THE LIVING CURE: Rebirth in the Apocalypse

Maya POV The bright lights of the Sector 4 laboratory buzzed like a swarm of angry wasps. I stared at the mountain of paperwork on my desk, but my hands were shaking, not from anger this time, but from a terrifying, soul-deep realization. I was alive; I was twenty-three. I reached up, my fingers tracing the smooth skin of my neck. There were no black veins. There was no thick, tar-like blood. But the memory of my mother’s screams, and the sound of my little brother Leo being ripped apart by the infected, still echoed in my ears. I’m back, I realized, my heart slamming against my ribs. I’m back three years before the end of the world. "Maya, before you go, clean the desks in Room 4," a familiar, grating voice said. I looked up slowly. Dr. Henderson stood there, adjusting his expensive coat. In my past life, I thought he was just a pompous bully. But three years later, I found out he was the one who stole the vials from the lab and sold the initial viral strain on the black market. He was the reason the apocalypse started. He was the reason my father’s old military research was used to create this nightmare. "Dr. Henderson, my shift ended twenty minutes ago," I said. I kept my voice completely flat, masking the violent urge to grab the letter opener on my desk and jam it into his throat. Not yet, I told myself. Death by a thousand cuts. Make him pay slowly. "I have to pick up my seven-year-old brother, Leo," I continued. "My mom is working late." Henderson sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "If you can't do the basic work here, Maya, I can find another intern. I have a pile of resumes right here." He said the same words as last time. In my past life, I cried, begged, and worked for free. Now, a dark, cold smile spread across my lips. I stood up, walked to my desk, and picked up the stack of papers he had just handed me. Then, I looked him right in the eye and let the papers fall to the floor, scattering across his shiny leather shoes. "I quit," I said softly. Henderson’s jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" "You heard me. Clean your own damn desks, you traitor." Before he could sputter a response, I grabbed my backpack and walked out. I didn't even look back. I didn't need his stupid internship certificate. I had a PhD in survival now, and my tuition had been paid in blood. I walked down the quiet, sterile halls of the underground facility. The bosses had left early today for a secret meeting with the army. It was the exact night the "leak" was scheduled to happen in Sector 4. I didn't run for the exit; I ran deeper. I needed to get to Room 4 before the night guard, Dave, was attacked. In my last life, I was terrified of the monster Dave became. This time, I was waiting for him. I reached the thick glass door of Room 4. Just like last time, a loud crash echoed from inside. I didn't freeze. I just stood in front of the glass, waiting. Inside, the night guard was on the floor, twitching. Thick, black liquid the parasite was pulsing on his shirt. His head snapped up. His eyes were completely red, pupils blown wide, black veins crawling up his neck. He slammed into the glass, roaring, black spit flying from his teeth. SLAM!!! I just pulled a heavy metal pipe from my bag. I had stopped by the maintenance closet on the way down. "Sorry, Dave," I whispered. I smashed the emergency glass casing for the lab's chemical disposal chute, then broke the lock on the door with my pipe. Dave scrambled out on all fours, ready to tear my throat out. I sidestepped his lunge, hooked the pipe around his neck, and used his own momentum to slam his head into the concrete wall. CRACK. He dropped like a sack of bricks. I looked at the deep scratch I had just taken to my left forearm from his fingernails. The skin was already turning purple. The black lines were starting to crawl. In my past life, this scratch nearly killed me. It turned me into a half-zombie, a mute monster that my own mother had to tie to a chair. I was a burden. But I knew now what the government didn't. I had the Variant Gene. The virus wouldn't turn my brain to mush. It would just make me stronger. Faster. Deadlier. I pulled my hunting knife from my boot and made a shallow cut over the scratch, letting the black-tinged blood drip onto the floor. Then, I wrapped it tightly with duct tape. It would hurt like hell, and I would pass out from the fever in about two hours. But when I woke up, I would be something entirely different. Warning... Dangerous outbreak in Sector 4. Leave the building immediately. The alarms blared. Red lights flashed, and I pulled my backpack tight. My phone buzzed... My mom. "Maya! Where are you?" Sarah shouted. She sounded terrified. "I'm at the lab, Mom. Listen to me," I said, my voice cold and commanding. I wasn't her little girl anymore; I was a commander. "Don't go to the old highway bridge. The army is already there. Captain Marcus Vance is setting up a quarantine zone, and he will shoot you on sight." Silence on the other end. "How... how do you know about Vance?" "I just know. Go to Dad's old hunting cabin. Don't take the main roads. Leo is already in the truck with you, right?" "Yes, but Maya…" "I'll be there in three hours. If you see anyone with black veins or red eyes, don't hesitate. Shoot them. I love you, Mom. See you soon." I hung up before she could ask more questions. Outside, the city was already descending into hell. Cars were on fire, people were screaming, and the infected were tearing through the streets. But I wasn't afraid. Dr. Henderson was probably hiding in his office, waiting for the military to rescue him. Too bad for him, I had stolen his satellite phone from his locker before I left. He was going to be stuck in the city when it burned. I stepped out the back door and into the cold night air. I pulled the hood of my jacket up. The world had ended, but for me, the game had just begun. And this time, I was going to make sure I was the last one standing.