It’s Not Easy Making Money In The Apocalypse

I sat in the room that still felt dimly lit despite lights being strewn across the ceiling. I was clicking through entry after entry of this guy named Doctor A. Most of his journal entries seemed to be self-gratifying. They went on about how smart he was and how no one else in the facility understood his genius. It was the kind of entry one would expect to read from a fictional evil scientist. He gloated over his success when it came to making a weapon, and he seemed to be implying he was designing the weapon with a failsafe that would allow him to have true control over it.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that despite this guy’s intelligence, he wasn’t that smart. After all, he was writing all of this on a completely open computer terminal. I didn’t have to break into it or anything. Anyone with a lab key could have come in and read this guy’s darkest thoughts. It was almost like he didn’t care if someone else read them, or maybe he wanted them to read them. After a long series of boasting entries that seemed to occur around once every month or so, I finally found one that caught my interest once again.

Entry 11/15/1994

I’ve finally done it! I’ve cracked the code behind the MGV virus. Mutagenesis is truly an apt name, as this virus is a progenitor toward advantageous mutation. I’ve been able to figure out what the original developers of the virus were trying to accomplish. Those naughty, greedy government bastards.  They should have just been honest with us. To think that the world ended just because some people wanted to transcend the limits of the 6S. They wanted to create superhumans, and what they failed to do in all of this time, the virus had done for them. The virus is designed to cause noncancerous mutations. It’s designed to rapidly evolve humanity, to create the next evolution in our species. Already, new mutations have started to appear. That was what they were looking for, but they had only wanted evolved forms that were under their control. They hadn’t expected such uncontrolled and unexpected evolutions. These aren’t just occurring at the human level now, but even animals are evolving. It’s a new world out there. There is no going back. I’ve heard from some of the soldiers that have been out there recently. I’ve heard the cities are falling, and the ferals are even starting to get past the perimeters into Argos. Are they getting help from their new mutant companions? I wonder. All I know is that this lab and my research are no longer safe. I believe when they pull out, they will leave all of us for dead. The government doesn’t want anyone talking about what they did. That’s why I need a plan. Thankfully, I’ve had one in the works since the beginning.

Doctor A.

I immediately clicked to the next Entry.

Entry 11/18/1994

Just as I had predicted, a general stopped by today. He wants a report on everything I’ve produced. He wants the weapon I have been working on and all of the research. I do not doubt that once I hand it over, I will be gifted with a bullet. The other scientists here are trusting idiots. They call me crazy, but they’ll be the fools when the purge begins. That’s why I’m going to give them everything they want. I’m going to release the creature, my precious weapon. However, they won’t be able to control it. From the moment it was released, this had always been out of their control. I only hope to watch in glee as their pathetic attempts to try to control my weapon and escape are thwarted and they come to realize the truth I have realized for so long. There is control. Nature has already won, and the only way humanity will survive is to adapt to the new world order. I am unlocking my diary files so that if anyone comes after this point, they can know what happened here. They will be calling me soon. I’ll likely be dead shortly after, killed by them, or by my weapon. The reason I am doing this is that I am a proud scientist, and I wish to pass on my work. Within the laboratory is my life’s work. If you’re able to reach it. The code for my workspace is 2531. Should you access it, I believe you will find some interesting discoveries and inventions. Consider it my legacy for those who come after.

Sincerely,

Doctor Norman Anweil

I closed out the last entry, glancing over at Zara who had likely read everything as well while looking over my shoulder.

“What are your thoughts?”

“I think we should get out of this place,” Zara responded, shivering to herself. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Okay.”

I wanted to find this so-called workspace, but I could go back for it after we had found the exit. She could leave and I could return to it at my leisure. What was I hoping to find? Well, I had no particular clue, but I hoped it would be worth something to someone. All the better if that someone turned out to be me.

The pair of us left this office room. There wasn’t much else to it. I assumed that this room was used for people to work quietly at their desks. It was an office as it appeared. We found the living quarters very close to the offices, but we didn’t bother to look in those. We moved with a much greater purpose this time. We came to the end of the hallway where there was a T-shaped intersection, but I was smarter this time. Carefully holding out a piece of metal, I waved it to see if we could get the turrets to go off. When nothing happened, I moved out into the intersection, and immediately regretted it.

I had been preparing to flee if I needed to flee, but what I saw instead was a sickening sight. There was blood all over the walls. It was very old, and the blood was almost black and partially faded, but I was still able to tell by the rotted clothing and bones on the floor that it was like a massacre had occurred there. These were military men by what survived of the clothing. I would have headed the other direction, but it only went a short distance before reaching a dead end. The dead-end was a bloody mess as if a group of people had been cornered there and were unable to flee. Many of those in the alcove wore unitards or lab coats. These weren’t soldiers. Did the soldiers retreat while leaving the others to die?

No, I was looking at it backward. We had entered from the back of the facility through the body shoot. The offices and residences were kept there to keep the people under lockdown. Whatever popped out would have come from the labs ahead, and they must have fought their way here. In that case, these guards were trying to protect the citizens, but whatever fought them had forced its way right through and killed everyone else.

I considered seeing if any of the labcoats had the name Norman Anwiel on it, but I didn’t want to play around with such a gory scene, even if it had all rotted away many years ago, leaving behind an unpleasant and dead smell. Zara seemed to be completely unphased by the sights or smells.

I forced myself to take a breath and continue down the hallway. As I reached the remains of the soldiers, I crouched down and found a larger rifle gun in the grip of a decayed skeleton. I pulled it free and then searched around for some bullets. I had realized while fighting the beasts outside that my little 9 mm wouldn’t do anything. I wanted to upgrade to a weapon that was far more capable, and just by seeing the size of the bullets, I determined this rifle packed a heavy punch.

Zara watched me as I pulled about ten bullets together, each the size of my pinky, and then worked to load one up. This rifle seemed to be able to only shoot one shot at a time, but seeing a fist-size hole in the wall I believed came from this gun, that would be enough to take down a mutant. Zara was still looking at me strangely.

“What? This can protect us.”

“It didn’t protect these soldiers.” She responded quietly.

I looked down at the bodies and realized that they had such a weapon, but whatever had come after they had managed to be unaffected by it. I couldn’t help but gulp. I still held onto the weapon as we cautiously took the next corner and headed down. I was able to find a trashed turret and occasional dead body, and more signs of battle.

We finally reached a powered door that was closed. The scene was rather startling as there was a man there, his hand still on the button where he reached a standing position. It was like he had died in that position, reaching for that button. I walked up to the door and pushed his hand away. As soon as I touched him, his body crumbled apart, landed with several thuds. I then pressed the button, only to hear a loud buzz sound. I pressed it again, but it only sounded out again.

“The door won’t open?” Zara asked.

“It’s jammed.” I frowned, looking at the door. “It’s like… they went to a great deal of effort to jam it.”

“Shh! I heard something.” Zara interrupted.

I watched her as she walked over to the door, listening carefully. After a minute passed, I whispered back to her.

“What?’

“There is… something moving beyond this door.”

“Something?” I found my voice rising slightly. “You don’t think… I mean, it’s been so many years.”

Did they manage to trap the weapon down here? Was this door jammed because it was keeping the weapon contained?