Authors Note : First chapter read and review it's the end of the world pretty much.
silence like a cancer grows
hear the words that I might teach you
take my arms that I might reach you
but my words like silent raindrops fell
echoed the sound of silence
-Simon and Garfunkel
One Black Rose
The lab was dank and dark but most important of all it was dead. Many bodies where strewn about in unorganized fashion, no one had yet bothered to pick them up. Some where sitting in chairs with there heads tilted back and black stuff gurgling out of their mouths almost as if they actually saw a light when they passed on. Others simply laid flat on the ground some holding each other and others who had decided it was a good Idea to shoot them selves and get it over with quickly. One man had hung him self from one of the wooden rafters and now his body twirled loosely. However some would simply not die without a fight, down a floor from the main lab near the emergency exit sat a pile of machine gun riddled corpses, the military made sure they didn't leave. So forever they stood frozen with a oh so fitting opera song playing in the back ground, the head engineer had turned on some of his select music before turning his 12 gauge hunting gun on himself, which he remembered his father had given him for a birthday present, right before his toe pulled the trigger. He also sat forever frozen with a glance upward, actually to be perfectly cruel and humorous his gaze was all over the place, a 12 gauge can take your brains on a world round trip his father had once said. The violins rose and fell as the piano created a haunting melody. It was like that exact piece was created for this exact moment, equivalent exchange, the lives of fifty researchers for a real life music video. No one would dare get close enough to see and hear it. The military had closed up shop before the goo, which they called black rose, could get any further. Now it was up to Colonel Roy Mustang to take care of the problem, which he didn't like much.
----------
He had been awaken at two by rough shaking he was about to strap on his boots and give the piss ant bastard who was waking him the military kick in the ass what stopped him from going into full rage was one phrase. Words you hear through out your life have a quality to chill the blood "oh your mother has passed" "your dying of cancer, I'm very sorry" or to associate with school kids "you're staying back", "sorry dude but sally says your an ugly freak and to stay away from her". But the phrase the pale faced private uttered into Roy's right ear didn't have any apologies or sympathy, just raw panic and fear. "The roses grow wild" This had made Roy jump he looked at the man who a second ago he was about to kill for robbing him of sleep now all he wanted was for him to go away. Peacefully and quietly ah yes he thought the eternal darkness of sleep. "Say that again soldier" he said sitting up on his elbow and coughing up a big ball of phlegm, he would have to quite smoking that reminded him, but he looked at the patch of green crap with mild bemusement at least that crap can't kill you but this, this oh shit Roy you've really been fucked by the state now. "I said the roses grow w-" "cut the military crap talk and give it to me straight, what exactly happened?" the soldier looked over his shoulder and hesitated as if someone was watching him. "It's lab 3 sir, someone broke a vile the black shit cleaned house as soon as it hit air, some people escaped it but soon succumbed to the sickness it carries with it. We believe all 52 researchers are dead Colonel and that music it's so haunting, you know down there in the dark!" this time Roy sat up and swung his feet out of bed. "Only boys who still attend school are afraid of the dark private, I don't care how dark it is down there I want a sweep crew to get in there and sort this shit out, or I promise you somebody's going to be seeing the darkness of a blind fold In front of a firing squad, do you hear me loud and clear?" "yes sir!" the private said snapping off a sloppy salute.
----------
That was some hours ago. Now it was about 4 a.m and the sky was turning a dark blue, it was almost day. Lab 3 stood in total and utter darkness, all the other labs had stood further from this lab and this one only it was a top priority. At the gate two State soldiers stood with there rifles in hand and masks over there face, strewn around there feet where shell casings as evidence of what had been going on. Considering all the dead bodies the damage wasn't that bad, a few shattered windows and a fire had started in the top offices but they where contained by metal shutters, a new invention by the military, you had to lower them by rope it was a bitch but it contained things. God bless their souls one of the guards thought even though they where dying they held strong and took responsibility he briefly thought of dying doctors and technicians lowering the metal shutters with the lasts of their already weak strengths than he shook it away as fast as it had come, no bad thoughts now.
----------
The man woke up with a jerk, he felt like he had the worst hang over ever except when his eyes came into focus he realized this was worse than the worst hang over could ever be. It wasn't a dream after all they really where all dying of the black rose he looked to where his hand lay clumped with that of a lady scientist who had taken the same strychnine as him, except his didn't work for some reason. I knew it wouldn't work, I said it wasn't enough for my body weight, is there anymore? he looked around the desk clumsily nothing but broken glass and stacks of messy paper. The place was mostly on fire and the steal shutters where closed. That's when he noticed he still was holding the corpses hand he pulled it away so much for going down together eh sally? this made him produce a chuckle despite it's cryptic back ground. He would of kept laughing half way into the nut house if he hadn't begun coughing up blood it came out in pinkish bits. Black rose was setting in alright and if he wanted a semi painless death he had to act fast. I'm probably the last one alive hallelujah it's a miracle as the red eyes would say and after all that I still want to die this brought fourth another series of semi chuckles and choking coughs. He stood up and looked around no guns, no poison not even a god damn rope to hang himself by. He took one tense step forward and found his legs had almost turned to jelly, he grabbed the desk for support. "Damn it" he muttered softly walking on that's when he saw the stairs, it was a gruesome death but it would have to do. He walked over to it long way down, shit this is going to suck, I don't think I want to die anymore but If I gathered the balls to take the pill with Sally, I'll just have to do it again he bent over the top of the steps like he was about to do a summer Sault and for my next trick ladies and gentle men I will now attempt to break my neck In two tumbles. He closed his eyes and held his breath his feet where balancing on the top step. He leaned forward, he did not in fact perform his trick as he said he would he did a series of tumbles breaking his ankle and his wrist but the money shot didn't come until he made one hard slap on the tiled floor with his back and came up breaking his neck on the wall and that's how he landed frozen forever in time like he was leaning on his chest against the wall taking an afternoon nap perhaps. Hallelujah It was a miracle out of 52 deaths he was the only man who's fatality could be done at home.
----------
It was black and evil, made by man to destroy each other it wasn't suppose to think but some how it did. It needed water the wetness of the man's throat it now sat in would not do it needed something more, it needed a nice place where it could grow. It slowly slithered through a crack in the wall next to the man's head, and there it went along with any chance the military had of controlling the situation.