Outbreak: The Extinction Chronicles

Chapter 6 Uninvited Guest

My eyes felt red when I opened them. I shoved my hand onto my forehead as if saluting, though I was just covering my eyes from the bright luminiscence from above, which now lingered in my vision.

Someone just called me by my name, I recalled.

Waiting for things to sink in, the bright phosphorescent cloud had finally materialized. All this time, it was actually that darn lightbulb hanging under my ceiling. Suddenly, a familiar voice announced its presence.

"Wake up ye sleepyhead! Time for dinner!" Barked someone behind the locked door. "Beat yer ass lad and get yerself down there right away. You know we don't start with someone missing. And don't make us starve."

I scratched the back of my head, rolled over and went prone, then I slumped a pillow on my head.

Damn it. Just what time is it?

I heaved a deep breath, trying to get rid of the sour mood that woke me up.

Dante can be such an ass sometimes, I thought.

All the while, I was thinking of my dream earlier, and noticed that they were all the same - running in pitch black with a hungry horde closing in, then I got bitten, I threw myself into the window, then I kept falling. I always had the same actions, and the same scenes, though the dream was becoming more frequent, and its details were getting clearer and clearer.

However, after replaying it in my head for over a dozen times, I realized something odd in it, something a bit off. There was that voice echoing countless times into my ears while I was being consumed by the bright light. And I'm sure it wasn't Dante, or even Doc. It sounded much younger, like a kid. And what's strange, it seemed very familiar to me, like I'd been with that voice for so long. I just couldn't remember.

"Gabriel!"

The pillow on my head flew a mile from my surprise. It was Dante's military voice going off whenever he was getting really pissed. I friggin totally forgot about dinner!

"I'm coming!" I hollered back.

When I got to my feet, I realized I was still wearing my bath towel. Crap. I had never felt this tired before, that I immediately fell asleep the moment I crashed into my bed.

Damn, it is possible!

After I hop-scotched wearing my pants, an image from the tall mirror right in front of me suddenly piqued my interest. I was staring at a half-naked young man in his mid twenties; his well-toned medium-sized body was no doubt the result of each day's intense labor.

The sweat of a hard day's toil, I told myself.

It wasn't always like this. When they found me years ago, this body was all covered with thick flubbers of excess fat, not that much, but enough to tell that I was one overweight fat-ass. Now all I could see was lean muscle and a ton of confidence.

"Goodbye big round tummy, say hello to my new one." I uttered half-aloud as I curled my biceps and flexed my shoulders. "Now these can take on a horde. Uuraah-ouuch!" My bandaged wound stung, I had totally forgotten about it.

After a course of childish display, my eyes had suddenly gazed upon a lone picture, half-bent sticking at the mirror's edge. It was a picture of a boy, maybe of a twelve year old, donned in school uniform with a backpack that seemed much heavier than his own weight. Yet, he was smiling back, or maybe he was just saying "cheese" as the photographer might have said so. But I bet he wasn't truly happy at all with all that weight on his back. I chuckled at the sight.

I focused my eyes at the lower edge of the photo, and found my name written on it, "Gabriel". I had lost my memory, but thanks to this thing, I didn't lose my name. This picture was the only thing they had found after delving into my pockets; so they named me after this. The boy looked a lot like me, hence it was no one else but me. But why would I keep a picture of mine in my pocket, instead of my whole family?