Chapter 4: Escape and Redemption
The first rays of dawn illuminated the jungle as Joy and his allies prepared for the final phase of their mission. The lab was in shambles, Victor's men scattered, and the antidote finally complete. But the jungle wasn't safe yet—infected animals still roamed, and Victor's influence loomed like a dark shadow.
Joy approached the gorilla leader, holding up a small vial of the antidote. "This will save you and the others," he said softly. The gorilla grunted in understanding, bowing its head.
One by one, Joy administered the antidote to the infected animals. The glowing yellow faded from their eyes, replaced with a calm awareness. As he worked, he felt a wave of relief but also a pang of guilt.
"This never should have happened," he muttered, his voice heavy with regret.
Leo nudged him gently, as if to reassure him.
The Gorilla family and the elephant family went back on their own.
The Jungle's Farewell
With the lab destroyed and the animals cured, Joy knew it was time to leave. The jungle had tested him, shaped him, and ultimately saved him, but his mission wasn't over. He needed to bring Victor to justice and ensure the virus couldn't harm anyone else.
Joy packed what little he had—a map of the jungle, the remaining vials of antidote, and notes from the lab. He turned to Leo and the others, who had become his unlikely allies.
"Thank you," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "I couldn't have done this without you."
Leo growled softly, stepping forward. The leopard's golden eyes locked onto Joy's, as if saying goodbye.
I'll never forget you, Leo," Joy whispered, stroking the leopard's fur.
As Joy began his journey out of the jungle, Leo and the others watched him disappear into the dense foliage.
Confronting Victor
Days later, Joy emerged from the jungle, his clothes tattered and his body exhausted but alive. The sight of civilization—a small village on the outskirts of the Congo Basin—brought tears to his eyes.
He stumbled into the village, drawing the attention of the locals. "Help," he croaked, collapsing to his knees. "Call the authorities… Victor Esono… must be stopped."
Word spread quickly, and soon, international agencies were involved. Armed forces stormed the remains of Victor's lab, capturing him and his remaining men.
In court, Victor sat stoically as Joy testified against him, revealing the horrors of the experiments and the lives lost in the pursuit of power. Evidence from the destroyed lab, along with Joy's antidote, sealed Victor's fate. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A New Beginning
Years passed, and Joy's life took a different path. He married Tia, and they welcomed a daughter, Tina. Joy poured his knowledge into raising her, teaching her about science, resilience, and the importance of doing what is right.
But the serum's effects never fully left his body. As Joy approached his 50s, he began to notice strange symptoms—fainting spells, a recurring fever, and an unshakable fatigue. He ran tests on himself and confirmed the worst: the virus had never been completely eradicated from his system.
For the safety of his family, Joy made the hardest decision of his life. He left Tia and Tina, leaving behind a map, a diary written in sign language, and the dark stone connected to the virus's cure.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he walked away, knowing it was the only way to protect them.
The Revelation and The Cure
On her 18th birthday, Tina had felt an unusual shift within herself—an inexplicable exhaustion that no amount of rest could cure, a faint ringing in her ears that grew louder in moments of silence, and an unshakable sense of unease. She had always dismissed the odd symptoms as stress, but when her mother handed her the box her father had left behind, everything changed.(That's why she was doing all this inquiry)
Inside the box lay a map marked with cryptic symbols, a set of aged papers inscribed with sign language, and a dark, intricate stone. As she studied the items, a horrifying truth began to emerge. The virus, the very one her father had worked so hard to combat, was inside her. She was carrying it in her blood, inherited through her father's genes.
Her breath caught as the realization hit her. He must have known. Her father had foreseen this, which was why he left her the map, the clues, and the stone. But he had also left her with a burden—a responsibility she could no longer ignore.
Determined to find answers, Tina delved into her father's notes, decoding his instructions piece by piece. The sign language detailed the symptoms she had already begun experiencing and the urgency to act before it was too late. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to share the truth with her mother. Her mother had endured enough heartbreak, and Tina was determined to shoulder this burden alone.
Weeks turned into months as she followed every lead her father had left behind. Each clue pointed back to the jungle—the very place her father had both suffered and triumphed. And so, with the map in hand and the dark stone as her guide, Tina embarked on the journey of a lifetime.
The jungle greeted her with an eerie familiarity, as though it remembered her father's footsteps. Navigating through its dense foliage, she finally stumbled upon the remnants of the lab her father had destroyed years ago. Among the ruins, she found the herbs described in his notes—wild plants thriving amidst the chaos, their vibrant colors a testament to their potency.
She worked tirelessly, grinding the herbs, testing their properties, and replicating the antidote her father had created. Her hands trembled as she injected the serum into her veins, the concoction burning like fire as it coursed through her body. For hours, she lay in agony, her body waging war against the virus.
When she finally rose, the symptoms were gone. She had cured herself.
But her victory was bittersweet. The antidote had come too late for her mother. Tina found her in the quiet of their home, her body frail and her breath shallow. She held her mother's hand, tears streaming down her face, whispering apologies for being unable to save her.