Died like flies
Preston writes about life in the red zone (a quarantine area for those infected with the Ebola virus.) He tells us about the high death rates, using a simile to describe how they "died like flies." This comparison alludes to the fact that many people died in a short space of time.
True Monster
Preston uses a metaphor to describe the Ebola virus as being a "true monster." This is because it "exploits the best parts of human nature," such as human contact and affection.
Zombie metaphor
In the following metaphor, Preston states that viruses are "the undead of the living world, the zombies of deep time." He says this because nobody knows where they came from and why they exist. In this respect, they are quite mysterious and frightening.
Monster simile
In order to deal with the virus, people had to isolate and distance themselves from others. Preston describes this as being a suppression of their "deepest feelings and instincts." In doing so, humans had to "become like monsters," a simile that describes how difficult quarantining was.
Plague house simile
Describing the red zone, Preston uses a simile to compare it to a "fourteenth-century plague house." This is because the red zone was inhabited by infected people, who were separated from the general population due to their contagiousness.
