Hi everyone! I FINALLY got around to writing this, after I PMd everyone (well...almost everyone...I couldn't find CozBlueX, so, sorry about that CozBlueX!) Anyway, HAPPY CANADA DAY...3 DAYS LATE! I saw the fireworks that they had down at the harbour that day...they were so cool! There were like, a couple thousand people watching, and, we were in the front row! IT WAS LIKE THE MIDNIGHT RIDERS...only, without the zombies and punk music...and a lot better... Also, for the American folks in the audience, HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! I may be Canadian, but, I just love holidays that involve pyrotechnics...Mm...

I have way too many stories for other things running, but, hopefully, this'll get the creative juices running...

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Left 4 Dead in any way, shape or form. I also do not own any of the OCs used in this story, with the exception of my own OCs that haven't been introduced in Akikazemoon's lovely story (COME ON CHAPTER 20!) Akikazemoon owns Taunter, and the personalities of Hunter, Boomer, Smoker, etc I suppose. Commander of the Rabbids owns Sam. Sorrowsnow owns Calli. Zipper Whippersnapper owns Jeffry. Foxstar-Nikiu owns Valery. CozBlueX owns Claire. Breaking Ground owns Mike. Scorpion 123456 owns Clawer (and Grace/Healer.)

Chapter 1: Lunar Memory.

Darkness surrounded me as I crouched in the small corner of my cage - they put us in goddamn cages-and watched the cameras that were watching me.

How did I even get here?

I remembered every part of the transaction, being led from the cell I had lived in for the last 6 months, loaded into a truck, and then...nothing...I woke up here.

That had been 2 weeks ago...I think...

What bothered me the most about this situation wasn't the food, the fact that I had to piss in front of everyone, or, the fact that I was alone in here.

It was the guards.

They walked up and down, up and down, patrolling every hall, every platform. They would poke the butt of their rifles into the elevated cages, spit on some of the younger kids, or sometimes even beat anyone who caused "trouble".

My current imprisonment didn't bother me as much as you would think. It was the fact that there were kids here. There were all ages, some as young as six.

What despicable bastard was doing this?

And then she arrived.

Until that day, I had been in the cage alone. There were a couple dozen others, filled with people, but, for some reason, I was alone in the cage filled with claw marks and bloody stains.

It was no place for a child that young.

Okay, so she was just a year younger than me, but still.

She had green eyes. That was the first thing I ever noticed. She was petite, but, not scrawny. Black clothes, a skull in the middle, threatening, and cargo pants that had dust and dirt covering whatever colour they used to be.

She looked fragile.

She looked up sharply as I half-stood, trying not to bang my head on the roof. I was tall for a 19 year old, but, that cage would have made a 12 year old have to stoop.

She recoiled as I approached, pushing herself against the bars in an attempt to get away from me.

I guess the bloodstains from that hit I got were pretty scary.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I said, mentally groaning at the corniness of the line. "My name is Gabe. What's yours?"

She looked at me, her body shaking. I extended a hand. She steeled herself visibly, before grasping my hand in hers.

"Grace."

It had just started recently.

One day, about a month since Grace arrived, a few men in white coats came in. They pointed to a few people in a few cages, and they were led away.

They didn't come back.

I remember the look one of the people who were chosen gave me as she passed. It had been a little girl, no older than 8, with hair pulled back into twin braids.

It was a look of utter and complete desperation.

After that day, the men came back about once a week, picking people from various cages, and then leaving. Oddly enough, Grace and I were never chosen. They had stopped in front of the cage, pointed and talked in hushed tones, but, never picked us for whatever happened behind those metal doors.

And then, one day, they picked us.

As we were led down the path between cages, the kids all looked at us. We were the lambs being led to slaughter. We were the only ones picked by the men this time, the only ones walking down the path.

We were led out the heavy metal doors into a startlingly white hallway. It was not what I had imagined, the cages were in a huge, rusty metal room. It made me clench my fists silently.

If this place is like this, then why are they putting us in that room?

I glanced at Grace, who was looking worried, her eyes flitting this way and that. She turned her gaze on me and I managed a small smile. Grace had become my little sister, two people brought together by terrible events. The only thing I really knew about Grace was she was kidnapped from her home, not sold from Juvie like me.

The guards around us were silent, but, the grip they had on their weapons was tight. Disarming would be impossible...

Finally, we reached our destination. A large operating theatre, with two gurneys with restraints hanging from their sides. The "doctors" glowered down on us from above, their eyes cold and uncaring.

It was at this moment that I started to fight back.

I shoved the closest guard from behind, sending him stumbling forwards. I quickly hooked a leg around the guard behind me, the one who had just yelled in surprise. I pulled and sent him sprawling to the floor.

The guards around Grace were holding her, stopping her from moving, though she was struggling like her life depended on it, which, it probably did. I charged, slamming my elbow into one of the guard's temples.

He fell instantly.

The guards I had knocked over came up behind me, and gripped my arms. I kicked at them, bit at what I could, but, I couldn't stop them. They dragged me over to the gurney, and strapped me to it. Grace yelled, pushing towards me, but, the guard grabbed her too.

The one I hit in the temple didn't get up.

They strapped Grace to the gurney, ignoring her efforts to hurt them, not an easy feat, considering the fact they both almost lost ears to her hands and teeth.

And then he arrived.

He was tall, with combed back brown hair and a hawkish nose. He glowered down at us, the small spectacles on the bridge of that atrocity they called a nose magnifying his coal black eyes. He wore a lab coat, and was currently frowning at our actions.

He was terrifying.

I struggled, thrashing about on the gurney as he approached, flanked by similarly dressed scientists, carrying metal boxes.

I didn't want to know what was in them.

"Do you know why you're here?" The man asked, gesturing towards the gurneys.

Rather than answer him, I spat in his face.

His frown turned into a snarl as he ran a hand to clear the spittle from his forehead. "Have you heard of the infection, Mr. Gabe?"

I had. Even in Juvie, we had heard of the infection. Counsellors and Security began to leave, fleeing the mysterious Green Flu.

I spat again, but, missed this time.

"The infection is, by far, the most cannibalistic virus we've ever seen. It devours the cells and replaces them with certain mutations. Even a human's DNA can be completely altered. What we've recovered from certain infected individuals looks nothing like the double helix."

He paused, looking directly at me.

"It turns them into zombies, Mr. Gabe."

I looked back at him, shocked.

"But! The government had enlisted me for a way to fight the infection, one which requires ample test subjects." He gestured behind him towards the hall that led to the cages.

"They enlisted me to create our own infected, to fight those of the natural virus. And you and Miss. Grace, will be one of our finished projects. The Clawer and Healer strains, which I designed myself."

I started struggling again, trying to get out, trying to GET AWAY!

"Now now, struggling would be quite futile." He drawled, opening one of the silver cases. I thrashed about harder. He pulled the syringe from the case, and undid the cap.

I looked at Grace.

"I'm sorry." I said.

And then the needle pierced my arm.

Red flooded my vision as pain exploded throughout my body. My nerves screamed for relief as I thrashed about on the restrained gurney, trying desperately to strike the man in the white coat above me. I bore my teeth and let out an animalistic -was that me?- roar as my canines lengthened. The man shrank back from my restrained position, pulling the small steel needle away with him. I let out another cry as he tried to shred the restraints, hand wringing as segmented claws took the place of soft fingertips.

Then, I heard a whimper.

Eyes, glazed over with anger and infection turned to the source, a petit girl, about my age, who was strapped to a gurney across from me.

Grace

I quieted somewhat, regarding the girl with less bloodlust.

Then, Gabe...was my name Gabe...? growled and roared with absolute frenzy as another man approached the girl.

"DON'T TOUCH HER! IF YOU TOUCH GRACE I'LL KILL YOU!" I mentally screamed, mouth not able to form the words as the pain, accompanied by the despair and anger, flooded his system again as the man neared the girl.

Grace looked at me, eyes clear as she regarded the beast that her friend had become, and spoke:

"Gabe, I-"

Grace was cut off as the man injected her with the needle, causing her to give out a scream of pain as the burning infection took her body too.

Red seeped through me as the newly-infected roared with hatred, his mind clouded by a vast, numbing darkness.

A woman, yelling as she cradled a small child, bruised and bloodied by the yelling father.

The same man, drinking the foul-smelling amber liquid that Gabe had decided he hated with passion.

A tub, filled with soapy water, making slapping noises as he pushed around a small yellow duck, focusing on it, blocking out the sounds of yelling in the background.

Suddenly, a surge of another emotion brought me out of my reverie. I flexed my claws, anger coiling inside, like a snake in a corner, held back, but, biding its time. I looked at my surroundings. The same room, men I hadn't seen before...or had I? A woman, tied to a table...Grace.

I remembered my little sister.

Suddenly, blood welled up in my fingers as a primitive instinct took over. One either brought on, or focused by the infection now coursing through my veins.

Kill.

I sprang to life, restraints bending and tearing easily as an all consuming focus and hunger came over me.

Kill now.

My claws shook as a silent command passed between my brain and my new body.

Kill them now.

My arm raised, claws pointed outwards.

Kill all of them now.

The claws fired.

And the rest is history! Okay...maybe not for real, but, still! I planned to involve everyone, but, the clawer story was just aching to be written...though, I do intend to do more chapters...I'm not sure how many in total, maybe I'll just make it a three shot...hmm...I'm also not sure about the "cannibalistic" wording for the virus, as, I'm not sure if the virus is eating itself, other virus' or the body...I COULD have put necrotic in, but, I think cannibalistic sounds better...

Why do I feel cheerful after writing THAT? Ah well, Until next time!

-Twilight Symphony