Velveteen

Everyone was sick in those days, sick and dying. Even me. Especially me. Long Island is in the first throes of a deadly outbreak, but for six-year-old Cassie Stemple, the sum and focus of her entire world is her family, which has been recently shattered by the tragic loss of her baby brother. As her parents struggle to protect Cassie from the terrifying disease swiftly overtaking them, they fail to recognize the infection already killing them from within.
After Cassie's beloved pet rabbit suddenly dies and her health begins to fail, her parents make one last desperate attempt to escape the island. But Cassie refuses to leave her rabbit behind. She knows she can still save him; she just needs more time. A long, long time. Because that's how nursery magic works. A part of the dystopic world of S. W. Tanpepper's GAMELAND series, Velveteen is nonetheless a standalone novelette.
Approximately 14, 000 words (total work count ~17, 500 words, including excerpts from past and upcoming titles). For readers age 14 and older.