Elementary Consequences

- Three words: conservative

abandon

epicalyx

- Image #9

- Joker Word: Yaff (to bark like a snarling dog)

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Elementary Consequences

- Nuh-uh. - Dr. Godin shakes his head in disagreement, closely inspecting the mutated Paeonia peregrina sample with a magnifying glass. - You see the stamens? They’ve shriveled. The whole plant has wilted less than 24 hours after being exposed to the spray. That means whatever this mutation is, it is vulnerable to this sodium injected glyphosate Dr. Nagra came up with.

- That’s great news! Does that mean we’re ready to nip this infection in the bud? Quite literally, if you think about it. - Dr. Sanders chuckles to herself.

- Not yet. We still need to run some tests to make sure the spray does not affect the flora that hasn’t been mutated yet. If we want to restore this area’s ecosystem to the way it used to be before the outbreak, we need to make sure this antitoxin does not have any undesirable side effects. I’ve already talked to Pietro. He’ll get us some samples from the Green Zone so we can assess the results of a widespread application of our spray. I don’t wanna be more optimistic than I should, Dr. Sanders, but… - Dr. Godin stares at a vial of the substance and sighs. - ...this could be our biggest breakthrough since this whole thing started.

As the two biologists discuss the spray that could turn the tides in the battle against the great infestation that’s been wiping fauna and flora off the map in the small island, one of the security guards storms inside the lab, with his uniform covered in some sort of viscous, green substance.

- Dr. Godin, Dr. Sanders, we have a problem down at the Testing Wing. - The guard says, propping himself against the metal door frame while gasping for air. - It was subject number three. It…

The guard is interrupted by a series of loud noises that came from downstairs, most likely from the Testing Wing of the complex. Some guards could be heard yelling at other scientists to seek cover while horrifying growls echoed throughout the hallways.

- Fuck… - The guard looks behind him and flinches as painful screeches emanate from the Testing Wing. - Dr. Nagra said she wanted me to get you down there as soon as possible. It seems like one of the infected dogs that were under supervision broke free from its cell and is just frenzied. She said the only way to know if the spray works on infected animals it to try it on one of the subjects.

- Dammit… Alright, tell Dr. Nagra me and Dr. Sanders will be there in a second. For the love of god, whatever you do, don’t kill that dog. We need it alive if we ever wanna have a shot at getting rid of the infection once and for all.

- Yes, sir. - The guard bolts out of the lab, leaving Dr. Godin and Dr. Sanders alone.

- Okay, it’s now or never. Sanders, store the vial in the refrigerator and lock it up. I’ll get the spray bottle Nagra prepared and meet the rest of the crew downstairs.

- Alright, I won’t be long. Be careful down there, Dr. Godin. - Sanders says, before watching Dr. Godin leave the lab with quick steps with a spray bottle containing a few milliliters of the antitoxin in his hand. With the ongoing struggle at the Testing Wing, Dr. Sanders can’t help but think of the worst that could happen: a new outbreak, this time inside the scientific complex. Trapped inside a building under lockdown, there would be no way to escape the infected animals that would, one by one, break out from their containment cells. And if they can get past a 40-centimeter-thick metal door, no matter if with their claws, their teeth or their horns, just think about what they could do to a person…

Shaking off the bad thoughts, Dr. Sanders shoves the vial inside the refrigerator and inserts the password into the built-in keypad, locking the metallic box closed. With the increasing chance of complete chaos coming to life in the building, the young biologist rushes downstairs, step after step, with her badge bouncing up and down over her chest. Agonizing screams from other scientists and vicious yaffing come from the left as Dr. Sanders reaches the first floor. Along with deafening bangs and continuous clattering, it’s like a literal war had broken out inside the room. She quickly pushes the door to the Testing Wing and open and, as she steps inside, Dr. Sanders is left speechless.

About a dozen bodies laid dead on the cold floor, now red from all the blood spilled all over the place. On the walls and even on the ceiling, red droplets and trails decorated the room, and all the furniture inside of it. Without being able to react to what she witnessed, Dr. Sanders just freezes and shivers as Experiment #3 slowly makes its way towards her. The brown labrador, with its fur dipped in dark red human blood, wiggles its tail from left to right as it gets closer and closer to the scientist, leaving bloody prints on the floor with its paws. The mutated animal, probably as dangerous as any wild canine would be, no longer has a nose or even a face. Instead, its head is completely disfigured, swallowed by some sort of plant that had grown from the base of its neck. Surrounded by long, greenish petals, the only discernible features of a dog’s head Sanders can notice are teeth, spread all over the nucleus of the mutated dog head/flower; some brown fur, half an ear, and a single eye - all minced up like the poor labrador had just been shot in the face with a .12 gauge shotgun. Standing only a few feet away from the biologist, the dog lies down, staring Sanders right in the eye and panting heavily, with a single string of drool coming out of a hole that was probably once its mouth, before closing its only eye and passing away after eviscerating the entire crew who worked at the complex.