virus has an antidote."
    "Wow...Monologue." Laine clapped slowly. Seraphine glared at Laine from the side and kicked her in the shin.
    "OW, JESUS CHRIST" Laine stumbled back,
    "Oh, don't be a baby," she said, helping Soni put on his gown.
    "WHAT?! You have heels on!" Laine raised her voice.
Ruth looked at the time, it felt like the graduation set up was taking forever. The school had told them to come at least 30 minutes early though not a lot of students were there.
As Sera finishes helping Soni, he goes and turns to the mirror.
    "Well, I want to go to the military."
Laines' eyes widened, "You? The military??" She laughed
    "What's wrong with that?" he asked, turning around to face her.
    "Come on... You couldn't hurt a fly."
    "Oh whatever.." Soni mumbled, "Who says I'm working in that field anyways?" He crossed his arms,
"Well what field are you going in?" The room was silent for a moment as Laine waited for Soni's reply.
"Army." he spoke, Laine raised a brow. "Okay you got me there," regardless of what any of the group said. He was still going to join the military.
    "Come on guys, we have to go!" Ruth said with a smile, she was clearly ecstatic. Exiting through the door, they proceeded to make their way towards the main hallway of the school, their footsteps echoing in the empty corridor. Ruth let out a sigh,
"High school was rough..I'm so glad it's over." she spoke with a sense of relief.
Upon reaching the auditorium, they swung open the doors to find a bustling scene. Every seat was occupied, and some people resorted to sitting on the floor. Just a few minutes it was like flies in a wallet. The air was filled with an overlap of voices, blending together. It was difficult to make out any individual conversation among the clamor.
Determined to find a place to sit, the group looked through the crowd and luckily stumbled upon a few empty seats towards the back. As the group settled into their seats, one of the assistant principals approached the microphone, tapping the microphone to try and capture the attention of the restless audience. With an enthusiastic tone, she greeted the students.
"Goood morning Silverpine High School!!" She smiled, you could almost tell it was fake. The auditorium gradually quieted down. Although occasional whispers could still be heard, allowing the assistant principal's words to be heard clearly.
"I'm sure you all are eager to walk across the stage, and finally get out of here." she laughed, the audience roared with agreement. Slowly dying down when she gestured her hand to lower the volume. The assistant principal cleared her throat.
"I wanted to take a moment to appreciate all of you. You all have worked so hard to get up to this moment. This is a big milestone for you all I'm sure!" she smiled, the room remained silent.
"I am proud of every one of you guys for getting this far. There are times where you want to give up, to say 'oh what the hell!' and throw these opportunities out the window!" she paused, "But you didn't" she smiled.
"This is surprisingly sweet," Laine whispered to soni, who was oddly intrigued with the speech. Soni remained silent and just nodded in agreement.
"You are here because you worked hard to get here, you will walk on that stage because you deserve to walk on that stage! You all should be proud of what you've accomplished and what you will accomplish in the future. And I'm glad to have been here to see you all grow into those roles."
She ended her speech there and the audience cheered, she had hyped them up. As if they weren't already excited about it in the first place. In a way it made most people feel less nervous about walking across that stage. The assistant principal turned to the principal beside and handed it to her, she quieted down the excited audience.
"We are about to call names, are you ready?"
The audience roared yet again.
"For the first person walking the stage we have..."