We walked into the technical part of the lab in the Department of Anatomical Pathology at Albert Luthuli hospital near Durban. It had become my home since the beginning of my specialising 8 years proir to this. The technicians had cleared away the one room and set up a partial containment zone. I didn’t think it was necessary because of the age of the specimens.
I could feel the excitement like electricity coursing through us as we walked hand-in-hand into the department. We were eagerly anticipating our own aspect of the investigations we were about to perform. Not only had blood samples been sent from the wolf-skin veins, but there had also been sent with it some non-fossilised femur bone segments of the Nordic warrior himself for me to do my ‘magic’ on. I had at my disposal the latest Electron Microscope, light microscope stains and Immuno-Histochemical stains available. And, my word was I excited! The last time I had felt this excited was when I walked onto the platform to receive my own PhD.
We were met by our department secretary, Meloshni.
“Dr’s Smit. We are all so excited! The specimens arrived an hour ago and are already inside that quarantine tent. We have cleared out half of the technicians working space for it.”
“They probably aren’t too happy with that.” I muttered half to myself.
“No, Prof, they are actually extremely excited. They know that this is history in the making!”
Quite soon we made our way to the lab section where we donned our protective gear.
“Careful honey.” I said to Rachel. She smiled back and nodded.
Our two compartments were situated on the opposite side of the lab, but I could make out where she was working because the tent walls were partly see-through. I pulled the femur out of its packaging and began to process it like I would a normal specimen. I could hear the whirring noise of a centrifuge as Rachel had obviously begun her own series of tests. We were both wearing a hooded protection suite.
An hour later it happened. The first I noticed that the noises from Rachel’s cubicle had ceased altogether. I glanced up but couldn’t see her anywhere. I called out to here but there was no reply. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I felt a sensation like ice water running down my spine. I got up and rapidly made my way to her cubicle, breaking protocol.
When I arrived there, I gasped in horror and immediately shouted for help. Rachel was lying on the floor motionless. On the floor next to her was a test-tube that lay shattered. I noticed that her right glove was torn and there was blood pouring out of the hole. I rushed to her side and turned her face towards me. I screamed a curse at the sight of her face. It had changed from it’s usual tan colour to a green and grey patchy colour, and spit was foaming at the corners of her mouth. I grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her hand - the blood had now changed from a dark red to a green colour. I tore open her suite and listened to her chest with my ear resting up against it, while feeling for a pulse. I felt no breath, and felt no pulse. Immediately I began chest compressions, but abstained from doing mouth-to-mouth. The on-site paramedics arrived and gave her the once over. In the meantime, lots of people had gathered nearby, ignoring the quarantine.
“Sorry Prof Smit. She’s dead.”
Suddenly, Rachel sat bolt-upright, screaming a guttural scream that rattled her chest. I will never forget that scream until my dying day - which could be any time. Everyone else screamed, and she was on her feet rapidly, and then leapt onto the nearest paramedic, digging her fingers into his throat, and biting down hard onto his face, and then pulled away, ripping half of his face with it. He was flailing, trying to get her off of him, but she grabbed both of his arms with hers and bent them backwards quickly, snapping the bones and dislocating the shoulders. His screams turned to gurgles as he collapsed.
At this point, the group of people gathering began to scatter, screaming. The second paramedic also stood no chance, although Rachel just bit into his neck once, and he fell. I had raced out the cubicle and was heading towards the front part of the lab when Sipho our resident security guard rushed past, his Glock 9mm in his right hand. His eyes locked onto mine briefly.
“Kill her, Sipho. She isn’t Rachel any more.” I couldn’t believe what I was saying. His nod was very brief, and then he raced on. When I reached the admin receiving area, I stopped and looked behind me. I was shocked to see the second paramedic jump up and start running after the fleeing people. Sipho stopped and took careful aim and fired. The paramedic fell, then Rachel took two bullets to the chest. She didn’t fall. The paramedic, though, was up again in a few seconds, clearly enraged. It was then that I noticed that their skin color had become a dark grey-green, and I could have sworn that Rachel was bigger than before.
She caught up with someone, and as she ripped the person’s head clean off, I noticed that her muscles were much larger and more well developed. The next person she just bit in the neck. The paramedic was doing the same type of thing, and before long, they had disappeared around the corner of the far end of the lab.
I heard more gunshots as Sipho turned the corner. I watched in horror as someone, or one of those things, flew into him, punching it’s hand into his chest, pulling out his heart and begin eating it. I vomited immediately. At the sound of me vomiting, the creature stopped feeding, turned it’s head towards me and cocked it’s head to one side, sniffing the air. Howling, it suddenly leapt up again, and began racing through the tent towards me. My adrenaline kicked in and immediately I turned and fled. I had already torn off my Hazmed suit when I had arrived in the receiving area.
Even though my age was against me, my military training and continued Marshall Arts had kept me lean and fast. But I knew I had to find a way of escaping quickly. I ran through the reception area of the lab and jumped through the receiving window, shattering the glass as I did so, feeling shards of it lodging deep in my left shoulder and slashing my left ear.
As I scrambled up, I could hear the grunting of the creature behind me. I ran towards the door that led into the lab, turning the handle and pushing. But it didn’t budge. A cold realisation hit the pit of my stomach as I realised it was a security-activated door and my security card was still in the area of the lab that I had been working in. I turned, and ten metres away down the corridor stood the creature, it’s eyes were glowing amber, and it’s grunting suddenly turned to howling as it launched itself at me.
