Lycan Pass

Lycan Pass - Chapter 2

      It seemed like the lifespan of the world had passed before I could even hear anything. My body throbbed, my head spun, my stomach churned. It felt as if someone had poured a hot bucket of agony all down my body. I let out a weak groan and attempted to open my eyes, but they were firmly swollen shut. There was a cold metal surface beneath me. For a second, I thought that I might have still be on the bus, but the distant murmur of voices cleared up that delusion. Footsteps clicked their way towards me.

      "I say we give her the virus," a male voice said.

      "You're kidding me, right? If she hasn't got the gene, it'll kill her on the spot," said a second, deeper voice.

      "Trevor, she's going to die anyway. Look at her. Not even the best doctor in the world could fix her. She's broken," The second man paused, obviously trying to make a decision.

      "Alright, I see your point," he muttered, "but how are we going to explain to her that she can never leave after this? That is, if she survives, of course."

      My hearing faded out and I didn't catch the rest of what they were saying. Stay here? Where? Where am I? Why do I have to stay here? My pulse raced and my mind was left swimming. Amidst the panic, I felt a sharp prick in my arm.

      A needle? Why would they need a- I stopped. A virus? What had they mentioned about a virus? 'If she hasn't got the gene, it'll kill her on the spot...' Die? I can't die! Not yet! I haven't done anything of worth, I haven't said my goodbyes!

      Before I could be overwhelmed by panic, a sharp contraction of my diaphragm drove the breath out of me. I gasped heavily, fighting each heave. Violent tremors began to overtake my body. The metal rattled beneath me as I fought to restrain my body. A heat sparked in my chest and soon, every vein was burning with fire. My blood was like liquid lava, every second it burned away a bit of my sanity. Every muscle clenched and quivered, like I was having a horrific seizure, only much much worse. My back arched with a sudden jolt. I felt a scream claw it's way out of my throat as the bones in my body snapped and popped, the muscles around them constricting painfully. What was happening to me?!

      "John! She's changing! The virus is working!"

      A yell of triumph erupted and broke past my barrier of pain. Working? This was their plan? The thought was purged from my mind as a wave of bitter foam surged up my throat, turning my cries of agony into gurgled screams. It choked me as it came up. I tried coughing, but only made it worse.

      The tremors finally began to settle down. My bones began to shift around my body, creating a new form: my arms and legs lengthening, my chest opening up. I felt a cool liquid liquid melt out of the marrow, settling on my bones and preserving their new shape. And then, like a bomb full of shrapnel going off inside me, I felt needle-like fibers explode out of every pore of my body. It burned like thousands of bee-stings, but soon faded.

      Then it stopped. My muscles calmed, my bones settled, my pulse stabilized. I was now laying on my side, so I rolled over on to my stomach and stood up... on all fours. I opened my eyes. The lights blinded me for a moment, but I quickly adjusted to them. A man dressed in a lab coat, who I could only assume was John stood before me, grinning.

      "Welcome to Lycan Pass."

      I howled.