Chapter 8: Night of the living virus (1)

[Prison Warden slovensky POV]

Today was supposed to be a good day.

Just like me and the boys did every Saturday night, we would randomly pick some female inmates whom we would use as our hot water bottles for the night to release most of that pent-up-stress acquired during the long week.

Dubrinsky, a good bro of mine and my sub-warden had recently come back from an outing in the mainland with a new batch of freshly minted super drugs we nicknamed the Love-maker. 

Nightfall was approaching so I invited me and my boys to hang and chill in my room. To make things even more comfortable, I fetched a lot of hot water bottles from the prison cells. There was a reason why the two words 'Sex' and 'drugs' always came together and I had plans to make today one of the best days ever.

Before long, all my boys arrived followed by debauchery and sniffing too many drugs we couldn't even think straight anymore. We were startled by a loud noise and so we clumsily made our way to the porch falling over a number of times before eventually succeeding.

What laid Infront of us was the most beautiful circus performance and fireworks display I had ever seen in my entire life. We could see clowns dressed in colourful clothes as they danced around the compound spraying at each other with water guns. Buildings and cells were exploding left and right in a deluge of fireworks painting the most beautiful picture I had ever witnessed in my entire life. 

I could feel something wet flowing down my cheeks.

"Slovensky brooooo…" My bro Dubrinsky garbed in his birthday suit exclaimed before falling asleep for a few seconds. He was startled awake by the loud sound of a rocket-propelled firework exploding nearby and showering us in glitters.

"Are you cryyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiinnnnng?" he continued before going back to sleep once again.

I wiped the tears from my eyes," I'm not crying! The rain just got into my eyes!"

I lied as I tried to wipe away my tears. I was honestly touched. To think my men would hire clowns and create fireworks display of this scale! I had taught them well. Weekends were meant to be celebrated and enjoyed and it seems these guys had outdone us. 

The student surpasses the master, eh? I sniffed as I looked at them like a doting loving parent. 

It was exactly then when my new bro Aiden first came into my life. It all started with the shadows in front of me grew darker before erupting upwards and twisting to form the vague shape of a person.

He grew clearer and now I could finally discern his features. He was a boy in his late teenage years with a face so handsome it could solicit physiological reactions even in the most ancient of statues regardless of gender. His glowing white hair with abyssal black highlights swayed softly in the wind as his commanding golden eyes gazed softly at me.

He started talking to me about something I am failing to remember right now however, I still remember that he was a great and fun guy to talk with.

He left very soon after leaving me with a thin vial with golden liquid. I am starting to forget what he said to me about it but I still remember him saying something about it being a new and addictive super drug called the 'host rapturing virus'…. Or was it called the 'host inflation and explosion virus?... I can no longer recall the correct name but I can still remember him telling me it was the perfect way to accompany the fireworks going on round me. 

I can vaguely remember some bits and snippets of our conversation…..

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"They are beautiful, right?... the fireworks!" He said whilst looking at the colourful fireworks exploding on the ground around us with the clowns flying around with each explosion spraying ketchup everywhere.

"They are…." I muttered whilst fresh tears fell down from my eyes.

New Bro Aiden then looked at me with a soft gaze that made my heart skip a bit. I could feel his overwhelming care and concern wash over me.

"Have you ever wondered what its like to be reborn as a firework?" He asked as he looked away from me and gazed back at the fireworks.

Being reborn as a firework? What the fuck was that?! Was this dude right in the head?!

He looked back at me with a sympathy filled gaze as if he was looking at a lost lamp. I nervously swallowed all the curses I wanted to spout as curiosity took root in my heart. I decided to hear bro Aiden out.

"Fireworks live dazzling lives. They leave a blazing trail of the beautiful trajectory of their lives before exploding in their final moments in a beautiful kaleidoscope of colours which light up the night sky and announce their dazzling presence and lives to the entire world." Bro Aiden muttered as his eyes started to look sad as he continued speaking.

"Unlike shooting stars which only show the trajectory they took; Fireworks go out in a blaze of glory and light which leaves a permanent mark on this world. Unlike shooting stars, fireworks refuse to be burned out and to disappear in silence. They instead choose to go out in a last burst of glory that leaves the world dazzled and awed."

Why did I feel like Bro Aiden was talking about himself?

"Don't you want to be like a firework bro Slovensky? I happen to have a virus…*ahem! *… drug that can make you experience what its like to be reborn as a living firework."

How had this suddenly switched to drug sales pitch but most importantly…

"You have a drug like that?!" I asked in bewilderment.

Bro Aiden softly smiled.

"I Do." He replied, "I have flown in aircraft and fallen down buildings before."

He muttered as his voice took a mysterious compulsive tone.

"The problem with those two was that they always flew in one direction at any given time. That is when it struck me…. What if I was like a firework which could explode and fly off in all directions at the same time…wouldn't that be cool?"

He took out a small vial with golden liquid from somewhere I forgot and gave it to me.

"Try it brother Slovensky…. With this drug you can be reborn as a living firework! You can experience for yourself what its like to go flying in multiple directions at the same time!"

"Flying in multiple directions at the same time huh? Seems inter

esting…. Let me try it out!"