The Lacteri

Lacteri: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I used to be from New York City. I was actually a highly decorated police officer of the NYPD, but none of that matters now. Nothing matters now. As of five years ago, anything that I had accomplished or enjoyed was gone. Now, all of my friends are either dead, on the other side of the globe, or are monsters and I, Rhett Douglas, am nothing but a lost memory.  

Where I am now, which, I believe is a small town somewhere around what used to be Massachusetts or Rhode Island, is where I am hiding for the time being.  

I have been moving from place to place since the explosion and have had numerous encounters with the beasts. We call them the Lacteri. They are a breed of super humans that have taken over America. It all started ten years ago when some geniuses at Landon Industries decided it would be a great idea to tamper with human DNA. After over one thousand years of having a law that restricted human DNA experiments, the government finally decided to uplift it in the start of the 31th century. Since then, hundreds of companies have been racing to see who could create ways to enhance humans.  

First it was a drug that made people with the bald gene have hair all of their lives, but when they discovered that tampering with DNA could work, they decided to try something more complex. The three biggest drug companies, which included Landon Industries, decided to have a competition to see who could create a strength enticing drug that would automatically enhance a person's strength without giving the person an over muscled look. After five years of study, Landon Industries had a breakthrough. They called their drug Lactesine and it was sold to over half of America's population, which at the time was over eight million people. Months after production, there were...side effects. The fifty test subjects lost their minds and attacked Landon Industries causing an explosion which spread radiation across the country. The radiation sped up the drugs side effects creating psychotic super humans, the Lacteri.  

Most people left the country when they found out, but some, like me, weren't so lucky. Only half of the remaining humans left, and the other half were left to die. Most people that were stranded didn't last more than a month, but others, like me, are living like rats, sneaking food off of be street, hiding in run down buildings, and only going out at night because most of the Lacteri are sleeping in the holes they call home.  

I am currently staying in a suburb area surrounded by tall evergreens. It probably was a nice little cottage, but now, it is over run with weeds, pests, and has probably once been the home of one of the Lacteri because the furniture is destroyed and there are numerous holes in the walls throughout the house. The Lacteri are beastly and destroy anything they come into contact with.  

I decided to stay in this house for the next week before I move again because a few days ago, I had a run in with one of the Lacterus. I accidentally found one of their homes and had to out run them. I was just about to lock myself inside a bank vault, but before I could, it caught my arm. The Lacteri aren't the most gentle creatures, so it almost ripped my arm to shreds just by grabbing it. I kicked it away before it could grab any more of me and locked myself in. Lacteri may be strong, but they aren't strong enough to break down a two foot thick steel door. I hid there for what I think was two days. I only had a backpack full of supplies that I carry with me everywhere. It has a gun with extra bullets, granola bars, water, a Swiss army knife, and a first aid kit. Every time I stop by a store, I always reload my backpack so I am always prepared.  

Since the incident at the bank vault, I have been staying in the shadows even more and being even more careful of where to camp out. This small cottage was the first sane house I could find, and I intend to stay here until I am completely healed.  

Unfortunately, I am alone. I haven't seen a normal person in years. For all I know, I am the last one left here. I don't know what the rest of the world is doing, but hopefully they are searching for a cure. They could be pretending that America never existed and not do anything, because I haven't heard about anything from the world in years.  

My whole world right now is this cottage and my backpack, and that is the way it will be until I have to pack up and leave again. It is like an endless cycle that I have been on since June 17, 3016. I can remember the day exactly.  

I was only 20 years old, fresh out of the police academy. I had been working at the NYPD for about three months and was just starting to make a name for myself. I was getting ready to head to work, when I heard the word explosion from the television. It was on the news and it was explaining how Landon Industries had an unknown accident that caused the entire plant to blow up. People were panicking and warning everyone on the east coast to evacuate because of radiation poisoning. At the time I didn't think anything of it because news broadcasters always blow things way out of proportion, but I wish I had listened. I was the idiot that stayed. I decided that it would be just fine because Landon Industries was in Atlanta, Georgia, and I was in New York City, on the other side of the country. I was so wrong! Later that day, the whole country was ordered to evacuate, and it was at that time that I realized what an idiot I was and decided to leave. When I stepped outside, I found a desolate city. The usually busy streets were empty and the only remnants of people was the trash. I got in my police car and drove to the nearest airport, but every flight was booked for the next two weeks. I tried to book a flight for after that, but by that time, the other countries across the globe closed their borders. I was stuck. It wasn't until the next week that I found out why Landon Industries exploded. I saw my first Lacterus while I was roaming the streets. It was a past businessman still in his suit, but it was covered in dirt and torn. His usually slicked back hair was sticking up in every direction and he had a crazed and psychotic look on his face. We just star 

d at each other for a while, and then he started to chase me. I ran and hid behind a car with my gun pointed at his heart. He saw me and threw the car I was behind right over my head. It was then that I knew I was dealing with a super human. As soon as I realized that, I shot him right in the heart and ran as far away as I could.  

Later that day while I was in my apartment, world news did an exposé on the mutant beasts in America. A blonde British lady explained how Lactesine's side effects caused the test subjects to go insane and destroy the building, and the radiation sped up the side effects for everyone else causing the new species scientists are calling: the Lacteri. I started to panic when I found about that. I immediately packed a backpack full of supplies figuring I would have to be prepared just incase until I could escape to Europe. I stayed in my apartment with my face glued to the television screen just watching the news waiting for more information on the Lacteri. After a week, some new news finally came out. They said that all airports were officially closed in America because they didn't want the Lacteri to invade the rest of the world.  

I screamed, "That is BULL SH*T!" in frustration. There were no attacks at airports yet so why be afraid? I personally think they don't want more outsiders in their countries and have a grudge against USA. now, everyone left was stuck to fend for themselves against beasts! They were sending us all to die! 

I was freaking out for about another week before I started to make a plan. I decided that I had to keep moving so that I would be safe because eventually, the Lacteri would decide to explore, and I didn't want to be found and killed by them. So that night, I left with only the things in my backpack and the clothes on my back. I never went back to New York City. From then on, I tried to stay in the suburbs and small towns where it was harder to be snuck up on and attacked.  

That is how I ended up where I am now, in my little cottage. Alone.