HUMAN-LESS

Chapter 6: Men and monsters

05:35, old military base

A line of sunlight filters through the window blinds.

The first room I enter is full of file cabinets holdings records of all the patients that used to be here; from demented to entirely sane. This is a world that most people are only vaguely aware exists. It starts on the top of the power structure and goes to a bottomless pit of lost souls. A hole in the ground so deep where no one can hear you anymore.

"One of the richest men in Europe can't disappear for long." Benjamin insists on pointing out the obvious and I think he'd look nice in a grave.

I push my hands down into my pockets as I walk forward, feeling partially guilty.

"The old man had a daughter. No one knows what happened to her." Benjamin's eyes go serious.

"She did very bad things and she did them very well."

So he thinks I'm insane.

"The girl I've heard so much about." Benjamin continues to talk about someone who's right beside him.

05:40

"You might like what I found." Ira shouts from a cubicle close by. He is simply holding files from the human medical experimentation secret government programs.

I cannot let this consume me. I've been here before, after all.

The other room is nothing but concrete and drains on the floor. The walls, coated with a thick layer of grime, have chains attached to them. And in the center of the room stands empty table.

Everything is covered in moss and debris and holes in the roof caused advanced deterioration of the interior.

Ira gives me a lopsided smile while holding all those reports in his hands.

"We still don't have a treatment protocol. No vaccine."

Behind him, Benjamin's expression crumples and I feel myself slipping away.

I tend to act like I trust people, but I really don't do such a thing.

05:41

I can hear noise, the kind of noise made by a lot of different things you don't want to know about.

Every action causes a reaction, even if it's not a good one.

I listen to them talking, the infected. Their footsteps are loud, but one of them is limping, which means the virus is rejecting his body so whoever is behind this can't manage the virus or the side effects.

05:42

This is the wrong side of heaven.

All stop in front of me, looking much more normal than expected yet one is already dying. You see, the virus has to accept your body, or you die.

05:43

And then I hear sirens. But not any kind of sirens. A combination of frequencies that makes a strong tone: heavy and almost flat.

The familiar sound nauseates me because I would listen to this every time Jared tried to fix me. He would cut me open and find a problem to repair.

It is really a shame He didn't realize there was nothing wrong with me. No matter how much He tried to mend me He would never put back together his broken mind. He didn't believe in full consent and it had to be painful enough to justify the trouble.

05:44

The two males who are infected begin to eat the dying one.

Eating one's kind is a completely natural behavior. And eating a human body provides about 81,500 calories.

05:45

My blood runs cold as I watch a fight breaking out. Infected humans are having their way with a small group of soldiers and a great deal of confusion hits me. I give no reaction, but I hesitate taking action. Something so very wrong is about to happen. Did someone with a beating heart just make me a target?

As one soldier moves away he is accidentally shot. The last two bullets to the back puncture his heart.

He is about to die of massive internal bleeding.

05:46

My eyes settle on Ira for he is silent. He seems reluctant to walk any further and I feel suddenly very uncomfortable. It's inciting some violent behavior.

He isn't afraid, that would make him an animal. Ira is trying to take in every detail, which is a bad thing for so many reasons.

"I'll see you in hell." He tells me.

"Ask me if I give a shit."

Once you care for somebody, you're fucked. The nightmare never ends.

05:47

Ira steps closer to me. I can't read his eyes but my real dilemma is what to do next.

We just stand there for a second, facing each other as he wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Some emotions twinkle in his eyes.

Ira puts a hand over his heart for he becomes conscious that I'm no good. He is playing my game now.

I'm dedicating this chapter to WAClub , notallareheroes_ , StopGenderRoles , FeministAsF & ProjectWomanUp