literature

Outbreak: Section One - First Encounter

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Change, it never has any warnings and it can be foreshadowed by just about anything, for instance by lightning as it was tonight. However that isn't always the case and before this week none of us paid any heed to the portents of fate, after all for all of us it was just another day at the office.

One Week Prior


The light filtered through the dust, a gentle swirl entertaining those bored with the everyday routine. A fact not lost on Kylan, after all he was watching the dust swirl through the air as he rest upon the water cooler. Sipping at the cool, clear fluid as a faint smile settled onto his face. It was a good day, the sunlight was warm and the skies clear still something wasn't quite right. It was nothing he could place a finger on, still it was there regardless just beyond his perception.

Still with a sigh Kylan crumpled his cup, moving back through the desks to his own cubicle. The one he'd shared with Quin for the last two years, her crystalline blue eyes drawing him from his thoughts as she glanced from her latest client. Flashing Kylan one of her signature smiles, a smile Kylan soon returned as he slipped into his own seat behind her. His hand just brushing Quin's shoulder in greeting as he moved around her, a gesture that would pass under the radar of just about anyone who didn't know them.

However as Kylan began his own paperwork for his next client's visit something niggled at the back of his mind, with a slight start he glanced over his shoulder at the man talking to Quin. The pale pallor and bandaged hand, causing him some concern when paired with recent news. A surge of cannibals and serial killers hopped up on some new, unknown adrenaline inducing drug had been plaguing the area as of late. Still Kylan couldn't shake the notion of zombies from his mind, nor the rumours that a half dozen towns were under lockdown and that there was a media blackout in place.

As such his hand slipped below his desk, to the steel ruler taped to the underside of his desk. It's paired partner resting upon the surface of his desk, allowing his focus to drift Kylan turned his attention reluctantly to the television that was playing quietly off to one side. The subtitles having been turned on days ago, as evidently quite a few of Kylan's co-workers were thinking along the same lines as him. Of course, it was also possible they were just concerned about the violence. Still as his thoughts ran rampant, he felt Quin leave behind him to fetch something and he glanced at Quin's client again noting the sweat in a few spots around his hairline.

Suddenly a scream sounded from loading area and Kylan wiped around his seat to see a number of injured individuals fighting with one another. No, correction the more injured were feeding upon his co-workers. As his eyes widened slightly, the knowledge of what they were sunk into his mind. However a groan from behind him tore his attention away from the carnage, mere moments before he felt hands clawing his neck. Causing him to tumble to the ground as Quin's client fell upon him, as screams sounded around him Kylan struggled against the stranger, struggling to keep the his teeth from his face and his fingers from digging into his neck.

However even with his best efforts he was still rapidly being scratched up as blood flowed in rivulets from numerous scrapes to his neck, however far more obvious was the smell. From this close Kylan could smell the guy's cheap cologne and the odour of rot that it was masking. As that removed any doubts from his mind, Kylan knew no matter the cause he had to protect himself so he pushed with his might. Slamming the stranger against the side of the cubicle, he tore the ruler from the underside of his desk. Turning around as the stranger lunged for him again, face first.

Reacting instantly he pushed the rules into stranger's mouth, shredding his mouth as they kept attempting to bite through it and get him. Shifting Kylan shifted his grip as he braced the ruler, his own blood flowing from where the ruler was biting into his flesh. Fortunately their blood wasn't mixing, however in a surge of panic Kylan managed to work a knee between them and force the stranger over his head. Although with the tight quarters of the cubicle, there was a crack as kylan rapidly clawed his way under Quin's desk. Her hands suddenly appearing in front of him, grabbing onto them the two of them worked to pull him free of the desk.

However as they did that Kylan's ankle was grabbed and he spun around to look at the stranger, whose hand was hanging at a strange angle even as it ground against his ankle. Still with no hesitation Kylan raised his boot and slammed into the stranger's face, however even as he struggled backwards with Quin's help the stranger refused to let ago. Suddenly more arms grabbed at Kylan, painfully wrenching him away from the stranger's grip. Who regardless of the extensive damage to his face and jaw still clawed after Kylan. However those holding Kylan weren't waiting around and they rushed pulling him through the building and out into the stairwell.

As the group collapsed in the relative safety of the stairwell, Kylan pull himself against the door. Two others moving beside him to better secure the door as something threw itself against it with a empty groan, then with a quick glance beside him Kylan found himself looking straight into Quin's blue eyes as they all caught their breath.
Given the approach of Halloween and what my mind has been feeding me of late, I decided to take an existing story of mine. Of which I have a sizable chunk of the world, lore and 'verse fleshed on and actually get it underway with a slight change.

Hopefully I'll continue this, however I make no promises on when I'll post updates.
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