《Beyond Dead》 The Nightmare Within Prologue On December 13, 2016, an American pharmaceutical company called BioGenesis was shut down in the United States because its drugs were causing severe illnesses and even deaths among those who took them. Then, on January 8, 2017, the company¡¯s executives relocated their facility to the Philippines, specifically on Polillo Island, a remote area far from major cities and with minimal police and military presence. Here, they began working on their new project called "Project Mindset," which aimed to create a mind-controlling virus that would affect the human brain, making it a potential weapon for warfare. The virus could be used against enemy civilians or soldiers while minimizing the casualties among their own forces. They identified rabies, which affects dogs, cats, and bats, as the closest naturally occurring virus that causes a loss of self-control. To enhance its effects, they combined it with various pathogens and viruses extracted from plants and animals. The company managed to evade detection by authorities in Metro Manila by bribing the local government, presenting fake documents claiming they were developing medicine, which successfully convinced officials. Their test subjects included children, adults, and elderly individuals who were poor, homeless, or criminals¡ªboth those guilty of heinous crimes and those with minor offenses¡ªas well as people they kidnapped while wandering the streets late at night. These individuals were taken to the facility to be experimented on using the virus they were developing, which was a combination of rabies and other pathogens. After nearly one and a half years of experimentation on around 2,300 people, on June 11, 2018, they finally observed progress in their research. The latest test subject injected with the virus became highly aggressive, began drooling blood, and developed pure white eyes¡ªa phenomenon they had not witnessed in previous subjects. "Hmmm... after almost a year and a half of hard work, at last, there is a commendable result," Dr. Lang said coldly as he observed the subject in the observation chamber. "But at what cost? We experimented on humans, Dr. Lang. Almost 2,300 subjects have been used in experiments since last year just to see a result like this¡ªto create a monster," said Dr. Chelsea, doubt evident in her voice. Unlike previous subjects who simply developed rabies and died after a few days or weeks, this was the first time they had seen such a transformation. To test its capabilities and determine if it could be controlled, they introduced an uninfected human subject into the chamber with the infected individual. The human test subject pleaded, "Please, no!" but the soldiers pushed him inside the chamber. Within seconds, the infected subject lunged at him, biting into his stomach and tearing it open. The victim¡¯s intestines spilled out due to the creature¡¯s razor-sharp claws, causing him to scream in agony. The infected subject then bit into his throat, crushing his windpipe, making him gurgle as blood gushed from his neck. In just a few minutes, his body was completely mutilated, with his limbs severed and his organs and blood scattered across the chamber. "It¡¯s not following our commands," Dr. Lang said, furrowing his brows. "This indicates that the virus is not controllable. We just created a monster! We need to stop this now!" Dr. Chelsea exclaimed, fear evident in her voice. "I didn¡¯t invest millions of dollars in this project just to see it fail and give up now. We continue the experimentation until we create the perfect virus," Dr. Harrison said firmly. Despite the shocking results, they were still unsatisfied because they had not yet achieved mind control over the subject. "Terminate the target and move the body to the autopsy room for assessment. Include the other subject¡ªI want full reports. Move it!" Dr. Harrison commanded the security personnel. The guards entered the chamber and gunned down the infected subject, then removed its corpse along with the remains of the devoured victim for autopsy and further study. In the autopsy room, two pathologists who had witnessed the horrifying event earlier were having a conversation. "I can¡¯t believe this is the job I ended up in," Dr. Reyes muttered as he began dissecting the infected subject''s corpse. "Well, there¡¯s nothing we can do about it, Doc. We need the money. Besides, I thought we were only going to extract organs from their victims, you know? Sell them to hospitals or on the black market," Dr. Dela Cruz replied. As they cut open the infected subject, they noticed that its internal organs were already rotting despite the body being dead for only a few minutes. Dr. Reyes staggered back, gagged, and then vomited into a nearby sink due to the overwhelming stench. "What the hell?! Why is it already rotting?! It¡¯s only been dead for a few minutes!" Dr. Reyes complained. "Let''s hurry up, Doc, or we might be next," Dr. Dela Cruz joked. He then took a blood sample from the corpse and placed it in a vial to be sent to the laboratory later. They had not yet begun extracting the infected subject¡¯s organs. Dr. Reyes then grabbed the head of the corpse to cut into its scalp, preparing to open the skull and remove the brain. But as he was doing this, the infected subject''s eyes suddenly snapped open, and it bit him on the thumb. "Ahhh!" Dr. Reyes cried out in pain, tears forming in his eyes as he tried to pull his thumb away, but the infected subject¡¯s jaws were clamped down too tightly, and he feared his finger might be completely torn off. Dr. Dela Cruz rushed to help him, trying to pry the infected subject¡¯s teeth off his colleague¡¯s thumb, but the bite force was too strong. Panicking, Dr. Dela Cruz quickly grabbed his radio and called for the security personnel. Within moments, two security officers, Miller and Jacob, arrived. They were clad in military gear and armed with M4 carbines. "Hey, what the hell is happening here?" Miller asked. Then his eyes landed on Dr. Reyes, whose thumb was still trapped between the infected subject''s jaws. "Ohhh shit!" he exclaimed upon realizing what was happening. "Help! He''s been bitten on the thumb! The cadaver¡¯s bite force is too strong¡ªI can''t pull it out!" Dr. Dela Cruz yelled. Miller rushed to assist, but before they could save him, the infected subject completely bit off Dr. Reyes'' thumb due to its powerful jaws. "Ahhh! Aghhh!" Dr. Reyes screamed in pain. The supposedly dead subject struggled as if trying to stand up, but its abdomen was already torn open, preventing it from moving. Miller raised his rifle and fired a shot straight into its head, blowing its skull apart. The creature collapsed back onto the autopsy table, its eyes popping out and brain matter splattering everywhere. "I thought you already killed it in the chamber! Look, I lost my damn thumb... Ahhh!" Dr. Reyes cried out in both anger and agony. However, his anger quickly turned into horror. His face turned pale, and suddenly, he vomited blood into the sink. His breathing became ragged, and his body trembled violently. "Arrghhh! What did you do to me?!" he screamed in a distorted voice before throwing up more blood. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Dr. Dela Cruz panicked. "Doc, what''s happening to you?!" Dr. Reyes didn¡¯t answer¡ªhis eyes turned milky white, blood dripped from his mouth, and his body convulsed aggressively. "Stay where you are!" Miller commanded, pointing his rifle at the infected doctor. But Dr. Reyes no longer recognized them¡ªhe let out a guttural growl and lunged at Miller. "Arrrghhh!" the infected doctor snarled as he charged. Jacob and Miller immediately opened fire, while Dr. Dela Cruz screamed in terror. Chaos erupted inside the autopsy room. Jacob grabbed his radio and called for backup. "This is Delta Kilo Niner! We have a Code Red in Autopsy Room A-128! A doctor has gone rogue! I repeat, a doctor has gone rogue! We need reinforcements! Over!" "Affirmative, Delta Kilo Niner. Charlie Point Lima is en route to your position. Over," a security personnel responded through Jacob''s radio. The facility¡¯s alarms blared, signaling the emergency. Meanwhile, Miller, who had been attacked by the infected Dr. Reyes, repeatedly stabbed him in the chest, kicking him away, causing him to collapse. But Dr. Reyes quickly stood up again. When the additional security forces arrived, they gave him a final warning: "Get down!! Get on the fucking ground now!!!" However, Dr. Reyes didn¡¯t listen and charged at them again. With no other choice, the security forces opened fire, riddling his body with bullets until it was completely torn apart. "Fuck! I don''t want to stay here anymore! I wanna go home! I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t pay me my salary¡ªjust let me go, please!" Dr. Dela Cruz begged the security personnel. One of the security officers, who had responded to the autopsy room incident, gave him a cold reply: "Too bad. You have a contract with the company. You can''t just back out whenever you want¡ªunless the company says otherwise." Once the incident was over, the facility was cleaned up as if nothing had happened, and everything went back to normal, ignoring the severity of the situation if the virus were to escape. June 15, 2018 By this time, the scientists had finally understood why Dr. Reyes turned into an infected so quickly after being exposed to the mutated pathogen. Dr. Chelsea discovered that the virus was mutating rapidly inside Dr. Reyes'' blood vessels, making its way directly to the brain to take control. Some scientists believed that continuing the experiment was too dangerous and that they should stop immediately before things escalated further. They suggested redirecting their efforts to more beneficial research, such as finding a cure for cancer or other deadly diseases. However, others saw this as a major scientific breakthrough, leading to a heated discussion among them. Dr. Chelsea, who had closely observed the virus under a microscope, spoke up: "The rapid mutation of the virus... When I saw it under the microscope, it easily assimilated other blood cells to expand. Even the white blood cells¡ªnormally capable of fighting off a wide array of viruses¡ªmutated along with it. This proves that the virus is incurable due to its rapid progression into the human brain." Dr. Lang, however, had a different perspective: "This virus is a research breakthrough! Can''t you see that? This completely shatters the limitations of virology! It was once thought to be impossible¡ªbut today, we made it happen." Dr. Harrison suddenly interrupted their conversation, his tone filled with excitement: "This virus that we discovered is remarkable, Dr. Chelsea. Imagine the possibilities for warfare¡ªno need for our own soldiers, tanks, jets, or whatever you call it. Instead, we can turn our enemies¡¯ own people against them, transforming them into mindless monsters, just as they were meant to be." Dr. Chelsea whispered under her breath: "Until it turns on us..." Dr. Harrison, ignoring her concerns, gave his next command coldly: "I want this virus strain injected into the other test subjects. I need to see if the transformation we''ve observed will produce consistent results, just like what happened to Dr. Reyes." Dr. Chelsea¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief: "This is madness! We¡¯ve already seen how just one subject nearly lost control and even infected Dr. Reyes. And now you want to do this to more subjects?!" Dr. Harrison ignored her protest and continued with his plans. Meanwhile, a Security Personnel Captain issued orders over the radio: "Delta Squadron, this is Command. We are green for entry. Science team is prepped for Phase One injections on live subjects. Maintain a tight perimeter inside the chamber. Eyes on all sectors. If any subject exhibits hostile behavior¡ªrules of engagement are clear: restrain with non-lethal force unless otherwise ordered. Weapons hot. Safeties off. Confirm readiness. Over." The security personnel opened the chambers one by one, escorting the test subjects inside. The scientists then began injecting them one by one with the same viral strain that turned the first subject aggressive, rabid, and bloodthirsty. Panic immediately spread through the chamber section. Some test subjects resisted, desperately trying to fight back, but the security personnel quickly restrained them and injected them first. Others begged for mercy, pleading to be sent home. Some froze in fear, realizing there was nothing they could do to stop what was about to happen. Once all injections were completed, the scientists and security personnel left the chambers and sealed them shut. From the observation chamber, scientists and security personnel watched the test subjects through the CCTV monitors. Within moments, the subjects began vomiting blood and convulsing violently. A woman among the test subjects screamed in agony: "Ahhhhhh! Why are you doing this to us?! Arrghhhh!" Their bodies shook uncontrollably, their eyes turned completely white, and they began drooling blood. Slowly, one by one, they rose to their feet¡ªbut they were no longer human. They had become monsters, just like the first infected subject. The newly transformed infected gathered at the glass door of the chamber, growling hungrily as if starving for human flesh. Everyone watching froze in shock as they witnessed how fast the transformation had occurred. One of the security personnel muttered in horror: "What the fuck just happened? They were humans just a couple of minutes ago!" Meanwhile, Dr. Harrison observed everything with a smirk on his face. "Splendid! The mutation of the virus is showing consistent results across multiple subjects, just like what we saw with Dr. Reyes. I want this virus mass-produced immediately!" Dr. Chelsea, unable to contain her anger any longer, confronted him: "What are you doing?! You''re insane! You want to mass-produce a virus that turns people into monsters and unleash it upon the world? What if a madman gets their hands on it?!" Dr. Harrison ignored her completely and simply walked out of the observation chamber, leaving her in frustration and fear. It was already 12 AM, and Dr. Chelsea could no longer bear the guilt of continuing this horrific project. She had seen too many people die, too many innocent lives turned into mindless monsters. She thought of reporting everything to the Philippine government, but she knew Dr. Harrison and the company would suppress any information. If she tried to escape, she might be silenced permanently since she was now considered a critical asset with too much knowledge of the virus. To cover up her true intentions, she thought of filing for leave, telling them that she was going on vacation to Binas Beach Resort. But deep inside, she knew they wouldn''t allow her to leave. Frozen in fear, she stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind racing with thoughts. "Why the hell did I do this? Why did I take this job? God will never forgive me for what I¡¯ve done here." Tears streamed down her face as she continued to overthink what the future held for her. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone inside the facility, they had already been under surveillance for quite some time. The CIA had infiltrated the company, planting secret agents among the security personnel and scientists. Through them, the CIA had gathered evidence of Dr. Harrison''s inhumane experiments, as well as classified footage of the virus in action. They recognized the grave danger this virus posed¡ªif it fell into the wrong hands, it could be used as a bioterrorism weapon. However, they also saw potential military applications, just as Dr. Harrison intended. With this intelligence, the CIA wasted no time and launched "Operation Night Show"¡ªa covert mission aimed at:
  1. Extracting a sample of the virus for research and potential military use.
  2. Stealing all data entries related to the virus and its test results.
  3. Ensuring the virus does not fall into unpredictable hands.
The operation was set in motion¡ªand soon, the facility would be thrown into chaos like never before.