The Reset

September 3, 2023 - Original Time

Aruan's POV -

My legs wouldn't move due to the intense pain. Nig had made sure to tie a tight tourniquet so that I would die slowly. My head throbbed unbearably; my jaw was probably broken or dislocated, my face torn apart, and, lastly, I was undoubtedly infected.

The fever was starting to rise, and my wounds were slowly healing. I could feel my muscles deteriorating, the virus at work, delivering an overwhelming sense of hunger.

The point of Virus RRB019 is a sibling pathogen of Rabies 23. In other words, it's a structurally modified Rabies virus, avidly consuming the body's reserves of fibers and proteins. Gradually, it takes over and clones human cells, inserting its DNA and causing forced mutations.

Initially designed as a vaccine to regenerate lost or damaged nervous system parts, it had a major flaw – accelerated multiplication.

Issues arose – excessive energy consumption. The solution was either host feeding or chemical energy generation through radiation.

Unlike the zombie viruses depicted in Hollywood franchises, the original one is much worse. Not only can these zombies regenerate, but they also have an infinite energy source from the sun.

Hence, the best solution to get rid of the zombies is to burn them to death in the trenches, at least the Tier I ones like the one that infected me. Unlike those found near the Angra dos Reis nuclear plant, mutated due to the nuclear accident.

Unlike movies, zombies don't appear to be undead. In fact, they can't be considered dead since the hosts are alive and functional, with some badly regenerated flesh missing due to lack of sunlight or, in the case of a new Fallen.

While pondering the irony that true zombies aren't dead but have undergone a kind of "reboot" after brain death, the Fallen next to me started showing signs of spasms.

'Great, she's already hearing the drums of liberation' I thought.

With a lot of effort, I slid off the table and directed myself to where the analgesics were kept, which I hadn't collected earlier. I used the table for support and stood up, grabbing one of the morphine bottles, removing the adrenaline needle from my chest.

'Probably what he used to wake me up so quickly, that maniac.'

I collected morphine and applied 15mg to alleviate the pain in my legs. When I looked at the Fallen again, her spasms were more violent now.

'She's already in the phase of cellular restructuring. Her muscles are deteriorating...'

Then I headed to the pharmacy area where alcohol and chemical materials were stored. I started opening the bottles and doused myself in alcohol, spreading it around the room.

I sat on the floor and took out my lighter. My throat immediately felt dry – a smoker's instinct. The Fallen stood up, appearing to have recovered, staggering due to atrophied muscles. She kept approaching me, slowly getting closer, until she lunged at me and sunk her teeth into my shoulder.

Eager for a piece of flesh.

'Easy Honey, this is your first candlelit dinner.'

I lit the lighter and let it burn down the entire pharmacy, thus putting an end to our eternal suffering.

I always believed that after death, we would be delivered to nothingness, absorbed back into the universe. Despite being certain of my death, absorbed for an indefinite time, burning until my consciousness ceased, here I am in a strange place.

My feet are submerged in calm water, so calm that I can observe my own reflection – my pale skin, short wavy hair, and dark brown eyes the color of the earth.

Despite the darkness, my vision can see as if the absence of light doesn't affect it.

I look behind me – an endless darkness, but with a terrifying aspect, as if it's waiting to consume my entire being.

Ahead of me, a fog that doesn't allow me to see beyond. Behind this fog, I could hear the sound of drums and people dancing, singing in an ancient, ancestral language that I can't identify. Yet, the symphony and rhythm of the music are very familiar to me. The bracelet in my hand, as if being pulled by the fog, draws me to this mysterious place.

The bracelet is an amulet called 'Guide,' given to devotees of Candomblé, a pagan religion of African origin in Brazil. It's also a gift from the spiritual leader and my blood family, carried by me my entire life.

Singing to the rhythm of the music, I could see amidst the fog the faces of people dancing in a circle with someone in the center.

'So, this place is the spiritual world Orun,' I thought, recalling my religion.

As a scientist and a follower of a pagan religion – a very peculiar fact in my profession – I've always had a close connection to the spiritual world. I never denied myself the belief that there are things that even the most refined science can't explain.

Many think about the ethical and moral aspects of religion, but few forget the vital importance it has in completing a person.

In answering the fundamental question of humanity, which is how relevant we are in relation to everything, even when you see the vastness of the universe, you still feel the urge to conquer it.

But in the face of true power, the power of the gods, we realize we are nothing... it's accepting this tiny role that's given to us in relation to the whole, which fulfills human satisfaction.

'Ah, once again I'm caught up in my philosophical musings, perhaps death will finally put my mind at peace.' I thought, shaking my head negatively, trying to suppress my bad habits.

Soon, I could hear the staff striking the ground, and around the edge of this shallow lake, I could see the ten figures, immediately recognizing them from the statues I've seen many times.

- Ah, I should have seen this coming. Throughout my life, I never thought I could... see... them... the old black ones.