Doctor Parks, mad genius and humanity's last hope
From Create Your Own Story
The sun is setting on this new world and, for the first time in many, many years, fear falls upon the heart of the survivors like the dark veil of death. Since the destruction of New York and Washington has been confirmed on the news, the few survivors you've crossed seemed to have lost all hope.
You know better. Your scientific mind has allowed you to go through the traumatic events of last night without losing your center: Humanity is facing an epidemic, a terrible one but an epidemic nonetheless, and you're a doctor, a brilliant one, specialized in exotic diseases. When your research at the CDC was shut down due to budgetary cuts you were forced to move back to your home town and resume your surgery career.
Hiding in the morgue of Saint Helen's hospital has allowed you to go through Saturday night unarmed. By dawn’s early lights, the streets filled with hordes of wandering survivors. Many of them tried to flee the city. You stayed. If you were to find a cure you had to be in ground zero and you needed a lab.
When you came home in the morning, your wife and daughter were gone; you still hope they managed to flee and hide somewhere. The terrifying alternative has driven you all day long to relentlessly try to find a cure.
Setting up the lab and basic security measures took you most of the morning. The three specimens you found hiding in the basement of the small research lab of the university you're using are now lying strapped to their beds.
Your recorder is on:
"Subject A is a female, she seems to be in her late teens, blond, she seams healthy. Subject B is male, early twenties blond and healthy as well. Subject C is a mid thirties redheaded woman, she has some overweight.
The symptoms of, lack of a better name we will have to call vampirism are as follow:
Cadaverous pale skin, the standard vital signs indicate that the patients are dead. Although close monitoring allowed me to detect a heart beat around 3 o’clock in patient A. This would disprove the belief that the vampires are dead. The organism seems to be in a lethargic state. The discovery of this fact has given me hope in my research of a cure. No virus in the nature has a 100% kill ratio and all illnesses can be cured.
Elongated and sharp canines, patient C is showing a second pair of shorter yet still longer than average canines, These fangs unlike what we usually find in mammals are for piercing instead of ripping.
The eyes react normally to bright light but show cat like capabilities of low-light vision in darkness. I wasn’t able to study them further since the hypnotic power of the vampire is still strong even when dormant. I had to blindfold them all to protect me from their powers when they wake up.
The autopsy of patient B even if I wasn’t able to get a clear picture of their anatomy allowed me to study their regenerative capabilities. To my knowledge, nowhere in nature such a fast healing exists. If we manage to isolate the negative aspects of the virus, it’s safe to say that modern medicine will look like middle age in comparison.
Another anomaly detected is the huge amount of blood in the body. This would be a good explanation for the constant state of sexual arousal observed in all three patients. Microscopic examination has shown me that the virus seems to have taken the spot of oxygen in the blood of the patient. This would explain the high contamination capabilities of the blood. I haven’t found traces of the virus in other bodily fluids of the subjects.
Talking of which, saliva composition is totally different from human’s. It contains three specific toxins with amazing capabilities. The first one is an aphrodisiac, the second one is a painkiller and the third one seem to carry regenerative capabilities. The three toxins are unlike anything found in nature both in potency and composition:
Definitely the virus has turned the patients into ultimate killing machines.
Now for the weaknesses;
The virus is extremely sensitive to the UV rays of the sun; It has the same sensibility to Artificial UV light. This has allowed me to set the perimeter of security that protects the laboratory.
None of the other mythical weaknesses of the vampire have been confirmed. Garlic, crosses, silver all this is a pile of crap.
I tried fire as well, the vampire skin is actually particularly resistant to it. I would say at least three times more resistant than human skin. I haven’t been able to make any progress towards finding a way of eliminating the virus from its hosts, but I don’t plan on stopping until I do.”
The daylight is totally gone. Patients A and B start to moan.
“A fascinating exposé, doctor, but if you allow me I’d like to shed a new light on your research. From what I heard untying me or loosening my blind fold is totally out of the question but if you care to listen to me I could help you a lot. I’m a researcher myself, well at least I was until last night, and I’m really interested in my new condition.” Patient C has a much sweeter voice than you would have expected. “I’m doctor Cloud by the way but you can call me Jane”.
Before you can make up your mind somebody is knocking on the door.
“Hum dinner” says patient C.
What will you do?
Will you indulge Patient C so that she can help you?
Or will you get the door but forget about the offer of Patient C?
Or will you forget about both the door and the vampiress’ proposition and move on with your work?
