“They must have done more research” she said, as she looked over more documents, “ah, this is interesting – it says here “the first generation was a failure. All subjects attacked all living things for food, people or animals of any kind.”
“Subjects?” said Chris.
“They mean people” said Heather with suppressed anger, “they tested this virus on people.”
“Who?” asked Chris.
“The document says they used captured spies from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union initially, but they only had a handful of them. Later on they were given access to people who wouldn't be missed – mostly homeless people from cities.”
“Okay, here's more”, Heather continued from another document, “the second generation of the virus was adapted to induce an exceptionally low metabolism in the subject except when near a potential food source. In other words, they almost hibernated until food came along.”
“So what we have”, said John, “is a human that hibernates until food comes along.” That would make an effective guard. It'd be well hidden too.”
“Not really”, interrupted Chris, “not if its waking up to eat every animal that comes along.”
“Have you seen any dead animals?” Heather asked. John and Chris looked at each other with sudden realisation.
“No” Chris replied, “so do these things just eat humans?”
“Looks that way” said Heather.
“How do they manage that?” asked John.
“I'm not sure, it doesn't say” she replied, looking over the last half burnt document, “but there is mention here of stimulating something “unnatural” it says, but that's where it ends.
“So it's a virus that shuts down all but the most basic parts of the brain” said John, thinking aloud, “but somehow makes it only attack humans.”
“Effectively, yes” replied Heather.
“So how does it spread?” asked John, “Could it be airborne?”
Heather looked shaken at the very suggestion, but replied calmly. “Let's hope not”, she said, unsure if it could be.
“There's another room through here” said Chris from the other side of the room, “Looks like there's cages in it.”
Heather and John rushed down towards it, following Chris, who was still carrying a now barely conscious Annie in his arms. The room opened up into a wide chamber, with a series of metal cages on one side, and observation platforms on the other. Bones were piled up in the cages, all of which were wide open. The remains of recording equipment were scattered round the room, with broken camera and tripods littering the floor. At one end though was a small television with a video player built into it. A stack of tapes sat beside it. John walked up to it and hit a button on the television. Expecting nothing he almost jumped when the television turned on, giving out noisy static.
“Woah!” yelped John, reaching for the volume control, “how the hell does it still work?”
“Must be some battery power left for the complex” said Chris as he lay Annie on the ground.
“How is she?” asked Heather, gesturing at Annie.
“I think she's sleeping” replied Chris, “we should leave her to rest for now.”
“Okay, but you stay here with her if we move, okay?” said Heather. Chris nodded in response.
Heather went to the video and switched it on. It too had power and she looked at the tapes. They were labelled “1” to “4.” Heather put the first one in the player and watched the screen.
“This is the first test of what we hope is the completed virus” a voice began as a view of one of the cages in the room appeared on the screen. “In this we hope to demonstrate the full potential of the virus.” They watched as what looked like one of the creatures was let into the cage from what appeared to be a holding cell behind it. Then, a man was brought in to the room. He was lying flat, strapped to a board with one arm stretched out and also strapped down. He was screaming in what sounded like Russian, and the screams only continued as he saw the creature. He seemed to recognise it, calling it “Alexei” as his gloved hand and arm was put through a small gap in the cage door. Immediately the hand was through the gap, the creature attacked it, biting and clawing at it. Within seconds the man's arm was removed from the gap by the staff and he was released from the board and placed in an adjacent cage, cradling the bleeding stump where his hand once was.
“Note how the specimen attacks almost instantly” the voice said as the man was locked in the cage. “Now compare this with another potential victim” he said as a naked woman with a striking head of red hair was thrown into the open cage from another holding cell behind it.
“Mum!” screamed Heather at the sight of the woman's face. “That's my mum!”
They all watched in horror as the creature approached her, they felt sure she was about to die. Yet all the creature did was sniff her. There was no hostility from the creature and after a few seconds it merely sat down in the corner and curled up in a ball. Tears rolled down Heather's face at the sight of the woman she lost so many years ago. Grabbing John's hand tightly, she began to shake with terror, grief and anger as the voice on the tape continued. “As you can see, in this case, the specimen cares little for the woman, it perceives her as no threat. Now we'll see the next subject.”
“Dad!” screamed Heather as a man was thrown into the cage this time. She threw herself into John's arms and could barely watch as her parents recognised each other on screen and went to embrace.
But Heather screamed a heart wrenching wail of despair as she watched the creature suddenly leap up and attack her father on screen. Her legs buckled as the creature ripped through her father's shirt and tore his chest open. When he fell dead to the ground in front of her screaming mother, Heather collapsed in a heap, vomiting on the floor before curling into a ball and sobbing, much like her mother could be seen doing some twenty years earlier. For at least ten minutes John knelt by her, holding her hands, as the uncertainty of twenty years gave way to the confirmation of the worst fears Heather could ever have imagined. She screamed and sobbed at the horror of her parent's fate, oblivious to anything else as the tape continued to film her terrified mother alone in the cage with the creature.
But eventually, the voice returned to the tape, and Heather's head snapped up.
“As you can see from this demonstration, the natural human is safe, but the unnatural human triggers the intended response in the subject.” Heather sat up as she heard this, her tear soaked eyes staring intently at the screen, and the image on it of her mother's naked figure as it sat huddled in the corner. “This was our answer to the animal problem”, the voice continued, “ we found that we could stop the potentially catastrophic infection to local wildlife if the specimens only attacked humans. And by creating the virus so that it stimulated the hunger centres of the brain at the same time it stimulates the parts of the brain that recognise what is familiar to it, we could make sure it would only feed on the unnatural.”
Suddenly Heather was on her feet, her gaze fixed intently on the screen. She was shaking almost uncontrollably with tears streaming down her cheeks, but she was in control of herself, intensely studying the screen.
“I know what they've done” she said coldly as a technician appeared on the screen holding a long jacket. “Oh mum, don't take it” she sobbed as he passed it through the bars to her, “don't put it on, please.”
But she took it and the moment she pulled it up over one arm the creature was on her, ripping the fabric away and biting her. It was mercifully quick, over in seconds and with her mother's end came a renewed sense of purpose in Heather. She turned to face John and Chris with a dark look on her face.
“They don't kill animals”, she said, “only what's unnatural.”
“Meaning?” said Chris.
“People wearing clothes are unnatural” she replied. “They only attack people wearing clothes.”
“You mean..?” said John, his voice tailing off as Heather nodded.
“Yes”, she said, “clothes will kill you.”
Chapter 22
The day was getting older, and the sun had shifted across the sky as the day grew older. Brandon's body was now out of the sunlight and into the shadow of the trees. Claire had lingered by his side for hours, warmed by the sun, but now a gentle breeze was making her feel cold. Goosebumps covered her body with each soft gust from the sea, and the cold was beginning to sap her spirit. The baking noonday sun had made her feel like there was at least some life left in the world, but in the cool shade, she found herself sinking into despair again. There was no sign of Heather and the others, and fear now returned to her.
The cold wind felt like it was penetrating her bones, and she decided enough was enough. As she walked down towards the boat, she paused for a moment and stood in the sun, letting its rays wash over her.
It wasn't enough though. She still felt cold and lonely, and found herself looking at the pile of clothes by the boat. She was loath to put them on over her tender wounds, but the cold was getting too much for her and it was with a sadness that she found herself pulling the fleece jacket over her head.
Almost immediately she felt herself begin to warm up. It was a pleasing and reassuring sensation, but it rubbed against her wounds, and she wished she didn't need to wear it. Picking up the shorts and feeling the painful wounds on her legs, she decided not to bother with them. Her upper body was what really felt cold, and that was warming up quickly. She decided to wear the boots though, and within a few minutes she was pleasantly surprised to find that with just the boots and fleece she had quickly warmed up.
Her attention went back to the path. She was sure the others had gone down it, and she decided her only chance lay with the others and that she had to follow them into the island.
Within minutes she was cursing her decision. The forest was dark and forbidding, with rough, overgrown ground underfoot and those damn biting insects would descend again if she didn't keep moving.
“Next year it's a bloody fortnight's sightseeing in London!” she said out loud to no-one as she stumbled over yet another tree root. “I'm not an outdoors girl.”
As she picked herself up, a rustling sound from the side of the path suddenly made her stomach churn. She backed up against a tree, staring at the spot the noise came from. A woman stood up, slowly and wearily and began to walk towards her. Like the other creatures, it was naked, thin and filthy, but its stomach seemed somehow distended and bloated.
Slowly the creature began to walk towards Claire, but it was weak and struggled to walk. As it reached the path it leaned back against a tree and slowly sank to the ground, looking utterly exhausted.
Claire stared at the creature with a mixture of confusion and pity. It looked so sad, so empty, and certainly not dangerous. Was it possible these were no longer a threat, that they were safe? Part of Claire longed to believe it, but Brandon's dead body would always be a reminder to her of how dangerous these creatures were.
Any thoughts of safety instantly vanished when she heard another rustling sound, this time behind her. As she turned, she saw another creature, a male this time, and it was on its feet and heading straight towards her.
Her only hope was to run. Turning to the beach, she ran as fast as she could, not looking back, just focusing on not falling over. She could hear the flat, padding footsteps of the creature as it chased her, but it only got quieter, it didn't seem able to run as fast as her.
Approaching a flat and easy stretch of the path, she risked a glance behind her. Fear arose in her as she saw there were now three of the creatures in pursuit of her, but she kept running, never slowing down.
Then, through the trees, she saw the beach, and some hope of escape. She knew the creatures probably couldn't swim, and if she reached the water, she'd be safe.
As hope returned to her, she glanced round again to see where the creatures were. Surprised at how far back they were, her gaze lingered behind her for just a little longer than she planned.
She never saw the exposed tree root her foot was on a collision course with.
She fell hard onto the ground, and the painful sound of snapping bones in her outstretched arm seemed to her to echo through the forest. Screaming with the sickening pain, she pulled herself to her feet and kept running, but now she could hear the footsteps right behind her.
Her plan to swim was now hopeless, she knew she'd never handle the currents with a broken arm, but she knew of nothing else to do but keep running.
Even when she reached the beach, she didn't stop, she couldn't, but she knew she'd have to do something, and do it now.
The boat was her only chance. With a last burst of speed she headed straight for it and with her good hand tried to pull herself into it.
But the first creature was too fast, and as she swung her first leg into the boat it grabbed hold of her waist and tried to pull her out. She kicked back hard, knocking the creature off its feet and making it release its grip.
Pulling her whole body into the boat she screamed in agony as her full weight crushed her injured arm underneath her. Fighting through her pain, the adrenalin pumping through her system kept her moving, and she knew what she wanted to do. As she rolled into the boat, she landed right beside one of the rucksacks, and there, sticking out of the top of it was exactly what she was looking for, the knife she had found back on the mainland.
She grabbed the knife with her good arm and crouched in the boat, waiting for the creature to make the first move. The boat began to tilt as the creature began to pull itself up onto the side and Claire took her chance. She stood up and brought the blade of the knife down on the creature's head as hard as she could.
The blade snapped harmlessly against the creature's skull.
Claire stepped back in horror as the creature climbed into the boat beside her. From the corner of her eye, she could see four more creatures emerge from the forest, running towards her and she knew all hope was lost.
She wanted to be brave, to face her end with dignity, but really she just wanted it to be all over quickly.
“I'm coming Brandon” she said, glancing over to his body on the beach and briefly managing a weak smile. But as she stepped back in the boat in a futile attempt at retreat, she felt warm water trickle down the inside of her leg as her terror took control of her body.
“Please” she begged as the hunched creature stood up to his full height and extended its arms towards her, “Please don't.”
Chapter 23
Heather looked at John and Chris as they stared down at their clothes.
“Naked” she said firmly, “both of you, right now.” They immediately obeyed, stripping off their t-shirts and trousers.
“What about our shoes?” asked Chris.
“John was wearing just shoes and the creature never went for him back on the mainland” answered Heather, “so I guess those are safe. But stay absolutely naked otherwise, no matter what.”
“And now we return to the original subject” the voice on the screen continued. All three turned to watch the screen as the camera now moved to the man whose hand was bitten off.
“As the only way for the infection to be passed on is by directly injecting saliva into the blood stream, then any bite received will result in a transmission of the infection to the victim. The infection is swift, and usually takes only a few hours to completely overwhelm the victim, resulting in a new guard subject”
“Cold blooded bastard, those are people you're talking about!” Heather screamed at the screen, her eyes still wet with tears, “I hope they ate your fucking liver while you were still alive!”
Static filled the screen for a few seconds, then suddenly the picture was back. It was of an outside enclosure, with one of the creatures inside it. A woman walked up to the camera. She looked as if she was in her late thirties or early forties, and she was wearing just a robe. She turned to the camera and began to speak.
“We're now moving on to more advanced tests of the sub
jects. I intend to enter the cage and attempt to train the subject to move some boxes. I will reward him with food.”
They watched the screen as the woman removed her robe and entered the enclosure through the wire double doors. Being naked without her robe, the woman was now apparently safe from the creature and it showed no sign of aggression towards her. Instead he sniffed her and seemed curious about her presence. The woman began to go through a series of repetitive tasks, moving objects from one side of the cage to the other. When she gestured to the creature to do so as well, it slowly learnt to follow what she did, moving the objects. When she smiled at it, it seemed to smile back, a hint of humanity returning to its face.
“The subject seems to learn quickly” she said, turning away from the creature and facing the camera. She continued talking, seemingly oblivious to the grunting sounds the creature was making behind her.
Naturist, Red in Tooth & Claw Page 14