Morph: Book One

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I gripped his hand helplessly, taking note of its stiffness. I look away from our entwined hands to stare at his face. He looked like a shell of himself, cold and lifeless. They all looked this way. Bodies lay strewn across the area, left to rot. The smell of decaying flesh hung in the air, attacking my senses.

What was left of my family lay on cots close by—all in various stages of decomposition. The plague had taken them—my children, my lifemate, all gone. It happened fast, the sickness––their deaths. Three more cots lay beside the one I sat at, each of them containing the bodies of my family.

I swallowed roughly in an attempt to prevent myself from vomiting. No amount of love that I had felt for them in this life could help me ignore the stench that emanated from their bodies. I stiffly placed the small hand back onto the cot and stood. I gripped the cloth around my face. I fastened it more securely around my nose and mouth in an attempt to create a barrier between my nose and the smell of rot.

I found myself staring out at the vast sea of bodies that lay next to the medical bay. Unfortunately, the hospital on base had run out of space long ago. So medical staff were forced to transport the deceased outside to provide room for more incoming patients. But the doctors knew that those with the plague that made it to the hospital alive; would never be walking back out.

This sickness wasn't like any other that I had ever encountered in all my years as a technician. This one spread much more quickly and was far deadlier than anything recorded in our history. It was unnatural. The plague was unstoppable, and it was nearly impossible to keep it from spreading. Our advanced technology was no match for it, which only seemed to confirm my belief that this disease was unnatural. It had been manufactured.

Someone had made this.

Few doctors still resided at the hospital. In fear, many had fled off-world taking their entire families with them. However, I stayed. I had a duty to the people, both the living and the dead. I would provide care to the sick and make accommodations for the dead. What I hadn't expected was for my family to be among the dead.

"Doctor Q'halezic?" A voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked toward its source. I watched as a young doctor navigated the sea of death, slowly making their way to where I stood. I didn't offer them a reply. When they finally made it to me, I could see their face contort into one of pity.

"You shouldn't be out here..." Their voice trailed off. I saw their eyes quickly scan over the bodies that lay next to us. "You don't need to be here." They said quietly. I only shook my head and turned my back to them. I slowly gazed over the bodies in front of me. I took in every detail, forever burning it into my mind.

"I need to do this." I say. I dismissed them and turned to the transport cart next to me. I placed my hand over its scanner, and it hummed to life. I walked over to the largest of the bodies and bent down. I raised the sheet over their head before picking them up. I carefully walked over to the cart and laid them on it. I swiped my fingers over the cart's screen, and it navigated to the pyre. I called for other carts and repeated the action multiple times until the deed was done.

One by one, I transported my family into the inferno. I watched as the blue flames of the machine consumed their bodies. In mere minutes there was nothing left, not even ash. The governing body that ruled over the planet—and the belt, set strict regulations for disposing of the infected.

Millions died across the world, most of them Zorr women and children. For weeks I watched as the disease obliterated families. For weeks I watched as those left behind mourned for their losses. During all that time, I prayed that my family never met such a fate.

Dejah, my lifemate, was the first to catch the disease. It didn't take but a few days for the rest of my family to contract the disease. Compared to our children, Dejah's deterioration was slow and agonizing as she was forced to watch her children painfully succumb to the disease before the infection took her life. At only one revolution, my only son and my youngest, Aeryn, was the first to pass from the disease. Iriel, my second eldest, and Jaina, my eldest, died quickly after their brother did at only seven and thirteen revolutions.

By the time my lifemate passed, she had welcomed it eagerly. Helplessly watching our children die in such a short amount of time destroyed her. When the disease overcame her body, there was nothing left to take but a hollow shell. Only three days passed from the moment my lifemate contracted the disease to her final moments.

"Q'halezic?" I snap my head up from the flames to meet the eyes of Regusra. I couldn't help the annoyance that overwhelmed me. Out of everyone that had contracted or succumbed to the disease, it hit the hybrids and foreigners less severely. Even so, most of them who had contracted the disease survived. Regusra was a testament to that, as he had survived the very illness that stole my family from me.

I felt my lip quirk in a sneer, but I forced it back. Deep down, I hated him, but I knew this couldn't have been his fault. It took everything in me not to snap at him for the simple fact that he had survived something that had caused so many to perish.

"Q'halezic, you need to leave this place. It is not good for you." He stated.

'How do you know what is good for me?' I forced back my reply. Regusra was the Commander in Chief, and if I couldn't respect him as a person, I'd have to force myself to at least respect his title.

"Very well." I mutter. I tore off the cloth from my face and walked past him toward the hospital entrance. I didn't need to look back to know Regusra was hot on my heels. I approached the hospital entrance, but before I could enter, a rough hand gripped my bicep. I let the sneer that I had been repressing erupt onto my face. Finally, I rotated on my feet and threw his hand off me.

I faced him fully now. Before I could stop myself, I reared my fisted hand back and punched him in the face. He stumbled back from the velocity, cupping his face in his hands. Blood seeped through his fingers, but he quickly composed himself. Instead of attacking me like I thought he would, he remained at a distance. His eyes narrowed into slits as he addressed me.

"Go home Q'halezic." He demanded. His tone held a warning. A warning that I had no intent on heeding.

"Home!? Home to what!" I snarl. I no longer had a home. My family was my home, my everything. I needed them as I needed my breath.

I was slowly suffocating.

"Why had you survived, and they hadn't? What makes you better than them!?" I watched as Regusra dropped his hands from his face, revealing the damage that I had done. It was already healing. His face was void of any emotion, but his eyes spoke volumes. There was sadness in his stare as he assessed me.