There was a drip isolated in such a way that it drove me insane with an infuriating madness, and I was ever so desperate to find the wretched sound. There was a sweet smell in the air, almost too sweet, that triggered something within me, something I didn’t like. A primal instinct to search and destroy, to attack with a viciousness so horrific and gruesome that even the most strong willed person couldn’t help but writhe in pain at the sight. I wanted to find the source of both. No, I needed to, and I did. The sound and the smell were one in the same and it was jack as I had feared.
He was bent over the sink bleeding profusely due to his wounds and the fact that he was missing his arm. I could not establish what was more disturbing though, that he was missing his arm, or that I wanted to quench my thirst with his blood. What was wrong with me? I could hear his heart beating. It was faint. As I listened closer I realized it had stopped. Just then, I sprang from where I stood, it was like I was somebody else because no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stop myself from doing the unthinkable. I could not stop this urge. What was I becoming? I didn’t recognize this monster. Jack was my partner, my friend that I worked with. I would never have done this to him, would I?
Was I capable of this monstrosity that was so vile and disturbing but felt so right, almost second nature? Finally it was too hard to fight the urge, and I suddenly blacked out. When I came to, I would have thought it all a dream, but his vest and weapon remained as a reminder that it was not so. In the sudden surge of pain, I screamed knowing the reality and I left. Maybe I could discover what happened here, or maybe I could uncover what I had become. What ever the case, the only way to know would be to find out.
As I left the room, I discovered I had come into a room below the basement. There was strange lab equipment and machinery making strange noises inciting a rage of emotion. Not a moment later one of the machines opened and out came an old man. “My god, is it time already? Surely I must have slept no more than a week. It was set for ten years though. Maybe it malfunctioned. Oh dear, who are you? Why are you here? You must go, before it’s too late!” said the mildly insane man. “I am Michael Yerba of the Panax program. We were sent here to investigate. What happened here?” I stated boldly. “Did you not listen to me? I was in a cryo-stasis set for ten years. The only reason I would have been released is if there was a sudden outbreak, and, for the sake of humanity, we had better hope there wasn’t.” He said franticly.
“Sir, I believe there was an outbreak. My partner is dead, and something is happening to me. What kind of experiments were you conducting down here? It is extremely important that I know what was going on and why my employers were investigating you.” I replied. “There’s no reason in hiding it, they’ve gotten lose. I was working on splicing humans with mythical creatures for Panax. It was going to be a super soldier program for the military. Things got way out of hand, and I went into cryo-stasis as a means of running away.” He said.
“So you’re telling me, that there are monsters out there? You moron! If I didn’t need you, I would kill you here and now. How do I eliminate them?” I said angrily. “Oh no, that is not thinkable. If you get too close, there might attack you. One bite, one drop of their blood, and you become one of them. Unless….” He broke off mid sentence and ran to a piece of equipment. “Give me a drop of your blood. You said something happened to you. What exactly?” he said with a very curious look his face. “I’m not sure. Maybe I was attacked. I’ve got this burning sensation on my left arm, but there is no blood.” I replied as I rolled up my left sleeve and revealed a bite mark with a black border that looked infected. “This is remarkable! It’s possible that your DNA has bonded with theirs in such a way that you can gain their enhancement without the weakness. We need to examine this.”