N-23: The last days

Chapter 5 - T.I.T.A.N

The whole building went apart in pieces, the shock waves sending Jake flying few meters across. He looked at his team smiling, but they all seemed to have a worried look on their face. He turned back to see two hyper-ragers coming his way, running. The shock waves from the blast still made him feel dizzy and weak. Two shots were fired, and immediately the ragers fell to the ground. Sam blew the smoke from his shot gun and Jake smiled. Alex ran over to help him up.

“That was one hell of a bomb you built there” Jake said to Liam, half smiling.

“And that’s why I’m the mechanic” Liam replied, patting Jake’s back.

“Let’s go home” Maria said, hopeful. She was almost in tears.

As they moved to head back to the base, a car came crashing in front of them; Something had hurled the car towards them. But what?

They all turned back to see the scariest thing they had ever set their eyes on. Among the chaotic horde of ragers, one stood out. It was enormous, towering over the others with a grotesque, misshapen form. Its muscle bulged unnaturally under it’s tattered, decaying skin, and its eyes burned with a malevolent intelligence. The creature let out a guttural roar, a sound that seemed to shake the very ground beneath them.

Jake felt a chill run down his spine as he locked his eyes with the monstrosity. This was the cause of the vibrations they had been feeling. This was no ordinary rager, it must be the new mutations he heard about.

And in that moment, Jake knew, this could be the end.

* * * * * * * * *

Mason had always been a man of science, fascinated by the limitless potential of technology. Before the outbreak, he was a research engineer working on advanced weaponry for the military. When the N-23 virus hit, he saw firsthand how quickly society could crumble. The virus not only killed, but turned its victim into aggressive, nearly indestructible predators. His research on sonic weapons was repurposed for survival, and the sonic cannon became his greatest achievement.

The N-23 virus, fully called the necrovirus-23 is transmitted through bodily fluids, most via bites from infected individuals. Once the virus enters the hosts bloodstream, it quickly replicates and targets the central nervous system. Over time, it reaches peak concentration in the brain, induing a state of hyper-aggression. The host’s cognitive functions deteriorate, leaving only basic instincts such as feeding and spreading the virus. Finally, the virus now controls the hosts motor functions and the host become a rager, driven by an unsatiable urge to attack and infect others. The sonic cannon disrupts the neural pathways of ragers, causing temporary disorientation between the virus and the body.

Mason’s hideout was a heavy fortified warehouse filled with traps and sensors that would notify him of any rager attack. It was located on the outskirts of Okloma and was filled with various prototypes and inventions, but the sonic cannon was his pride and joy. It was his primary defense mechanism and he had perfected over the past year, using it to fend off countless attacks. Unlike other people, he didn’t live in groups. He had a daughter who was eighteen and his whole existence was deemed at protecting her.

Today, however, was different. He had heard and seen some of the new mutations, and had upgraded his cannons to match their strength. However, he needed to test it out. He packed his gear; two AI drones with the sonic cannons inbuilt in them. They were also equipped with different weaponry; A sonic cannon which could be worn on the hand; and lastly, a weapon which could shoot out high energy plasma. Though its only disadvantage is its slow charging time. Therefore, he only used the plasma beam in times when he was in a corner.

He sighed, took a deep breath and headed towards the city. The streets of Okloma were eerily silent, the remnants of civilization scattered like ghostly reminders of a world that once was.

“Titan, please scan around for any heat signatures or signs of ragers”. Mason said, talking to the artificial intelligence he had built for his house. After the outbreak, he redesigned and reprogrammed it for protection from the ragers. It had control to all Mason’s drones and technologies, making it essentially powerful. It’s no wonder Mason had survived this long, even after sorting after ragers and using them as test subject, when everyone avoided them.

One of the drones flew up and began scanning the environment, a beam of red light shinning through its sensory gear.

“there’s nothing sir. It’s all clear” Titan said. Mason had an audio receiver in which he could communicate with Titan. Not finding any signs of ragers, he thought his plans for that day would be delayed, but then he began to little sounds. Mason was also equipped with a technology in the form of an ear phone which could amplify sound waves, making him able to hear very distant sounds.

“Titan, are you getting this? ” Mason asked, looking around to find where it could be coming from.

“Yes sir. It seems to be coming from lane avenue, almost half a kilometer from here sir.”

“Titan -”

“sir”

“Set a course for the source of the disturbance” His voice had a bit of fun in it and he smiled as he said the last words; “Let’s go get some mutants!”