March 20, 2036

[News anchor]: Hello and welcome back. An update on the current situation: pandemonium has broken out as a new wave of the zombie-like disease sweeps across the country. The infected individuals are violent and destructive, and they seem to have lost all sense of reasoning. The White House released a new statement just a half hour ago, saying they are doing everything in their power to bring the situation under control. If you see an individual displaying strange behaviors—such as unnatural movements, visible confusion, or a lack of speech—please remove yourself from the scene and notify the authorities immediately. Avoid coming into contact with them as we are still unsure of how this disease is spread.

[News anchor]: We are now joined by microbiologist Cara Murphy, who is working closely with other experts to determine exactly how this disease works. Welcome, Cara. Thanks for being here.

[Murphy]: Yes, thank you for having me.

[News anchor]: So what do we know of this disease so far?

[Murphy:] Unfortunately, not much. We've never seen anything like this before. The cause of these behaviors seems to be an entirely new disease. You've already mentioned some of the symptoms exhibited by the infected; the unnatural movements in particular are often very sudden and unexpected. There have been some accounts of infected individuals being accidentally hit by fast-moving cars and thrown by the impact, along with accounts of some punching through cars, all while appearing unfazed. So they seem to have both an increased tolerance for pain and augmented strength. I cannot stress this enough—these individuals are incredibly dangerous; please do not engage with them under any circumstances.

[News anchor]: And what is being done to combat the spread of this infection?

[Murphy]: Yes, so we have managed to isolate some of these individuals in a secure location. From what we have seen up until now, the disease does not seem to be lethal, but whether or not that is actually the case remains to be seen. We are currently conducting various exams to search for the reason behind this. We are hoping to find a successful treatment that could then be given to the rest of the infected individuals. As of right now we have yet to find one that works. However, rest assured that my colleagues and myself are working tirelessly to understand and identify a potential cure.

[News anchor]: That was Cara Murphy, microbiologist. Once again, thank you for being here.

 

 

?, 2036

[Person 1]: ...do? Right now they're just stumbling around blindly, but they're getting closer.

[Person 2]: They can't be allowed to find out. Pin the blame on the company if you must.

[Person 1]: But the contract—

[Person 2]: Do whatever it takes to keep the truth hidden.

 

 

June 3, 2036

[News anchor]: We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. The pharmaceutical company BMHC has just admitted to being the cause of ZoV, the disease that has led to a worldwide pandemic. This discovery was made by a group of scientists who were working to identify the cause of this disease—instead of a bacteria or virus as they expected, they found elevated levels of a drug oddly similar to one in clinical trials being done by BMHC. The company has released the following statement.

[BMHC representative]: ...We were working on a new medicine that showed great potential for treating several forms of cancer. During clinical trials, some of the participants developed unexpected symptoms. However, they seemed to disappear within a few days, so it was thought no further adverse effects would be noticed. We were unfortunately wrong, and the first case of ZoV later appeared in one of those participants. We understand words are entirely inadequate for the situation, but we deeply apologize for our error. We are currently testing various potential treatments against the initial medicine.

[News anchor]: Their statement comes nearly three months after the first case was reported.

 

 

September, 2080

[Teacher]: ZoV rapidly spread across the world as the infected individuals spread out on foot, and as people who were unknowingly infected fled their homes by car, plane, and boat. Over half of the human population died. Those who remained formed small, scattered communities that have remained mostly isolated since, due to fear of the infected.

[Student 1]: We hear this every year.

[Teacher]: Yes, well, it's important to know your history.

[Student 2]: It's been decades since then. Why can't we leave yet?

[Teacher]: The infected have greatly decreased in number, but they're still out there. We've yet to find a cure.

 

 

November 22, 2113

The mayor has finally agreed to a vote. If the majority of citizens want to open the gates, then we shall.

The prospect is a bit frightening, but also exciting. Most of us have never been outside these walls. And as a scientist, I'm intrigued by the infected—how have their symptoms changed over time?

 

 

February 18, 2114

We've made a terrible mistake. We thought we knew what lay beyond the walls. We believed the infected had mostly died out, that we could take care of those that remained. But they've mutated into something beyond human now. Their population has only grown. The gates have been shut again, but—we don't have long. One of them managed to get inside and infect several people before finally being caught. The others now know we are hiding behind these walls. They've gathered at the gates, and we hear the constant clatter of rocks being thrown against them. It's only a matter of time before the infected make their way inside.

I pray we are able to find a cure, and soon.

 

 

March 7, 2114

While combing through the library, I came across an old lab notebook. It seemed unimportant at first, but the logo caught my eye—BMHC, the company who got us here in the first place. The company who irresponsibly ignored the unusual side effects during their clinical trials, and then tried to keep it hidden. Maybe I should have set it back on the shelf and moved on. But my curiosity got the better of me.

What I found was...horrifying. There were no side effects—not the way BMHC claimed, at least. The notebook detailed unethical medicine trials conducted on humans—people who thought they were being offered an opportunity to treat their cancers. That was the researchers' last concern. To take advantage of people like that...

Instead, they were interested in a particular substance they had accidentally discovered earlier in the year. One that could enhance strength and improve pain tolerance—useful for places like war. The experimenters kept very detailed records—I almost admire them for that, despite everything. They noted the substance's effects at different levels. The test subjects were kept in quarantine under strict security. But more than that, they had the government's support. Secretly, of course. And when one of the test subjects escaped and everything went wrong, the government threw BMHC under the bus.

We were taught the outbreak was a mistake that was never meant to happen. Lies. But what use is the truth now?

 

 

May 30, 2114

It's too late—