Ghost Flowers

Viral

The harder she scratched at her forearm the quicker the flesh fell away. From outside the containment unit, Dr. Elaina Miles and Dr. Mark Rustenburg watched on in dismay as the young woman continued to pick at her flesh; first her index finger to gain entry, followed by the rest of her fingers. She screamed in agony as the pathogen spread through her body. Her skin began to fall off in clumps, hitting the floor with a sickening squelch. The young woman never stopped scratching, though. She kept scratching at her muscles all while screaming in pain. Dr. Rustenburg turned away and vomited in a trash can, his stomach unable to handle the gruesome scene behind the glass. Dr. Miles just stood there watching on in shock as the young woman’s screams slowly faded and she collapsed in a heap on the floor, her heart no longer beating. She hadn’t thought that the pathogen would kill her. She shook her head as if to clear her mind and hit the Call Sanitation button. The sanitation crew arrived in a matter of minutes in yellow hazmat suits and began to clean up the mess of skin and blood. Suddenly, the woman’s arm shot out, grabbing one of the men’s arms and snapping the bone. He screamed and fell to his knees, cradling his arm. The re-animated girl sprinted towards the open door to the containment unit, barreling through the men who had attempted to create a blockade. She sprinted through the halls of the underground laboratory until she found the door to Dr. Miles’ lab. She threw herself into the door over and over until it blew inwards. The strength of the woman severely shocked the two doctors, along with the re-animation. These were unforeseen side effects of the A13 virus. The woman walked over to Dr. Rustenburg, relishing the fear on his face for only a second before she snapped his neck. Dropping his corpse, she walked over to Dr. Miles, ready to kill her, but hesitated. You see, the pathogen that had re-animated her had left her with no memory, and only two instincts: feed and reproduce. She lunged at the doctor and sunk her teeth into her arm, ripping off a chunk of flesh and muscle. The doctor screamed in agony as the pathogen spread through her body. Her blood felt as if it was fire in her veins. Within minutes, the pathogen had destroyed every trace of humanity left in her. She followed the woman, heading towards echoing voices in the compound.
“We have word of a containment breach in Dr. Miles’ lab. We need to be prepared for anything in there, got it?”
A young man rounded the corner, screaming as the doctor and her former patient ripped into his flesh. Footsteps thundered down the corridor as the young man stood up, newly infected. As a group of men rounded the corner, the small pack of three were on top of them, turning them and ripping into their flesh and turning them before a single shot could be fired. The pack grew and spread through the lab, panic erupting in the uninfected. An alarm blared through the entire compound. The lights went out and were replaced by flashing red alarm lights. A hissing sound came from the vents as a cleansing mist was released. Howls filled the compound as the virus was corroded from the former scientists. Their bodies jerked and spasmed; spit frothed at their mouths. Shortly after, the fail-safe kicked in. In the event of an outbreak, the entire compound was to explode. Consequently, the explosion released the airborne strain of the virus. Within weeks, humanity was entirely infected or dead.