Teaser

A teaser for a new story that's been mulling about in my head. It'd be a long-term saga of what kind of people would /really/ survive a zombie invasion, not just what Hollywood paints for us.

“Dr. Hinchman, allow me to introduce myself,” the man said, extending a hand.  “I am Luc.  It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Luc,” the other man said in return, taking the offered hand.  “Thank you for coming at such a late hour.  Please, come with me.”

The doctor was a short, stout man whose little remaining hair was impeccably groomed.  He wore thick-rimmed glasses and spoke quickly, as if he couldn’t decide whether to be excited or nervous about what he was to show Luc.  As they walked down the sterile-looking, well-lit hallway, Dr. Hinchman continued to talk.  “I believe that I have located the strain you were asking about over the phone.  It’s absolutely incredible!  I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“How many people know?”  Luc asked, his angular features not betraying any emotion he might have been feeling.  His longer gait caused him to take one step against the doctor’s two, making him appear more graceful.  

“Nobody, sir,” Dr. Hinchman replied, clearly pleased with himself for keeping such a breakthrough secret.  “I’ve been working on the project myself, and I’ve been in the lab alone.  I turned off the cameras and recording instruments while I worked, like you asked.  As soon as I found something, I called you.  Immediately, that is.”

“Good,” the man’s mouth twitched at one corner, as if he wanted to smile, but didn’t know how.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Luc, what is it, exactly, that you do to have come across such a specimen?”

“I’m an agent employed by a powerful man, doctor,” Luc answered grimly, his tone making it obvious he didn’t care to be asked such a question.  “He gives me a job, and I make sure it’s done for him.  I’m afraid I can’t disclose anything further.”

“I understand, Mr. Luc,” the doctor replied.  He was, after all, a leading virologist whose mind and skills had been put to use by countless organizations ranging from medical universities to weapon manufacturers.  His history had put him in many situations where false names and unmarked bills had changed hands, and his silence came with a price tag.  Questions were useless in those situations.

“And here we are.”

The two had come to what appeared to be an automatic sliding glass door.  “Appeared to be” in the sense that it didn’t automatically open on their approach, and instead a panel to the side of the door lit up.  Dr. Hinchman placed his hand on the panel, fingers spread.  After a moment, a light overhead turned green, and the door opened, allowing the two access.

Inside, was what appeared to be an entry room.  There were computers, potted plants, and even a large television, clearly meant to entertain someone waiting to be allowed further access, or provide a safe haven for a break.  Two doors branched off of the room, one leading to Dr. Hinchman’s personal office, and the other guarded by a panel much like the first.  The doctor walked up to the latter.  After a moment, they walked through another freshly-opened door into the laboratory itself.

The laboratory had a much different feeling than the foyer outside.  It was extremely well-lit, and everything had a polish that screamed sterility.  More computers were in this room, but unlike the ones in the foyer, these did not feature Facebook and Youtube, but rather showed complex protein structures, DNA strains, even possible weapon usages.  Another doorway led to a decontamination chamber, beyond which was where the doctor worked hands-on with his viruses.

“Mr. Luc, if you look on this screen right here,” Dr. Hinchman said, tapping a few keys and bringing up a display, “You can see a molecular diagram of the specimen you provided.  Now, here,” he continued, zooming in on a specific section, “is a strain unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  It’s somehow active, despite the fact that the host is deceased.  I took the liberty of isolating a sample and doing a few tests, and it seems as if your theory was correct.”

“It truly does bring the dead back to life...” the agent mused, mostly to himself.  “After all this time, we did it.  We have discovered the key to immortality.”

“More or less,” the doctor corrected.  “This would, in theory, keep a human body functioning past the point that it should be deceased, but at this stage, we can’t be sure if the body would remain in tact.  It’s possible that the body would continue decomposition, and the virus would merely keep the brain awa-”

While he’d been speaking, Dr. Hinchman had not noticed Luc pull out a small handgun, complete with silencer, and point it at the side of his head.  He was, after all, too busy staring at the screen and considering the possibility of... well... zombies.  It was at this point that Luc pulled the trigger, producing a muffled sound, and causing the suddenly dead doctor to fall to the floor.  “You talk too much,” Luc grumbled.

Taking a moment to wipe down the handgun, Luc removed the silencer and placed the untraceable firearm in the doctor’s hand.  It would look to the world as if Dr. Hinchman, horrified at what he had created, had done the only possible thing to escape.  And, Luc thought to himself, the little evidence left would be of equally little use to the authorities.  Especially in the coming days.

At the door, Luc grabbed his jacket, pocketed the test tube, and slipped out into the night.

Author's Note

Remember, it's a teaser, so it's supposed to be vague. Everything, including names and characters, are subject to change before I go any further. I just want to know what everyone thinks of the basic idea. On anything grammar and spelling, be vicious =) thanks!

Reviews

[Alexanne Dauntless]

I absolutely loved this. It has been far too long since I have been on here, reading your works. I hope you still sign on to read this and know that your work is appreciated, read, and loved.

“Good,” the man’s mouth twitched at one corner, as if he wanted to smile, but didn’t know how.

[goldfish]

Very creative. Well written. If it is a short story, I think it has a good plot that can further be built on. It has a conflict which is resolved or can be resolved. The characters are real in nature.
In paragraph 12, I think 'Inside shouldn't appear to be another entrance, but should be definite... another entrance.'
Also, in the second to the last paragraph is not too explicit. I don't think Luc would want the world to think the Dr had created something horrific... there should be another reason, except Luc wants his secret revealed. Also, there is something about the gun? If the Dr took his life without the silencer, nobody heard the loud bang... I think you have to receipt that paragraph.
Nice work and pleasure reading it.

[Cassiopia Summers]

I absolutely love this piece! Haha, and it is indeed a teaser. It's one of those books you could devour in one night. (: I'm excited to see the result of a true book instead of just a story.

My favorite line was: "'Good,' the man’s mouth twitched at one corner, as if he wanted to smile, but didn’t know how."


I love your writing. You grab the reader and hold on until the end of the piece. Great work! (: