"Zombie Dawn: Rise of the Hunted"

Chapter 10: Darker Truths

Chapter 10: Darker Truths

Rena's POV

We had been digging through old, corrupted files for hours, and I was starting to lose hope that we'd find anything useful. But just when I was about to suggest we take a break, Leon leaned back in his chair, eyes wide.

"Got it," he said, his voice a mix of relief and curiosity. "I found the files on your experiments, Rena, but..." He hesitated, scrolling through the document, his usual confidence faltering. "This stuff is way out of my league. It's all biological data, and I can't make sense of most of it."

I frowned, leaning in closer. The screen was filled with medical jargon and complex diagrams-terms I didn't understand either. I could see Leon's frustration as he tried to piece it together.

"It's like they were working on something... big," he muttered, shaking his head. "But this isn't my area of expertise."

Before I could say anything, Filip stepped forward, his voice steady. "I'll take a look."

I turned to him, surprised. He hadn't said much during the search, mostly pacing and keeping an eye on the room. But now, he seemed focused, determined.

"You?" Leon raised an eyebrow, half-smiling. "Didn't know you were into biology, man."

Filip gave a small shrug. "I took some advanced biological classes back before all this. It's been a while, but I think I can figure it out."

I watched as Filip pulled up a chair and took Leon's place in front of the computer. His expression was intense, eyes scanning the screen, absorbing the information at a speed that surprised me. I'd never seen this side of him before-quiet, serious, and completely in his element.

"What do you see?" I asked, a knot of anxiety forming in my stomach.

Filip's brow furrowed as he read through the files. "This... this isn't just standard medical experimentation," he began slowly, his voice growing more concerned with each word. "They weren't just testing for a cure or treatment. They were trying to alter something in you-on a genetic level."

My heart raced as I processed what he was saying. "Alter me? How?"

He continued reading, piecing together the fragmented information. "The experiments involved a virus-something engineered. They were testing how it interacted with your DNA, trying to trigger... mutations, I think. But there's more. They weren't just interested in how it affected you-they wanted to see if they could control it."

Leon's eyes widened. "Control it? Like, what? Turn it into some kind of weapon?"

Filip nodded grimly. "It looks that way. The data is incomplete, but it seems they were trying to create a version of the virus that could be controlled-directed. They were using you as a test subject to see how far they could push the changes without causing... irreversible damage."

The room felt colder as Filip's words sank in. I felt sick. This wasn't just some random experiment-they had been trying to change me, control me, for reasons I couldn't begin to understand. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, anger bubbling beneath the surface.

"They were turning me into a weapon?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Filip glanced at me, his expression unreadable. "Maybe not a weapon, but something close. They were trying to manipulate the virus to enhance certain traits-strength, reflexes, endurance. But they didn't get far enough to see the full effects. The experiments were... interrupted."

I swallowed hard, the reality of it all crashing down on me. "So... they didn't finish. What does that mean for me now?"

Filip hesitated, clearly trying to choose his words carefully. "It means that whatever they started in you... it's still there. Dormant, maybe. Or it could be active, but not fully developed. There's no way to tell from these files alone. But if it's still in your system, it could explain a lot-why you're still alive, why you're different."

The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy fog. Everything I had been through, everything I survived... was it because of this? Because of the virus they planted in me?

Leon, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. "So what now? Do we try to find more information? Is there a way to reverse this?"

Filip shook his head slowly. "I don't know. From what I can see, this wasn't something they intended to reverse. They were pushing boundaries, experimenting with things they barely understood themselves."

I stood there, trying to process everything, my mind racing with questions and fears. Who had I become because of these experiments? What had they done to me, and what would it mean for my future?

Filip's voice softened as he turned to me. "Rena... I know this isn't easy to hear. But we'll figure it out. Whatever's inside you, we'll deal with it together."

I nodded, though the weight of the truth felt like it was suffocating me. The people who had experimented on me didn't just change my body-they had altered my life in ways I couldn't fully comprehend yet.

And now, I was left to pick up the pieces of the monster they had tried to create.