The Volo Virus

The Volo Virus spread like wildfire throughout the world, this is one mans experience.

(Word Count: 1,097)

The news came in spurts over the last few days and the hospital had seen a dramatic increase in Emergency Room patients, most of which were treated and released. The "Volo Virus," as the media was calling it, spread like wildfire throughout Asia and Russia. Dr. Peter Volo was the first to discover this virus in a core sample from Antarctica. The core fragment he studied was over twelve million years old, but this virus, this life-form, was very much alive and active.

The world had changed drastically over the last few months as the Volo Virus started changing the human genome in an effort to help itself propagate and thrive. The core body temperatures were lowered in the infected masses, making many mistake them for zombies or undead. The virus fed off of hemoglobin, leaving the brain to create a drive for the intake of warm blood to replenish itself as the body could not produce it as fast as the virus consumed it. Due to this drive, or thirst, for fresh, warm blood, the chemical that the brain produced to help achieve this stimulus reacted with the serotonin and melatonin causing delusions and insanity.

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The darkness abated as John found his flashlight and turned it on, though he wished he hadn't. Down the hall were the creatures that he was attacked by, slowly making their way over the ramshackle of desks and chairs he had used in his failed attempt to thwart their progress. He struggled to slide himself back, away from these things... these monsters.

The pain in his leg was overwhelming; the nauseous feeling of passing out becoming a real threat. He slid farther and farther back down the hallway of the third floor of Mercy General Hospital, where he has worked as a custodian for over ten years.

John looked back behind him and was suddenly disappointed at his lack of progress. He knew that he had only seconds to do something. He noticed, to his right, was the door into the cleaning closet for this floor. Yes! He took his card key from its hanger on his shirt pocket and swiped it through the reader by the doorknob. The green light illuminated and he opened the door and pulled himself inside. As he closed the door, it occurred to him that he was losing a lot of blood when he saw the long, slick trail of crimson that he left on the hallway floor. He peeked out of the room before closing the door and was shocked to see that the creatures made it over the jumble of office furniture and started running for him.

There were five creatures in total; all of them wore blood splattered patient gowns and hospital slippers, their faces pale and void of any color except for the blood that was smeared around their mouths and on their cheeks. They did not look human though, mostly due to the swollen faces and appendages which gave them an eerie look; straight out of an inexpensive B-movie. Two of the creatures slipped in the blood, sending them crashing to the hard linoleum surface. John looked away and closed the door at the sight of them licking up his blood on the scarlet-stained floor. He felt a wave of relief wash over him when the electronic lock engaged.

The cleaning closet was foreign, yet familiar. John worked on the second floor and had not been in any other custodial closets in the hospital. This one was arranged different but contained the same cleaning agents and assortments of mops and brooms. He shoved himself away from the door, creating another smear of blood on the floor. It had pooled up at the threshold where he sat before, and as he gazed at it, trying to gauge how bad off he was, he noticed movement through the gap between the door and the floor. The shadowy reflections in the blood were suddenly disrupted when one of the creatures put his face down to the floor, lapping up the blood with his tongue.

John scanned the small room he was trapped in; looking for anything he could use to stop the bleeding. He spotted some dust rags on the shelf across the room and he let himself fall over to the side in an effort to retrieve them. He reached up with his free hand and pulled a handful of rags off the shelf. Propping himself up on his arm, he took a few rags and applied pressure on the gaping wound. Pain seared through him like a white hot brand.

As John used all of his willpower to remain conscious, he became aware of a growing sound. Outside the door he could clearly hear the creatures licking up his blood, scrambling over each other. At least one was now pounding on the door, attempting to get inside. Aside from that, another fainter, more subtle noise could be heard. As it grew in intensity, John realized, to his horror, what the source of the sound was. Nightmarish visions circled in his mind as the dawning of his predicament washed over him like a field mouse backed into a corner, waiting to be swallowed by its aggressive predator.

In the distance, getting closer, the sound of hundreds of people, all groaning and screaming... and running, became clear. As the first twenty or so made it to the hallway, the sound became deafening; a thunderous cacophony of wailing and the low rumbling of dozens and dozens of feet.

John, on the verge of passing out from loss of blood and exertion, could no longer see any light or shadows from the space between the floor and door as the creatures ascended upon his sanctuary. Hope had left him. He had given up his fight for life as he lay mortally wounded and utterly defeated.

The whole room seemed to shudder and vibrate as the creatures attacked the door with renewed vengeance. Cleaning items fell from the shelves that John leaned up again, hitting him on the head and shoulders. His vision blurred and grew increasingly dim. John saw the door jamb crack and give from the weight of the creatures beating on it.

The last thing John heard was the door splintering; he felt the door land on him and the pressure of several people standing on it. Bloody, cold hands reached under the door and grabbed at his clothing, attempting to pull him out from under his crypt.

The world grew dark.