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Pandemic
chapter 3 Changes

chapter 3 Changes

Nick awakens with a start, pushing himself up off the stone floor and looking at his surroundings. He realizes that what he experienced wasn't a dream. Against all odds, he did get bit by one of the creatures. But something is different. He can still think and move freely, even though he should be dead and his body should be controlled by the virus. Confused, Nick looks down at his hands and feels bile rise in his throat. His skin has turned dark purple, and the skin on his fingertips has rotted away, exposing sharpened bone tips. It's like he went through livor mortis, but somehow he isn't dead.

As I gather my thoughts, I realize that staying in the den is no longer an option as it's too close to the camp.

After all the camp, once my home no matter how short it was, now feels suffocating and dangerous. The infected roam the outskirts, their moans and growls a constant reminder of the threat that lurks just beyond the walls. I know I have to leave and find a place where I can survive, away from others who might be a risk to me.

I pack a small bag with supplies - a few cans of food, a water bottle, and a worn-out map. As I prepare to leave, panic ensues within the camp. The survivors, driven by fear and paranoia, attack me due to me being a new risen tulk. Gunshots ring out as bullets whiz past me, narrowly missing their mark. The deafening sound echoes through the air as chaos erupts. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I sprint away from the camp, desperate to escape the onslaught. Fear propels me forward as survival instincts kick in. The once familiar faces of my fellow survivors are now distorted by indifference and disgust. The cries of the tulk blend with the sound of gunfire. With each step away from the camp, my heart pounds in my chest. The world outside is vast and unknown, but it's a risk I must take to protect myself from those who no longer recognize me as one of their own.

I find myself running for what seems like hours, my feet pounding against the ground, my breath ragged and shallow. Eventually, I slow down to catch my breath, and I look around, realizing that I have no idea where I am. I sit down, exhausted and unsure of what to do next.

I decide to follow a black stone road that seems to lead north, hoping to find an empty cave or some sort of shelter. As I walk, I notice that the world is eerily quiet. There are no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, no sound of leaves rustling in the wind. It's as if the world has been abandoned, left to the mercy of the infected.

As night falls, I realize that I have nowhere to stay. I climb one of the ancient buildings and find an open room that I decide to stay in for the night.

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Curling up into a ball, I close my eyes and try to sleep, but my mind is racing with thoughts and questions. How did I survive the virus? What is happening to me? Am I still human? The darkness of the room seems to swallow me whole, and I feel more alone and isolated than ever before.

As dawn breaks, I wake up feeling disoriented and weak. My body aches all over, and my skin feels like it's on fire. I stumble out of the room, feeling a sense of urgency to find shelter and figure out what is happening to me. As I walk down the black stone road, I spot a horde of tulks sprinting down the road. I realize they either won't attack me or aren't paying attention to me. I decide to follow them in the horde and see where they are going.

As I trail the horde of tulks, I begin to notice that they seem to be heading towards a large, looming structure in the distance. It's a towering building, one that I've never seen before. The closer we get, the more I realize that it's not made of stone like the others, but of some strange, metallic material. As we approach the structure, I begin to feel a strange pull, as if something within me is drawing me towards it.

The tulks surge forward, pushing past each other and clawing their way towards the entrance of the building. As they enter, I follow close behind, eager to find some sort of refuge from the dangers of the outside world.

Inside, the structure is dimly lit, and I can barely make out the shapes of objects scattered throughout the room. The air is stale and musty, and I can feel my eyes stinging from the dust that hangs in the air.

As soon as I walk into the structure I spot different closets holding vials of a strange metallic liquid. As I move deeper I start seeing shriki and colknt wandering the halls. I notice a tulk break into the cabinet and eat a vial of the unknown liquid when suddenly a colknt notices me and charges forcing me to run and hide in one of the ancient's room buildings. As I catch my breath I think about what I saw and realize it's how undead evolve. The metallic liquid must be the key to their survival and evolution. I need to find out more about this substance and how it can affect me.

I decide to sneak back into the structure and search for any information or clues about the liquid. As I make my way through the halls, I notice that the shriki and colknt seem to be ignoring me, almost as if they don't even see me. This realization fills me with both relief and fear- if I can blend in with the infected, it may help me survive, but at what cost?

I finally come across a laboratory, filled with beakers, tubes, and other scientific equipment. I start to examine the beakers and vials, searching for any information on the liquid, when I notice a journal sitting on a nearby table. As I flip through the pages, I begin to understand the significance of the liquid.

The journal describes the liquid as a highly advanced nanotechnology that when merged with certain viruses could theoretically enhance the abilities of the user, but in the notes of Dr. James Cunningham he says it has yet to undergo human testing and he doesn't know what disastrous effects it could cause.

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