Hibernation

"Are you saying that the recently infected individuals can be rescued?" Rachael inquired, caught off guard by this unexpected turn.

"If they can survive that neck bite, maybe, for now, that's just my hypothesis; I need proof to further validate it as a fact. Luckily, the hippocampus was still functioning, so I could use the latest technology to pierce through the fabric that encloses the memories," Yoshi replied, causing Bai to frown.

"Why do you speak in such a confusing way? I'm even more confused now than I was before," Bai said, shaking his head.

 "Yeah, you should tone down the encyclopedic 

speech," Henry chimed in, echoing Bai's sentiment who grinned at Yoshi with a sense of triumph.

"Okay how about now homie, you feel me now dawg?" Yoshi said, mimicking an African American accent.

"Now that's simply racism," Henry said with a frown, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, can we refocus on the issue at hand? We're wasting valuable time," Michael interjected, steering everyone's attention back to the matter.

"Just as I mentioned earlier, I reviewed the memories, and although some were lost in the process, I uncovered several important details. First, he had been infected for a considerable period. Second, the situation is more dire than I initially believed. Most of the memories I accessed were from his time as a zombie. Typically, zombies are driven by a singular urge to consume, but this particular zombie was primarily focused on infecting as many individuals as possible," Yoshi elaborated, his expression growing increasingly grave with each word.

"What?" The group was taken aback once they grasped the essence of his message.

"You all are likely considering the same thought I am, right? This parasite was engineered by someone," Hei stated, prompting everyone to inhale sharply. Until now, they had believed it to be a mere accident, but it appeared that someone had orchestrated this situation, and the most troubling aspect was their ignorance of the 

perpetrator's identity.

"So, it means I was right the first time; someone did wipe the database clean to prevent anyone from seeing what happened," Bai said, uncertain whether to feel worried or proud of his accuracy.

"This only makes the situation more urgent. We must quickly uncover what's happening before it escalates further. If someone orchestrated this, it suggests that this zone might simply be a test subject, a small part of a larger conspiracy. We need to be very cautious with our next steps; I sense we're pawns in a bigger game," Michael said, massaging his forehead. This mission had taken an unexpected turn that none of them could have anticipated. The mass of unanswered questions frustrated him, as the lives of his teammates were now at risk, and he bore the responsibility of protecting them. This situation stirred memories he had long kept buried.

"Mike, are you alright?" Bai suddenly inquired, prompting Michael to look up at him.

"Yes, I'm fine, what's up?" Micheal inquired, puzzled by the question, he turned away with a frown before turning back again.

"Well, your eyes and hair are both sparkling with lightning," Hei replied on behalf of his brother as they all gazed at Micheal, whose eyes and hair shimmered with purple lightning.

"Oh, I apologize for that, I'm just stre—" During his speech, Micheal was suddenly interrupted by a loud 

roar that bore a striking resemblance to the earlier one.

"Damn, it's that roar again, and it's closer than before." Yoshi sprang to his feet, gripping his gun tightly as he focused on the source of the sound.

"Wait, did you discover anything regarding that roar from the memories?" Michael inquired, to which Yoshi responded by shaking his head.

"Huh, this is strange. take a look at your maps; all the other dots have vanished except for this one, and it's quite close," Henry pointed out, his voice tense as he reached for his gun.

"Everyone, turn invisible immediately and don't move an inch" Micheal said before vanishing into thin air, the others quickly following suit. A massive shadow loomed above them, casting darkness over the surroundings. The shadow surveyed the area, glancing to the right and then to the left before departing, lifting the gloom. After a few minutes of waiting to see if the shadow would return, Micheal became visible, letting out a deep sigh, the others appearing behind him with similar reactions.

"What was that thing?" Hei exclaimed, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.

"I didn't see it clearly, but it was enormous," Henry replied, also catching his breath.

"We need to get going; we've already spent too much time here. It's time to leave now." Micheal said urgently, seizing his gun as if he hadn't also noticed the enormous shadow.

"What makes you so eager to leave?" Bai inquired with a furrowed brow, gazing intently at Michael, who swiftly seized his gun and pointed it in his direction.

"What—" Bai, taken aback, swiftly turned to the right as a bullet whizzed past his face, hitting a figure behind him and eliciting a cry of pain. Reacting to the sound, Bai spun around to witness a zombie with a bullet wound in its neck collapsing to the ground.

"We are being attacked, prepare yourselves!" Micheal shouted as he pivoted to fire a bullet that hit another zombie, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Dammit, everybody behind me, get down!" Yoshi yelled, his eyes glowing with a bluish light as the others ducked behind him. Just then, a strong pulse of energy burst from Yoshi, sending the approaching zombies crashing backward into the surrounding structures.

"Let me heat things up a bit," Racheal said, rising swiftly. Her eyes glowed a deep red as her hands transformed, condensing massive waves of fire that she unleashed at the zombies, igniting them in flames.

"RAWWWRRRR" The zombies howled in fury and agony as they were engulfed in flames.

"Quick, come on, let's move" Michael said to the others, taking advantage of the chaos to escape the scene, leaving the burning zombies behind. The team navigated the estate with both caution and urgency, darting through the area while glancing left and right for any approaching threats. Fortunately, the flames and energy blast appeared to have delayed their pursuers. After several minutes of careful movement, they reached the end of the estate and scaled the wall to get to the other side.

"Let's move into one of the residences." Micheal whispered to the team trailing behind him as he studied his map, marked with numerous red dots indicating every house. He swiftly scanned for the safest route while on the move, ultimately selecting one and entering the house. By this time, the sun had set, and darkness enveloped the sky, allowing them to slip inside undetected. They activated their night goggles and began scanning the interior of the house.

Micheal stared at the map, where two red dots were visible in the house. He turned to the team, signaling for silence by placing a finger over his lips before gesturing for them to follow him. They nodded, preparing themselves, gripping their guns tightly as they crept toward the room marked by the two red dots. After a few steps, Micheal paused and turned to Yoshi, who stood beside him, looking confused as to why he had paused. Noticing this, Micheal pointed at the map. Yoshi glanced at it, only to find that the two dots had vanished. He turned to his own map and realized the same had happened. The others soon discovered that not just the two dots had disappeared, but every single red dot on the map had abruptly vanished, leaving the team in a state of

confusion.

"Let's go take a look." Micheal whispered after a moment of contemplation about whether to enter the room. He grasped his gun and cautiously turned the doorknob, opening it slowly. As he stepped inside, he half-expected a zombie to leap at him, but nothing occurred. Instead, he encountered two motionless zombies, each with an Octo-worm perched atop their heads.

"What the...?" Henry gasped in disbelief as he gazed at the zombies, appearing as though they were lifeless.

"Yoshi" Micheal called out to Yoshi to check if he grasped what was unfolding.

"This is extraordinary, something utterly unimaginable is occurring." Yoshi, in disbelief, lowered his gun as he approached the first zombie.

"Yoshi, be careful. What are you doing?" Bai raised his gun to aim at the zombie, feeling puzzled by Yoshi's actions.

"You can lower the guns; they won't be attacking you anytime soon. It's as if they're in a state of hibernation. This is truly fascinating." Yoshi replied with eyes that sparkled with interest, clearly having just discovered something fascinating. He moved closer to the zombie, near enough for it to attack if it wished, but nothing happened. Instead, the zombie remained still and motionless.

"Yoshi, could you shed some light on the current

situation? We're a bit lost here," Michael said to Yoshi, who appeared to come out of his trance, turning to the others with a look of apology.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I was just shocked, that's all. You all have no idea how surprising this is. You know what hibernation is; it's when certain animals enter a state that allows their bodies to conserve energy during unfavorable weather conditions or when food is scarce. The requirements for this state include reduced metabolism, a slower heart rate, and a lowered body temperature. Some animals, like bears, hibernate during winter when food is limited and the weather is harsh. However, it hasn't been proven that humans can hibernate because there's really no need for it, and the necessary conditions must be met. Forcing these conditions could be lethal for a human; for instance, slowing the heartbeat enough to be considered hibernation could lead to fatal mistakes." Yoshi explained before pausing to let the information sink in for the others.

"Okay, again with the Shakespere dialogue," Bai said, his expression reflecting confusion as he indicated to Yoshi that he didn't understand what had just been explained.

"Huff, what I mean to say is that humans need to enter an extended state of torpor to truly hibernate. Torpor is a condition where body temperature, breathing, and energy use decrease significantly. An extended version of this state would allow humans to hibernate, but there are numerous physical limitations that prevent this. However, the bodies of the zombies you see here have evolved to overcome those limitations and actually enter into hibernation," Yoshi explained, concluding with a grin.

"Hmm" Micheal's expression shifted upon hearing this; he grasped the importance of Yoshi's words.

"I understand it's impressive that the zombies are hibernating, but they are no longer human. You mentioned that it would be lethal for a human to enter this state, but we must remember that they have changed fundamentally. their bodies undergo significant alterations after becoming zombies; I doubt they even have a heartbeat," Henry shared his thoughts with Yoshi, who smiled in response.

"It appears that my point isn't fully understood. The other zombies we've encountered before these strains were transformed by a virus or an evolved fungus that destroys the brain of those infected. However, this worm that turns people into zombies does not kill the brain; it keeps it alive for a period and even hibernates at night. This indicates that the worm possesses its own consciousness. Unlike other viruses that compel the host to feed incessantly, this worm is intelligent enough to prioritize its goal of spreading and infecting more hosts. My argument is that we may have been approaching this issue incorrectly; our line of reasoning has been wrong," Yoshi elaborated, his words emphasizing the seriousness of the situation for the others.

"Oh my God, this is serious," Hei said, finally understanding the gravity of the situation.

"The worm appears to operate as a hive mind." Racheal voiced the unspoken concern that lingered in the air; it was at this moment that the true terror of the worm became apparent to all. A creature possessing such intellect was indeed formidable, not to be taken lightly. Suddenly, under the collective gaze of the crowd, the octo-worms perched upon the zombies began to emit a haunting purple glow.

*********************************************

At that very moment, within the research facility situated in the heart of the zone, a vast room housed a large canister at its center. Inside this canister lay a figure resembling a worm, enveloped in a viscous liquid, with tubes extending from its body to various miniature canisters scattered throughout the room.

BEEP

A beeping sound echoed from the worm's canister as the tubes trembled, suggesting movement within them. Whatever was contained in the tubes surged into the other canisters. As the contents entered the miniature canisters, they revealed themselves to be octo-worms, which quivered for a moment before their heads began to glow with a purplish light, synchronizing with the large worm in the first canister, almost as if they were communicating.