บท 16: Chapter 16: The Apocravirus

After an eventful time in the bunker, Zane and Layla climbed back to the surface. They would rather take their chances on the outside than remain with the military that could offer them little to no protection. However, as soon as they arrived back on the surface, they came to a horrifying realization.

They had taken an elevator that had brought them to the dark interior of an armored building. But a majority of the soldiers that were standing guard had been killed. All that was left was a sea of corpses in an ocean of blood.

"Damn... This isn't good..! Everyone's dead! How are we supposed to get out of here without being caught by the Apocrypha?" Queried Zane nervously.

"We need food, water, and weapons as basic necessities. I'm not sure how we're going to get our hands on them but for now, we need to focus on getting out of here alive."

Silence presented itself between them. A strong feeling of anxiety was slowly swallowing them up. On top of not having basic necessities, it was now even more difficult to trust anyone but themselves. Anyone could be an Apocrypha under disguise.

"Hey, Zane..."

"What is it?"

"Remember not to trust anyone. Never leave my side, no matter what. On top of the Apocrypha, the military will try to get us back as well. We have to make sure that doesn't happen. We have to rely on ourselves while trying to survive. It won't be easy."

Zane took a deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves, "I know. If we die, everyone dies. So we have to treat everyone as a threat until we know they're in the clear. But I believe we can make it. Strangely, we make an awesome team. We can do this..!"

Layla nodded with a sweet smile. Zane's words of encouragement were exactly what she needed to keep her motivated. Strangely, the way he had been keeping his composure as of late made her feel drawn to him.

"You're right..! Come on, let's grab a gun from one of the dead soldiers and whatever else that might come in handy."

After searching the bodies of the dead guards for weapons, they quickly moved to the exit of the armored building. They were each armed with knives, handguns, and extra ammunition.

Carefully, the two braced their backs against the wall as they peeped outside of the building. The cold night air immediately pressed against their faces. The base was dimly lit and a few screams of terror could be heard.

This was when they laid eyes upon a dreadful situation, much worse than they could have imagined. Soldiers scurried around, running for their lives. Many were bathed in blood and some remained lifeless on the ground. Some of those who ran even began falling to their knees, coughing up massive pools of blood.

However, the most unusual thing was that there were no signs of Apocrypha or Chimera anywhere. It was as if the soldiers were running around from ghosts, screaming for their lives. Trepidation seeped into Layla and Zane. Dealing with the unknown was something they wished to avoid.

"Just what the hell is happening out there?" Trembled Zane.

"Tch! Damn it all... I don't like this. Give me a moment to analyze the situation..."

Layla then began observing the soldier's odd behavior once more. This was when she noticed that they were all being affected by something. They were coughing up blood and bleeding from their eyes, ears, and nose.

"I think I get it! The Apocrypha are making use of biological warfare tactics. In other words, this is the Apocravirus that Apollo told us about. It's destroying humans from the inside, causing their deaths in only a few seconds"

"Wait, then we won't be affected by it, right? He told us that he gave us immunity."

"That's assuming if he was telling the truth. I can't understand what that damned monkey is planning. It doesn't make sense for him to make a game to kill us, only to make us immune to such a deadly virus. I just can't wrap my head around it..."

"You're right but we don't even know how the virus is spread. I guess we have no choice but to risk it, do we?"

"Unless we want to become the Apocrypha's main dish then unfortunately so. At this rate, the Apocrypha will kill all the soldiers here without breaking a sweat. Afterward, they'll come for us for the easiest kills. It's a good thing we decided to leave the bunker or we would have been sitting ducks down there."

"So what's the plan?"

"We run through the chaos and find something we can use to get the hell out of here!"

The two wasted no more time. They dashed through the base as fast as they could, looking for anything they could use to escape. Chaos unfolded around them like a scene from a nightmare. Soldiers cried for help while others died on the spot from the virus. Their screams of terror sent chills shooting up their spines.

Zane struggled to keep up due to his fractured leg but Layla grabbed onto his arm and forced him to stick by her side. The only good news was that they weren't being affected by the Apocravirus.

Suddenly, the atmosphere vibrated as the sound of gunshots echoed around them. Zane and Layla looked behind them to see a few soldiers shooting at something in the distance. This was followed by otherworldly screams that sent shivers down their spines. The Apocrypha and Chimera were attacking.

"Zane, keep looking for anything we can use!!"

Layla swung her head in every direction, trying to find anything they could use to escape. They ran past dozens of dead soldiers that had succumbed to the virus. The stench of blood and death wore their sense of smell thin.

To make things worse, Zane was beginning to slow Layla down. He had a lack of stamina and anxiety wore his lungs thin. He could barely walk, much less run.

"Layla... Go on..! I don't want to... slow you down..!"

"Shut up, you idiot! Don't try to be some kind of hero! I'll pick you up into my arms and carry you if I have to!"

"My manly pride would be ruined..! I'd rather... not!"

Just then, their eyes caught sight of a military transport truck a few meters ahead. A feeling of relief bolted through their bodies. It was just what they needed.

However, almost as quickly as they saw the truck, aggressive roars and snarls could be heard not too far behind them. To their frightening surprise, a total of three Chimera Dogs were hot on their trail.

"Damn it all! Couldn't they let us have an easy escape for once!?" Cursed Layla.

Layla wasted no time. She dived into the driver's seat of the truck while Zane ran to the passenger's side. Fortunately, even the key was still left in the ignition.

However, Zane felt a little compelled to slow the Chimera down while Layla fired up the engine. Due to this, he got his handgun from his waist and began shooting. Gunshots echoed through the area as a sea of bullets made their way toward the Chimera. Regrettably, only a single bullet hit its mark, killing one of the Chimera.

"Damn it..! How useless can I be!?"

"Zane, get in!"

Zane hastily dived into the passenger seat beside Layla. With the truck facing the Chimera, Layla floored the gas pedal. The truck engine roared and the tires screeched like a banshee, engulfing the surrounding area in smoke.

With a thunderous roar, Layla slammed the truck into one of the Chimera Dogs. It howled in pain like a five-month-old puppy before its bones snapped like twigs underneath the tires.

Not wanting to drive through the chaotic military base, Layla swung the truck to her right and charged full speed into the nearby fence, surrounding the perimeter. Fiery sparks gashed to life as the fence was torn open. Layla and Zane exchanged a look of relief. They had made it out alive.

"We made it..?" Queried Zane in disbelief.

"We sure did! No admiring my badassery now!"

"Hard not to but I won't."

"Aww, I kinda admire you though!"

"You take endless pleasure in teasing me, don't you..?"

Layla laughed. She enjoyed Zane's company more and more with each passing second. Having him around kept her emotionally stable. He helped her forget about the pain of losing her father and gave her hope that they could survive. The useless and naïve guy she had first met was slowly becoming more and more reliable.

Just then, the two were scared from their moment of relief by a blood-curdling scream followed by an aggressive growl from the back of the truck. Layla jumped in fright, almost losing control of the truck.

"What the hell?! Zane, check to see what's happening back there!"

Zane quickly moved aside the curtains that separated them from the back of the truck. He immediately laid his eyes upon a beautiful lady wearing a white lab coat. She was pinned to the floor by a Chimera Dog that had somehow managed to jump on board.

Without a moment of hesitation, Zane jumped into the back of the truck and delivered a powerful kick to the Chimera's gut. It howled in agony before it was thrown out of the back of the open truck by Zane's powerful boot. It bounced violently across the asphalt road as the truck left it behind.

"What happened?!" Questioned Layla, trying to get a good look behind her.

"Urgh..! Everything's fine now!" Moaned Zane, holding onto his injured leg in pain. "I don't know if kicking that thing was a wise or dumb idea..."

"Is someone else back there?"

Zane took a closer look at the lady in the lab coat. She had a light skin complexion, beautiful silver hair, bright blue eyes, and a curvy figure. Zane doubted she was an Apocrypha in disguise since the Chimera had attacked her.

"Who are you..?" Asked Zane carefully.

The lady took a shaky breath of relief before answering. She was still recovering from the shock of almost being eaten alive.

"I... I'm sorry... My name's Almarie... I'm 22 and a fairly new military physician..."

"What were you doing in the back of the truck?" Queried Layla.

"I came here to hide, of course! I was terrified after seeing that man explode!"

Zane and Layla paused in confusion.

"Explode?" Asked Zane.

"Yes! You're telling me you didn't see it or at least heard when he exploded!?"

"Uh... I don't recall anything that dramatic happening. Layla, did you?"

Layla shook her head in denial. This was when Almarie realized who they were.

"Wait... Layla? Aren't you the two who made a deal with the Apocrypha?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

"What happened?! Aren't you two supposed to be safeguarded in the bunker? Why are you here?!"

"That's not important right now. Just know that things went to hell down there. I'm more interested in this exploding man you were talking about," argued Layla.

"Right... It was pretty strange. I've never seen anything like it before! It was a soldier who got bitten by one of the Chimera Dogs while he was out on a mission. His bite wound was in terrible condition so we tried to treat him. After the first two hours, his lungs began to swell, shortly followed by the rest of his body. We tried everything to fight back his symptoms but nothing worked. Before long, he started bleeding everywhere... His eyes, nose, ears, mouth, you name it... After 24hrs of failed treatment, his body had become so swollen that he exploded like a grenade!"

Zane and Layla remained in silence for a short moment. They didn't recall the Chimera Dog's bite being that deadly.

"So did anything else happen after he exploded?" Asked Layla.

"Yes... After he exploded, all hell broke loose. Thousand of small crown-shaped dust particles were released from his body and into the air. They spread through the air like wildfire! Those who inhaled those small particles immediately began choking and bleeding severely. They all died in a matter of seconds. I only survived because I was smart enough to wear a mask during all of that. Unfortunately, the particles escaped into the base and before we knew it, everyone started dying from severe internal bleeding."

Almarie's story sounded terrifying. It seemed quite likely that the Apocrypha allowed the injured man to return to the base alive so that he could infect everyone else.

"That has to be the Apocravirus that Apollo warned us about... Almarie, what do you think?" Continued Layla.

"Well, we noticed that these particles were rapidly multiplying inside that man's body before they escaped. They were aggressive but didn't kill him until only after a day. Yet, after the virus escaped his body, it killed those who contracted it in seconds. This isn't based on some high-study research. It's just my observation of the virus' behavior. It seems to develop in one main host then once its development is finished, it can kill other humans in a matter of seconds."

Layla listened intently as she drove. Based on how the man had received the virus, it was easy to assume that it was first transmitted through DNA by the Chimeras bite before its development stage. However, the most frightening thing about the virus was how rapidly it could be transmitted once fully developed. Unsuspecting people could easily catch the virus and die without even knowing it. Not to mention that there was nothing to tell them just how long the virus particles would remain alive in the air before they died.

"Damn... If this virus has a long survival time outside of a host then that could spell serious trouble. Even if Zane and I survive the entire year, the virus could annihilate every other living organism on this planet. That would make our survival fruitless. These Apocrypha surely know how to destroy their opposition..."

"I'm already terrified enough of the Apocrypha and Chimera. Can we please just try to relax for a moment? I'm going to develop PTSD if we keep talking about the virus..." Pleaded Zane.

"I agree. Almarie, do you have any supplies to keep yourself going for a few days? We could use the help of a physician like you."

"I just have a few medical supplies and snacks with me. It's not much..." She answered.

"Well, it's better than nothing."

Layla then looked into the side mirrors to ensure that they weren't being followed. She needed to find a safe spot where they could rest for the night. If they continued to drive then there was a good chance they would run into an ambush.

"I'm going to find a place where we can stay hidden for the night. I doubt any of us wants to be ambushed by the Apocrypha."