Welcome to My Lab (1)
Two police officers and two women. The four of them were trembling in terror. That was only natural. After all, there was a zombie right in front of them, groaning, "Guh-uh-uh..." Of course, since their arms, legs, and torsos were tightly bound, there was no risk of them being attacked by the zombie. Even so, being in the same room as a creature like that must have been horrifying. You never knew what it might do to you. The unknown is always the most terrifying thing, after all.
One of the women was still naked. But looking at her, I felt absolutely nothing. I’m serious. It’s not that there’s something wrong with my sexual function; it’s just that the woman wasn't particularly attractive. Besides, there was no way those cops had kept them clean. Matted hair, filthy skin. She even smelled. To think that cop bastard had been screwing a woman like that—he must have had a strong stomach. Damn it.
First, I needed to knock them out again. I considered using the sleeping gas, but then I remembered the taser I’d swiped from the substation. Right. That could be useful. I’d need to get used to it so I could use it whenever necessary. But it used cartridges, which was a bit inconvenient. Plus, I didn't have many left. Hmm. Since it was police-issued gear, I’d probably find more if I raided other places. I pondered it for a moment and then let it go. I only needed to neutralize them for a bit; it would be a waste to burn through cartridges.
"Sleep tight."
I put on my gas mask, deployed another smoke grenade, and gave them a smiling wave. The two cops, having experienced it once before, tried to hold their breath, but a human can only hold their breath for so long. About ten minutes later, I turned on the ventilation to clear the smoke from the lab. Four men and women lay there, limp. It was a pathetic sight, but they were valuable collaborators. So, I looked at them with warm eyes.
First, I stripped them all naked. Then, I shaved all their hair off. I sprayed their bodies down with a mixture of disinfectant. I didn't feel like scrubbing them any more thoroughly than that. Why would I bother? It would be nice to have an assistant to help with this sort of thing, but unfortunately, that was out of the question. Who could I trust to bring into my space? It was impossible.
I laid the four of them out on the experimental tables like zombies and tied their limbs down. Only then was the preparation for the experiment finally finished. What a chore.
Even while I worked, the zombie continued to groan, "Guh-uh-uh." Zombies aren't affected by sleeping gas. I suppose it’s because of the neurodisrupting spores. Then again, it would be funny if a zombie slept. They can't even feel pain. I hate the sound the zombie makes, but it’s also a reassuring sound. It tells me the distance between me and the zombie. So, listening to that sound, I began the experiments on the four people.
The first thing I did was swab the inside of their noses and check them with a PCR kit. The accuracy wasn't perfect, but it was a kit that could give me a rough idea of how much neurodisrupting spore had accumulated in a human. Even though I’d been so careful, my own levels were around 50 percent. But to put it another way, it was only at 50. So, I could be secretly relieved. I just had to be careful from now on. I checked the kits for the four people. All four of them were near 90 percent. Considering the accuracy, it wouldn't be strange if they turned at any moment.
Anyway, since I had four test subjects... no, collaborators, I needed to set a clear goal for the experiment. The most important thing was, without a doubt, researching how to blend in among zombies. Zombies don't fight each other. There must be a clear mechanism for that. Something like being able to sense each other once they become zombies—once they’ve turned. The data from P that the Doctor sent me mentioned something like that, too. That there seemed to be something that detected the spores. I didn't know the principle, but I didn't care about the principle, either. Either way, I just needed to make the zombies look at me and think I was a zombie.
Complex experiments were out of my reach. I’m an amateur. I’m not someone who was properly trained. So, I’d conduct the experiments in my own way.
To do that, I first needed to turn one of the test subjects into a zombie. I debated who to use and decided on one of the cops. No matter how tightly I tied them up, I couldn't be completely at ease. So, it was best to get what I needed from the useless male and get rid of him quickly. I moved the two women to another room. I needed this space for the experiment.
The problem was that I didn't know how to force the transformation. But hey, I could just try it and see. At the very least, I knew how the spores were absorbed. I collected mucus from the zombie's nose. Ugh. Damn it. I wanted to curse. But for the sake of results, what choice did I have?
I shoved the collected spores into the nose of one of the cops. There. That should be enough, right? It was the same as shoving a spore concentrate in there. Even after putting the mucus in, the cop was fine. I guess a trigger was necessary after all. Besides, these were neurodisrupting spores. If he was just sleeping like this, it wouldn't have an effect. I woke the man up. After a few hits, his face contorted, and he struggled to open his eyes. Once he realized his situation, his eyes widened, and he tried to scream.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmmph!"
"Yeah, yeah. Your back is itching? Hang in there."
When I said that, the man’s face twisted violently.
"Mmmph!!!"
Hmm. The effect was good. He was probably under a lot of stress right now, wasn't he? His emotions were exploding? I thought this might be the trigger. And my guess was right. The man kept screaming until suddenly, his body stiffened with a sharp jolt. His eyes turned blood-red. His body trembled violently. His veins bulged. Watching that, I laughed. To be able to witness a human turning into a zombie firsthand—it was fascinating.
I checked to see if the video was recording properly. It would be good to keep a record just in case. It might be helpful later.
After a while, the man finally began to twitch unnaturally. I guess the transformation was over. So, this man had now become a zombie. Good. Let’s call you Zombie 2. I’d call the one I caught earlier Zombie 1.
I pushed the experimental table with the remaining cop on it close to Zombie 2 and stepped back. Zombie 2 lost interest in me, looked at the cop, and began to twitch. A sight confirming its aggression toward humans. So, I brought the other two women closer, too. The reaction was similar. It didn't distinguish between men and women.
Then, what about Zombie 1? Zombie 2 didn't react at all when it saw Zombie 1. It treated it as if it didn't exist. Instead, it looked at the cop a little further away, then looked at me. I think it was because the distance between me and the cop was similar. I had confirmed for sure that zombies weren't interested in other zombies. I didn't really need to experiment with this; I’d already seen countless cases. But it was just a temporary thing during the process. It wasn't bad to confirm it myself.
This time, I placed Zombie 1 right next to Zombie 2 and hid behind Zombie 1. Zombie 2 didn't look at me; it looked at the cop. Even when I got closer, it was the same. In other words, I was hidden by Zombie 1. Zombie 2 hadn't properly detected me. This was encouraging. Either way, the zombie hadn't recognized me.
So, I tried the opposite, and it was the same. Zombie 1 couldn't find me hiding behind Zombie 2. I pulled Zombie 1's experimental table back. Then, I picked up a wood-chopping axe. I swung it, and the blade embedded itself into the zombie's arm with a thwack. Ugh. It didn't cut it off in one go like I’d hoped. How gruesome. So, I swung it a few more times. Eventually, one of Zombie 1's arms was severed. I didn't know the proper method. So, all I could do was use the process of elimination.
I took the severed zombie arm and approached Zombie 2. Zombie 2 looked at me and started thrashing. Hmm. Does a part of the body not work? Maybe it’s because it’s just an arm? This time, I cut off another arm and approached with two of them. Even then, Zombie 2 looked at me and started acting like a maniac. I guess arms don't work. Is it because there are no spores in the arms?
So, I pondered for a moment and finally brought the axe down on Zombie 1's neck. As expected, it didn't cut in one go, so I had to hack at it a few times, and eventually, Zombie 1's head fell off. I took Zombie 1's head and approached Zombie 2. This time, Zombie 2 didn't look at me; it looked at the cop. For sure. That was it. It was the head. The spores accumulate in the head. But suddenly, Zombie 2 whipped its head toward me and started acting up again. Huh? What? Was it not the head?
This time, I tried bringing the torso. Zombie 2 looked at the cop again. I waited for a long time, but the zombie continued to ignore me. I see. It’s the body. To be precise, it must be the organs. So... the lungs? It didn't go straight to the brain along the olfactory nerve. Since they’re spores, they accumulate in the lungs and then cross into the brain through the bloodstream. It seems my theory was correct. That means the spores accumulate in the lungs or the heart. So the zombie recognizes that and judges it as kin. Nice. I’ve figured something out. P probably doesn't even know this. They can't conduct experiments like this there. At least, not publicly.
As I thought that, I looked at the scene inside the lab, and it was... a mess. A naked man tied up. A tied-up zombie, a dismembered zombie, dark red blood. It’s gruesome. I’m afraid someone might see. Still, since I’ve gained something, this much is worth enduring. But what’s fascinating is that I’m doing these things without a second thought. There isn't even a shred of hesitation. For the sake of results, I can do things like this without blinking. Right. I must be abnormal. Because I’m selfish. Because I’ll do anything for my goal.
Alright. Now that I roughly know it’s an organ somewhere in the body, I’ll have to perform a dissection. I have to take them out one by one and shove them in front of Zombie 2. The most likely candidate is the lungs. I don't know about the rest. So, it’s going to be a bit of a grind. I’ll probably see some gruesome sights. To a degree incomparable to anything I’ve seen so far. But I’ll do it. I have to. Why hesitate?
Thinking that, I grabbed a scalpel and sliced open Zombie 1's belly.