It was almost dusk. The sun hid behind thick clouds, like it feared the monster. Darkness crept out slowly, waiting to swallow everything. The monster craved to rampage.
Jack turned to Antony. "Think we get what we are looking for."
Antony slid into the car. Jack flipped on the siren. Antony smashed the accelerator, tyres screeching, smoke rising from the back wheels as they drifted away.
They reached an old lab, unused for years, sealed by the government. Vines and green moss covered the walls. In the setting sun's dim light, it looked like a place that made your skin crawl to get nearby. But the eye of the storm is the safest spot.
Jack stared at the building. "This is the place. I remember it."
Antony gripped the wheel tightly. "This was a private lab run by some psychopath, Jon Hook. He was in jail for 10 years for killing his brother."
Jack nodded slowly. "He is the one who called me."
Antony's eyes narrowed. "This could be a trap."
Jack shrugged. "What other choices do we have?"
Antony pulled his gun from his waist, clicking the safety off. "Be on your guard."
Jack broke the rusted gate with a kick, metal groaning as it pushed open.
Inside, they found a room half-open, faint light spilling out. Dust floated in the air, old equipment humming low.
Antony shoved the door wide, gun pointed steady.
They saw a man with a white coat, short hair, black circles around his eyes like he had no sleep for days, and a badly trimmed beard. He paced the room full of biology lab equipment and scattered notes.
Jack stepped forward. "Dr. Jon?"
Jon acted like a madman, his hands shaking. "You came. I thought you would never come. Come, come."
Antony kept the gun up. "What do you have to say?"
Jon sat down suddenly, hands on his head, back slumping. "Don't shoot, please. I am saying the truth."
Jack glanced. "Antony."
Jon grabbed Jack's leg tightly, rocking a bit. "Please, I am telling the truth."
Jack held his arm firm. "Then tell the truth. I don't have time."
Jon's eyes teared up at those words, a tear slipping down his cheek.
"No one—no any of them—hears me. Thank you."
He fell to the ground with a thud.
Jack splashed water from a bottle on his face, handed him more to drink, and gave him some sweets to eat.
Jon sat in the chair, wiping his mouth. "It was 11 years ago. I discovered a strange frequency in my device. It was a full moon night. I tried to scratch it. It was repeating every full moon night. I found its origin—it was Nikale forest and also a bat. I never dared to go near it. I studied the frequency and researched the history of that place. Almost everything—every record and file related—is gone, burned or missing. Once, I broke into the restricted place in the university lab and searched the records. Only one file: A.G.A.I.N file 1 (Agency for Genomic Alteration & Interdimensional Neutralisation).
"That file was just the tip of the iceberg. It was some kind of virus which is not from Earth, and AGAIN was created during World War 2 time."
Jack crossed his arms. "Where the hell is this going? How can we believe you?"
Jon searched his notes, fingers trembling, and showed them as proof. "Here, look. And that is all. Nothing more. I was so hot-headed that time. I told it to my brother, who is the kind of guy who will jump in when someone tells him not to. One noon, he came rushing into my lab. 'Brother, I got it,' showing a cage. And in it, the bat.
"It was the real thing. It was different from other bats—it was large and scary and had red eyes.
"I was furious, but if I analysed that bat, it would be a discovery of my life. So I kept it in a bulletproof glass cage, sanitised my brother, and checked for any bite marks. Luckily, there was not. But unfortunately, it was a full moon night. The moon rose. The bat started to evolve into an even bigger one, breaking the glass in an instant. My foolish brother tried to catch it, getting a bite. And the bat flew through the window, busting it. My brother was turning into a monster slowly. I shot him before he turned fully and killed him. I burned his body without a trace. When I said what happened, no one believed, and I was arrested. It's been only a few weeks since I came out. I was gathering all the proof of that till now. I get all things to prove it. Here, the CCTV—I got it now. At that time, my lab was sealed, and I was restricted from even getting near to take the CCTV footage. I am imprisoned for 10 years."
Antony lowered his gun a bit, shoulders dropping. "I am sorry, Jon."
Jon shook his head sharply. "No, it's not your fault. It's them shutting me up."
Jon leaned forward. "I had collected the virus sample from my brother and studied it for a while. It has a mind and intelligence, and all the viruses are connected. This virus has shown a change since the monster appeared in the woods."
Antony gripped his gun again. "Do you know how to kill it?"
Jon slumped back. "No. It is keeping evolving."
As they talked, a huge sound crashed from the top of the lab, the roof shaking, dust falling like rain.
A long shadow appeared on the door, stretching tall.
Jon jumped up, eyes wide in terror. "Run. It's that monster. It is coming for me."