The walls are made of stone. It was damp, almost wet, as water drips down from the ceiling and onto the floor. It pools and flows through a drain. The moisture caused the whole room to smell of mildew, but there was only moss in the darkness and corners of the walls that surrounded them.
There was only one source of light: a light bulb attached to a copper wire hanging poorly from the ceiling. It impairs Frank's vision to the point of blindness. All he could do was glare miserably.
It was cold. There was no air blowing, but the chill penetrated his exposed skin, sending a shivering wave through his body. He tried to move, but he soon realized he was shackled. Every limb, joint, and wrist is bound by metal chains that clink in his every attempt to be free.
But he realized there was something off about his body. It was heavier, bulkier, and it felt deceased. He had no pulse, no heartbeat, and no circulation. There was only his senses.
But his senses were also strange. He could see the ants marching on the ceiling if he squinted enough. He could hear the rats mating behind the stone walls if he focused, and he could feel every vibration that the person in front of him did if he tried hard.
The person in front had his back facing Frank. He could hear the mysterious individual tinkering with something on the table. There was a lot of noise, murmuring, and clanking coming from the person. Frank wished he could see the commotion.
Frank tried to speak, but he realized his whole mouth was missing. There was no jaw to move nor tongue to wiggle. Yet, he produced a sound, a moan.
As soon as he realizes he has no ability to speak, he immediately loses it. He screamed in horror. Squirming around to escape from his shackles, thrusting his legs and throwing his arms around like a madman.
But there were no legs to thrust, and there was only one hand to throw. All he is is a helpless, legless, and disabled torso whose head is missing a jaw.
He cried in the agonizing state he found himself in.
Yet, the person in front continues to ignore him.
Frank looks around, and he finds himself seemingly connected to a number of medical apparatuses and laboratory instruments. A handful of machines that assist him in regulating his body, help him breathe, and keep him alive.
"When the world ended, the weak thought humanity would cease to exist, but to the strong, it was an opportunity to thrive. There was a lot of opportunity to succeed and gain power in a wasteland full of scared people hiding from the horrors of the apocalypse. All they had to do was promise them a place of refuge, and the belief that they could survive was born."
The person said, still had his back towards Frank.
Frank stopped moving, trying to listen to the person. He breathes heavily with every passing second.
"The Great Cities. Such a simple name for a simple collective. So much ego in the name to call yourselves great, yet their cities continue to dwindle for hundreds of years. So much for the greats and so much for the cities. But, the dead is inevitable, and death will come for all of them."
The man in front turns and presents Frank a hand, his severed hand, stitched and patched up. It has a scarred bite mark. Frank cries as he realizes it is his.
"I can not apologize for what happened to Settle City. They should've known that taking in so many refugees would be their downfall. As soon as they opened the gates, they were marked for death. You should know that before deciding to go there yourselves. You both should've known."
The man steps closer, and the light behind him covers his face with shadows.
He thought about her. Frank could feel anger building.
"But you should still be thankful. I saved you from the horde that I unleashed. Well… You didn't require help because the Zenos left you alone when they realized they were taking bites of one of their own. But most of them were after the woman you were with. There was nothing to save when they started feasting on her flesh."
The man said, smirking.
Frank clenches his fist, struggles to break free, and there is a rush of boiling hate flowing through him.
FWOOM.
Suddenly, Frank's head ignites with raging blue fire. It was bright and hot, beaming and heating the room intensely. The man watches with delight.
Then it extinguishes as fast as it combusted. Frank's eyes glowed dark blue. He felt instantly fatigued and drained of energy.
"Wonderful. The serum is showing progress. Good."
The man then attaches the severed hand to Frank's wrist.
Frank could only let tears flow down his face. The pain was taking its toll.
Soon after, the man fetches a detached jaw with leather lining and a metal chin underneath and shows it to Frank.
"I took the liberty to modify your jaw as well, as the Zenos initially damaged it. This will only take a while to reattach!"
The man shoves Frank's jaw into his face and starts hammering and cranking some screws with it.
Frank resisted, threw his body around, begged, and cried. He felt the agony of it all.
"The serum has yet to seize your nervous system fully. However, once it does, you will cease to feel pain. Then, you are free to go."
The man steps back to admire his work on Frank, rubbing his hands together.
With his jaw back in its place, Frank could now feel whole. But he still struggles to speak. The muscles and nerves of the lower parts of his face are still getting used to the newly installed bones.
"What did you do to me?"
Frank was sluggish, his tone flat. His words were hardly conceived, but he managed.
"You were on the verge of death. But you were resisting. The Zeno virus and your immune system were—heh. Who am I talking to? You don't need explanations. All you have to know is that you were half dead and half ain't. I just did some more pushing to help you out, and then you came out on top!"
"What?"
"In other words, you are now reborn as an underling!"
"Underling? Zystems? But, how? I was born without it… I-I-I'm normal! I was normal!"
"Shush now. There are things in this world you couldn't understand. That's why I am here to help. I gave you a gift. A gift for you to use against the ones who killed your woman."
"It was you! You killed her! You said it was your horde!? You were the one who let them in the city?!"
Frank growls, grinding his teeth hard.
"Yes. The incoming newcomers outnumbered the Zoldiers guarding the city. I only needed one poor soul to turn them all into mindless Zenos. It was a domino effect! You see, it wasn't my fault. Just like how you survived, I only helped them meet their doom as soon as possible."
"You killed her! You killed her! I'll kill you, I'll kill you when I get out of here!"
"Ha! You can blame me all you want. But what happened there wasn't my doing. The Great Cities made Settle City a burning pile of shit and called it a safe haven for those trying to start a new life. It was already doomed, and even without my help, things will still turn out the same. There were sick, ill, and dying. Men and women. Young and frail. All of them were going to meet their inevitable end!"
"You-you don't know that! They could've survived and done well on their own! We could've survived!"
Frank cries, defeated.
"You are naive. The clowns running the government of the Great Cities are only using people like you as pawns for their own gain. They wanted Settle City to burn! It had been their plan all along. You think there is such a place for people like you to settle?! They gathered you all there to reduce their burden, to lessen the mouths they have to feed!"
"That's not true! You killed them, killed us all for no reason. You're a madman!"
"Madman? The Great Cities are run by the same people who started this mess hundreds of years ago! Blame me all you want, but why did you want to go to Settle City? Is it because they promised you a better life? Did they pay with rations? Did they offer you a better job?! What?!"
The man's face contorted, raging beyond belief.
Frank's anger simmered as he contemplated what the man had said, his frustration turning to a bitter realization.
"Ah. There it is. You fool."
"I… We were forced to move because they told us to."
Frank said faintly.
Minutes passed, and the man generously allowed Frank to mourn his loss. But the man's demeanor remained unchanged, his brows furrowed and lips pursed in sullen rage.
"Worry not. Not only did I give you a chance to be reborn, but I can also offer you a new purpose. One where you can exact revenge against the ones who destroyed your life."
"Purpose?"
"Yes. You will carry my will and do my bidding. But I assure you, you will have your revenge."
"You turned me into a monster… To be your slave?"
"A powerful monster, mind you."
Frank stared blankly into a space, feeling lost and defeated. His thoughts are aimless and go to a dark place before he regains awareness.
"Can you do something for me first?"
"What?"
"Can you help me forget the pain?"