Doc ran his fingers through his grey thinning hair. His fingers paused slightly at the top of his head where a round shiny patch of his scalp now showed. He felt the think smooth skin under the tips of his long fingers. It was odd but  just then, an image of  a younger him flashed through his mind. A younger, slim Doc with thick light brown wavy tresses.  Briefly he saw  a  flashback of a  time when he felt sure of himself and his practise.  A time when he welcomed challenge and trusted in his abilities.  Lately he found himself missing those early years.  The years  when he first started his practise.  The 30 some  years he spent with his wife Trudy at his side.  Always encouraging him. It was almost 20 years since her passing,  and, yet some days, he still could hear her laughter as
though she still with him.  She was the love of his life.  His only love.

  He had met her when he started medical school in the 60's.  It was a short courtship that blossomed into love fast. He knew she was the "one" the night they shared their first kiss. He did not let Trudy know that night he had made up his mind about her.  But a few weeks later he popped the question and she accepted without hesitation.  He had never known a woman the intimate way he knew Trudy.  She was all he had ever wanted or could hope to have.

Trudy was a petite red headed  cutie. With a perky  nose and  beautiful large blue eyes. Her laughter and love for life was infectious.  But on the rare occasion when she would need to be taken serious and that she meant business, especially by their three rambunctious sons, she could command attention.  He  sighed briefly,  she would  always be his one and only.  He felt the presence of Cody and Josiah next to him, he suddenly felt old again.

 Doc Keller  felt a need to offer some medical explanation to the others.  But what, he thought to himself.  What could he tell them.  He did not understand what was happening  anymore than Cody and Josiah did.   Eve however, he thought, he just knew she knew something.  She worked for Copeland. She herself  was in charge of the center. Yes he was certain she had some answers

 He looked down at the figure  at his feet a again and shook his head once more. Josiah and Cody now stood  quietly at his side. He was happy to have these young strong men with him. But he felt as their elder they were leaning on him for some direction.

 Josiah  quietly spoke "I placed a call for backup."  "In the meantime we need to get her" he motioned towards Marie as he spoke "out of here. Some place safe outside, till we have help".   "Doc you and Eve take her outside and wait." Josiah looked at Eve. She did not protest and started to move toward the door guiding Marie.  Who seemed somehow  so fragile in her own slender arms. Just as the two woman reached the doorway Zach came rushing through the doorway.  Bloody and terrorized.  Doc, Cody and Josiah turned as he rushed past the woman. Their eyes stopped transfixed  at the huge bleeding gouge on the side of his neck.

Josiah looked at the Doc. He knew what he needed to do. But somehow he wanted reassurance from the elderly man that there was no  other choice, than firing his gun again. He respected the wisdom of his elders.  as a boy he growing up he had a very close relationship with his father.  He shared all his ideas and dreams with him.  when he chose to join the sheriffs department his father has supported him and encouraged him even to stay with the department even after his wife passed away and he flet his world crashing.  He thought for a moment, what would his father say to him now.

 Doc gave a nod to Josiah. There  just did not seem to be  any other choice. Josiah looked back at the man still staggering towards them.  He did not understand any of what was happening.  But his survivor instincts told him their lives were dependent on his decision right now. His training told him there would be times when he would need to use blunt force to take control of  hostile situations.

"Stop".  Josiah shouted loudly. Again no halt in the intruders approach towards him. His feet dragged along the floor as he stepped closer. Drool and spit hung from his dry cracked lips, His eyes were glazed over with the same grey film  just as the couple had out in the court yard.  He swaggered  towards them on his blood caked clothes as though it was all he knew how to do.

 Josiah felt fear, anger and frustration.  Frustration  from not understanding how this all could be happening.  He wanted this  to be some ugly horrifying dream that he would some how be awaken from.  He felt his hand tighten around his pistol.  As he took  a deep breath  he fired another shot.  He chose first to aim at the leg,  Hoping this would somehow stop the man on his wild quest.  The  man fell back as the bullet drove into the dark meaty flesh of his thigh.  as the blood appeared there was no cry out  of pain.   His teeth gnashed together and with a jittery jolt he dropped to the floor.  With in seconds  he rose again, to his feet.  Clumsily as though  his body and mind worked against each other he continued on with his gait. Like a rabid animal spew fell from his open mouth. The he closer he moved.  Another shot was fired only this time it was a direct hit to the head. Skull fragments exploded as the man fell once more. This time he laid in a slump between them and Marie.

Marie trembled, crouched in her safe place. She looked to where Eve stood. She wanted desperately to run to her, but fear kept her frozen.  The pain from the back of her skull left her feeling slightly dazed and ached with every movement.  Slowly she found the courage to begin to move on to her knees and crawl out.  

 They all watched in horror and relief as the man lay motionless.  The eminent danger was over for the moment. Cody was the first to rush to Marie.  He helped her to her feet. Eve moved in and hugged her. "Marie are you all right" Eve asked as she held her.  "I think so just my head hurts -" she sobbed softly. "When I was trying to get away from him, I fell backwards. I hit something."  "What happened, why did he try to hurt me?" she  asked  confused.  She turned at looked at where he laid and softly cried into Eve as the scene replayed in her head.


Cody spoke next. "Who is this guy?" He asked Eve and Marie. Marie spoke first.  "He is a new participant to the study.  His name is Tony.  I don't know him very well.  I hooked him up to a central line yesterday and and..."she paused and began to sob again.  "Today I found him like this."  tears flowed uncontrolable now and she shook in eves arms.

The smaller female figure did not hesitate as she turned and in a  dazed sleep walk moved towards them, as the shots were  fired.  Josiah motioned by waiving his gun for her to halt, still  she kept moving forward with no heed of his warning. Growls escaping from her as she continued advancing in their direction. Josiah moved forward, she  wildly  swung at him.  Cody rushed past Josiah and lunged at her, tackling her to the ground.  Together they tumbled. Josiah swiftly pulled her back off away from Cody. Her teeth clicked together fervently as she desperately tried to bite him and get back up.  Both men now on their feet stepped back.  Josiah cocked hi gun and fired again.  For seconds time seemed to freeze for the 4 of them as they watched slump to the ground.


It was Doc Keller again who moved first.  Briskly the elderly man  walked toward the bloody bodies where they  laid on the ground. There was no more gnashing teeth or growling sounds from either.  They  laid there still and silent. The Doctor studied the corps. Paying close attention to the eyes,of the man who laid face up.  He noticed the eyes  appeared to be  glazed over with a grey film. He could not make out  what color they actually were because of the shadowy matter.  He saw the whites were a deep amber and there was no pupil visible.  The skin tone was ashen, as if  all color had been drained.  As he knelt down to take a closer look he reached out to touch the man as he laid motionless.   He was cold and already felt stiff. In all his 40 some years  of practicing medicine he had never seen death take hold so fast.  The Doc turned his direction  to where the female body now laid at the side of him. His hand gently touched the back of her hand.  She too felt  cold to the touch.

 Josiah felt his hand tremble slightly has he placed his pistol safely back in his harness. The midday sun felt hot on the back of his neck.  He wiped at his brow feeling more  perspiration form. He was stood still for several moments.  Not sure if there was still a threat to them, he quickly surveyed the grounds before moving to wards the Doctor with his hand still resting on his holster- just in case. Doc Keller felt Josiah's presence next to him.  "He is dead" he said to Josiah quickly in a low tone. "But he continued "my training would tell me it almost appears- from how still and cold he is, that he was dead, before you even shot him.

   Just then Eve rushed to Doc Keller's  side before anyone could stop her. She gasped loudly as she caught a closer look of the man that had just been shot. Her lips trembled as another muffled cry escaped her. Cody swiftly moved in and placed his muscular arm around her.  Turning her slightly towards him to shield her from  the gruesome sight. At first she protested. Pulling back she stared at the face.  She was certain she knew the man.  He resembled Marty she thought to her self.  "Its Marty the night intern" she said out loud with a sob.  "He was new at the center".  She continued.   She her self had interviewed him.   He was a large kind,  gentle man. Who was seldom seen without his smile.  Early 30's, slightly over weight but strong.  She was certain he  was Marty from the clothes she saw and his size.  But, this mans face was gruesome, twisted, and bloody.  She buried her head into Cody's chest. He tightened his grip on her.  The  bullet had left a deep large gash in the mans  forehead. Skull and bone fragments protruded above his eye brows to his hair line. She shut her eyes to envision Marty as she had last saw him. Walking  down the hall towards her as he began his shift smiling as usual.  She shook her head. The face on this person hardly resembled the Marty she had come to know and look forward too seeing each night as she exited the premises and he started his shift.

Josiah stood silent next to the Doc.  They stared together at the man laying at their feet.  He was dead. The bullet had blown  a clear hole through his skull. Shattering the top of his head.  Almost as though his skull  had some how become brittle and dry.  But that was not all that  had their minds troubled.  They both stared at a large  gaping wound on the side of his neck.  Josiah did not need medical training to asses what he saw.  It looked  as though something had taken a large bite out of him.  Doc knew it was not a fresh injury.  He believed  the blood around it was dried and dirt surrounded the edges.  "From the looks of it a wound or um bite   that size should have killed him" he whispered to Josiah.  "He would have bleed out from that much missing from his neck." he added.  Not sure, but hoping,  Josiah too was studying the wound. Josiah could only nod as he agreed with him.

They all turned toward the compound as they  heard a scream come from inside.  A woman's scream.
Josiah pulled his gun out, leading the group as they rushed toward the open door.  Memories flashed through Eves mind as the scream reached her ears.  She yelled to Josiah to head down the corridor to the right.  An image of the lab flashed through her mind.  Yes, she remembered fleeing from there as something,  no someone- was chasing her.  Another loud scream was heard again.  Marie. Eve thought to her self.  It was Marie, she was sure of it.

Josiah stopped abruptly as he entered the first doorway to his right just as Eve had instructed.  A large dark  male stood in the middle of the room.  He was waving his arms around wildly.  Swiping towards a woman  that crouched down under and over turned  cabinet.  The same sounds they had heard earlier from the man outside were coming from this man. He slowly turned toward them,  teeth gnashing. Slowly he began an awkward gait towards them.

Marie heard the shots. She tried to stand but her head felt dizzy as she struggled  to get to her feet. She brushed her tangled  long brown hair from her face as she grabbed for the table in front of her.  Her slender hand trembled. She could fill a  trickle of blood rolling down the back of her neck and she winced in pain while she straightened her posture upright. With a quick scan of her body it appeared she did not seem to have any broken bones, or wounds below her shoulders. Gently she raised her hand towards the back of her aching skull. With her finger tips she felt the gash.  An opening  the size of a silver dollar.  She gasped as she pulled her blood soaked hand away.  She was injured and knew she needed help fast.  But, she also feared what might be waiting for her in the hallway. She tried reasoning with yourself to fight her fear. Her training in the Reserves had taught her survival techniques  if she should find herself in difficult situations. She tried desperately to concentrate on what she had been taught about  traumas to the head.

 She scanned the room from where she stood  too afraid to move and not quite sure where to go. Her brown eyes followed a small trail of blood that led out into the hallway.  The lab room was a mess, with carts turned over and broken glass shattered all around her. It seemed whatever had attacked Marie was gone now.  Her mind slowly came back to the gun shot she had heard.  Frightening images flashed through her mind.  She reached in her lab coat pocket for her cell phone.  Eve's number lit up in front of her.

Before  Marie had joined the Copeland group almost 3 years ago, she worked in hospice care.  Death was not something new to her, but, violence was something else. Even though she trained in the reserves for self defense right after college, she had never actually encountered an attack. During her time of service she did not deploy over seas.  Marie had remained safely in the untied states close to her family while on active duty, helping to train new recruits.  After her Mother passed away several years ago from cancer Marie decided to make a career move towards medical research.  With no where to move with in her hospice care career,   the Copeland group had attracted her with their attractive salary and excellent health care package. Since Marie had majored in Health Sciences while in college,  She felt this  was a golden opportunity to utilize the knowledge she had gained in college and  join  Copeland's team.

Like all Copeland's employees that worked at the research facility, she also believed the work they were doing was in  efforts  to help find cures for crippling diseases.  The center in Hill city was more then just watching cells grow in the laboratory, and that excited her.  She was well aware that the study involved human trials of new medicines with great promise.  What Marie and most of her fellow employees did not know was the extent of just  how far Copeland and its investors were willing to go to get faster results in obtaining FDA approval to introduce new drugs to the market. .

What Copeland laboratory had also  failed to do was step forward in admitting their wrong doing and produce a plan of action of safety for their medical staff and the volunteers, should side effects produce fatalities. Instead six months ago,  a secret cover up plan had been born. A plan that had employees like Eve Porter, Marie Olson and  everyone else involved at the Center in danger.

Chapter 5


Eve was the first to jump out of Josiah's squad car. Quickly the three men followed her lead.  There was an eery quiet about the dwelling. Almost as though the place had been abandoned.  There was  no activity outside the premises accept for one man, who had now dropped to his knees in the court yard.

The figure was now  bent  over something or possibly someone.  The four of them stood together watching as the man made no other motion keeping his back to them.  Josiah led the group towards the man calling out to him loudly "what happened, do you need help?".   As he  moved  closer  Josiah felt an uneasiness grow stronger inside him.  He slowly placed  his hand on the top of his pistol that rested in his hip holster.  Loudly he called out to him again.  "What happened. Are you hurt?" He moved closer motioning for the others to stay back. There was no answer or  even a gesture that the man had heard Josiah call to him.  Eve eyes darted from one end of the building to the other.  Nothing else seemed out of place.  There was no other movement or stirring of life.    Josiah  took another step closer with Cody, Eve and Doc Keller ignoring his gesturing  that they stay back and   followed right behind him.

 The man turned his head and began to rise. His shoulders hunched forward as he staggered to a standing position.  His feet  moved in a pigeon toed manner as if they were being dragged   along with every step he took..  On the face of the man he noticed  a large gash along his forehead.  His mouth hung open as he snarled loudly towards them with a blank expression.  Then from behind this male figure suddenly appeared another body. Smaller in size but also moving in the same manner. Hunched and dragging its feet.   "What the hell happened" Cody said softly.  More out of impulse than anything else. Not really intending anyone to respond in particular and knowing very well none of them had an answer,  but  unconsciously hoping somehow an explanation  might be offered from one of the other three at what they were seeing.

It was Doc Keller that finally spoke first.  "The man appears to be sick  or drugged and unable to respond to us". Watching him closely he spoke again. "Look at how he moves, its as if  he is dazed and randomly walking, almost lifelessly."  Josiah stepped forward again then stopped.  Fear enveloping him, for the first time in his career he was unsure of what to do next.  He pulled the gun from his harness.  Cody watched him.  Softly  he offered  a thought out loud " He acts like a rabid animal. Gnarling and unbalanced.  They watched as   his arms moved, swinging out awkwardly at the air every so often.  He appeared to be drenched with blood. From behind the figure it was Cody who noticed first, what he had been bent over.  It was another body on the ground.  Laying motionless on its side.  Bloody and disheveled. Eve also saw the lifeless body, just as the smaller figure now dropped to its knees to bend over the figure on the ground. A revolting queasy feeling filled her stomach as she realized what she was seeing.    Josiah and Cody exchanged looks.  Josiah yelled out again to the the figures to stop and continued his approach.

Josiah had dealt with men and women strung out on drugs before.  But this did not seem like they were aimlessly wondering while under the influence of some drug. It appeared they were eating the corpse on the ground. His mind found it difficult to accept. But there was just no other explanation for what he was seeing.  The figure continued to approach them.  He aimed his gun to wards the bloody man in front of him.  "Stop" he yelled once again.  The smaller figure behind him now rose too and awkwardly began to walk  towards them. Bloody and messed. The rabid man still  made no attempt to heed Josiahs request and wildly swung out.  Josiah cocked his pistol  and  demanded him to stop a third time.  Cody rushed the body and knocked him down. He swung wildly at Cody gnashing teeth and growling loudly. Cody backed up as the man attempted to stand. Josiah pulled the trigger as a shot fired out towards the bloody man. He fell to the ground again.

Josiah found Eve sitting upright in Dr Keller's office. The look on her teared streaked face made him  concerned for her. The few times he had spoken with  her she seemed so confident  and happy. Cody joined them in the exam room now too. The three men stood at opposite corners of the small  room, not quite sure what part they all were to play. Cody and Josiah gave  each other the amicable man  nod then turned to address the situation with the Doctor.

But it was Eve who spoke first. "We need to get to the center now" she began still trembling. "There has been a terrible accident involving  a few of the participants in the study." Cody moved to her side. He wanted nothing more than  to hold her and comfort her. She looked at him  as she spoke again. " I don't know exactly what provoked or caused the change. Somehow things got out of control in the night. We need to get there now. Can you take me?" Josiah looked at Doc Keller his brow furrowed. He was confused with just  how Cody Everett fit in.  They had become acquaintances shortly after Josiah's arrival to take over as Sheriff.   But his being there  hardly seemed of any importance at the moment.  "Eve are you sure you are up to  it?"  Cody asked looking from eve and then  over to where the Sheriff stood.  Josiah locked eyes with Cody as he spoke. " I can take us all there in the squad car right now."  Eve stood up. She needed to get there and fast.  She needed to help get the situation under control as soon as possible. She also some how knew, she  needed the help of both these men. " I am fine". She said trying to convince herself as well as the others. 

"Are there injuries?" Doc Keller asked. Eve paused and then started for the door and then stopped again,  turning as she spoke. "Yes.  I... she stuttered momentarily.  " I-um remember seeing someone bleeding on the floor." Images flashed in front of Eve. She had heard running then screaming. She remembered being scared backing away from something or someone and then running away. Running until she fell down an embankment of some sort a slope and then nothing. She woke up bloody and injured and some how found her way to Cody's ranch. She shook her head nodding as she answered him.  "Yes yes, I remember someone  had been hurt." Her heart raced as she recalled the scene in her mind. The  night nurse I saw her lying on the floor.  The image flashed in front of her.   She had tried to help her and then something came after Eve.  She was not sure who or why. "We have to hurry". she cried.  

It was the ringing of Sheriff Cody's phone that startled them all. His face grew pale as he listened to the voice.  He turned towards the other 2 men. The dispatcher was short with her report.  He told them Someone from the center,  a man had called in  for help. He had said there was blood and bodies. They all moved towards the door. Josiah instructed his office to call for back up and an ambulance.  He also told her be on . stand by should they need to call for more medical emergency help.  He then  led the way to the his squad car. Doc Keller following in the rear  announced with determination "I am coming with."

It was 20 minutes be fore they pulled up in front of the concrete building.  The place seemed deserted at first.  Then from a side service entrance they saw a man staggering towards them.  His shirt and pants  caked with blood.  

chapter 3 the scrape

The smell was like nothing he had ever smelt before. He remembered back to his early college years. One summer while on a hiking trip, he joined volunteer forces to help dig out some lost souls that had fallen victim to a mud slide along the edges of Yellowstone National park in Wyoming.  It was right then when he decided he wanted to help save lives and that fall he switched his major to the medical field. It was also then that he first learned the poignant smell of rotting flesh.  He discovered first hand how it  could make even the strongest stomachs churn, and that was exactly what the smell reminded him of  now. He felt  nausea from inside rising upwards fast. Quickly he covered his mouth with his hand as he  looked around the open cell door. Swallowing hard he fought to keep the contents of his stomach intact. His heart racing as he took in the horrific sight. He felt motionless as he stood in dismay.  Blood splattered a small portion of the walls. His eyes traveled down to the the floor  to  pool of blood.  Next to that laid something that resembled some kind of carcass.  No, wait.  He focussed his unbeleiving eyes, it was a body, a human body.  He stepped closer, inside he trembled with gut wrenching terror.  His mind  fighting to accept the site before him  was in fact real. He wanted  desperately to have this all be a terrible dream, a nightmare that he would somehow be awaken from any moment. What he was seeing made  made no sense to him.  Someones body, lifeless, mangled,  with its abdomen ripped open laid sprawled on the hard cement floor. He looked around the tiny quarters, there seemed to be  no one else in sight.

He was not sure if he had actually heard the movement behind him or just sensed motion.  But then that smell like, he had never known before intensified. He turned in slow motion, gagging as he felt himself smothered in the putrid odor.  A gurgling sound filled his ears as a figure moved towards him. Teeth gnashing as the bloody disfigured body lunged at him.  In fear he backed away quickly.  Awkward clumsy  hands reached out  to claw and grab at him.  Zach kicked a  metal cart towards his intruder. He watched as this monster tripped, falling hard to the concrete floor, its gnarling growl growing as he struggled to grab at him again. Its limbs wildly thrashed around in an attempt to stand again.

He studied the figure momentarily.  He realized this was a young man and not a monsterous beast that was for some reason trying to violently attack him.   He wore a jumpsuit like the kind they had distributed to participants of the study. Only his was torn and caked with blood.  He resembled a young participant of the study Zach had met several days prior.  The young mans color was ashen and pale. His eyes were glazed and almost a glowing amber color. His face twisted without expression, drool and blood spilling from the sides of his deep purple almost black like  lips.

Zach turned his head looking  for an object, something  to hurdle at the hideous figure. Slowly it began to rise.   He placed his hand on a wooden chair lifting it quickly, he swung it at his attacker.  Knocking him down again. Zach watched as a gaping wound opened up on the side of this creatures  head. He stared at the wound for a moment.  There was no blood, just a mass of a deep brown matted tissue slightly exposed.   It tried again to rise slowly.  Zach swung again wildly, knocking  him -this thing, down once more, Then as if something inside Zach snapped he moved closer  to the mad man.  He lifted the chair and swung  again striking it in the head. He heard the skull  crack and the body fall once more.  Again he struck it in the head with the leg of the chair.  The head split and the thing stopped moving. Its teeth gnashed one last time and then nothing.  Zach stood motionless for a few moments. Looking at the human form now laying at his feet.  He trembled in his sweat soaked clothes.  Not sure what to do he turned to look back the other body, which now appeared to him to be a female.  She-what was left of her laid  near the small pool of blood, unmoved. He knelt down at her side to move the hair that covered his face.  He gasped as he realized it was Linda the night nurse.