Capítulo 9: Chapter 4: The Virus

•National Science Academy, 1st Ward•

Valerian

DRIP…..DRIP…..DRIP...

CHIRP…..CHIRP…..CHIRP….

THUD….THUD…THUD….

Valerian fought the urge to smash his head against the wall. Recently the sounds have been growing increasingly louder. Their deafening whispers, the ruffling leaves, the mechanical buzzing of the robots…it was painful. He furrowed his brows as he ran his hand through her hair in a desperate attempt to muffle the sounds.

Valerian's hearing was extremely extraordinary. He could distinguish the faintest of sounds, but amidst the symphony of noises in the academy, the clatter of the students, the screech of tires, and the hum of electronics, he found himself constantly on edge, seeking refuge from the deafening roars.

He closed his eyes tightly in annoyance as he tried to drown out the sounds with his own voice. "Hmmm hmm hmmmhm hm hmmmm" he hummed, but.. THUDD THUDD THUDD… the sound of footsteps only grew louder. "tsk" he cursed, pinching his nose bridge as he walked faster.

Recently, there has been a weird presence following him, observing him, stalking him. He turned around in a quick motion and the said stalker bumped into his chest. "Fuck. Why are you following me?" he growled at the familiar figure in front of him.

"Me? Following you? I don't know what you're talking about." She answered, avoiding eye contact.

He glared at her. "Ana," he sighed, crossing his arms. "Is it your life's purpose to annoy me or something?!" he growled, recalling the events of the past night. "STOP. FOLLOWING. ME"

He hated her. She had an air of a naive brat to her. Someone who clearly had no idea of the atrocities the world hides.

"I'm not!" she yelled as she pivoted her heels and walked the other way. There was something about her that Valerian couldn't quite put his finger on. Compared to others….she was quiet. Although her voice was loud, her actions were quiet. Frighteningly so. Her footsteps and mannerisms were too quiet for a normal person. If he didn't listen close enough he couldn't even pinpoint her presence. It made him think that perhaps this girl had some prior training.

The only people Valerian encountered with such a quiet presence were the assassins that were hired to kill him in the past.

Perhaps she was one…an assassin. But then again, why hasn't she killed him yet? And…looking back, she was quite clumsy for an assassin. Still, he couldn't rule off the possibility. 'Maybe this was better. Being killed…' He thought to himself as his gaze wandered to the cerulean blue sky peeking from the window.

He had always thought a person like him didn't deserve to see such serene views. Was he even considered a "person" in the first place?

WOOF WOOOF WOOOF

'A dog?' Before Valerian could process his thoughts, A series of wails of pain, howls of agony, and the familiar buzzing of electricity hitting flesh flooded his eardrums.

"Fuck." He cursed, banging his head against the window in a desperate effort to silence the voices in his head. But to no avail, the barks only grew louder. The barks distorted into loud thumps and crashing noises echoing inside his head. It was as if a beast was pounding against his skull trying to break out. He curled into a ball against the wall and crumpled onto the floor.

Then suddenly the howls and barks stopped, leaving only an eerie ringing in his head.

Valerian stood up and stared at the peaceful scenery outside the window - a striking contrast to the horrors the school kept hidden.

He searched for the origin of the sound and eyes zeroed in on the white roof of a distant building where the sounds were coming from. 'The Academy laboratory?' he thought to himself. The sounds seemed to be coming from the Academy's laboratory, it was an exclusive laboratory with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. The only people who had access to private laboratories in school were the Imperial 7 and it seems they were conducting unethical experiments

He remembered one of the files he came across in his father's office. One member of the Imperial 7 in particular was getting enormous attention because of her research on creating the best quality meat.

"I guess dog meat was the secret ingredient" He muttered to himself as he continued to dust himself off.

He furrowed his brow as a disturbing memory resurfaced in his mind – a young boy strapped into a chair and forced to take drugs and medications for genetical modification.

CRUNCH….CRUNCH…CRUNCH….

"What the fuck?!" He pivoted his neck as quickly as he could as the sound of flesh getting torn apart reverberated from the enclosed walls of the distant laboratory.

The sound was gone as fast as it came. Valerian had learned to distinguish sounds even from a distance from all the gruesome "training" and "experiments" he had undergone during his childhood. He was sure of what he heard. It was human flesh being torn apart.

"Just as I thought, something's going on here."

***

While walking towards his dorm room, Valerian stared as the sun dipped down and turned the horizon into a bloody red, it was as if nature itself was foreshadowing an upcoming disaster.

The sound of irregular breathing from nearby caught his attention. He focused on the sound and noticed something more. Sweat formed on their forehead, their hands were shaking, and their heart was thumping erratically.

Then suddenly a dagger was thrown at him from behind. Valerian dodged it easily and in a second, he was holding the neck of his assassin and pinning him against the wall.

Upon closer inspection, the assailant was wearing black pants, a black suit, and a red necktie. The golden badge on his chest read, "SANCTUARY 1".

Valerian clicked his tongue and released the assailant. "What's the prime minister's bodyguard doing trying to kill his son?" He growled icily.

"It was advice from the prime minister. He knew it wouldn't kill you, sir. He said you would continue to ignore us unless we did it." the bodyguard explained.

"That asshole" Valerian gritted his teeth.

"The prime minister orders you to come home, sir."

"He just misses his guinea pig." Valerian deadpanned. "I'm not going back. Tell him good luck with his research."

"I apologize sir, but the Prime minister says this is your last chance." The bodyguard said with a hint of nervousness in his voice

"What will he do? Kill me?" Valerian mocked. "Well too bad…. I. CANT. DIE."

He enunciated each word with such authority that it made the bodyguard turn pale. There was something about Valerian that made him seem intimidating…terrifying. It was as if he wasn't even human…but a monster.

Valerian turned his heel and started walking away.

"Sir," The bodyguard called but Valerian didn't stop, he could hear him just fine even if he was a mile away.

"One more thing, The Prime minister ordered me to tell you: THE VIRUS IS OUT"