Chapter 4

Doctor Hunter's research laboratory was spacious and decked with high-end equipment. He had various specimens of living and non-living things.

“It's the end of the world but that's what makes it exhilarating," he said, picking up a beaker containing a green liquid.

It smelled foul. And looked like moss covered in a gooey substance.

I found a seat and proceeded to sit on it. I felt dizzy.

It was then I noticed. There weren't any sightings of the zombies in his vicinity. And he didn't seem affected by the contaminated air.

Ian covered his mouth with his hand. "What's in the air, Doctor Hunter?” he mumbled.

Doctor Hunter glanced at him, then at me, then back at him. His eyes moving in a weird way, “That’s one of my best creations,” he answered vaguely.

Ian dropped to the floor. I felt my eyes close against my will. This can't be happening.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that we were in enemy territory. **********

Bright lights focused on my face. I was lying on an operating table. Ian laid beside me.

The room smelt of antiseptic and death. Fear gripped me by the throat.

Suddenly I heard his voice, "You're one feisty one aren't you,” he said. He appeared in the room cleaning a scalpel against a neon napkin.

"I'm just going to dissect you both,” he moved closer to where we were. I began to struggle.

My arms were strapped to the table. My movement awakened Ian. He looked confused.

That man was crazy… deranged… he needed to be institutionalized.

“System, save me!” I screamed.

[Host request denied. Attempt in 30 seconds].

What the fuvk?! Denied? Ian was encountering the same issue. Sweat balls formed on my forehead.

He stopped, “You mean these are the two kids chosen to get me the last component for the Elixir? You must be kidding me”.

He walked to where we were. His lips puckered. He violently pulled the Velcro off and sighed, "Get up," he said in a commanding tone.

Ian moved closer. He spat on him. And wiped his mouth with the edge of his elbow.

Doctor Hunter ran his fingers on his face, he felt the viscous liquid and guided it carefully to his mouth.

He swallowed it. “Well, I think I am the only one who's introduced himself. Would you both like a plate of hot meals?”

I couldn't get past seeing him eat Ian's spit. That was disgusting. Everything about him was off-putting. **********

An undercurrent of paranoia filled the space. None of us trusted Doctor Hunter as he placed two plates of hot curry in front of us.

The scent was heavenly. “There's no poison in it, besides you're crucial to this experiment", he said.

He sat down on a chair opposite us. His fingers were intertwined.

He didn't flinch when he said something demeaning. His eyes were fixed on us. "The gas surrounding here is called V-sensation”, he started.

He leaned backwards. The chair scraped on the floor then he nearly lost his balance, “It’s made from the brains of those mutants and actively acts as a repellant to them,” he continued.

I took a spoon of the curry and ate it. My eyes glistened with satisfaction. It was delicious.

“That's cannibalistic, don't you think," I commented.

He laughed awkwardly, "I don't know either of your names and where you're from,” he said.

"My name's Elodie,” I told him. Ian kicked my leg under the table and I rolled my eyes at him, "I live in the city”.

He turned to Ian. "I am Ian Moretti and I have no business with you,” his voice was unfriendly.

Ian's response made me stop eating. I kicked his leg under the table this time. "What was that for?"

"I don't care. I don't trust him,” he scoffed.

I glared at him. "You could at least be polite."

He didn't answer me. He took a bite of the food on his plate. I rolled my eyes, still on his issue. "You don't have to be rude."

Ian shrugged and kept eating, unbothered, while Doctor Hunter watched us for a moment before launching into an explanation of everything.

The System wasn't something he had created; it had existed long before the outbreak and selected certain people as hosts, assigning missions, supplying weapons, monitoring their progress like pieces on a board.

The Elixir was its central objective, capable of reversing the infection, though its ingredients were maddeningly difficult to obtain.

Some were already in Hunter's possession. The System had chosen us because we were necessary for securing what remained.

I stopped eating. Everything he was describing sounded unsettlingly familiar.

"The System. The Elixir. The virus." I looked at him. "It's all in the last book I read."

Hunter's expression shifted, something guarded crossing his face.

"The Zombie Apocalyptic Nightmare," I continued. "That's the name of the book."

He said nothing.

The spark in his eyes disappeared instantly. “I wrote that book and it's something I wish I never brought into existence".

My spoon slipped from my fingers and clattered against the table. "You?"

Hunter nodded.

I stared at him, the pieces refusing to align in my mind. The book I had laughed at. The book that had described the virus in eerie, precise detail.

The book that had asked me, almost mockingly, what I would do if it became reality. He had written it.

I couldn't reconcile the man in front of me with the name on that cover.

"How did you know all of this?" I asked him, I was curious what his answer would be.

Hunter looked down at his hands, turning it slowly. "The System told me."

Ian pushed back from the table. "I need some air."

"There is literally contaminated gas outside," I said.

He ignored me and walked off anyway.

Before Hunter could explain anything further, three knocks sounded against the laboratory door. Everyone turned.

Another knock followed, sharper this time. I stood. "Who is it?"

No answer came. I crossed toward the door. Ian raised his gun. "Elodie, wait."

I opened it anyway, and my heart dropped straight through the floor. "Mom?"

My mother stood slumped against the doorframe, barely able to hold herself upright. Melody stood beside her, streaked with dirt and blood.

"Mom!" I rushed forward and caught her as her body sagged weakly against mine. "Melody, what happened?"

"We were attacked," she whispered, shaking. "Mom got hurt."

I looked down and saw blood soaking through my mother's clothes, dark and spreading. "No."

Doctor Hunter moved toward us at once. "Put her on the table."

I helped him carry her inside, my hands trembling. "Please," I whispered. "Save her."

He laid her on the operating table and began examining the wound with quick, practiced hands. My mother's eyes fluttered open. "Elodie…"

"I'm here." I pressed her weak hand against my face. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes.

She tried to lift her other hand. I grabbed it, holding tight. "You're going to be okay."

Her fingers tightened around mine—then loosened. "Mom?"

Her eyes slid shut. "Mom!"

Doctor Hunter pushed me aside. "Let me work."

I stumbled back, tears blurring my vision, Melody trembling beside me. The conversation about the book no longer mattered.

Neither did the System. My mother was fighting for her life on that table.

Then the familiar holographic screen flickered into existence before me. [Critical condition detected.]

My eyes widened. [Elixir required.]

I looked at Doctor Hunter. He looked back at me, and the answer settled between us, unspoken but unmistakable.

We needed the Elixir. Now.