The Scourge System

CHAPTER I

Chapter I

"How did you say... I mean, how come you say that these people contained by the authorities are... Zombies, Dr. Ramona?" A news anchor asked his guest, Dr. Vincent Ramona.

Virologist, Doctor Vincent Ramona is known for being one of the youngest successful graduate of Harvard University in the age of 23, he has been the talk of the whole world because of his achievements together with his former partner pharmacologist Doctor Edison Mollo, both Filipino and was involved with the cleansing off the COVID 19 crisis that lasted for 7 years and now, the world's about to face the worst of all worst.

"Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, we thought it was the worst case the world will ever face. But this? This is more than what movies and books says... it's reality." The doctor calmly replied with his hands clasped together above the table.

"Yeah, I get your point but... how come?" The news anchor is obviously not believing him, wearing this confused and mocking face of his. All he need is to sneer and roll his eyes to complete this rude act of him towards his guest.

"Virus that came from the... 'company' who released the said 'cure' to Cancer contains highly contagious and heightened stress of pathogens that destroys half part of a human brain. Killing it's good cells, activating thrombocytopenia in someone's body. It brings dead back to life but not fully." He explained with his formality screams by the way he speaks and by the way he looks.

"Dr. Ramona, this is MolloCorp, we are talking about. Dr. Mollo's company is one of the biggest influential business company in the world, and it also came from your country aside from that, he was your former partner in solving the case of the COVID pandemic."

"Yes, I am aware of that and I am also aware that the company, MolloCorp, is spreading worse virus than the COVID-19 incident 9 years ago."

"So you're saying that, people with this some kind of virus from the medicine they're taking... can be... zombies, and you say it's highly contagious?"

"Yes, and the first symptoms of this virus... is sudden hemorrhage, choking of blood and aggression."

"Doctor Ramona, you do know that the first you mentioned the word 'Zombie', it's quite making us tickle and laugh. It's absurd and-- and unbelievable to happen. I mean many of us saw and watched the movies with those kind of things but... are you really this sure that this said 'Zombie Apocalypse' might come in our world?"

"It's not coming, it's already here."

~ ● ~

"Professor! Professor, help!" One of the members banging the window to get the attention of Mr. Roniel that's blocked by many people outside.

But what they didn't expect, Mr. Roniel got attacked by that thing. It's... something inhuman. He started to choke blood, his eyeglasses fell out on the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" Jonixa covered his mouth with both of his hands as he witnessed how their Professor got attacked by that thing.

"The bus is slipping! We need to get out!"

Rohana stood up from her seat and run towards the driver's seat. The driver's unconscious and his head got bashed through the windshield from the impact. She tried pushing all the buttons she sees but all it does is to spark.

"Rohana! Look out!" Brenda shouted.

Mr. Roniel's trying to break through the glass, banging his head on the window like some kind of a psychopathic man. His usual tan skin became paper white and his veins are showing like a black ink tainting his skin. His eye are oj his targets, them.

"Rohana! Get out of there!" Ms. Kai pulls her from the front and pushed her back to Clarissa's.

"What were you thinking?!" Brenda chided her. "Break the windows!" She suggested but stopped by Clarissa.

"Are you out of your mind? Those things are out there! How could you possibly out run them!" Clarissa shrieked while still holding Jessa with her.

"There's still a possibility that we can survive if we aren't trapped in here!"

"It's too late for that!" Rohana shouted, putting herself in between them.

As they figure out where to go... the bus scraped it's way, pulled by the gravity. It fell with them in it.

"Hold on t something!" Ms. Kai shouted.

Every each of them took a long breath, waiting for the impact. Closed eyes. The bus collided with the water.

"Everyone! Let's get out through the window!" Ms. Kai's trying all her best keep herself calm and be a role model to all of them but that doesn't help.

"Come on!"

"Rohana! I can't swim!" Jonixa is panicking as the bus starts to submerge. "I can't swim!"

"Out of all mermaids, you can't swim?" Rohana shouted at him and pulls him out through a broken window.

The bus is sinking fast. "Jessa, let's go!" Clarissa and Jessa was about to follow Rohana, when loud shriek from Karyl and a choking sound follows.

Jessica... she's... biting her throat out.

"Clarissa-- Clarissa, what is that?"

"Let's go!" Brenda shouted at the two of them, the water's on their neck. Brenda pulled the two of them through the window but something pulled her ankle.

It's Jessica. Behind her is Karyl, wriggling and coughing out blood that mixed within the waters. All of a sudden, she shuts down like some kind of computer.

Clarissa gasped enough waters in her mouth, trying to kick Jessica from holding on to her. Preventing from being attacked. She's scared, she is but... what can she do?

Out of choices, she saw Brenda and Jessa making it to the surface. She's running out of breath, but then someone pulled Jessica away from her. She saw Clive pulling Jessica by her hair.

"Go!" That muffled voice of Clive urges her to get air. The last time she saw Clive, he's also been bitten by Jessica and Karyl became one of them too, those things, too fast.

"Clarissa! Oh, thank goodness, what took you so long? Are you okay?" Rohana shouted at her as soon as she reached the surface, gasping for air.

She shook her head and sobbed. "What's happening?" She sniffled and coughed. "Where are the others?" She can count the people she can see with her fingers, trying to swim on the shore.

"I have no idea, Clarissa. Let's make it there."

"Oh my! Watch out!" Someone shouted.

All there heads lifted up, welcoming their eyes with falling rocks of debris from the bridge and... the truck together with some people who are infected by those sick people.

"Get out of the water! Quick!"

They swam, but gravity is much faster that anything. The truck fell right through two of them including Ms. Kai.

"No!" Jessa bawled, she witnessed it with her eyes.

"Wake up! Let's get out of here! Now!" Rohana shouted at them, pulling them out from shock. Keeping them together.

When they reached the shore, a group of those things came running towards them. They are like animals, they are the predators and Clarissa and the others... are the prey.

"Run!" Their teeth are gritting, their hands are clawing in the air. Running like some kind of a runner being left behind by many players in a track and field sports.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Rohana took Clarissa's hand and drag her, running away from those things. Running away from those animals that are chasing them. The sound they're making, it's too scary, and the way they sprint towards them, it's making them more... scared.

"Ah! Brenda, help me!" Jonixa tripped on a stone. He's holding out his hand while still on the ground trying to stand up but his high heels are not helping him to stand up.

"You stupid, clumsy idiot! Get up! Why did you even wear this kind of shoes?!" Brenda and Jessa helped him to get up. Those things are catching up from behind them.

This time, they are running out of options but to just run.

~ ● ~

A man stood up from lying on the floor while holding his head from the headache he got from getting drunk last night, party, women and the yacht with two of his friends.

"Good morning sleeping beauty, here drink this to knock your headache off." One of his friend gave him a cup of coffee.

He sniffed and drag himself on one of the stools on the bar. "D*mn, alcohol, I'll never drink that much anymore." He cursed more and accepts the mug.

"Guess what, Jeiger woke up first. He won the bet." The man who gave him a cup of coffee chuckled.

"Really? Darn it, I can't believe I lost 10 peso coin to him." He grunts and washes his face with both of his hands.

"We did, Gavin. Lucky me I didn't bet my favorite pen to." He boisterously laughed. "Call me if you need someone to help you drink that coffee." He teased Gavin before leaving him in the bar to go outside the yacht.

"F-ing headache." He mumbled before sipping his coffee, he stayed there until he finished it all. It didn't help to release his headache but it gave him a bit relief.

"Yo Jeiger, when are we docking at the pier? I have to go home, I still have some errands to run at work." He scratches his head while ascending to the top of the yacht where Jeiger is.

Jeiger's sitting there under the sun, holding a glass of juice, wearing his sunglasses and his brown summer hat.

"Later, when I'm done enjoying our extended quick vacation." Jeiger replied while smiling widely.

"What the hell are you wearing? It's freaking November." He gave him a disgusted look while eyeing on his Hawaiian polo.

"What? I love summer. Just say you're a party pooper, Gavin." Jeiger laughed with his shaking shoulder.

"Tell that to Amando." Gavin rolled his eyes and descended to look for Amando, the eldest among them.

As we was walking round, a loud explosion startled him. From where the yacht is, they can see the famous Jones Bridge, bunch of vehicle went stranded.

"What the heck?" Amando mumbled as soon as he saw the high smokes and wild fire.

"I bet my 500 hundred pesos, an accident happened because they saw my shining gorgeousness here." Jeiger shouted at them from the top deck.

"Then obviously you'll lose your 500 hundred to us." Gavin shouted back at him.

From there, they witnessed how the bus fell from the river, followed by the truck.

Amando took his binoculars and sees that there are people in the water. "Hey Jeigs! Run the engine, come on!"

"Why?"

"Those people needs to get out of the water." Amando replied and released the anchor. "Dock it there, they're swimming to the shore."

"Amando, why do we need to do that? I'm sure they will be fine as soon as they reached the--"

"Look over there! Does that look safe to you? Can't you hear that?!" Amando pointed something from behind him and there he saw a group of people running around like a mess.

"What?" Gavin muttered as he saw this one person attacking someone. His eye flicked shock when he saw blood. "It cannot be."

"We're docking! Call for them, Gavin!"

"Hey, Amando, are you sure that we're going to let them in our yacht?"

"You'd want to be rescued if you were them, Jeiger." Amando got his point but Jeiger doesn't seem to like the idea.

"Hey! Over here!" Gavin waves his hands to the group of teenagers running. "Come on! Hurry!" He called out for their attention.

"Look! Clarissa, over there! Run faster!" One of them said while dragging the one she's talking to.

"Oh thank goodness! My beauty is saved!" A boy teenager or should we say, not really.

One by one, they were rescued and got inside the yacht. But not releasing their breath yet.

"Sh*t!" Jeiger cursed loudly.

"Jeigs! You gotta get that engine started!" Gavin shouted at him as he sees those things coming right to them.

"It's not starting!"

Amando rushed to the top deck and pushed Jeiger away from the control, pulling his lucky strings and kiss it run. "Come on, baby. Right now's isn't the time to stop ticking." He muttered but the second time he tries it still doesn't. "F*ck!" He cursed and bangs the motor.

"Speed it up, man! They're coming!" Gavin has his eyes on them while his breath's hitching.

"We're going to die!" Jonixa shrieked and hugs Brenda's arm.

"Can you please stop being so over dramatic for a second?!" Rohana chided him and looks like she would want to tie him up on a post and gag so he would stop talking.

"Clarissa?" Jessa's pulling the hem of her shirt and snuggling herself close to her.

Clarissa found Rohana's eyes. Rohana know's how scaredy cat she can be, and she's telling her to be brave, tough. Because being weak in this kind of situation, it won't do anything good.

"Uhm-- Amando, they're 10 steps away from the boat! Better get your lucky charms work!" Jeiger gulped audibly as his eyes saw those insane people, making their way towards them. Those sounds they make, it could give you a nonstop nightmare.

"Third time's a lucky charm! Now come on!"

For the third time Amando tried, it finally worked and padel the engine fast, away from those things.

They eventually let out those breaths they've been holding. Relief and comfort that they outrun those things. Luck.

They are safe... for now.