Prologue: The Awakening
What was happening? He tried opening his eyes but they refused. He could feel himself slipping away from consciousness once more, but a piercing scream made his head ring with pain. Why were his other senses working? A rusty smell filled his nostrils;
Was that... blood? So much blood.. fresh blood. Another scream. Was that growling? His mind could not make sense of the situation. It was dark. He could see no light through his closed lids. Suddenly, he became aware that his arms were bound in front of him. A straight jacket? Must be. He began to feel a familiar sense of fear and desperation. He had not felt like this since.. since.. It finally made sense. He tried to move but to no avail. Cold panic washed over him. It made every nerve in his body come alive with instinct; the instinct to live. The feeling was all too recongnizable. The continous screaming and effort to think made his head throb. The pain was unbearable. He could feel himself fading.. fading into the deep recesses of his own mind. Fading to where it was safe...
"Isaac! Isaac, can you hear me?!" His mind flickered to the sudden noise that was close to him. "Daina, I found Isaac Clarke. Repeat, I have him." The sharpness of the man's voice jolted Isaac awake. His eyes scanned the room frantically, making his headache return with a vengeance. He was in a small room. A dim light flooded into the entrance from the hallway it was connected to. Was that.. blood on the walls? Infront of him stood a young man with a flashlight and radio hooked on his shoulder. The harsh light made Isaac squint. He suddenly became aware of how weak his legs felt.
"Great work, Franco. Be careful, he's been out a long time." Isaac tried to concentrate on the other voice. It must be coming from the radio.
He looked into Franco's eyes, immediately seeing the anxiety. He hoisted Isaac onto the ground, his knees almost giving way. "Good, good. Steady, steady." Isaac struggled to stand, his mind still fuzzy. "We gotta get you out of this straight jacket." He struggled to understand Franco's words. They became more jumbled as he tried to comprehend them.
"Wh-where am I?" Isaac surprised himself by the clarity of his voice. His mind began to clear. A quiet, but menacing growl resounded behind Franco.
"Alright, I know you're confused right now, but I can explain everything. You have to trust me okay?" Trust him? The thought made Isaac shake his head. "Listen! You're in terrible, terrible da-" Blood exploded from Franco's chest, coloring the front of Isaac with the red substance. The sudden explosion of meat finally snapped Isaac into reality. His mind became clear, his vision crisp. He looked down to see Franco's chest impaled with a claw-like appendage. A creature began crawling up Franco's back, and drove a humanoid claw into his forehead. It detached itself from the body and a moan gurgled from deep inside Franco's throat. Isaac thrashed, trying desperately to rid himself of Franco's grip. He could only watch as tentacle-like projections sprouted from the hole in Franco's forehead and massive claw-like limbs exploded from the back of his shoulders. Franco began to scream,
but it was quickly cut off as the flesh began to disintegrate from his throat and face. Isaac's eyes widened in pure terror. Every nerve in his being was electrified from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. What was left of Franco grabbed ahold of Isaac's shoulders harshly and came close to his face. Isaac looked into Franco's desperate eyes before his face exploded into meaty sections. His eyeballs hit Isaac before rolling onto the floor. Feeling the grip loosen, Isaac stood fully and headbutted the creature. It fell to the floor and writhed.
"Franco? Franco what happened?! Oh god.. Isaac! Isaac Clarke! If you can hear me, run! RUN!" The voice from the radio.. it was suddenly on his com-link, attached to his rig. "She doesn't have to tell me twice," Isaac thought as he ran from the room clumsily, his bound arms making it hard to balance. He ran down a wide, open hallway. On both sides, humanoid creatures were merging from rooms. Some were still wearing shreds of hospital gowns. "I'm in a hospital." Isaac desperately tried to take in his surroundings as he made his way to another hall. Patients still sitting in wheelchairs were slowing changing as Isaac ran past them. His stomach turned. Ahead of him was a large door that could be locked. Right as he was about to cross the threshold, one of the creatures sprung up from the wheelchair it had been sitting on in the corner and tackled Isaac to the floor. He kicked it's chest, his foot getting caught in the bloody flesh. He made contact with something hard, bone maybe, and kicked one last time, sending the creature backwards into the door right as it closed. The creature's neck separated from it's body, and the door slammed shut with a fountain of blood. Isaac slowly stood, his heart pounding in his ears. Looking around, he tried to calm his breathing. He realized his rig must be red.. Not good. With effort, Isaac began to make his way down the corridor. I have to find a suit..weapons.. anything. His mind raced. How could this have happened again?
He stopped in a small, enclosed room and leaned against one of the hospital beds. It was just like on the Ishimura.
The Necromorphs had returned.
