Starting the Apocalypse

Chapter 3: Subject Lucy

In the first week, 30% of the population had already turned into zombies.

After a month, it increased to 50%.

Finally, after a year, only 20% of the living remained.

The rest had either completely died or turned into zombies.

Luke had also observed that some zombies started to mutate.

Some became faster, stronger, deadlier.

Humans had started to hide and cower in their shelters and safe houses so the zombies only roamed about doing nothing.

Eventually, some started to eat other zombies for some reason.

They don't eat its meat, but rather, the brain and heart.

It was these zombies that had started to undergo mutation.

"Interesting. So initially, the zombies aren't attracted to one another, but when there's no 'food' around, they would start to eat amongst themselves..."

Luke tapped on his desk while thinking.

He didn't care about the dead humans as they weren't important.

"But why eat only the brain and heart? Is that the reason for their mutations?"

As he thought of this, he spoke to Athena.

"Athena, how many zombies do we still have in the base?"

"There's three left."

Luke nodded.

He stood up and found one of the zombies he kept in a cage.

It was a middle-aged man with a rather skinny physique.

All of its limbs were chained up and its mouth was covered so it was unable to hurt him in the slightest.

Luke had it tied up to a bed and chained down while he took out a saw blade to start cutting at its skull.

Once he did that, he took a look at the zombie's brain using various equipment.

"Fascinating."

Luke spoke with no change of emotion in his face.

He recovered a few things first before starting his dissection.

After some time, he extracted a weird fleshy substance from the zombie's brain.

The instant he removed it, the zombie no longer moved. It was 'dead' once again.

"So this thing is the reason why they are able to move...and if another zombie eats it, they also mutate? What about the heart then?"

Luke placed the fleshy substance in a jar and started to dissect the zombie's heart next.

There, he found something different.

A black crystalized object the size of a fingernail was embedded on its heart.

He put it under a microscope and saw that it resembled blood.

"Intriguing...did the zombified blood clot as such that it had essentially crystallized into this?"

Luke continued to study the two unknown things for a few days.

He also picked another zombie subject and extracted the heart first before the brain.

After some time, he came to a few conclusions.

If either the heart of the brain is removed, the zombie loses all 'life'. The reason is because of the two unknown objects he had extracted.

For convenience's sake, he named these two as such.

The black crystal in the heart, he called Zombie Core. While the fleshy substance in the brain is called Zombie Organ.

...It was annoying to think of new names so he simply named them as such and be done with it.

For a zombie to remain animate, they must have both of these things in their bodies. If even one is not present, it will be unable to move and become 'dead'.

Based on his examination, the Zombie Organ allows the zombie's brain to continue functioning even if some bits and pieces of it are not complete. It's safe to say that the Organ is, in fact, a miniature brain itself.

As for the Zombie Core, it contains numerous chemical properties for enhancing the body of a zombie.

This is the main reason why these zombies have superhuman strength and speed.

Mutated zombies also display some level of intellect so Luke's assumption is if a zombie were to continue consuming these things, not only will they grow stronger, they might also revert their sense of thinking into that of a human.

Luke immediately went to test this on his last remaining zombie subject.

A middle-aged woman who looked as if she was a beauty when she was living. Sadly, she is just a zombie now and acts like a savage.

Luke had the zombie woman eat the two Zombie Organs but not the Core.

He wanted to test if it was possible for a zombie to regain its intelligence and not further strengthen it. There was no reason to give the core to her as well.

And so, the zombie woman was put under surveillance.

For convenience, Luke named the subject Lucy. Named after the first human found.

Day 1. The day subject Lucy ate the Zombie Organs.

The subject displayed a moment of calmness.

She is no longer acting like a wild animal, only remaining in her position silently.

When other living beings, Luke, approach her, she would silently watch him without doing anything.

Killing intent seemed to have dissolved. No interest in spreading the virus.

Testing reflex by shooting it with a gun.

Subject was shot. It roared in anger and returned to its savage nature.

Continuing further tests on another day.

Day 2. Subject is still acting like a savage. It seems it remembered how it was shot yesterday.

Does it now have memory? How interesting.

The bullet wound has already closed up. Does this zombie have some sort of special healing capabilities?

Day 3. Subject is calmer now, but it growls when approached.

Did it know that she can't do anything?

Day 4. Subject has returned to her calm state as in Day 1. Even when approached, it does nothing.

Has its memory already forgotten about him?

Testing its healing abilities by cutting its arm.

The Subject is angry once again. But why did it pick up its arm? To eat it?

...No, subject appears to be attempting to reconnect its own arm. How curious...

Day 5. Subject is still trying to connect her arm but it's not working.

It continues to be angry when approached.

Day 6. Subject is calmer once again.

Day 7. Subject doesn't mind being approached once more.

Testing reaction to kindness. Helped subject stitch its arm back.

Subject didn't lash out when pierced with a needle. It appears to know that she is being treated...

Day 8. Subject's arm shows signs of recovery. She is able to move her fingers a bit.

Day 9. Subject's arm is now fully healed.

What's the reason for her enhanced healing capabilities?

Attempted to get a sample of the subject's blood.

...Subject doesn't show any wild reactions upon taking its blood with a needle.

Based on the properties of her blood, her cells seem to be capable of cell regeneration.

Is this the effect of eating two Zombie Organs? Or something else?

Further test required.

Day 10. Subject is fully cooperative with the various test.

Conclusion: After eating two Zombie Organs, zombies are capable of retaining a small bit of intelligence as that of a child. When treated well, they cooperate properly. When harmed, they lash out and attack like wild animals.

If ingested enough Zombie Organs, they may retain their original memories and return to being 'human' once more.

Needed to test the subject to ingest more Zombie Organs to confirm the conclusion.

"I need to go get more zombies..."