Hungry Series: Tomes 1 & 2

by Tide, Lawrence Herbert

  Finally, he said, "Well, I think you've lost me, Professor. Could you please clarify your thoughts?

  "It's simple, Johnny," the man answered, stopping and seeming to hesitate, fidgeting with his hands in the two pockets of his bathrobe. His little game didn't escape the attention of the young girl, who said to herself, what has he got on his mind? It doesn't seem actually clean and straightforward...

  "I have invented a process which can reverse the process of his transformation..."

  "Oh my God," yelled Johnny, beginning to cry tears of joy, "Thank you, Professor, thank you... God bless you, and …"

  "I haven't finished my explanation," ... said, using a tougher tone which made the young man's smile fade away, and he continued, "The problem is that the process of reverse transformation is dangerous, and could perhaps definitely, and completely, kill your father."

  This announcement completely disappointed Johnny, who opened wide eyes, but remained silent. Many seconds passed by, and Red decided to ask the question which bothered his friend, and that he clearly, didn't dare ask.

  "What are the chances of success, I mean, his chances of survival, Professor?"

  The man turned his attention to her and, briskly, said, "Forty per cent... perhaps fifty per cent, if he's lucky."

  Johnny looked at him, aghast, and as the Professor again paid attention to him, he looked glacially cold and continued, "If your father survives the treatment, and although there are a few, hummm…, side effects, he will return to his previous state , that of being a normal human being."

  "My father isn't a "normal" human being," Johnny interrupted him by yelling, "He's a colossus, a giant, a warrior, who has defended the Community during many years!" The Scientist nodded, seeming unimpressed, and answered, "Of course, I know that. At least, chances are that you'll find again your father. The one you thought you had lost."

  "But… you said that the treatment could kill my Dad!", the young man shouted.

  "You were ready to kill him, anyway, shouted back the Scientist, "and don't lie to me: you were caught on our infrared cameras!"

  This reminder startled the young man, who, breathing heavily, approached a nearby wall, and he leaned against it.

  Tears rolled out of his eyes. He looked into space with lack-luster eyes, he leaned against the wall, his back rubbing it.

  Red and Bo approached him silently, sadness on their faces, while the man wearing the bathrobe continued to watch them coldly. He looked like an entomologist watching, with the eyes of a professional, ants interacting.

  The young girl crouched near Johnny who, sadness visible on his face, continued to look in front of him, at the naked wall.

  After many seconds, he acknowledged her presence, and he asked, continuing to seem to look far away, "Red... what would you do if you were me?" There was a catch in his voice.

  She sighed, closing her eyes, and reopening them, she looked at him again before answering, "I'm not you... but one thing is certain... you wanted to kill your Dad a few minutes ago..."

  The colored man looked at her with disgust. In fact, he wasn't disgusted by her, but by himself. He looked at Bo, who was standing near them, waiting to hear his opinion. The muscular young blond man, in return, had a look at him, pouting, and in response, shrugged his shoulders.

  Johnny lowered his gaze toward the floor and, sighing heavily, murmured, "OK, Professor, you've won. I accept."

  "A courageous, and intelligent decision!" the volume of the Scientist's delighted voice startled the young man, who hadn't realized that he had joined them.

  He raised his chin and saw that his field of was invaded by something which was dazzling him. Squinting his eyes, he realized that a data pad was hanging in front of his face, held by the Professor. His view adapting, finally, he read the text which was visible on the illuminated surface, reading aloud, "Acceptance contract for experimental procedure."

  "You can sign the contract with this stylus," said the Professor, who was giving it to him with the other hand. The colored young man swallowed, and then swiftly took the stylus and the pad with shaking hands, signing it nervously.

  Immediately, the stylus and the data pad were almost ripped from his hands. Then ... shouted, while looking at his aids, who, joining them, were three, "OK, we've got the green light, guys!". Prepare the surgery table!"

  He looked severely, as if they were naughty children caught out, at the group of young people, who were looking at him almost dumbfounded. He scowled and told to them, "You may quit."

  Johnny stood up with difficulties, and looking at each other, the three friends left the room.

  ***

  Surgery

  "Has the patient been prepared?" asked Professor Harding, while washing his hands carefully, using a special anti-septic soap. He was wearing a pastel green uniform for operating block staff. A surgical mask of the same color lowered under his chin, he concentrated his efforts on the cleaning of his fingernails. Thus he followed the classical technique for disinfecting hands, an essential stage before any surgery worthy of the name.

  Time passed by and, as he was now drying his hands, the Scientist turned his attention at the aid to whom he had posed his question. The fear on the face of the little man, with his thin mustache, who remained mute, intrigued him. He immediately understood that something was happening.

  "OK, tell me clearly what the problem is," ... said, sighing while looking at the ceiling, and already beginning to be pissed off.

  "The problem?" the man answered, unhappy, even seeming ready to get into a huff. He began to walk away toward the adjacent room containing the cell, and turning around, encouraging the Scientist to follow him.

  As they were approaching the closed door, Harding heard a racket, on the other side.

  Shouts.

  The sound of a fall.

  Sound of broken glass, which startled him. As the aid opened the door, Professor Harding yelled, "What's all this fuss about?" and he stopped in the entrance, opening wide eyes.

  One of his other aids was standing up with difficulties, after having apparently been violently pushed against a table, which had been pushed over. Vials had been resting on the table, which, having fallen, had their scrap scattered on the floor.

  Three other aids were fighting to free another of their colleagues, who had his neck grabbed by one the huge hands of Harry - or at least what was progressively taking his place. The professor approached, feeling anxious because the man was clearly suffocating, his head turning red because of the pressure of the big, dark, impressive hand.

  His three colleagues were fidgeting with the big fingers, trying to unclench the fingers, but their efforts were clearly useless.

  Harry growled loudly and pushed with one hand one of them, throwing him violently back, as it had probably been the case for the first one who had been on the floor. His momentum made two other aids behind him fall with him, and they all heavily flopped down on the hard surface. Luckily, they didn't break anything in their fall, this time.

  Professor Harding glared at his collaborator who had opened the door for him.

  "Why didn't you use the fusil hypodermic rifle? He must be made unconscious, before you approach him," the Scientist shouted at his aid with a mustache, who was beside him.

  "We did that, what did you think?" the man answered, obviously outraged. By the way, we shot him twice!"

  "You injected to him the double dose?" the Scientist seemed astonished.

  "Yes," the aid replied, calming down, "Only after the second shot, did he seem to have fallen asleep. Simon was going to open the door of the cell when, without warning the patient caught his throat." The man seemed astonished and added, "Such a dose could put asleep an elephant!"

  Harding nodded and asked, "Where is the rifle? Give it to me."

  Having calmed down, the aid grabbed it on a nearby table and passed it to the Scientist. The latter looked at the magazine capacity, seeing inside a sleeping dart with, on the opposite of the needle a
red tuft. He closed again the magazine of the weapon and, pointing it toward the colossus standing on the other side of the bars, he pulled the trigger.

  The shot broke, the dart sank into the chest of the big black man. This made him roar and release his prey, who fell on the ground, his face glowing red. His colleagues surrounded him to assist him. He lied on the cold tiles, coughing, his hand on his own throat.

  That’s when one of the standing men yelled while falling back toward the bars of the cell, caught by the collar by the hand of Harry, who had returned. The black colossus growled, pressing the man's head between the bars. The aid goggled at his glowing red eyes, trying to resist the pull. He saw with horror the "patient's" mouth open, losing foams at it. His throat was brought closer to the big white teeth, which touched one of his jugulars.

  The man yelled as he felt the hot exhalation of the colored man on his neck.

  There was a brief hiss and the giant released the aid, who jumped out of reach, hitting his colleagues who were approaching. They all fell on the floor.

  Harry watched them while pressing his big head between the bars of the cell. He now had a soporific dart with a red tuft at his side, and, lowering his head, he looked down at it. Then lifting his chin, he looked at the Professor who had shot him.

  He cried out in an inhuman way, looking like the mix of a lion’s roar and the blow of an elephant. The odd sound bounced off the walls of the room.

  ... pulled once again the trigger and Harry received another syringe near the precedent one.

  The colossus stopped roaring. Still watching him while his eyes were closing, he fell heavily on the floor.

  The Scientist raised the air gun and, looking at his collaborators, he said, "Recess is over! Now is the time to really get cracking."

  ***

  Harry was lying on a big operating table, eyes closed. Standing beside him, backside, Professor Harding was preparing his surgical tools. At the same time, he was discussing about the operating procedure with another man, who was wearing the same green clothes of surgeon. He had also lifted his surgical mask, which was hiding completely his face, apart from his eyes.

  A woman, dressed the same way, entered inside the operating room, pushing a little metallic rolling table. An old cardboard box and many syringes, containing fluids of diverse colors, were on the table. The liquids jolted inside them when she suddenly stopped near him, bumping lightly the rolling table against the surgery table.

  The mild shock made Harry open red eyes. He looked at the big headlight suspended from the ceiling, with its numerous lamps.

  Unaware that his eyes were fully opened, the woman had her attention focused on her preparation of the syringes necessary for the upcoming operation.

  She didn’t observe that he was glancing at her.

  Nor did she realize that he was preparing himself to grab and kill her…

  He briskly tensed his muscle and...

  … remained lying on the big table.

  Lowering his head, he saw that he was tied up on the operating table by big, thick, leather straps.

  He grunted, shaking violently while trying, uselessly, to free himself.

  "Mister Jackson," Professor Harding said, a mix of joy and mocking in his tone, "Finally, you're awakening!"

  The colossus shook again while growling, his efforts being once more done for nothing .

  "It’s pointless to struggle," continued ..., clearly excited. He smiled and continued, "These straps have been reinforced. I know that Harry Jackson continues to live, inside that disturbed mind, despite the effects of the transformation."

  The colossus answered by growling again.

  "Shut up!" the Scientist shouted, his face becoming red because of the anger. The colored man became silent and observed him with intensity.

  Professor Harding smiled and continued, "I knew it, you're still inside, Mister Jackson. You remain in there, even underneath those blood colored eyes!" He got closer to his face, leaning look at him in the eyes. He added, "I must warn you that the reverse transformation process is very painful," He stopped speaking, before saying, "I want you to know that, in advance, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

  That's when ... he nodded toward his two colleagues.

  It was the signal!

  The man and the woman who was wearing surgeon clothes seized briskly Harry's big head, immobilizing it. Then Professor Harding immobilized the head using another strap.

  The giant shook his head, unable to really move, as the assistants released his head, which was now firmly upheld.

  "Well," Professor Harding's voice bellowed near him, « At last we will be able to ener the heart of the subject! ». Turning his red and gleaming eyes on the side, Harry guessed the presence of the Scientist.

  The Colossus fought again to free himself out of operating table, but once again, failed. He heard ... chuckle and add, "Get used to it, you won't be able to get up unless we authorize you to do so."

  Harry put again some pressure on the sturdy leather straps, redoubling the chuckles of ..., joined by those of his assistants.

  The straps were suddenly teared into pieces and the giant grabbed the Scientist by his throat. This interrupted neatly the laughter and caused a veritable wave of panic, inside the operating room.

  "Do it..." ... said with difficulty, his vocals having become raw because of Harry’s iron pressure.

  The woman dressed like a surgeon leapt and plucked one of the syringes in one of the colored man's jugulars.

  The pain made Harry roar and, freeing the Professor's throat, he threw his huge hand on the woman's face, covering it completely before pushing it violently.

  This made her fall back against the nearby table, upturning it. All the syringes on it fell accompanied by the cardboard box. The latter made a metallic noise when it hit the floor, not like the glass-like noise of the vials which were smashed. They left multicolored stains of liquids, which mixed on the tiles.

  "What the fuck..." murmured Harry.

  Everyone looked at him intently. The colossus looked at them too, his eyes blinking, seeming surprised to see where he was. He looked everywhere and continued, "What are you doing?"

  “Just trying to heal you, Mister Jackson," ... said while approaching him again, this time without the slightest mistrust. While watching him with a mad fascination, the Scientist continued, “Your already high natural strength, and your reflexes are increased by the virus of the Plague which infects you, Mister Jackson… You’re a fascinating subject!” Professor Harding opened wide eyes, seeming bug-eyed because of his big spectacles. A gaze which worried Harry, who murmured, trembling, "I... I can't move..."

  "I know, we've mixed with your medication what is needed for you to remain... collaborative... At last, you will remain quiet," said the Scientist, having hesitated, concerning the words to use. He continued, “It's a shame that during your last crisis, you destroyed some precious anesthetics. I'm afraid we’ll have to make to without them... “

  Not even able to move his neck, Harry guessed more than he saw an aid lift the box from the floor, and put it on the table, which had been brought back near him.

  Turning his eyes toward him, the big colored man saw the man wearing a workwear open the old cardboard box. A chaotic series of metallic sounds was heard, while he fumbled with both hands inside it.

  "Is it broken, or does it still work?", Harry heard ... ask to the aid, his voice tense."

  "No? Great! Clean the handle, and coati t with hydro-alcoholic gel."

  The joy in the Scientist's voice didn’t appeal to the big black man, who still couldn't see clearly what the two men were doing. And that stressed him so much…

  "Mister Jackson?"

  The voice startled Harry. The Professor's voice, near one of his ears, was so surprisingly close.

  The Scientist’s head’s appearance in the immobilized man’s field of view made him even more tense. He hadn’t heard his approach.

  "Hey, stay quiet," ... sa
id, behind and continuing to look down at him, putting a hand on his torso, as if to calm him down. Harry took a deep breath, followed by an exhalation equally deep. This helped him to regain some composure.

  "Gooood," murmured the Scientist, a friendly tone, now, in his voice. "I see that what my female anesthetist has injected to you has made you quiet." Despite the fact that Harry was looking at the Professor's head which was flip head upside down, the Colossus saw a trace of madness in his grey eyes.

  "Let's hope for you that she’s inserted in your dose a sufficient quantity of anesthetics!"

  He then saw a circular saw enter his field of view, which was immediately switched on.

  The deafening noise of its electric motor startled once again Harry. Open-mouthed, he was horrified by the upside-down smile of ..., who approached the saw near his head, invading completely his field-of-view.

  His whimps and cries of pain reverberated between the walls of the nearby, empty corridor, dimly lit by an outdoor public highlight.

  ***

  Surrounded

  "It seems that we could literally be besieged," Bo murmured, aghast while he was watching with Johnny, in the darkness surrounding the Community, a sea of pairs of red dots.

  The young colored man nodded while watching quietly the scene.

  "Almost all of our ammunition is gone," continued the blond man who shivered, perhaps not only because of the cold night. It was once again their turn of sentry duty out on the ramparts, and they were getting bored.

  "I know," Johnny answered, "And I think we’re not likely to have some more. After all, nobody had joined the Community during years, before the arrival of that funny Scientist. I think that the Community is alone, now. I wouldn't be surprised to learn, one day, that everyone else, out there, has been eaten."