The Revenant Mutation

Chapter 1: The Day It Happened

Unknown Location, Secret Facility.

Lights flickered from shattered lamps, casting eerie shadows across the lab. Computers whirred as an alarm blared in the background. Locke staggered through the chaos, his once-pristine lab coat now stained crimson. Blood poured from the gaping wound in his chest, each step leaving a gruesome trail of red. He groaned, the pain blurring his vision and sapping his strength.

Reaching his laptop with trembling hands, Locke's fingers fumbled over the keys before pressing a button. A dial tone rang out, and soon a man in a military uniform appeared on the screen. His eyes widened in horror at Locke's ashen face and the blood-soaked coat.

“Professor?!” Panic edged the man's voice.

“It failed…” Locke's voice was a rasping whisper. “...the carriers have escaped. All…dead, all…de…” His words faltered, and he collapsed, the exhaustion pulling him into darkness.

“Professor! Locke!” The military man’s shouts faded as Locke’s consciousness slipped away. The noise dulled, replaced by a ringing in his ears. Then, there was only silence.

Under the table, Locke's body spasmed violently. Minutes later, his hand gripped the table edge, drawing the military man's attention again.

“Are you alright? Support is on the way. Is your facility on lockdown?”

Locke pulled himself up, his face twisted into a grimace. Animalistic growls escaped his lips, and his bloodshot eyes were lifeless, the light within extinguished.

The man on the call whispered, “Locke…”

A feral roar erupted from Locke as he swiped at the laptop, sending it crashing against the wall. The call ended abruptly.

***

Cairo, Egypt, Two Weeks Later.

Victor gazed out the window of the tour bus as it weaved through the vibrant streets of Cairo. The city was alive with energy, its ancient monuments standing tall amidst the modern chaos. Inside the bus, laughter and excited chatter filled the air as his family and friends took in the sights.

“Soon,” Victor thought, his heart racing with anticipation of the adventure ahead.

He glanced over at Ahmad, the son of their tour guide. The two had quickly become friends despite the short time they’d known each other, both sharing a love for exploration and mischief. Ahmad caught Victor’s eye and gave him a quick nod, a silent confirmation of their hidden plans.

As the day drew to a close, the tour group returned to their hotel. That evening, a knock echoed from the door of Victor’s room.

Victor opened it to find Farouk, Ahmad's father, standing there. Farouk was a tall, imposing man with a thick beard and endearing smile, his appearance hinting at his origins from deeper within Africa. Behind him, Ahmad was knocking on the other doors that belonged to their tour group.

Before Victor could greet Farouk, his mother stepped forward, opening the door wider.

“Ready, Mrs. Deisan?” Farouk asked.

“Of course,” she replied with a warm smile. Turning to Victor, she added, “You’re the oldest, so keep an eye on your siblings.”

“Sure,” Victor nodded, trying to mask his excitement with a sense of responsibility.

“Don’t worry, Ahmad will stay behind with them,” Farouk assured her. “He can keep them company and show them around the hotel.”

Victor watched as the adults left, led by Farouk. His mother laughed with a friend, their voices trailing off as they disappeared down the hallway, heading out for an evening of more adult-oriented entertainment.

Soon, the children of the other families emerged into the passageway. Among them were Johnson, Lan, and Mide, who were about Victor’s age. After ensuring that the younger ones were safely inside one of the rooms, Victor and the others joined Ahmad in the hotel lobby.

“Are you guys ready for the night of your lives?” Ahmad asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Absolutely!” came the excited responses.

“Let’s go!”

With Ahmad leading the way, they slipped out of the hotel and into the night. Their destination: Zahra Palace, a place Ahmad had described as the ultimate spot for young adventurers looking for a good time, far away from the watchful eyes of their parents.

The night was alive with possibilities as they made their way through the bustling streets, the lights of Cairo flickering around them.

The air inside the club was thick with the scent of shisha and smoke as Victor and his friends danced and laughed under the neon lights of Zahra Palace. The music pulsed through the air, and for a moment, it felt as though they were untouchable, lost in the thrill of their secret outing.

But then, a distant rumble shook the ground beneath their feet, causing the lights to flicker. The music stuttered and then stopped, the sudden silence sending a ripple of confusion through the crowd. Victor’s heart pounded in his chest, a sense of unease settling over him.

“What was that?” Lan asked, his voice edged with concern.

Before anyone could answer, the doors of the club burst open, and a wave of panicked people flooded in, their faces twisted with fear. “Run!” someone screamed. “They’re coming!”

The words barely registered before a deafening explosion rocked the building.

Victor couldn’t understand the person's words, but Ahmad had grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the exit. “We need to get out of here, now!”

Ahmad's panicked voice pushed them out of their confusion as they gained a clear direction.

They pushed through the crowd, and got out of the club, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as the chaos unfolded around them. The once vibrant city was now a battlefield, the streets overrun with the undead. The sight of bloodied, ravenous figures tearing through the panicked masses would haunt Victor for the rest of his life.

Victor's mind raced as they sprinted back to the hotel. He needed to find his siblings, to get them to safety. The flames licking at the building’s sides were the first thing he saw as they approached, his stomach dropping at the sight.

“No…no…” Victor whispered, his voice breaking as they reached the entrance. The hotel was engulfed in flames, the heat searing his skin even from a distance. He desperately scanned the chaotic scene, searching for any sign of his family.

“Is dad back?” Ahmad's voice came from behind him.

Victor also saw Farouk's bus, which he had used to take their parents out a few hours earlier. Their parents had come back earlier. ‘Mom is back too?!’ Dread filled his heart.

“Sam! Enny! Mom!” he screamed, but his voice was swallowed by the roar of the fire and the screams of the dying. He could faintly hear his friends also screaming out the name of their own family members, but his mind was too chaotic to recognise their words.

Amidst the confusion, Victor rushed towards the burning building, but the wave of people and the growing heat forced him back. He looked around for any help, but a swarm of undead had appeared down the street, causing more chaos around.

“We have to go”, Ahmad said. He could see the zombies coming, and if they stayed there any longer, they would be in real danger.

Realizing there was no way into the burning building, Victor made a heart-wrenching decision. He turned away from the flames, fighting tears as he forced himself to believe that his family was already dead. There was nothing he could do for them now. The only chance of survival was to escape—get to the airport, get out of the city, out of the country, away from the nightmare that had consumed his world in a matter of hours.

The journey to the airport was a blur. Victor moved on autopilot, pulled along by Ahmad and his friends, his mind numb with grief and shock. By the time he arrived, the airport was in chaos, with desperate people fighting for a chance to board any plane still on the tarmac. He managed to push his way through, finding a seat on a flight bound for a destination he didn't even know.

But as the plane took off, Victor’s heart sank even further. He could feel the tension in the air, a sense of dread hanging over the passengers like a dark cloud. It wasn’t long before the first screams echoed through the cabin.

People were turning, right there on the plane. The virus had spread too far, too fast.

One of the attendants walked the aisle, trying to calm them down. At that moment, the plane nosedived. The sudden change in gravity threw the attendant through the cabin. Victor looked away and closed his eyes, but he still heard a clear and resounding crack and thud. His grip on the chair tightened.

“What is going on?!” someone shouted, but there was no answer. Victor could hear someone praying, he wished he could pray too, but he was too scared to speak and even think.

A guttural snarl erupted behind Victor. He turned to see a passenger with bloodshot eyes, saliva dripping from their mouth. The person next to them fumbled with their seatbelt, but the infected passenger lunged, teeth sinking into their flesh.

Victor couldn’t understand. The man just turned into a zombie, just like that? Did this mean anyone could become a zombie without reason?

The plane bucked and jolted, passengers’ screams mingling with the groaning metal.

“Brace yourselves! We’re losing altitude!" the pilot’s voice crackled through the intercom, barely masking his terror.

Victor gripped his seat, his knuckles white, as the plane plummeted. The deafening roar of the engines filled his ears. He looked to the side to see his frightened brother with his eyes shut close.

Above a forest, the plane came crashing down. It wasn’t damaged, but it was falling like it had lost its helmsman. It mowed down several trees, parts of the aircraft breaking away. People fell out like peanuts from a broken bottle at high speed. Victor saw Ahmad's chair get sucked out of the plane.

The thought finally came to him.

‘This is it, this is where I die’

The last thing Victor saw was the flight attendant, her neck grotesquely twisted, eyes bloodshot and lifeless, drool mingling with the bloodstains on her uniform. No intelligence was left in her lively eyes, and only snarls escaped her lips. Victor’s last conscious thought was a desperate wish to be anywhere else as the plane jerked violently. His head slammed against the side of his seat, and everything went black.