Lawrence Wright Saw a Pandemic Coming

The epidemic begins in a teeming country in Asia, but despite the efforts of the government to contain it, it soon spreads throughout the world. Some victims experience an uncontrolled immune response called a cytokine storm, causing them to drown in their own fluids. In America, schools close as citizens shelter at home. Grocery store shelves empty, and the United States is plunged into the worst depression since the 1930s.