Blinding Light (Page 1)

~~~(POV: Samuel Grimm)~~~

~~~(Location: Military Morgue, Manhattan, New York)~~~

~~~(Day, Date, Time, Year: Thursday, January 11th, 7:16 PM, 2024)~~~

~~~(Age: 19 Years)~~~

...

...

It's cold...

But this cold... It's different... A lack of any warmth. Penetrating ice to my very bones. Yet, I don't shiver. I don't feel the need to get warm. To escape the chill that cascades my mind.

Who am I?

Is it normal not to know who you are...

"Looks like we got another one, huh? Jesus, Jake. He doesn't look older than 20..."

A voice I don't know echoes in the peaceful darkness. Sounds coming from nowhere and everywhere. Even though I don't know what's happening to me, I'm okay. I know I'm okay. It feels like nothing bad will happen to me.

"Yeah, I know, William. The outbreak is getting worse. Two weeks ago, it wasn't serious. Now, we're on clean-up duty."

Why can I remember some things... And not others... I remember sand and waves crashing in the night... The gentle hum of a machine as I rested my head...

Who am I...

Why can't I remember...

Who am I?

Who am I?

Who am I?

WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!!

WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!!

WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!! WHO AM I?!!

"Alright, let's start."

WHO AM I!!!!!

"Beginning autopsy of one Samuel M. Grimm."

Samuel...

Sam... Uel...

'Sammy!? It's time to come inside!! Dinners ready!!'

A brief flash of a front yard... The voice of a woman calls out...

"The decedent's body was recovered at ground zero of the outbreak in Manhatten."

A soft and warm breeze washes over me. The cold and ice begin melting away. It's strange. Warmth and coldness... They're so different, yet they bring the same comfort...

"Age: 19."

Sammy...

"Gender: Male."

I know that name...

"Status: Deceased."

That name...

'C'mon, my little angel!'

Mom...

"CoD: Infection and complications due to outbreak of TRV-511."

'I'm coming, Mommy!'

"Beginning the first incision."

Warmth floods my body. All the coldness and ice run away from the encroaching heat. The darkness surrounding me sinks away as I feel the weight lift.

A blinding light takes over, and blurriness is all I see. But only for a moment does the bright light and blur exist.

"Jesus... Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah... Have you seen anything like this before?"

"No, I haven't. Out of all the dead and infected that's come through, I've never seen anything close to this."

The two voices grab my attention. My vision is clearing, and the light hanging over the table is almost blinding.

"This is something completely new, Will. Look at this movement here and here."

For some reason, I feel something touch me. Not my skin. My insides.

"What is..."

I lift my head slightly and see two men in full protective gear. Hazmat suits. I see they both have their hands inside my abdominal cavity.

"...Going on here? It's like the virus is alive and evolving without the neural functions of the brain and natural functions of the body."

"Wow! It's changed! Look at this, Jake!! The viral activity in the infected that's been killed after rising has always stopped. However, viral activity continues even after extended death in this case."

I tilt my head slightly as I watch the two of them. I should be dead. I know I should be dead. They have their hands inside my body through a large gaping hole.

"It's unbelievable. We should tag and bag this body for additional study at headquarters."

"Same thoughts here, I'll ge-..."

The one whose name is Jake turns his head and stops. Our eyes lock. I watch his widen and his mouth slowly open. He takes a step back.

His friend is still completely immersed in what's inside my body.

"Jake? You're going the wrong way. The bags are over there?"

The one known as William is looking at his friend. He tilts his head in the direction of the cupboards and drawers.

"Jake?"

That's when I watch him raise his hand and point directly at me.

"Will! Get away!!"

He backs up more as he shakily points his hand at my head. Wanting to know what's got his friend so freaked out, Will turns his head.

Looking directly at me.

Eyes meet eyes.

"What the fucking fuck!!??"

He leaps back from the side of the table and hits the concrete wall. Will starts scrambling to the door, and Jake follows suit. I watch them slam against the glass security door to the room and hear the beeping from a keypad.

I lean from the table and look down at where they explored my internal systems. As I see it, a normal reaction doesn't follow. I'm not scared. I'm not afraid. Instead of the open incision staying that way, it quickly closes.

Black and fleshy tendrils roil at the incision site. The open cavity is completely closed and healed less than a second later.

"Open the damn door!!"

"I'm trying!! The keypad is wet! My fingers keep slipping!"

"Hurry!!! He's up!!"

I turn my attention to the two panicking hazmat men. There isn't much time before they get out. The moment I leave the table and start walking toward them. They begin panicking worse than before.

Jake, the one waiting behind Will for him to unlock the door, reaches over to a table and grabs a long pair of scissors. Pointing them in my direction.

"STAY BACK!! I'M WARNING YOU!!"

I don't know what's happened to me.

I don't know where I am.

Something inside me has changed.

Not wasting any more time, I walk toward the man holding the scissors. He lashes out with an attack, but I grab his wrist.

"Let go!"

He struggles as hard as he can. But he can't break free from my grip. He can't move my body or arm. I pull my free hand back and flatten it. Thrusting it forward and into the man's chest.

"AAAAARRGGHH!!!"

FFFRRRRRRSSSSHHHH

The same black tendrils that healed my body before have transformed the arm inside the man. Blood flies everywhere as I absorb him.

"HEEEEEEE!!!"

The remaining man releases a cry of pure terror.

All that's left is a puddle of blood and a desperate Will. Trying even harder to enter the code to exit the room. Instead of trying to understand what's happened to me, I grab the man by his oxygen canister.

Pulling him away from the door and slamming him against the wall next to the door. His body is light. Almost weightless.

My hand is against his neck, and he struggles to breathe.

He hits my wrist with his hands as hard as possible. The sounds of his bones breaking are what the results are. I tighten my grip, and my hand breaks into his suit and neck. Instantly, the black tendrils race up my arm.

Transforming it.

"GAAAAHHHH!!"

FFFFFFFSSSHHHHHHH

The bones, flesh, and muscles are almost instantly absorbed. Blood from the violent process sprays everywhere. All that's left of the two men are blood spatters.

But this isn't without consequences.

My head throbs and my vision gets a little blurry.

Memories of the two men's lives play in my mind. I see their childhoods. Their families and friends. Everything about them. I know it.

And I also see what they know about me.

My name is what's important. Other than that, they don't know much.

Samuel.

My name is Samuel.

The recoil from the action only lasts a moment. My eyes turn toward the keypad on the door, and I reach for it. Slowly and carefully entering the numbers to open it.

After a second, the door opens.

As I approach another security door, there is a hand scanner and an eye scanner. My body morphs into a form that isn't mine. Black tendrils race across my body. Imitating the clothing of the two men. The hazmat suit Will wore encases me.

There is no confusion or concern. This just feels like the natural thing to do.

As I approach the door, I place my hand on the hand scanner. After a second, a green light turns on, and the eye scanner activates. I lean forward, and a light scans my eye. What follows is a little chime and the door opening.

I walk through and calmly make my way down the hall. No more locked doors to get through. Once I turn a couple of corners. The exit is in front of me. Two armed guards are waiting.

The memories of Jake and William have come in handy. Knowing the layout of the facility comes with a lot of advantages.

The two soldiers stiffen a bit at the approach of a man in full hazmat gear. Once I'm at the door, one of them steps in front of me. Stopping me.

"I know that you like to take smoke breaks, Dr. Ardens. But we're under strict orders not to let anyone out of the facility today. Not with the infection rates as they are."

Seems like a simple escape as William Ardens isn't possible. Not wasting a second. I throw out my closed hand and shove my fist through the soldier's body. But not stopping there, I turn, and my follow-through goes into his friend.

Skewering the two of them.

"AARGH!!"

"RAAGGG!!!"

FSSSSSSSSSHHHHHH

Both of them are instantly absorbed by the black fleshy tendrils. Bones cracking and the sounds of snapping can only be heard for a second.

Knowing I can't stay as William Ardens, I transform into one of the soldiers I just absorbed. Memories and experiences from their lives race through my mind. But I'm not disoriented this time.

I look to the ground, and a standard M4 is waiting for me. Once I pick it up, I twist the handle on the door. Opening it and seeing what's hidden.

Men and women in military uniforms race back and forth between desks with computers. Screens line the room. At the back of the large open area, there is a massive table. High-ranking individuals circle it.

Thanks to the memories of the four men, I know the names of the people in charge around here.

But I'm not interested in sticking around. Soon, someone is gonna find those blood pools. I don't want to be here to find out what they'll do.

The front of the room is closed off. Metal and glass doors have been replaced with barricades and heavy weaponry pointing to the outside. I turn and slowly make my way to a staircase leading to the second floor.

Once I reach the top, I make my way to a window and take a peek outside.

What I see are dozens, if not hundreds, of people. Almost all of them are protesting and shouting. Throwing things at the large metal gates that surround the building.

I know I'm in Manhattan. One of the largest and busiest cities in the world. The memories I've taken tell me that.

They also tell me that TRV-511 is turning those who have died into zombies. Undead. Infected. They use many terms to describe the same thing.

"Everything North of West 124th Street has been declared a dead zone. My cousin Vincent said the virus is ravaging through areas of Europe and Asia."

A man walks up beside me. According to the memories of the soldier I'm imitating, he doesn't know this man. Neither do the other three that I've consumed.

Why he strikes up a conversation is unknown to me.

"At this rate, the command might bug out within the next two hours. From radio chatter, the defense lines are being overrun."

Two hours, huh... I'm not waiting that long to get out of here. Any minute now, someone will get curious about what's happened in the morgue. If anyone opens that door, they'll see the blood.

"Transpo is en route to move us grunts, but from what I've heard..."

He leans a bit closer toward the window and motions for me to do the same.

"The military is sending in some F-16s to blow the bridges. Anyone still in Manhattan will be stuck. You gotta feel sorry for these poor fucks..."

He knocks against the window with his knuckle. Indicating to the protesting people outside.

"Dumb sons of bitches don't know that things are about to get a hell of a lot worse for them."

Getting out of the city is my primary objective. The military and government are best to be avoided. As to what I've turned into.

They'll be more than interested.

"Any ideas on where safe exits are in case I'm left behind?"

It's a completely reasonable question. The form I've taken belonged to a private. Stuck guarding a door. No way was he getting out on executive transports. So the man I'm talking to right now should understand where I'm coming from.

He's a low-ranked grunt like me.

"If you can't get out on a chopper, then the bridges and tunnels are your best bet. LaGuardia and Teterboro are overrun, so no expo via planes."

That's enough to go on. I slowly turn away from the window and man, no more time to waste. He doesn't say a word as I do this. Knowing that he'll probably be leaving soon too. No reason to hinder one another.

As I slowly make my way around the second floor, I see the door to the stairwell. Memories from those I've consumed tell me that the underground garage is secured and locked. No way out from there without direct permission from an Officer.

Then the only way is up. A helipad and chopper are waiting up there. Security isn't as tight on the roof.

My ability to consume and learn can be used. I don't know how to fly a chopper. But I'm betting the pilot is up there. All I need to do is consume him and take the memories.

As I approach the door to the stairwell, one of the two guards stops me.

"Authorized personnel only, grunt."

Sadly, none of the people I've consumed have authorization to enter the stairwell. Meaning there are two things I can do. Kill my way to the roof, or find another way out of this building.

"You deaf? I said back off!"

He throws out the tip of his gun, but I simply grab the barrel. At the action, his fellow guard also lifts his gun and points it directly at my head.

"You heard the man."

This guy's voice is calm and even. I'm drawing too much attention to myself. I let go of the gun barrel and step back.

"Who does have authority."

The words leave my lips in a voice that isn't my own. Only in the voice of the man I consumed.

"No one you'd know."

This is getting tiresome. The fastest way to a destination is a straight path. That stairwell is a straight path to the helicopter on the roof. There are eight floors in this building. It's not very big.

The world slows down as I focus my senses. I flatten both of my hands, and my M4 hangs from my side. I shove my hands into both their heads, not allowing any screams. The same black tendrils from before consume both of them.

In bloody horror.

In the second after I've consumed them, shouts from all around me start happening. My foot lifts from the ground, and I kick the door. It flies off its hinges and bends upon impact with the stairs.

As gunfire erupts in my direction, I step into the stairwell and look up. I crouch, gathering power in my legs. The entire area of the building shakes as I leap from the second-floor stairwell.

And landing all the way on the eighth floor. Crashing into the ceiling as I do. I'm not that great with my abilities yet, so a lack of control can be forgiven.

It takes me only a second to dislodge myself from the concrete ceiling.

I turn and kick the door open. Opening up the eighth-floor door. As I do, soldiers on this floor start swarming in my direction. That's when something new happens. Black tendrils race down my arms, and instead of stopping.

Five-fingered giant claws are what I'm given. My arms are covered in the black tendrils. Spiking out around my shoulders and elbows.

The blades on the claws look like they can cut through almost anything.

My physical form reverts to Samual Grimm.

The person I was before I became this.

"Hostile! Hostile!"

"What the fuck is that thing!?"

Voices call out, but I ignore them as I start charging through the soldiers. My razor-sharp claws cut and tear their their bodies instantly. Their forms and armor not putting up any fights.

As I cut through the last screaming soldier, the roof access is my next target. I rush to the door and smash through it. Given a single staircase leading to the roof. I take it and bust through the door.

I'm instantly fired upon. Some of the bullets bounce off me, and others sink into my body. I dash forward at incredible speeds. Slashing and absorbing soldiers as I do.

I can feel myself becoming stronger as I do.

All that's left is the helicopter and its pilot. The blades are spinning up, and he's lifting off the roof. I start running, and I see the man panic in the pilot's seat. He pulls hard and leaves the roof of the building.

But that doesn't stop me. I leap off the roof and soar through the air at the helicopter. Latching onto the side and forcefully opening the door. The pilot screams as I come up from behind him in the Blackhawk.

The slashing and sounds of death are only heard for a moment. My absorption of the pilot doesn't take longer than a second, and all his knowledge of flying helicopters is given to me.

I take the pilot's seat and regain control of the vehicle.

My transformed arms revert to normal. Back into Samuel Grimms form.

Turning in the Western direction.

Time to get out of Manhattan.

Once I'm past the Hudson River, nothing is standing in my way.

...

Am I Samuel Grimm...

...

There is more for me to learn. About myself. About the world. Samuel Grimm was the person I once was, but I'm more than that now.

I know that Sam is the body I'll always revert to. The one I'll be when I'm not imitating someone. An identity to cling to.

The government and military will only hold out for so long. It's only a matter of time before the dead are more numerous than the living.

Which one am I now...

Dead...

Or alive...