[Salon, France]

The smell of burning flesh permeates throughout the town, thick fog hiding the roads ahead, men with strange masks walking through seas of men, tending to their needs. Men and women were dying, their skin blackened, blistered as it dripped blood.

A middle aged man was commanding a group of men, telling them to bring the dead to a field, separating it from the ones who are still alive.

“Bring the dead to the square and burn the bodies,” he said. “Don’t forget to clean your garments after it.”

The men just nodded, and hurried, picking the dead bodies that littered the roads one by one, before burning it.

The man just sighed, looking at the horrible sight in front of him. He walked towards a room, his office, and sat down. He took off his mask, and wiped his sweat off from his forehead.

Suddenly, another man entered the place, he looked young, but the doctor could feel this.. wise aura from him, he could tell, he knew this mystical stuff since he was a kid.

“Can I help you, Monsieur?” said the man to the young.

“Yes actually.” said the man, he has a British accent, but the doctor could tell he was fluent in French, maybe other languages. “Michel de Nostradame.. right?”

“Nostradamus.” corrected the doctor calmly. “Michel de Nostradamus.”

“Right.. Monsieur, I was wondering if me and my wife could volunteer in this outbreak.. we are outsiders.. but I hope we could help somehow..”

Nostradamus flinched as he heard the word ‘wife’, “Your wife?”

“Err.. yes, she’s outside.. she’s already helping, is that alright?”

“Look,” said Nostradamus sternly. “The plague is more dangerous than you think, Monsieur, I advise you to bring your wife out of this town before you lose her..”

The man smiled sadly at him. “Forgive me if I bring bad memories Monsieur Nostradame.. but.. we’ve decided, she can’t be stopped.”

Nostradamus sighed. “It’s Nostradamus.. and fine, I’ll allow it.” Nostradamus stood up, and looked at the man. “I’ll bring you to the warehouse, we need to give you some proper garments to deal with the plague, else you will be infected yourself.”

The man just nodded, and he followed Nostradamus outside. “Fetch your wife, we’ll give her garments too.”

The man nodded once again, and walked away from him, before coming back with his wife. She was probably the most beautiful woman that he ever saw, but he also felt that if he did anything, he'd lose his head instantly.

So Nostradamus just gulped, and guided the couple to the warehouse, just outside the hospital.

“Ah, right, name?” questioned Nostradamus.

“Selwyn,” said the man. “Thomas Selywn. And this is my wife, Millicent.”

Nostradamus frowned. “English?”

“Is that a problem?” questioned Thomas. “We lived in London for a while, but we are not English.”

“Where are you from then?”

“We’re Greeks.” answered Thomas. “The name is the one we used in London.”

“Whoa, a long way from home, friend.” said Nostradamus in surprise as he opened the warehouse door. “Why is that?”

“We just wanted to see the world.” answered the wife. “Only one life, might as well use it.”

Nostradamus hummed as he opened a cabinet. “I wish I could be like the two of you.. but alas, I’m getting older, and gout started to consume me.” chuckled Nostradamus. He then took two medical garments, and gave it to the couple. “Here, this should fit.”

The couple nodded, and accepted the garments. “Thank you for letting us help.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” grumbled Nostradamus. “This job only brings suffering.. I’m thinking of retiring after this..”

“Well, what will you do when you retire?”

Nostradamus just thought for a while, and said. “Maybe writing..”

The three then exited the warehouse, before walking back to the hospital. “What kind of writing?” questioned Thomas.

“My family delved into Astrology.” answered Nostradamus. “So perhaps I will write about that.”

“Astrology? Like the stars?”

“We can see many things from the stars.” commented Nostadamus. “For example, the future.”

“Really?” Thomas raised his eyebrows. “The future?”

Nostradamus sighed. “What am I saying.. forget about it.”

“No, no, no, I’m intrigued, tell us more.” continued Thomas, smiling at Nostradamus.

Now, Nostradamus was the one who raised his eyebrows. “I said just forget it. We have work to do.”

As they continued towards the hospital, Nostradamus suddenly groaned in pain and he almost fell to the ground, before Thomas grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Are you alright, Monsieur?” questioned Thomas.

“I’m fine,” said Nostradamus weakly. “It’s just gout.”

“Gout?” Thomas frowned. “And you’re still working?”

“Well, as I said, not for long.” shrugged Nostradamus. “It’s nothing really, it just makes movement really difficult, but I am just a plague doctor, I don’t need to move much.”

“Well, I think you should retire early.” suggested Millicent. “A gout may develop into something more if you push yourself.”

“You know about medicine?”

“Well, we volunteered after all.” she answers. “It’s not like we just wanted to carry things for you.”

Nostradamus sighed. “You’re right, but the plague is still rampant in my home, I at least need to help them..”

“You’re killing yourself, friend.”

Nostradamus smiled as he stood up. “Perhaps, but I just can’t see people die helplessly because of this plague.. I don’t want to see someone’s kids or wives dead because of this, while I could help them.”

He then walked back to the hospital, leaving the two to tend to the others, while the two looked at Nostradamus, a bit surprised by his words.