Josiah Gently laid Zach down to wait for help.   The warm flow of Zach's  blood trickled down on to Josiah's hand. His eyes followed the trail of red bodily fluid from Zach's  neck.  He looked at the open wound where flesh had been ripped from his neck. He felt nausea rise from the pit of his stomach. He did not need a medical degree to know  that this was bad.   He could only imagine the pain Zach was in and wanted desperately to help him. Pieces of  jagged skin surrounded the deep  bite.  Zach's eyes closed as he breathed in deeply.  "The room is keeps fading in and out."  he whispered to Josiah. "Hang in there man." Josiah softly said to him. "Help will be here soon."  Josiah reached for his radio again.  This man needed help fast. Josiah knew time was of the essence.  He looked up and   yelled out for Doc Keller.

Zach began to feel himself drift in and out of consciousness. He was sure he was loosing blood at a fast rate from the way he was beginning to feel. He fought to stay conscious and alert. Images of his life began to flash before him.  Memories of  his childhood danced in his mind. Summer days spent at his grandparents lake home.  He could see his Grandmother smiling as she watched him jump from her  dock into the calm water.  Water splashing up to where she sat watching him with pure joy.

  He missed his Grandmother deeply and felt comfort seeing her face now. He felt himself basking in the warmth that her love radiated to him. Growing up she had always been his place to turn for comfort.  Even in his later trouble teen years she was the one  he would turn to for guidance,  understanding and love. She never judged him or scolded him for his mistakes or poor judgment with some of the paths he had taken.  She was his constant light while she was alive.  It only seemed to make sense to him that hers was the face he would see now as felt life -his life slipping from him

It had been almost 5 years since he had seen a vision of her.  Her death now 6 years prior  had been hard on him.  He had watched cancer ravaged through her body.  Leaving her bed ridden the last month of her life, slipping in and out of this world daily.  Her face was so clear now almost as though he could reach out and touch her. He wanted to touch her. to feel her arms hold him.  To nestle in her bosom and forget his pain.

 He could hear her calling out to him to come back as he swam out farther before diving under the cool water again. He felt happy and safe being with her again.  He turned his head to look at her from where he floated.  Her face still warm and gentle somehow,   now,  had a look of concern and worry. He could hear- no almost feel her, calling out to him again to comeback that he had gone to far. Her voice became louder as though she was almost pleading to him to comeback.  He could see a tear now, falling down the side of her cheek as she extended her arms out to him.  "Come back" she called to him again.

Chapter 5 continued


It went against any logic.  What they were witnessing was almost impossible for their minds to comprehend or accept.  Human eating  human.  They watched frozen in shock with disbelief and fear.  Mesmerized by the insanity of this ghastly madness.  The four of  them having never seen such grotesque rabid animal like characteristics before in any human.

On the ranch Cody had seen many animals feed off each other.  His own livestock had  at times become prey to wolves and coyotes.  Wild animals that occasionally wondered onto his fields looking for food.  It just was not all that uncommon in the wild to see animals feed off of the corpse of other animals. He had even heard of different cultures where drinking animal blood was ritualistic.  But this was sick beyond anything he had ever seen.  He felt the threat of  nausea  begin to grow in him.  He swallowed hard to fight back the purging feeling.   "Doc can a a rabid human do something like this?" Cody asked quickly. " Is there some sort of disease or adverse reaction to a drug that would make a person act this way?" He continued. Doc Keller hesitated before answering.  "I have seen hydrophobic before but- never seen anything like this." Doc said,while  momentarily  taking his eyes of the demented man that had just been slayed by Josiah's bullet.   He had heard of demonic possessions, he had visited some asylums in his younger years but there was nothing in his medical career that he had treated or studied that resembled what they were seeing now.    "Its like the bullet has only temporarily stunned him." Doc said as he studied the harrowing man some more. Then looked questioningly over to Eve he asked.  " Eve what kind of research is going on here? " "Is this man a participant?'  Eve stared straight ahead. She was unable to  take her eyes off the bloody site in front of her.  "We --umm the research we are involved in-  was umm studying a drug that was potentially designed to treat a brain cancer." It was created to temporarily put the patient in a hibernation state."  She said softly.   She watched  the man and woman behind him for a moment before speaking again. "Yes I think I know them both.  But somehow they look so twisted and mangled."  

They watched unsure of what to do next. Josiah steadying his gun in his hand, let his head turn slightly, surveying the grounds around them. "Shit, what the hell is going on." he mumbled softly not sure what the next move should be.  But feeling Eve was the only one here that could offer some sort of explanation.   He did not want any unnecessary risks taken by his companions,  Softly he asked Cody. "If he starts to move again, we could tackle him and try to restrain him enough to let Doc examine him."  "I can take him down again". Cody said as he watched the figure thrash on the ground while gnashing his teeth.  Slowly behind him  the female figure continued to make  her way towards them.  

 Eve let out a gasp and felt vomit rise up her throat.  This was her center. Her research center she was responsible for. How was this even possible she wondered to herself.  "Oh God, what is happening?" She cried,  as she turned away from the three men to release the contents rise to her mouth that she could no longer hold back.   Cody put his arm around her to help hold her up.  She wanted to collapse.  Her knees shook and her head felt dazed.  

Blood continued to flow from Tyler's open throat.  His eyes rolled slowly back into his head as his chest  heaved heavily for a breath. The silence between them all was almost deafening. The only movement in the room now came from Dave.  He leaned over his friend distraught with grief and helplessness.  Wishing desperately that  there was something more he could do, or something someone could do, to save his friend.    He felt the sick taunting of death smothering him as he cradled is friend's head.   "Buddy  please hang on" he cried softly into   Tyler's ear.  "Where are the paramedics"?  He choked out through sobs as he half turned to where Doc stood of to his side.   Just as his words were spoken a siren could be heard off in the distance.

Eve stood up and buried her head in Cody's chest.  Her own grief of the the tragedy that surrounded them  overwhelmed her. Cody held her tight as he felt her body shutter with sobs.  Gently he stroked her tangled hair as he pulled her closer into him.  His lips gently brushed the sides of her temple.  She was safe and he felt a sense of comfort in his arms.   But the fear that all of them were still at risk for an attack clung heavily to everyone as they waited.

The sound of the approaching sirens held them all captive to the silence.  It was almost as though the sound offered them hope.  Hope that somehow this night mare would possibly end now.   So in silence they continued their wait.  Fear and the primal instincts to defend human life overcoming any emotion or reason to find logic for how this all could be happening. There was nothing more to be said between any of  them for the moment.  The situation was out of their control.  It had become out of their control even before Josiah pulled up in his squad car, with Cody, Eve and Doc Keller to witnessing the first sighting of this lethal mad hunger behavior.  They had simply only managed to protect themselves.  Danger still threatened them all, until whatever evil this was, was stopped. To many lives had been lost already to this rabid infection.

Cody moved mechanically toward the shot.  He stopped just as he reached the hallway and saw Eve fall to the floor, with bloody human head fragments clustering around her.  The lifeless and now decapitated body slumped at  her feet.  Instinctively he rushed towards her.  His heart pounded as he gently knelt down next to Eve. He could feel fear building in him as he gently looked her over for human bites. He felt himself almost overwhelmed with concern that she may have possibly been bitten.   With his left foot extended he slid the headless corps away from her.  Then  positioned himself in front of it to keep her from being exposed to the gruesome site. He could not deny it to himself as he gently reached out to help her sit upright. He was feeling  a very strong   attraction towards her. He knew it was more than just  the desire to protect her- because she had become vulnerable to an attack. All he wished for right now was for this madness to end and to take  her away from this place, to somewhere safe, like back at his ranch.   "Eve are you okay" he quietly asked her. Eve began to sit up with his assistance.  Wiping splattered blood from her face she nodded to him. "Yes I - I think so" she tried to assure him as well as herself.  She fought hard to resist the tears that were now building in her. She wanted to feel his strong arms around her like she had when he had first lifted her to his truck. How did her world turn into this nightmare. She trembled from deep within.

Quickly the two of them diverted there attention to the commotion from the officers.  Blood gushed from Tyler's  open wound. He floated in and out of consciousness now, as he laid there barely alive.  Doc tried desperately to stop the blood flowing  from his neck. But the wound was  deep, and underneath the jagged remains of flesh he could see half of the front of his neck was missing. Doc looked down at the pool of blood that had developed around him.  He  did not think he had ever seen anything like it before.  He had  many times seen animals half eaten and ripped apart.  But never had he seen any human bitten to such a degree.   He watched as Tyler gurgled, gasping to take breaths now. There just was nothing more he could do for the man, except try to keep him comfortable. He looked up at  the other two Officers.

While George another young recruit like Tyler was on a radio calling for more help and an ambulance.  He  instructed the fourth Officer Nathan, a 10 year veteran to the service,  to  hold Tyler's head and comfort him. Then he turned is attention to Dave.  Dave had calmed down alittle since the bite.   But now he could see the concern on Docs face as he examined his arm.  "The bite  is a good size. How do you feel?" he asked Dave,  trying to not show any expression. "It hurts like fu--king hell, but the look on your face is scaring me to death." "What the hell is happening here?"  he said looking around the room and then over at Tyler. "Don't worry about me.  Help Tyler, please?" Doc looked up at him.  "I am sorry there is nothing more I can do for him. He lost to much blood,  and he is missing half his throat." Doc said with  immense sorrow.  Dave pushed past the old man and bent down over Tyler.  Forgetting about his own injury he leaned over his friend and fellow officer.   Tyler had become almost like a son to him ,in the year and a half they had worked together  He did not want accept nor  believe that this was how his life was going to end.

  Josiah and Cody watched as the bullet struck the hideous enraged man in  front of them.  Josiah kept his pose  ready to fire another one if needed.  His knees shook slightly as he fought to maintain control of his emotions. Even though they had been threatened by this man he could not help but feel some remorse that he had been  forced to act out with such degree of force to keep his fellow companions and himself protected.   He stood  positioned ready to defend, with his gun aimed at his target. Fear and the need to control the situation dictating  his every move.

Cody stood still at the right side of him, watching the man fall back as the bullet struck him. The two men stood side-by-side with Doc close behind,  so deeply connected to each other, because of  the events that were now playing out before them. Both Cody and Josiah were unsure exactly  what to do next, accept wait. They watched as the figure before them thrashed briefly on the ground. Slowly he began to rise again. He gurgled and growled as he pushed himself up right. He shook his head wildly as he fought for his balance.  They noticed he too had amber glazed over eyes, the same as all the others that had tried to attack them.    Now, an open gash was visible on his left side where the bullet had tore him open.  still he kept coming towards them as though it did not notice he had been hit with led.

Josiah wiped at his brow.  Perspiration dripped down the sides of his face.  Cody leaned towards him in a  half whisper and said  more demanding than suggesting.   "You're going to need to fire again.  Aim for the head".  Josiah cocked his gun once more.  Another  shot rang through  the air. His aim was dead center.  He sent a bullet to the center of the mans forehead. Instantly the figure fell down.  They both watched as there attacker dropped to the floor.  It was a gruesome site  as pieces of skull flew in different directions.  Several seconds passed before either of the three men spoke again.  Doc Keller was the first to break the deafening silence.  In an almost gruff like voice he said "I think that one is down for good." "Its the skull that has to be hit with a bullet." Josiah looked at the Doc as he spoke. "Its like nothing else stops them from attacking until the head is hit."he said slowly, as he tried to understand how and why this could be.  It simply seemed impossible that he could put a bullet through the chest and yet the man still rose.

Outside the sound of shots brought the officers running toward the compound before Eve could warn them of the danger inside. Eve quickly ordered Marie to stay put, and frantically ran after the officers.

Before Josiah or Cody could even move the four uniformed officers rushed through the doorway.  They abruptly halted in their tracks as their eyes dropped to the corpse now laying in a heap, with only half  of his head remaining.    It was hard to tell which officer spoke first but several exchanges of  "What the hell -just happened here" were shouted.  Just as Josiah began to offer an explanation to Dave the eldest of the officers, a body lunged forward from behind the four men and grabbed at Tyler, the rookie of the foursome.  With in seconds he had pulled Tyler down and was on top of him biting fiercely into his throat. Tyler completely taken by surprise  fought screaming.  He felt  shreds of flesh being ripped from his neck as he desparately fought to free himself.

 The three officers grabbed at the enraged animal like man pulling him off  Tyler.  Wildly he thrashed about until he found another fleshy piece of meat to bite down on.  Dave screamed out as he felt the pain in his left arm. He slammed his right fist into the side of his attackers  head.  Sending him careening backwards into the hallway. The other two men cradled Tylers head as doc Keller rushed to his side.  His bite was deep and blood flowed steadily from the open wound. Josiah rushed past the group with his gun after the crazed monster.  He fired just as the creature man  was ready to attack Eve.

The sirens could be heard now.  Approaching closer and  closer by the second.  It sounded like to Eve to be three cars coming in their direction.   As she sat and listened to the sounds grow louder she  drifted off in her thoughts.  She wished for  this nightmare to be over.

She could not help but feel  responsible for what was happening.  She had had her own suspicions.  Why oh why, she wondered to herself, did she not insist on answers from Copelands' headquarters. Why did she not demand they hire a security guard for night patrol or at the very least ask for backup staff help when she first felt things were not quite right.  Why did she not act on her own tuition.  She had let fear- her fear, control her.  That was her first mistake she thought to her self.  She had fled for her own safety.  She had not  acted responsible-  In the way she should have, and that bothered her deeply.  She did not put the safety of her staff and study participants first.  Now because of her failure to control the situation, lives had been lost.  Everything was so out of control.  Eve fought hard to stop the tears that were beginning to form in the corner of her tired eyes.  Her heart ached for the people that had been hurt by this terrifying ordeal.

When Eve had first accepted the position it had seemed like she had just landed  her dream job.  She would finally be running her own research site.  All the years of slaving away in poorly ran labs working on weekends and Holidays and bureaucratic brown nosing, she thought, had paid off.  She was finally being accepted and taken seriously in the science field.  Working for Copeland a leader in the pharmaceutical  industry was the icing  on the cake.  As an employee for Copeland she thought, would certainly open new doors and might possibly put her on the cooperate latter in years to come.  But some how now she was beginning to see another side to all of this. Copeland may have used her.  Used her to run a warehouse to test new drugs on innocent people.  Not a state of the art research center like they proclaimed in the beginning.  Possibly used her to lure and set the bait to attract volunteers. It made sense- Why had she not seen it earlier.  All her study participants were young street people.  They came from backgrounds with no history of immediate families.   Most had been starry eyed young adults  found on the street or going form temp job to temp job looking for work. Her center offered them a safe place to stay.  A bed and three hot meals and cash for their consent to be part of a drug study to help science find new treatments to cure cancer. It all seemed to be running smoothly intill  a month ago. When her staff began noticing a change in some lab results.

 .
Eve's head throbbed. She put her hand up to the swollen wound on her head.  With the tips of her fingers she  could feel that her eyebrow had increased in size. But that hardly seemed to be anything compared to what she had witnessed just  beyond the outer walls of  the research center.  The images of  the scene inside  the building earlier flashed through her mind.  Some how as crazy as it seemed humans were turning into rabid animals.  Her humans.  The people who worked and volunteered to be part of the study that she was responsible for.  The whole chain of events just did not make any sense to her.   If she had not seen it with her own eyes she would not have believed it.  But she had seen it, with her very own eyes.  Humans taking bites of other humans. Eve shook her head as the image again flashed before her.   It was the reality that scared her now.  This was no dream.  She really  had seen a man and a woman in the courtyard earlier.  Bent over a body, a human body, bloody and growling. They had turned when they heard Eve and the other three approaching. The couple had  began walking towards her, Cody, Josiah and Doc. They walked  as though they were unaware of their own condition.  Walking as if in a drugged state.  Dazed and unfocused.  Unable to respond or understand anything that had been spoken to them. Not once acknowledging the warning Josiah had yelled out to them, before he fired the shots.  They moved  as though with only one intent -to attack.  But why,- how?  How could a body move when the  the mind appeared to be gone.  How could civil decent humans do such grotesque things.  How could ordinary people  turn into flesh eating monsters?

In her heart she knew it had to be the new infusion lines that had caused things to change within  the  studies enrol lees.  She had read the lab reports.  She had seen all the documentations from her staff, that clearly left her and her staff with a  growing concern, two weeks prior.  She was certain the new drug that had been introduced into the study was the catalyst for all the marked changes, yes, that much she was sure of.

She turned and  asked Marie how she was holding up.   Marie responded with a slight nod. " I am okay" she answered.  As the first car turned into the court yard Eve stood up and as the men stepped out she began to approach the vehicle. Right behind it rolled in an ambulance and another patrol car.
She knew she had to accept some of the blame but what mattered right now was stopping whatever all this was.

"Whats going on" said the first officer, "who is in charge here".  Eve quickly told the uniformed men that she was the one in charge and there were still people with in the compound.  Shots had been fired earlier and there were casualties inside and out around the back.  Just as she finished her last sentence another shot was heard from inside.

Eve Took Marie out side to sit down like Josiah had instructed. She needed to calm herself too. She wanted to believe, needed to believe that even if just for the for the moment,  Josiah and Cody had everything  under control.  Cody and Josiah had both given her a sense of security she had not felt since she had taken this job.  She felt safe with them.

.  She looked around the courtyard.  Afraid, and desperate;y hoping she would not see anything  or anyone that would be a threat.  It made no sense to Eve the things that were happening.  This was all crazy and  inside she wished it  would somehow be some terrifying dream.  She wanted  to be awaken from this horrifying nightmare.  She knew there were "things" within the study that were kept under close watch by the board of directors at Copelands main office.  Things that even she was not privy too. She had suspected there was somethings not quite right, two weeks ago, when a one of the young male participants and an orderly had suddenly vanished in the night without any word as to what happened.  When she had questioned her staff the next day know one seemed to know anything regarding the release of either.  The file of the study participant had simply been stamped withdrawn consent, case closed.  The orderly's dismissal papers turned up the next day on her desk and that was it.  No further contact.  The disappearance of the two men had bothered  her deeply.   The board of directors had given her some lame excuse that the study enrollee had changed his mind in the night. He  had contacted headquarters  to be released.  As for William  her night orderly, he had some sort of emergency and had needed to take a leave of absence effective immediately.    There were just to many details kept secret -And that was what scared Eve the most.  The unknown.  Which was now exploding into her hands.

Eve  recalled the conversation she had a few days prior with headquarters.  They had been very insistent that she handle things quietly and effectively.  If there were any unusual disturbances as  they called it, any occurances that might be questionable, were to go directly through the head office.  First, before any actions outside the compound  be taken,  she was informed for strict security reasons, under no conditions, should the law authorities or the press be contacted, without Copelands headquarters being alerted first.

Her hands trembled as a memory flashed through her mind.  A flashback of the day earlier when she had placed a call to one of the administrators at Copeland's main office. she had told them one of her staff was having a difficult time with one the first enrollees into the study.  He seemed to be having sever side effects to  one of new drugs they were administering.  At her superiors  request she was asked to asses his condition herself and that was when she was attacked. The next thing she  remembered was that she had found her way to Codys ranch.

Marie was shaken and in shock. Eve tried to comfort the woman.  They sat in silence with their arms linked around each other  as the sound of some sort of emergency vehicles siren  could be heard in the distant approaching in their direction.  Both woman turned toward the noise.