The rapid acceleration of the news that were boasting about the new controversy had spread like
plague.
"New murder virus had altered the civilization..",
"The deadly virus that makes us kill", "Murder virus.."
"…Madness Virus…"
"The Murder Art Virus" – said the blog post on
the net.
Ava clicked the link to read the article. What had
go her by surprise was the first statement:
"After the release of the first experimental virus
that triggers the homicidal tendencies in people in
overdrive, we've found out the mastermind behind
its creation – Edward Pray."
Ava kept reading on – not that was a piece of
information that no other platforms had – the actual
info about creator of this madness propelling virus.
"Edward Pray studied sciences in the USA, but
eventually had made own lab in Europe. He tested
the virus on lab rats at start, as he was trying to see if
the tendencies for murderous issue was of possibility
to be amplified via chemical concoctions. Eventually
creating a virus with airborne transmission.
– It took quite some time, but a very odd mixture
did the trick. Rats had eventually exhibited the
kind of patterns of action that lead to the increase
of the craving for the murder. One rat with such
infection had killed all other rats in the cage. Just
biting them all to death. So I tried to have same
thing on the larger animals. Rabbits, dogs, cats –
somehow nothing seemed to work.
– So the whole chemical structure had only affected rats?
– Yes, that's what I thought at first. But it felt like
I'm missing out something. So I had an endearing
idea. As we all know human trials are not allowed.
– Edward let out sigh. – I did the illegal thing. I
contacted my friends from different parts of world
– asking them if they wanted to try my virus. They
all said that it's a funny and ridiculous thing to test,
as such would not work. And I too, thought that
it might be another fail. Until I sent them out the
injections.
– And you're friends had taken them without
questions of side effects? Other worries?
– They did ask me if there'd be rash, or anything
else that would get them into hospital. I did ask them
to have someone they trust to be present during this,
ehm, trial.
– And then it went…?
– Then it was more than I expected. – Edward
smirks. – They injected selves with the virus. And at
first, for the first few weeks it was a no-go. Nothing
happened, nothing worked. Or so we all thought.
– How did it progress from there?
– I must say that the news don't typically spread
fast. So… As I had twenty people in different
countries across the globe, try the thing I made –
I was sure that it might not even work. But week
three came around and that's when the show began.
– Show?
– Yes. They had contacted me saying they are
having a flu. Maybe that was connected, maybe not.
But after they've been with slight cough for a bit,
with high fever and a few days in bed – that's when
things began accelerating. I've lost contact with two
of them – eventually finding out in the news that
they've killed their roommates, neighbours, strangers
on a street – before they got apprehended. They're
jailed and exhibit quite the odd temper – they don't
talk, they act like a normal human would. They
say that they don't remember the killings, yet when
they see a photo of murder scene – they state all in
minuscule details of what happened to the victims.
– How would you explain that?
– I truly feel like it became a virus that affects more
and more the "dark" side of people, enabling them
to be the sort of serial killer on loose, to those that
have enough knowledge, or be the aggressive type,
that launches upon the victim in crime of passion,
hate or anger.
…"
Ava had stared at the screen.
"That sounds like bunch of bulls…" – She muttered. Yet read on.
"- I always saw this as art. We all like it how the
making of codes on the screens of computers is art,
or how the painting is art, music is art, dressmaking
is art, the manicure, the makeup, the technologies, the architecture, the making of something by
hands… But murder is also an art – you also do it
by hand, you craft it to victim, you apply the beauty
of ruining life or how the scene looks magnificent.
Arrangement, placing, time of death to time of
discovery… That all too – has feelings in it, like any
art-form does. It's just not widely accepted by the
public – that murder is a form of art.
– You see murder as art?
– Yes, Murder Art Virus is what I crafted. It applies
to humans. As it does to rats. It mainly accelerates
under very peculiar conditions. As that virus can
be carried around people who are asymptomatic
to it, to spread wider. And it's not like that can be
diagnosed as much, for it shows as a flu at start, then,
after another few weeks it comes to change the very
core of human, changing the neural patterns.
– And how do you know that?
– Same happened to rats. They too, changed under
certain conditions. But are a bit more widespread.
To human biology that'd be a bit different, but I'm
glad it worked out.
– Are you not afraid you'd be jailed?
– I know that I being sought after. But even if
I'll be brought in – I'm already aware that I'll be a
new lab rat. In case they get me. But right now, that
wouldn't be of your interest, would it?"
The interview finished with the editors note:
"The serial murder cases of Edward Pray are an
uproar in the Europe. From the placing of the
victims as sculptures, to making paintings on the
streets with blood. We managed to acquire his
interview by contacting him via anonymous source.
For the sake of survival of the interview team – we
could not report it to authorities.
But then again – even authorities are struggling
to keep safety, as they too – mass kill."
Ava nodded.
"Indeed, not a single human is safe now…"