In the opening of Victor Methos' "Plague," the story unfolds with a seemingly innocuous event: a simple cough. This cough serves as the catalyst for a series of events that will reveal the fragility of life and the profound consequences of disease. It hints at an impending crisis that threatens to engulf humanity, paralleling the concept of the Earth as a living being under siege from harmful forces.
The quote by Gore Vidal underscores the stakes of this narrative, comparing the Earth to an organism that faces an aggressive attack from rapidly multiplying bacteria. This metaphor suggests that the survival of the planet, much like that of any host, is at risk, prompting a dire need for action against both the diseases and the behaviors that instigate them. The tension established in this chapter sets the tone for exploring larger themes of survival and the consequences of humanity's actions on the world.