Chapter 1: Prologue

April 4th 2024

Location: Papua New Guinea

The oppressive humidity clung to them like a shroud as they hacked their way through the dense foliage. The air was thick with the buzzing of unseen insects and the occasional rustle of unseen creatures. Dr. Evans, a Professor from the Imperial College of London, specialising in infectious diseases, he was a grizzled old man with a perpetually worried expression, wiped the sweat from his brow. "This is taking longer than the guide said," he muttered.

"Maybe we should have brought machetes instead of these fancy scalpels."

A young soldier, barely out of his teens, nervously scanned the undergrowth. "Sir, do you hear that?" he whispered, pointing towards a thicket of vines. A guttural screech echoed through the trees, sending shivers down their spines.

Evans, along with five medical researchers and a Medical expert trekked through the thick jungles of Papua New Guinea, along with several armed soldiers. Their destination was the elusive Fore Tribe, a group which once practiced cannibalism.

The reason for this visit being an extremely important one, a supposed disease ravaging local tribes and communities.

Ataxic Hyperkinetic Encephalopathy, AHE, The name given by two medical scientists who were the first to set foot when rumours of a strange flu spread around town, ultimately reaching the ears of the scientists and researchers keeping contact with the Fore Tribe, watched for possible mutations of their Kuru Disease, a prion based infection which has no cure even to this day.

"We should be getting there soon, our guide says he knows these lands." A local from Port Moresby turned UN translator, explained to the group of five and the several soldiers.

"Its so hot in here I think I'm going to melt." A scientist, Dr. Chen chuckled, his breathing heavy from the hours long trek.

After what seemed like hours, the group made it to their destination.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"H-Hey… What the fuck is this?!" A Soldier gasped. Turning to the researchers for answers.

"I-I don't know." Replied one from the group, while some lurched their meals.

Evans meanwhile stared at the scene impassively, his brow sweating.

'What is going on?' He thought to himself.

The entire village save for a couple houses, were destroyed, dead and dying were littered on the streets, their bodies seemed to be mauled by some type of beast, scratches, bite marks, torn flesh and skin, it was the worst sight they'd ever seen.

Furniture and the like sprawled on the dirt streets, toys, sticks, bloody mush, and trails of blood. Some people lay in agony, unable to speak, their throats ripped apart by some beasts, the dead lay in still, clothes torn and twisted, some barely alive by inches, twitching at every little gust of wind.

Others lay, eyes glazed and some dull, dead and paralysed.

"AH!"

The Guide screamed and shouted at the sight of his village and rushed to help his people but was quickly stopped by the soldiers, who seemed to be on high alert.

Just as they made it to the village centre, they heard a low guttural growl coming from one of the wooden huts.

"Mister wait! That sounds human, we should be prepared to help them."

"Help them? There could be a wild beast or something." The supposed leader of the soldier group responded, once a soldier from the German Bundeswehr.

"I don't know what's going on but we need to give them medical treatment immediately. Besides you guys have guns." A Medical Professional stopped the soldiers who seemed to raise their guns at the sound.

"Who are you?" One of the soldiers asked curiously to which he was answered with a simple "My name is Benjamin Grace, a Doctor from the States for the UN."

"So please, listen to me. If things go wrong you can do whatever you want, but if that's a person I have to help them!" Benjamin begged with the soldiers who seemed to have come to an understanding and nodded.

But the guide shouted at the translator, shivering and shaking.

"What's wrong with him? Is he alright?" An old man, a researcher from the Imperial College of London, asked hesitantly.

"He's telling Mr. Benjamin to not go, saying its dangerous." The UN translator explained wryly, the guide then spoke again.

"He says," the translator paused before continuing, "the child that was affected before was growling like that, and that-" pausing again to listen to the guide, "he tried to bite those who he saw…"

"Well fuck…" One of the soldiers grunted an American by accent, "If that's not a red flag I don't know what i- MR. BENJAMIN!" Raising his gun, he quickly fired several bursts of rounds at the figure trying to jump from the window of a wooden hut.

This time, the group heard more groans and growls, Benjamin gulped as the figure now revealed to be a male in his twenties landed on his chest, dead.

He quickly pulled himself away and with a yelp and got away from the scene. But he managed to come back to his senses.

"Lets take him back, I don't feel safe here anymore." Several researchers nodded at his words, even the soldiers sighed deeply.

One of the soldiers, the man who shot the young figure, took out several binds, "for extra precaution" he added.

"I don't know what the fuck you WHO and UN bastards are here for, but this doesn't look right to me." He spoke up, before reaching out to tie the fallen man.

"Gra-" Bloodshot eyes opened, taking a bite at the soldier's hand, earning a loud cry of pain, the soldiers around him quickly took action and started hitting the biter with their rifles, turning his face into a bloody mush.

"ARGHHH!!" The soldier held onto his hand, missing two fingers. "I'm gonna fucking turn! I'm gonna turn! Fuck this zombie shit!" He screamed, as he was helped up by his team and Benjamin.

"Mister, relax. You are losing blood, I'll patch you up, but we should getting going now, its getting late." Benjamin told the others.

"Fuck do you mean relax!? I'm fucking bit!" The soldier shouted indignantly.

"Benjamin! Doc! I'm fucked right? You guys came here to investigate some zombie virus type shit right? Oh fuck! I'm fucking dead, I'm so fucking dead!" The wounded soldier kept shouting. The others shuffled about awkwardly.

"Calm down for fucks sake!" Benjamin grunted, scolding the soldier.

"First of all, Zombies aren't real, zombie viruses are scientifically impossible! Second of all, we came here to investigate a supposed mutation of the Kuru infection. And lastly shut up!" Benjamin patched up the wounded companion.

"Fuck man! Did you not see that shit?! Team leader you saw that right?!" The American soldier shouted.

"Scheisse…" the German leader facepalmed but kept alert, "We go now."

"Mr. Evans, we are leaving!" A researcher shouted, Evans looked back at the village before sighing.

The elderly man nodded before meeting with the group and finally leaving the area for their own safety.

——

Hello Vro, That was prologue, if there are any mistakes please let me know. Also what do you think? I think I made it pretty realistic, not braindead characters that fall into cliche plots. Also, this is just prologue and not the main story, just background.