December 17, 2025
The road stretched out before her like a dark tunnel, broken only by the occasional blur of headlights passing in the opposite direction. Dr. Lucy Morris gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white as she navigated the quiet backroads out of the city. The world beyond her windshield was desolate, eerily still in contrast to the chaos that reigned in the cities.
For the past few hours, she'd followed the coordinates provided in the cryptic message from Victor Hale. The thought of meeting the man responsible for the deaths of billions felt surreal, yet it was happening. Every passing minute brought her closer to him—the man who had set the wheels of the apocalypse in motion.
What was he planning? Why reach out to her now, after unleashing his masterpiece of destruction on the world? Lucy's thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of it all. She had no backup, no one to turn to. The lab couldn't afford to spare anyone, and this mission was too sensitive. If anyone found out she was even considering working with Hale, they might see it as a betrayal. Yet Lucy knew she had no other choice. The clock was ticking, and humanity's chances of survival were shrinking by the hour.
As she approached the outskirts of the abandoned industrial district, her phone buzzed again.
Stop at the old factory. Wait outside the gate.
Lucy's pulse quickened. She was close.
The factory loomed ahead, a decaying monument to an era long gone. The structure was massive, its walls crumbling from years of neglect, casting long shadows in the faint moonlight. The only light came from a single flickering lamp above the gated entrance, illuminating the rusted fence and broken concrete below.
Lucy pulled the car to a stop a few feet from the gate. The silence pressed down on her as she cut the engine. Her heart raced as she scanned the area. There was no sign of life—no sound but the distant hum of the city behind her. This place felt like a graveyard, forgotten and forsaken.
Taking a deep breath, Lucy stepped out of the car. She felt exposed, vulnerable as she walked toward the gate, her eyes darting around for any sign of movement.
And then she saw him.
A figure stepped out of the shadows, slowly approaching the gate. His face was obscured by a hood, but even from a distance, Lucy could sense the familiarity of his presence. It was him.
Victor Hale.
He moved with a deliberate calmness, the embodiment of someone who held all the cards in the deck. Lucy could hardly believe her eyes. He looked pale, thin, and haggard, but alive. Alive despite the infection he had willingly given himself. How had he survived?
As he reached the gate, he stopped, standing just on the other side. For a moment, they stood in silence, staring at each other through the iron bars.
"You came," he said, his voice low and raspy.
Lucy's mouth was dry, but she managed to speak. "You said you know how to stop it."
Hale smiled faintly, a haunting smile that sent chills down her spine. "Of course I do. I created it, didn't I?"
Lucy felt a surge of anger. She clenched her fists, trying to keep her voice steady. "You killed millions of people, maybe billions by now. You've doomed the world. And now, you want to help stop it?"
Hale's expression remained calm, but there was something unsettling in his eyes—an intelligence, a sharpness that hadn't dulled despite everything. "The world was already doomed long before I stepped in, Dr. Morris. I just gave it a little push."
Lucy glared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Why? Why do this?"
Hale leaned against the gate, his eyes narrowing. "Because humanity needed to be reset. We've been living in a house of cards for too long, pretending we were invincible. This virus, Virobacterium cataclysmica prionis, was my way of ensuring that those who survived would be the ones capable of building something new, something better."
"You call this better?" Lucy snapped. "People are dying in the streets. Families, children—everyone is suffering. And now reinfections are happening! There won't be anyone left to rebuild anything."
Hale's smile faded, replaced by a cold, calculating look. "I underestimated the adaptability of the virus. I'll admit that. But you're missing the point. Those who can survive will have learned. They'll be stronger, more resilient."
Lucy's stomach churned. "You're insane."
"Perhaps." Hale's gaze softened for a moment, almost as if he pitied her. "But I'm not here to debate morality with you, Lucy. I know why you've come. You want the key to stop the virus, and I'm willing to give it to you."
Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Why now? What changed?"
Hale took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I've seen what the virus has become. It's far more powerful than even I intended. The prion component... it's evolving faster than I anticipated. I wanted to control it, but now it's controlling us. I may be immune to its effects for now, but I know that immunity won't last forever. The virus will outpace everything we throw at it. Eventually, it will become unstoppable."
Lucy felt a knot of dread tighten in her chest. If even Hale feared what he had created, how could they ever hope to defeat it?
"What's your plan?" Lucy asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Hale's eyes met hers, and for the first time, she saw a glimmer of something that resembled remorse. "There's a failsafe I built into the virus's genetic code. A weakness, buried deep within its architecture. I designed it as a contingency in case the virus spiraled out of control. But it requires precise targeting—something you won't find with conventional treatments."
Lucy frowned, her mind racing. "What kind of targeting?"
Hale paused, as if considering how much to reveal. "You'll need a gene-editing delivery system. CRISPR, paired with a specific viral vector I developed. But even that won't be enough. You'll need a global rollout of the treatment, and you'll need to synchronize it across every major population center before the virus mutates again."
Lucy felt the weight of what he was saying crash over her. A global rollout? It sounded impossible. Every lab in the world was already operating beyond capacity.
"You want me to believe you have this vector," she said, her voice skeptical.
Hale chuckled softly. "I don't want you to believe anything. I just want you to understand that without this, you have no chance."
Lucy stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not. But what choice did she have? The world was running out of time, and Hale was offering her the only potential solution.
"Where is the vector?" she asked.
Hale smiled again, a thin, cold smile. "I'll take you to it. But you'll need to trust me."
Lucy's stomach twisted with anxiety. Trust him? The man responsible for the death of billions? But again, what other choice was there?
She nodded slowly. "Alright. Take me to it."
Hale pushed open the gate, stepping into the light for the first time. His eyes glinted as he gestured for her to follow him into the dark recesses of the factory.
As Lucy walked behind him, she couldn't shake the feeling that, even now, she was walking into a trap. But she had come this far, and if there was any chance of saving what was left of humanity, she had to see it through.
Behind them, the moon dipped lower on the horizon, casting long, dark shadows over the crumbling ruins of the world.