The Forest Lives [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3 - First Contact

Poole felt a strange sense of dread as he sat in the room that had been his place of safety over the past few months.

The place seemed warped and alien. Anxiety ran deep in Mr Poole's gut as he waited for the doctor to arrive.

Mr Poole hadn't seen his face in a mirror for months. Any physical effect the experiments he was doing had he had no idea of.

After ten minutes of waiting, Lockwood eventually stepped inside. He was clearly making sure to not face Mr Poole as he limped over to his seat.

Upon turning to sit his seat, Poole saw three huge and deep scars across his face in the shape of a claw mark.

"One of the subjects... changed." He squeaked, his hands visibly shaking as he put them on his desk.

"Thats normal, isn't it?"

"'Not like this." Lockwood stuttered as he erratically shook his head. "It was so sudden. Never happened before so fast... We were all still in the room."

"And you're scared?" Questioned Poole, frowning. "You're supposed to be emotionless. Cold. Its pathetic seeing you like this."

"Don't you god-damn get it?! This changes everything!" Yelled the doctor, showing his teeth as he did so. "If it happens to one person, who's to say it can't happen to another?! To you! To me!"

Dr Lockwood's face had turned bright red as he yelled. Veins revealing themselves all over his scarred face.

After a short pause, Lockwood seemed to calm and leant back in his chair, covering his face with his hand.

"I'm the only survivor, they're going to come for me. Then, they're going to find out I've been  treating you with an ounce of respect. Thats when they'll come crashing down on you." The doctor stuttered.

Mr Poole leant in to the desk, giving Lockwood a look of disgust. "You're trying to scare me. This is your fault. Not mine." He hissed, glaring at the man.

Dr Lockwood frowned in fear at Mr Poole. "What have they done to you?"

————————PRESENT DAY———————

Red and Sasha had gone to bed, Reno remained on the sofa, out-cold.

It was three in the morning, Sasha began to shift and stir... her eyes... slowly opening... Something had awoken her. Something was making a slight, yet annoying, buzzing noise just outside her bedroom door. In the hallway.

Sasha, after trying to block the noise out with a pillow, sighed and opened the door. The hallway was rather well lit even though all of the lights were off. She looked around the hallway and eventually down to the floor.

PAI was lying there, face up. He has been connected to a charger and his screen was flashing with new texts coming through from an unknown number.

Her eyes widened.

Quietly, she walked towards the phone and sat down, being sure to keep quiet and talk in a hushed whisper. "PAI... who is this..?" She asked him, picking up the phone so the camera could see her face.

"Hello Sasha. I am trying to discover its point of origin. It would appear that it is coming from (583) places around the globe. Including the locations of the links I located." The phone replied, also somehow speaking quietly as if he knew not to wake anyone.