Story 1222: The Infection Gospel

The halls of Virex had become a chapel of rot.

Lena slammed the chamber door shut, locking out the black-eyed followers. Behind her, Briggs gasped from a makeshift cot, the infection spreading beneath his skin like wildfire. They were now trapped inside one of the old Virex observation rooms, lit by a flickering emergency lamp overhead.

THE GIRL:

“What are they?”

WARD (checking his weapon):

“Not turned. Not normal. Something else.”

On the far wall, an enormous diagram was etched in blood and soot. A twisting helix spiraled outward, branching into limbs, eyes, and mouths. Beneath it, a phrase was scrawled in all caps:

“THE FLESH MUST AWAKEN TO BE FREE.”

Lena knelt beside an old terminal, fingers working fast.

LENA:

“There’s still data here. Video logs... lab notes... sermons?”

She loaded one. Static filled the screen, then slowly resolved into a man in a Virex coat standing in front of a chalkboard covered in symbols. His eyes gleamed with manic pride.