SEED

Chapter 3

"Hey! Is anybody out there?"  I called out as I found myself in a deserted city.

The atmosphere was dim, and red gases moved through the air.  Most of the buildings had been demolished, and it looked like a riot had occurred.  I came across a door slightly opened, and I crept in.  The red gas thickened as I went further into the building.  I heard a voice nearby and hid behind a pillar.  I poked my head out, and what I saw almost made me throw up.

A couple of people? They had assembled in front of a throne, but they were not exactly people.  They looked like zombies with cuts and bruises on their skin.  The man on the throne gave off an ominous aura, which made the zombies look harmless.  He did not have cuts or bruises and spoke like a sane person, but his veins seemed to come out of his skin.  The protruding veins were everywhere, from his eyes to his feet, and they looked dark red. I was scared shitless, which lead to mistakenly kicking an empty can.  The zombie-like people spotted me and were approaching with the intent to kill.

"Aaaaaahhhh!!!" I screamed as I woke up.  "Must have been a dream," I said, panting and looked around; I was in a room. For the first time in my life, I was in a room sleeping on a bed! I stared in awe at the beauty of the room.  It had a television, an air conditioner, and many other things I didn't know about.  There were two tiny halls in the room—one leading to a clean bathroom and the other filled with clothes with a glass sliding door.

The door to the room slid open, and a beautiful blonde lady stepped in.  "Glad to see you are awake."  She acclaimed as she walked toward me.

"Who are you? And where am I?"  I asked, moving back in defense.

"This is Neuron-Tek," she stated. "Neuron-Tek as in N-Tek?" I inquired.

"Yes, my name is Jackie Monroe, the founder of this organization."  "Nice to meet you, Miss, but can you tell me what I am doing here." Even though I spoke rudely, she just smiled and ignored it. 

"Cole Pierce, you are such an interesting young man."  She exclaimed, laughing.  "Follow me." "How the hell did she know my name" I exclaimed in my head and followed her out of the room.

We walked into a room with the name Sector 2 spray-painted on the front door.  The place was almost empty except for the presence of a skinny man in glasses.

"This is Mr. Grayson, my assistant. I'll skip the pleasantries and go straight to the reason you are here".  She declared.

"I believe you already know our main aim.  The Neuron-Hex virus as we know is a deadly virus which is spreading fast".  She began to say.  "When the virus first started, the government sought to eradicate it."  She stated and began to narrate events.

BEREGON CITY (17 YEARS AGO)

At Vicox Laboratory, scientists position themselves as they get ready to test a cure.  "Dr. Kraven, how is the test coming up" Dr. Calvin Pierce inquired as he walked into the room.

"We have managed to produce two samples for a cure.  We've got a test subject and are ready to go on your order".  She stated as Dr. Pierce approached the subject behind a soundproof glass wall.

The door to the lab opened, and a woman in a laboratory coat walked in with a baby in her arms. "Sarah, I thought I told you not to come."  Dr. Pierce exclaimed as he walked up to the woman.  "Oh, come on, honey, I am a part of this team, and I deserve to be here." Sarah Pierce insisted. 

Dr. Calvin Pierce shrugged and turned to the glass wall.  A man in a protective suit stood at the other end with two samples in front of him, looking at the test subject restricted to a chair.

"Dr. Kraven, what information do we have on the virus till now"?  Dr. Pierce asked.  "The name of the virus is Neuron Hex.  It is a virus that spreads throughout the brain cortex of an individual, and contraction is unknown.  We were asked to find a cure for it and have come with two samples, Tibectium A and Tibectium B". Dr. Kraven reported.

"Alright, start the test."  Dr. Pierce commanded and the man in the protective suit injected the test subject with Sample A.

The test subject stopped shaking as the drug was administered, and it looked like it was a success. The man in the suit almost lifted his hand to give the thumbs up, and then it occurred.  The test subject broke out of the chair and attacked him.  His veins began to pop out of his skin, and he broke through the glass wall.  "Sarah, the baby ..." Dr. Pierce said and was stabbed behind the back.  The whole room was thrown into chaos as the test subject began to kill the scientists. Sarah Pierce ran into the test site and grabbed the second sample.  She quickly returned and injected her baby boy with it.  She picked up the baby, but before she could escape, she was struck dead. The test subject starred at the baby with bloody eyes and dashed out of the laboratory.  "At least, you have to live, Cole.  You have ..." Dr. Sarah Pierce said her last word and had her last breathe.