Infected City

Act I: How It Spreads

"Subject three's diagnostic test is looking fine."
"Subject two is showing signs of sickness."
"Subject five has been shaking uncontrollably since last week."
"Subject one seems to be okay."

The other scientists converse around me, talking about the subject they've been tasked of looking after. It's our lunch break, and everyone gathers around to talk about the latest news and happenings around the lab. Someone is getting married in a few weeks, someone else's grandpa passed away, and I think about a dozen of people's relatives or children are planning on evolving this week. It's chaotic, but understandable if you've gotten used to it.

As the best lab in Tinshore, we've been tasked to create a sort of strength enhancer. Thanks to rising tensions from other countries, the government wants this made pronto. Through many subjects and failed serums, we've finally found a chemical that seems to be working. Every other subject died after a few days of getting injected with the failed stuff, but these ones have been alive for weeks now.

"Hey, has anyone seen Heliolisk?" A scientist asks, and everyone responds with a no. He was one of the newer recruits, but also one of the most promising. Extremely smart and excited, he was a perfect hire from the start. "I'll go check on him." I volunteer and walk towards his office. Heliolisk had a tendency to skip lunch to keep working on stuff.

He wasn't at his office. "Maybe he's watching subject four?" I say to myself. I start walking towards the testing chambers, a sliver of dread passing through my spine. I might be just a little jumpy, but the hallway was seriously scary. The only sound you'll hear in it ninety-percent of the time was just your footsteps and the occasional sound of the building settling.

I knock on the fourth test chamber and wait. Five seconds. Ten seconds. Twenty. I open the door, hoping Heliolisk just has some sort of music on. Instantly a terrible smell hits me as I look in. A gasp of horror comes out of me as Heliolisk's bloody body lays dead on the floor. I also notice the reinforced glass of the testing chamber has been shattered.

I immediately run for the panic button. But a sudden groan stops me. Heliolisk sits up and looks at me. "Oh thank Arceus you're alright!" I walk over to him. "I strongly suggest you sit still, I'll call the medic and-" He tackles me, making air rush out of my lungs. I notice his eyes are black, except for his iris, which is blood red. He unsheathes his claws and scratch me across my face.

I grab the nearest thing next to me and slam it into his head. The book breaks and makes Heliolisk falter for a second. I squirm out of his grasp and hit the panic button. Alarms start to blare throughout the facility as I barely get out of the room. Heliolisk dashes after me and we run through the halls.

He quickly catches up to me, but I sidestep him and push him to the floor. I make it to the cafeteria just to see utter chaos. The other subjects must've escaped and are attacking everyone in sight. I notice that they, and some of the scientists, have the same eyes as Heliolisk. Somehow the strengthening formula can spread to other Pokémon.

I run for the emergency bunker. I don't even check if anyone or anything is following me as I press the close button for the door. The thick metal door slams down, shutting me inside the bunker. I'm glad I remembered the emergency locking of the exits whenever the panic button is pressed before I got myself cornered or killed by running there. I use the camera feed in the bunker to check whats happening in the lab.

Tons of scientists are banging on the exit doors, begging to be let out. I see a few getting mauled by infected scientists. It's a bloodbath. I see three infected outside the bunker door, waiting for me to come out. I close the cameras and sit in silence. Suddenly the alarms shut off as power gets cut from the facility. Luckily the designers for the bunker has backup generators, and the door is programmed to stay shut if power were to go out.

It takes about an hour to finally set in how dead I am. There's no way out of this facility that isn't swarming with infected by now. I don't know how it spreads, but it does insanely fast. I'm probably one of the few Pokémon left alive in this place. The bunker has about a month of rations and a couple of pieces of lab equipment. I don't run the generators because I don't want to waste fuel. I just sit in darkness, thinking.

There's faint lighting coming from somewhere, so I can see a tiny bit. My eyes still haven't fully adjusted to the darkness. I keep thinking they have, but it always goes back to nothing. I get up and carefully make my way to where I saw the random assortment of lab equipment. "Maybe there's a cure to this infection." My voice comes out raspy. I begin working at the machines, trying random stuff and seeing what happens.

I realize something terrible a couple hours later. If they could break out of their testing chambers, they can definitely break out of the laboratory. "Dear Arceus," I begin, "If this gets out the entire city is doomed, maybe even the country."

"I pray to god that they don't escape. If they do..."

"Everyone in the city is screwed."