Sunday, July 17, 2011

New world

In the last 6 month, the world had changed. Now, everyone knew about the “new disease” and what it did to a human being. They had the Bringers of Light to thank for. Already, people were talking about the “Z Virus”, homage to the famous video games and movies Resident Evil, they were using the slang: “Z” and “Z’s” to talk about infected. The writer of the world acclaimed books: Zombie Survival guide and World War Z, Max Brook had had to go on national tv and explain that his books were fictional and recreational only and should not be used as an actual survival guide. Even though military forces around the world had based their “Intervention Plan” on his writings.
So far, there had been no major outbreak. The Dark Blood Hunters, under the disguise of a “new world wide agency” had prevented all catastrophes and were actively guiding regular forces through what was called the “Zombie Course 101”. They had 3 main division: Science, Public Relation and Public Safety.
Parkson was not happy. Not happy at all. She literally hated this crappy assignment. Science officer in Public Relation was not her idea of having a good time. She envied Thompson his assignment. At least, he had had some fun in Baltimore. A small swarm had come upon the town and had attacked a renowned bakery. The owner, a big guy, had just finished some renovation and was on his roof shooting fireworks, as was his routine whenever something big occurred at the bakery. That’s when he had seen the first of the infected around. He ran downstairs and warned his staff of the incoming danger. Due to the late hour, there were only five other people around: his sous-chef and 3 others. The Z’s, attracted by the noise and the “vitality” of their prey swarmed the place. Due to the renovation, part of the wall fell on the owner and he lost consciousness. His best friend and sous-chef had suddenly gone blood rage crazy. Grabbing a katana (she still did not understand how a fucking katana could find its way in a bakery and why) he had starter cutting heads while screaming insanity at the Z’s. The rest of the staff had used power tools to dismember the zombies. Again, why a bakery needed power tools was beyond her understanding. By the time help got there, the owner had regained consciousness and had grabbed a long cooking shovel used to take cakes out of the oven and was using it to fight the Z’s beside his friend. Since then, they had formed a group of vigilantes and had started keeping the street of Baltimore zombie free. Bakers by day, zombie’s killers by night. Parkson sight. What a turn of event.
“And now, let me introduce to you Dr. Alice Parkson. From the science and public relation of the Disease Control Unit.” Before going onstage, Alice made certain that she had her .38 in her computer bag. Ever since the lecture she had done in San Diego where she had been attacked by some Z’s, she preferred to go armed. One just never knew. She stepped on the stage of Princeton U. She was received with some applause but mostly with a skeptic silence. Alice was getting used to it and she rather had a silent crowd than a hostile one like in Utah. Some crazies had come from all around the state figuring that she would have less security and had started to throw things at her. They were a mix of religious freaks and nature lover who believed that this new virus had been sent here to judge/eradicate humankind. She had had a tough time from it.
She started by explaining the origin of the virus. Or lack of it actually. The only thing any of the D.B.H scientist were certain is that it had been the cause of the dinosaurs disappearance. It coincided with the heavy meteor impact but could not be directly related to it. Some theorized that it had come from one of these meteors and had attacked the system of some mammals creating legion of small but deadly predators who had feed on the dinosaurs. Then, the “post nuclear winter” had almost killed every host. By then, there was not enough food supply and the virus had lain in dormancy until humanity was able to sustain it again.
Other believed that the virus was born with humanity. The proof of it was the early burial rituals that had been observed almost everywhere. From the mommies in ancient Egypt to cairns in Ireland to the sealed tombs in ancient Greek and Rome. Every early ritual allowed for the body to be either cremated, buried so it could not raise or in the Egyptian case, the brain was removed along with every other major organs before mummification. This virus was, following the same theory, the one and only true “human predator”. And it mutated. From it had spawned the black plague of 14th century, coming back until its sudden disappearance during the 19th century. In coincided with the first known world wide effort of the conscious zombies to prevent outbreak around the world.
She moved on to explain the infection sources, its incubation cycle and the disastrous news that it killed 100% of the time. The only way to prevent it from doing more damage was to kill the host and burn it. She moved on explaining the symptom one infected would show and how they never varied regardless of the sex, gender or ethnic group of the carrier. She then passed a movie showing and infected individual going through all the phase of incubation up to his ugly transformation in a monster. At the end of the video, the united state president swore that everything in there was real and no special effects had been added, urging the people watching it to believe in the real treat it represented and to help the disease control unit in any way they could and to never take matter in their own hands as they could become victims themselves.
When she had finished answering the last question, she left the stage and was meet by a Japanese guy. Seeing him, she took a fast step forward and punched him in the face. “How do you DARE show your face to me? Do you know in how much trouble I found myself after I talked to you? And now, I’m the star of 4 movies. FOUR FUCKING MOVIES!!!! I should have let you get eaten then. I hate you!!!”
On the floor, clutching his bleeding nose was the creator of the famous video games and movies: Vile Resident. Facing him, the original Alice.