Prologue
Using his scientific knowledge to study decomposing mounds of rotting flesh that used to be human beings like himself had become an everyday thing for doctor Bradley Ragland. But never in his life had he expected anything like this.
It had been a typical day, unlike any other since the outbreak in Penn Station about a month ago. Ragland carefully inspected the body of a woman who he'd managed to pick up off the streets without being turned into one of these creatures known to many by now as the Infected.
Sure, it had been a while since the outbreak of the Blacklight virus and the streets of the Red Zone where he worked was slowly being cleansed but there was still an overwhelming amount of Infected roaming about. He was only thankful that no one had found out about him helping the monster, Alex Mercer, or Blackwatch would've been knocking on his door weeks ago.
"The subject seems to show signs of pregnancy, possibly eight months before infection," Ragland spoke to himself as he externally examined the woman's bulging abdomen. "As the subject is deceased, the unborn fetus must be as well."
Lost in his own words, Ragland placed a hand over the surface of the decaying skin. Being a man of science, he understood why some lives were cut short even before they began. Unborn boys and girls who just didn't have a place in this world.
Yet he never expected what followed.
A rough jerk from under the corpse's skin made a flare of shock go off within the man's mind, forcing him to gasp, back away and almost fall over one of the nearby aluminum slabs. The movement continued as whatever it was yearned to be free, growing in size and making it's prison's skin swell. Finally, the confinement began to tear and burst open, revealing a mass of writhing black and red tendrils.
Ragland watched in horror and disbelief, attempting to back away further but lost his footing and fell, sitting up quickly to not miss a second of what was going on. Beneath the wide eyes and gaping jaw, his mind still wondered what it was trying to form.
Another infected, a Hunter?
His answer came when the inspection table buckled under the solid virus' form, causing it to fall to the floor. Seeming unable to support the body it was trying to form, the tendrils began to consume the woman who had served as it's host, giving it the strength to create a new form.
Finally, the process beginning to complete itself, the tendrils began to form a shape. First large muscles, then it's outer skin. The doctor assumed that would be the end of it, but the ever shifting mass took it a step further, creating a thick coat of rugged black fur along it's body. It finally rose, muscular arms out to the sides as an almost deafening howl tore through the silence that reigned in the morgue.
Ragland blinked, blinked again and just blinked, his body refusing to obey any of his brain's commands. The primal instincts of any human being finally kicked in when the massive monster before him finally lowered it's blood red gaze towards him. He flinched, attempting to back away further but the fold of his knee caught on the aluminum table.
The creature seemed to notice this, regarding the man before taking a step back. It became very clear that this "wolf", though large and intimidating, was nothing more than a new-born trapped in a monster's body. It's steps were unsure and wobbly, bones within being weak and almost unable to support it's massive weight.
Seeing that the creature was as unsure of him as he was afraid of it, Dr. Ragland finally attempted to stand but flinched when the creature regarded him once more. It's gleaming eyes narrowed before it suddenly sat down on it's haunches, now making the man almost a head taller than it. After what felt like an hour, the mes
sages of his mind finally made it through to his limbs as Ragland took a step forward.
The beast looked up at him when he was only few inches in front of it. Ragland carefully reached out a hand, fingers brushing against a seemingly thick coat of fur. It quickly became apparent that the wolf's fur was soaked, cold to the touch with each individual strand probably sticking together in a thick mess.
The doctor hummed to himself, other hand on his chin as he gently stroked the fur of the wolf's cheek. It seemed to enjoy the motion, as it closed it's eyes with soft whines, lips curling into a smile as it rubbed into the man's touch, prompting him to move his hand to the top of it's scruffy head. The same smile painted itself onto the man's lips, though much smaller than the wolf's.
"Hmm... it seems we may have a new development."