"Charles! We need to get out of here before they find us, come on, let's go!"

"We've come this close, we're not leaving until we can get all of the information out of the computer"

"You're going to get us all killed."

"There, it’s done, let's go."

Life wasn’t always like this, in fact, a year ago it was as simple as it could get. You didn't have to sleep with one eye open at night, and wonder if you were going to make it through the day. No, life used to be easy. Until that one day that is. Like any other day during the week, I walked into the lab, and continued my work.

"Good morning, Charles."

"Good morning, Susan. Any more progress on the rebirth serum?"

"That’s what I came to talk to you about, I think we finally figured it out."

"How soon can we start trials?"

"There is one scheduled in a couple of hours."

Never would I have thought that conversation was going to be the last one between the two of us.

The time finally came to test the experimental drug, never would I imagined however that Susan herself was the one who we would be conducting these tests on. She set herself on the chair, and she strapped in to ensure safety; both to herself and the other scientists. She was hooked up to a heartrate monitor, and other equipment that would measure her vitals. Her assistant, a stunning scientist fresh out of college with hair darker than coal itself. She walked in with a syringe and a small blue vial which contained a liquid with a faint green color to it when held up to the light. She slowly extracted half of the serum which was then injected into the right arm of Dr. Susan.

The name of the rebirth program was misleading, it was not meant to bring people back to life, but rather, to grant immortality. Her vitals appeared to be normal, there was no change in her heart rate, according to the machinery her body had no negative reaction to the experimental serum. After 15 minutes however, that’s when changes began to occur. Her breathing became faster, her heart pounded faster, her entire body went into a seizure state of being. She had no control over her own body. Then, just as quickly as her body began to shake, it stopped, her arms dropped and the heartrate sensor sent out nothing but a continuous beep into the now dead silent test room. The first trial is considered a failure. What is left of the faint green liquid is placed into a containment unit for storage, apparently there is still more that has to be done for us humans to play God.

"Charles?"

"Yes?"

"What should we do about Susan?"

"I will call the local morgue and have them pick up the body in the morning. You on the other hand, can let her family and loved ones know that she suffered a fatal accident this afternoon while conducting an experiment in the lab."

"Will do Charles."

"Thank you."

"And could you also find a way for me to get a cup of coffee, I fear it is going to be a long and stressful night."

There wasn’t much else to do that night after all the paperwork had been done for the tragic death of Susan.

The next day when I walked into the lab, I was surprised to see the two men from the morgue arguing with each other outside of the building. "I'm telling you, this isn't the place! If it were, then there would be a dead body inside, the one that we're supposed to pick up, remember!"

"This is the address that they gave us though."

"Here let's ask him, maybe he knows."

"Sir, did you call for a morgue?"

"Yes, I did, the body should be inside, still in the testing room…"

"There is no dead body there, sir"

"What!?"

I quickly walked up the stairs to see for myself 'how is it that there is nothing there' I thought to myself.
But sure enough, there was no dead body in the room.

Faintly, there was the tapping of footsteps coming from the corner of the room, the pace of the person quickened, as if something was running towards us. It was Susan! At least I thought it was, until she attacked one of the two men in front of me separating his head from the rest of his body, and having a fountain of blood erupt as his body fell to the ground with a thud.

She then looked at the two of us who remain, we both made a run for the door "Hurry!," I yelled making sure that we could both make it out alive. Without ever looking back to see if he was still behind me.

I got to the end of the door and locked it shut. I finally turn back to see how far behind me the other man was. But it was only me.

I look through the circular window that was on the door to try and make out what it was that I had just seen. I was so in shock that I couldn’t think straight, the idea that the rebirth program had created a fearless killer could not get out of my head. What I did know, was that it had to be killed before any more innocent lives were taken by its hands already stained with the blood of two.

I called the local police to tell them what had happened, like anyone else who would hear this story, they took it as a joke. It wasn't until I insisted that they send someone. Then, a couple minutes later a patrol unit showed up outside of the laboratory. As the officer looked through the window and had finally seen what I had explained to them, did he believe me. He drew out his firearm from the side of this belt, removing the safety and pulling back the firing pin. He told me to open the door and then lock it again behind him. He stepped in, I watched to see what would happen. As the body of Susan charges towards him, he raises his gun, two shots were fired, one to her left shoulder, and another one in the chest. But that did not slow her down. One final shot…between the eyes. The shot sent the body flying backwards and landed on the floor. The officer turned around and I opened the door for him to come out. As soon as the door was opened and I extended my still trembling right hand to thank him… it came back. As if nothing had happened. I locked myself in another room as the once brave officer was now dead and his body on the floor. The… 'thing'… ran out the front door and into the city.

I couldn't believe it…"the rebirth serum… it had worked."

I stayed in the room frozen still by what I had just seen.

That was, until I saw the police man begin to get up again. However, he was no longer himself anymore, he too ran out the front door, and I could hear nothing but the shouting of the street people who had no clue as to what was going on. It wasn't until then that it hit me. "This is all my fault." I was the lead scientist for the project. Since that day, the world went to hell, it was considered to be the beginning of the apocalypse. It's been over a year now since that day, a handful of humans have survived, those who haven't are either dead, or they’ve 'turned.'

A group of us have been living on the outskirts of the city, but I knew that it was time to put a stop to it. I proposed my idea to the group of people I was with.

"If I can get the information that is left on the computers in the lab, I could find a way to reverse the effects of the serum that started all of this."

"Who will you take? We do not have that many people left to spare. Everyone has their job to do here at the camp"

"I will only need two people, both voluntarily of course, if no one volunteers, then I will go myself."

"There will be no need for that Charles" I heard someone say from the back of the group.

"My brother and I, we will accompany you."

"It is very much appreciated."

"We leave in the morning, so gets some rest, and gather your ammo."

The sun was barely rising when we headed out towards the city, we decided to leave the truck and continue on foot, the noise would only attract more of them towards us. We finally arrive to the building where everything started, we walk in and bolt the doors behind us. Little did we know that there was a hoard of about one hundred of them coming straight for us. I sit down in front of the computer and begin to download everything that was relevant onto a flash drive. That was, until we heard the pounding at the door. They were here… 

"Charles! We need to get out of here before they find us, come on, let's go!"

"We've come this close, we're not leaving until we can get all of the information out of the computer"

"You're going to get us all killed."

"There it’s done, let's go."

"There are too many at the front door, we have to escape out the back door."

"You know this building better than we do, lead the way."

"This way, follow me."

It wasn't very difficult to lose them, the harder part was making it back to the truck before the sun went down. Nevertheless, the three of us made it back to the truck and were on our way back to the camp with the faith of humanity resting in my pocket.

To our surprise, there were no lights on around the watch towers. We drive our truck in and to our surprise, find that everyone who was there is now dead.

We step out of the truck trying to piece together what it was that had happened while we were gone. Behind one of the tents we begin to hear a rustling sound.

"Who's there!?"

No response…

When then a body begins to walk out of the shadows, it was a woman…

"Who is that?"

"I think that's…"

"Susan?..."