by Jesse Gagnon
“You! It was you who did this to me?”
“We will explain on the way. Time is of the essence Miss Giselle. We must train you how to fully use your abilities more efficiently. Your survival instincts are without question but your combat readiness needs attention.” His Japanese accent was heavy but his English was good.
“What did you do to me?”
“You are the Azrael. What it was created for. Those monsters out there are the failures. You are genetically designed to be immune to the virus and its ability to kill you. However, in order to accept the virus and its gifts, a small injection of RNA uh, glue needed to be administered to you.”
“Did you create this virus? You started all of this?” Giselle became angry.
“We have studied the virus after it was released like your scientists have. However, we explored in a different direction, instead seeking to find a way to harness the Azrael virus and its gifts to help destroy it. My four brothers and I was the product of that research. We are like you Miss Giselle.” The man stepped into the light and the haze gray of his eyes startled Giselle. She faintly heard his heartbeat pumping as fast as her own. She didn’t notice it before.
“Your heartbeat?”
“I timed it with your own so you would not notice. There is much we can do. Autonomous actions that we once thought were impossible to control can be manipulated. However, our transformation happened under lab conditions. You, on the other hand, were bitten to receive the virus, and not from any Azrael but from an original Azrael. The Azrael virus today has mutated several times and has changed significantly allowing some to become reconnected. We’ve yet to identify the source of this reconnection. It seems to only have happened to Azrael infected roughly a year after it surfaced. The Azrael of today have faster metabolisms and usually become followers of Alpha Azrael who were infected years ago. However, most lack the ability to reconnect.”
“Reconnected? Like the ones you were talking about earlier? You think their minds are still intact from before their transformation?” Simon asked.
“I doubt it Mr. Killbrook. Most of this is speculation. We don’t really know what they are thinking. The Awakened Azrael that we captured and studied lacked the capacity to neither communicate verbally nor produce any legible written dialogue. Some are separating from herds and hunting animals instead of humans. It is a good sign, but they are inconsistent.”
“Inconsistent? How?”
“Sometimes they seem in control, while other times they seem to revert back to their primal instincts. We lost three good scientists to this change. All awakened share the same Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mentality.”
“Strange. We’ll see what we can learn about them ourselves.”
“Of course Mr. Killbrook. We know your methods and have good faith in your ability to produce. So Miss Giselle would you care to join me? We can provide you with training that will assist you in understanding what you are and what you are capable of becoming.”
“Well, how long will this take?”
“Depends on how quickly you catch on.”
“I’m quicker than you think.” Giselle cracked a wry grin.
“I’m sure you are. For humanity’s sake, let’s hope you’re right. Contact me when you are ready. Stay a while; spend time with your family. We will be waiting.” The man returned to the shadows and his heartbeat vanished. Giselle entered the shadow where he was and only found a business card with a Veil of the Five Daggers logo on the front. On the back an address was written.
“You should go Giselle.”
“I am. I just need to talk to my brother first.”
“Have you told him?”
“I haven’t.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand. It wasn’t your fault.”
“You don’t have to live with being the only one to return from a mission. The Sunlight District, I lost my team and again in Mount Carroll. I can’t die Simon. I literally can’t die. He doesn’t know about this either.” Giselle gestured to her eyes and the rest of her body.
“One step at a time Giselle. He knows that she’s gone. Spare him the details but remind him that she wasn’t bitten.”
“Well, not by an Azrael.”
“Definitely leave that part out Giselle.”
“I know. I just can’t get it out of my head. How can there be people like that out there? Why are those people still alive?”
“These people were always out there. Sometimes it takes a sick and twisted person to live beyond the gates and in the wild. How many more people have you saved by ending their lives? Give yourself some credit.”
“I made mistakes. People got killed and I got bit.”
“You’re not perfect Giselle. You are only human.”
“Am I?”
“You are to me, despite all of this.” Simon gestured to all of Giselle.
“Thanks Simon. Let’s go mingle before people think we’re in here doin’ the nasty.” She winked at him, put her glasses back on and walked out the door. Simon left shaking his head and followed Giselle towards a crowd of citizens who assaulted him with more questions. Giselle disappeared into the crowd before Simon could say goodbye.
Chapter 2
A Change of Routine
The aroma of a fresh kill in the morning brought a smile on Randall’s face. The sweet iron blood oozing out of the deer’s throat funneled into his mouth while his fingers dug into the fur peeling through the tear. He yanked the fur and skin layer off revealing muscle that contracted and relaxed in quick intervals. This large buck put up a good fight but the strength, speed and wit of Randall proved too overwhelming for the massive stag. Randall sunk his teeth into the muscle of its neck and tore out a chunk that filled his jaws and incited a smile as he chewed. The sun barely glimpsed its warm face through the trees and beyond the horizon.
He’s been alone for about a month now and had grown accustomed to his daily routine completely isolated from the Azrael and the humans, however, today will change his routine making Randall rethink his role in the world.
The scent of the rot brought by the breeze reached Randall’s enhanced senses. It was small but concentrated and moving in quickly. He waited, unafraid of what was coming. He heard sticks and branches rustle as it moved closer. He heard its breathing and heartbeat pumping quickly. It was an Azrael moving in alone and hungry. He could smell its pungent saliva in the breeze along with the smell Azrael have. His odor altered slightly since his diet changed. He also hunted in the river at least once a day for fish and turtle, washing away the remnants of the kill.
The Azrael began to slow its speed as it came within one hundred yards of Randall’s position. Maybe it smelled Randall; maybe it could tell he was different. It definitely was drawn to the freshly killed deer. But if it was alone like him, maybe it was deciding whether it should attempt it. Randall’s answer came soon as the Azrael picked up its speed again and began to grunt as it approached. As it exited the cover of the trees it slowed seeing Randall standing upright holding the deer in his massive left hand while pinning it to his side with his elbow. He continued chewing the tough neck muscle.
To Randall’s surprise it was a young girl, maybe seven at the oldest with an anorexic body. It seemed that she hadn’t fed in a long while. The appearance of its skin, the slouch in her step indicated that she had been an Azrael for quite some time. She snarled at him and stood upright, however the tightness of her muscles in her neck, shoulders and back made it appear uncomfortable. Its stomach was sunk in and shackles around its ankles and wrists indicated that she was chained to something. Maybe it was the parents who didn’t have the nerve to kill their little girl or maybe it was something else more horrifying. Regardless, she somehow managed to break free. He noticed the condition of the links and shackles and figured that through time and weather the links eventually weakened enough for her to break free. He couldn’t tell if she was like him, awakened. Her voracious appetite screamed otherwise. She charged in and lunged at the deer.
Randall lifted it up beyond her reach. She hissed and snarled. She bit his leg, tearing into his left thigh. Randall swapped arms that held the deer and grabbed the young Azrael around its neck and pulled her off of him. She tore a small chunk of skin off of Randall and spit it at him since his taste was undesirable. He lifted her up and gave her a once over. She tried to bite his hand and her bony limbs flung in chaos. He dropped the deer and gently dropped the voracious beast on top of the deer. She immediately bit into the fur and clawed at the skin trying to break through. Randall pointed towards the neck that was skinned and exposed. She traced his finger, climbed over the deer and bit into the deer’s throat.
Randall watched inquisitively as she continued to feast on the deer. He rubbed at the bite mark that slowly began to scab and heal on his left thigh. He studied the young Azrael. Her hair was brown and matted. She had sticks and leaves entangled within her hair along with mud. Her skin was pale and blue veins could be seen beneath her skin. Most of the time one of her eyes was hidden by her wild dark hair. He continued to observe her face until the hidden eye was exposed. She did have two eyes. He laughed to himself that he wondered such a thing about an Azrael. We heal from injuries. But if he lost an eye, would one grow back? He pondered further about it. He halted his thought when she began to choke and vomit up the meat. She cleared whatever was causing her to puke and continued to feed on the deer. She inspected him with one visible gray eye. He offered no reaction and she shifted her focus back on the meat. Randall sat down and leaned against a tall tree and continued watching this young Azrael feed.
After a good amount of the morning and the majority of the deer’s upper quarter was eaten, the young Azrael finally finished. She lowered herself next to the deer holding her bulging stomach with both hands as she sat. She rubbed at her wrists and ankles. The shackles were rusty and cutting into her. Thick scar tissue developed below the shackles where she constantly rubbed and cut open herself against them, most likely due to her attempts to wrench herself free. The sun was directly above them. The day was halfway done. The night will be there in eight or so hours. He wondered where she would go next. She seemed to cover the deer’s corpse with her wiry frame every time Randall got close. He thought it was cute. Her belly was fat but the rest of her was still thin and underdeveloped. However, slowly her limbs thickened as veins began to fade from them. She wasn’t miraculously changing but the virus worked fast to repair the body. Randall nodded at the young Azrael and it just glared at him. He stood up and stretched while releasing a mighty grunt.
Randall maintained a good diet and ate regularly. But he didn’t want to scare away all of the food by overhunting. He headed back to the house to maybe find something small to eat near the house like a rabbit or squirrel. As he walked he could feel a small pull, not on himself but from the young Azrael girl to follow him. He turned around and saw her eyes inspecting him. He smiled and continued his walk as he examined the house. Noises of dragging and grunting from behind caused him to turn back again. The Azrael’s back was to Randall as she struggled to pull the corpse of the deer through the woods. He stopped and walked over to carry the deer. She hissed and bit at his arm. He pulled back and she continued to drag the deer. Guess she wants to pull her own weight then, fine. He pat her head. She scowled at him and resumed dragging the cadaver.
Randall continued on and focused his attention on the bushes near the house. A distant heartbeat of a rabbit was thumping in his ear. He approached silently and grabbed a rock quietly. He calculated where the rabbit was headed along with its speed and tossed the rock quickly at the location he believed it would be. A yelp escaped the rabbit’s body as its heartbeat slowly stopped. He walked over and reached down to grab the rabbit but the young Azrael already had her greedy wiry hands on it, she dug her fingers in and gorged herself on its rich nutrients. Randall saw the deer pinned between some trees and a bush. She probably gave up for an easier meal. He walked over, unstuck the deer and tossed it over his shoulder. Even trade, he thought. She watched as Randall walked away with the deer. Randall walked past the house and laid the deer on a picnic table about one hundred yards from the back porch. He began to eat. Minutes later the young Azrael joined him and they ate lunch together, morning deer and stoned to death rabbit. He didn’t want to bring bloody meat in the house and didn’t want to draw more of the Azrael inside. He appreciated his peace but welcomed the company, even though she was an Azrael. The rules have blurred. Every day is a learning experience figuring out who or what he is.
Later that day he found a wild dog and used the young Azrael to scare it towards him. His plan worked even if the young Azrael wasn’t on board with the plan. They shared the meal on the picnic table once again.
Night began to come and Randall was getting tired. He headed into the house, walked down the hall and entered the back room. The young Azrael followed until he crossed the threshold of the room. She stood outside knowing something was different about the situation. Randall grunted and beckoned her inside but she froze. He understood that she wouldn’t want to be locked up again. It was understandable, but this was temporary. However, he had no way to communicate that to her. He shrugged, closed the door, latched all of the locks and lay in the corner. He heard her banging on the door for a few minutes and then succumbed to a deep sleep.
The next morning came and Randall awoke already standing with bruised and cut knuckles. He stood for a moment taking in the condition of the room, his body and if he heard anything out of the ordinary, all seemed in order. His hands already showed signs of healing. He started to unlock all of the locking mechanisms keeping the world safe from his body. He swung the door open and found the house empty. He glanced at his image in the mirror to his right again and winced at his reflection. Everything appeared normal. The blood caked on his face and neck was from the meal from yesterday. He could still feel a piece of dog flesh in his teeth with his tongue. He massaged it from between his teeth and swallowed it. Yup, it was dog. He caught a glimpse of something at the bottom of the full body mirror. Small bloody handprints were dried up and painting the lower left corner of the mirror. That young Azrael must have noticed her image. Where was she?
Randall walked out of the house and almost tripped on a half-eaten wolf on the porch. Small bite wounds signified that they were from the young Azrael girl. He stepped over the kill and treaded down onto the grass below the porch. He listened and sniffed for her sounds and aroma. He heard and smelled nothing but normal woodland ambiance and the sweet smell of flowers blooming in the field where the picnic table was located. The breeze was blowing from the east this time. It was a swift gust that shook the tops of the trees into a widespread sway. The wind suddenly changed its course. It was coming from the south and carried a foul stench of several Azrael along with a familiar hint of dead wolf guts. Normally Randall would avoid contact with a herd of Azrael but he wanted to see if his friend would be returning.
Randall ventured into the woods and as he neared fifty yards of the herd he felt a slight pull to join them. It was not strong enough to drag him along but it sure as hell was pulling the young Azrael right along. He approached the herd and his aroma wafted through the crowd. They all turned in reaction to see this unfamiliar scent’s origin. The alpha pushed through the crowd covered in blood and entrails of several human bodies. Some of it was from the herd occupants, fresh turners. Randall stood tall and scanned the massive group of about seventy Azrael. None were close to his size and most seemed malnourished. The majority of the fresh turners seemed like they were starving even before being turned.
The Alpha approached and sniffed at Randall’s neck. It scowled and spat on the ground after he wiped some of the dried blood off of Randall’s cheek and tasted it. Randall ignored the well fed, heavily muscled Alpha until he located his friend. He knew with this many in the group she would starve even more. She was smaller and weaker than all the others. He finally located her amongst the crowd, glared down and into the eyes of the Alpha. He grunted
. It did not respond. Randall pushed the Alpha aside and waded through the herd. He found, grabbed the little Azrael and placed her over his shoulder. She fought, bit and scratched at Randall’s face. Randall ignored the assault and pushed back through the crowd and glared menacingly at the Alpha. It didn’t know how to react to the offense except to howl fiercely at Randall. He smiled at it, spat on the ground and continued his walk towards the house. The herd didn’t follow or attack. As he distanced himself from the crowd by about fifty yards the young Azrael stopped fighting. He continued to carry her until he reached the porch and lowered the young Azrael to the half-eaten wolf. She nudged it towards Randall; he picked it up and lugged it back to the picnic table where the two ate breakfast together once more.
Chapter 3
A Close Study
Chicago Central District: Near the coast of Lake Michigan.
The Field Museum, currently being the central hub for virus research, houses over a hundred scientists studying the Azrael virus. This state of the art facility was funded and operated by BioTech Industries. Its location deep within the central district boasts a safe environment for their scientists. Twenty-five foot steel walls frame the facility while armed guards completely surround these walls. One front gate utilizing three airlock doors is the only entrance to the structure. All windows were replaced with steel inserts providing no other entry into the facility. The extreme measures taken to protect the work being conducted within the walls of the Field Museum sometimes made the doctors within feel like prisoners. Strict rules were severely enforced and if they were broken could end in execution. Some information collected was sensitive and extremely valuable. A few findings Dr. Schwinn discovered were left behind due to the means in which it was collected had violated the laws of humanity. When Dr. Schwinn discovered the cruelty exercised to obtain the information, he locked the findings away in a cabinet hidden from sight.
