Hybrids: A New Species

The engine of the old 1996 Toyota Tacoma roars furiously, waking the cold morning forests of the Rocky Mountains.

“It worked!” Ben celebrates.

The faded red truck vibrates roughly as Ben steps out of the vehicle.

“You sure this thing is going to make it to the city?” Cole asks as he limps to the side of the truck.

His body still aches in pain from the beating Ben gave him the day before.

Ben inspects the rusted vehicle.

“Of course it will!” he answers as he opens the hood to the truck, “I’ve ran this baby every so often to make sure it stayed running.”

The truck is parked besides Ben’s wood structure cabin. It was covered by a gray tarp, with other miscellaneous things around it like old cans of oil, paint cans, tools, and trash. Ben would turn the old rusted vehicle on every other week to make sure it ran. Sometimes it did, but other times it wouldn’t.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why do you have this if you don’t ever drive it?” Cole asks.

Ben steps back from the hood of the truck and gives Cole a confused expression,

“How did you know I don’t drive it?”

“Well you had it covered, you appeared hesitant to turn it on, and you seemed surprised that it even turned on.”

Embarrassed by Cole’s answer, Ben sticks his head back into the vehicle to finish inspecting it. He closes the hood, causing a loud metal bang to emit. Ben wipes the black grease on his hands with a white rag in his back pocket. He looked like a mechanic finishing an oil change on a car.

“I never took it out because I had no need to.” Ben finally answers Cole’s question.

“What do you mean?” Cole says as he removes his black backpack and puts it in the bed of the truck.

“I just didn’t. Really, I only had her for emergencies.” Ben says patting the metal vehicle as if it was some giant metallic animal.

“Enough of that though. You have everything?” he asks.

Cole puts one last grey duffel bag in the bed.

“I’m all set.” He says.

Ben and Cole get into the truck. The metal door screeches as they open and close. The inside of the truck had a strong scent of oil and cigarettes. Cole breathed it all in and smiled. The smell wasn’t pleasant to him, but it reminded him of a time from his childhood. A time when everything was okay. Ben looks over to Cole,

“You okay?” he says.

“I’m fine. It just feels like everything is going to be okay for once.” Cole answers.

Ben nods in agreement, and pushes the gas, letting the engine roar a bit. He pushes the clutch in, sets the vehicle in gear, releases the clutch and accelerates the gas simultaneously. The truck jerks forward a bit, and a loud bang comes from the muffler like a gunshot. It then begins moving forward and Ben begins shifting gears.

“Alright! Now we’re moving!” he excitedly says.

The truck makes its way through the rocky dirt road leading out from his cabin. Cole lays back a bit in his seat and closes his eyes. Being able to finally rest. For now.

Cole slowly opens the door to a room, it creaks as he pushes it open. He can hear his own heart beat slowly pacing. Cole swallows his fear and walks in the room. It’s dark and the air smells of death. Cole wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Why is it hot?

He takes another step into the room. The voice in the back of his mind is telling him to stop.

Run Away! Get out of here!

However, the young man can’t help it, Cole keeps walking. He’s in the room now and the dark fully consumes him. A faint light emits from the other side of the room. Cole slowly walks over to it. His eyes begin to adjust to the dark; shapes in the room begin to reveal themselves to him. He sees paper all over the floor, shelves of books and Knick knacks, frames on the wall and floor, an old couch in the corner, and a computer on a desk ahead of him. He reaches it to find out it’s a cellphone that is emitting the faint light. Cole picks up the phone. The time is 7:23AM and the battery is at three percent.

“That time. It’s…” Cole says aloud.

His thought is interrupted from a heavy breathing. Cole’s heart sinks, someone else is in this room. The phone turns off, it’s dead. The breathing has become louder, as if it’s right by his ear. He quickly turns around preparing for whatever is behind him. But nothing is there. He quickly scans the dark room, still trying to figure out the contents of the room. He notices something new, a dark figure standing by the door on the other side of the room. It begins walking towards him.

Cole can’t move. He’s paralyzed with fear. He looks to his feet and tries using all his strength to move. No movement. He looks to the mysterious figure again; it has gotten closer. Cole is panicking, drenched in sweat. The room has gotten hotter.

What the hell is going on?!

Suddenly, the figure is front of him. Now only a foot away, the heavy breathing fills the room. Cole eyes widen with fear, he’s able to recognize the person in front of him now. A man as tall as him, small oval shape glasses with a crack on the right frame, thin short hair with bangs reaching down to his eyebrows, and a horrible shocked expression. The man’s eyes are black and his teeth are yellow.

“Dr. Mori.” Cole whimpers.

“Whyyyy?” Dr. Mori says in a ghoulish voice. He lays his grimy gray fingers on Cole’s shoulders. It’s cold to the touch. Cole trembles in fear.

“Why Cole? Why did you leave?” he speaks again, with the same shocked expression.

“I- I’m sorry. I-” Cole tries to answer, but his mouth is dry.

Suddenly, the man’s expression goes from shocked to anger. The grip it had on Cole’s shoulder tightens. He cringes in pain.

“You did this!!” The man yells this time.

His mouth opens, and he rushes in close to Cole’s neck.

Cole suddenly finds his movement and he quickly dodges to his right, avoiding the bite. Dr. Mori crashes into the desk and trips to the ground. Cole is breathing heavily now, trying to catch his breath. Suddenly, Dr. Mori is groaning in pain. Cole watches him in horror as his body starts to shift. His head begins twisting, his bones breaking, and black fluid leaks from his mouth. Cole slowly back up to the door, silently watching the horrific scene take place. Dr. Mori’s bones start to grow, fur and scales sprout onto his skin, and his head begins shaping a snout. His yellow teeth grow, they start to shape a sharp point like an animal, and his black eyes fade, becoming white. Cole can’t stand watching the man transforming into some grotesque monstrosity anymore. He dashes to the door.

It’s locked!

Cole slams his fist against the door and he kicks, but there is no luck, the door won’t budge. Cole stops trying to open the door when he hears a foul growl. Now shivering, he turns around. The man he called Dr. Mori wasn’t a man anymore, but a large, grey animal; with bits of scales and fur surrounding its body, sharp yellow teeth, a short slithering tail, and a gruesome animalistic expression. Cole has his back against the door, he gets as close as he can, as if he’s trying to merge with the wood door. The animal like monstrosity once known as Dr. Mori steadily paces to Cole, like a predator cornering its prey. Then, it pounces. Yellow fangs revealing themselves, claws out and it closes in on Cole, biting into his throat.

Cole’s eyes shoot open and he screams.

He looks at his surroundings. He’s in the truck and notices Ben, with a confused expression.

The entire thing was just a nightmare. A breath of relief escapes him.

“Hey you okay?” Ben asks.

“Ya, I just had a nightmare.” He answers.

Cole looks out the dirty window of the truck. They’re somewhere in the mountains, going down a spiraling highway road. The summer sky is clear, but the winds are strong, rocking their old red truck on the road.

“How long have I been out?” Cole says as he yawns, stretching his legs in the cramped truck.

“For about thirty minutes.” Ben answers.

“Hmm. How much longer until were in the city?”

“An hour at best.” Ben says as he itches his eyes. “But that’s if we don’t run into any obstacles.”

Cole grabs a backpack from behind his seat and digs through the black bag, he grabs an apple.

“You hungry?” Cole asks.

“No, I’m fine.”

Cole looks worried, “Ben you have to eat something, when was the last time you ate?”

Not taking his eyes off the road, Ben thinks.

“Umm, it’s been about three days I think.”

“What?!” Cole says, surprised by his answer.

“I just haven’t been hungry. Last thing I remember eating was some old can of corn.”

“Amazing! Normally humans can survive about three weeks without food, but we usually suffer from hunger pains and it drains our energy.” Cole explains.

“Well I feel normal.” Ben adds.

Cole takes out a small notepad from his shirt pocket and a small wooden pencil; he writes a note in it. Ben sees him make a note, “What’s that?”

“I’m recording everything I can about the cure so far. The more I can understand how it works, the easier I’ll be able to administer this cure by a larger scale.” Cole says as he finishes scribbling his note. Still not taking his eyes off the road, Ben relaxes a bit in his seat. The roads are clear besides the few laying bodies on the road and the Fallen casually walking around the hot gravel. Ben easily avoids hitting the walking corpses on the road.

“What do you understand so far?” Ben asks.

“Hmm?” he says with a mouthful of apple.

“The cure. What have you noted?”

He swallows his bite.

“Oh.” Cole answers. “Well so far, the cure seems to increase our strength, senses, speed, and reflexes. According to what you demonstrated yesterday with that Fallen in the forest.”

Ben smiles from the answer. Even though Ben was unsure what he was capable of, he’s glad he was able to decapitate that Fallen’s head with his bare hands at ease.

“The cure also affects our regeneration system, enhancing it greatly. The bite wound you had on your arm would of normally took months to heal. But your tissue and muscles are regenerating at an alarming rate. It still fascinates me.” Cole says with excitement.

Ben’s smile fades when Cole mentions the bite wound. He thinks of his undead daughter biting his arm and taking a chunk of his flesh with her. Even though the physical wound has healed quickly, the mental one in his mind will need time to heal.

Cole notices Ben sudden frown.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get bit?” He asks. Ben stays silent for a few seconds. But to Cole, it felt like hours. He now regrets asking Ben this question that appeared very personal to him.

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.” Cole mutters.

“No, it’s okay. If we’re going to stay together from now on, figure we might as well get to know each other a bit better.” Ben answers him.

Ben scratches his arm where his wound used to be,

“It was my daughter, Hailey. I went into George Town the day before to find medicine. She had a high fever and the medicine we had wasn’t what we needed for her cold.” Ben explains. “I was almost killed a few times being there. Got jumped by a random corpse a few times, had to spend the night in a gas station, sprained my ankle the next day jumping from a two-story building, and had a gun pointed at me in the pharmacy. It was terrible and a pain in my ass. But I do anything for my family. Even risk my life.”

Cole intently listens to Ben’s story in awe.

He continues. “After barely escaping with my life, I spot a small herd of the Fallen walking to into the mountain forest, but they were heading in the direction where my home was. So, I ran. But when I got there…” Ben chokes up bit, but he continues. “I don’t know how it happen or when. But I found my wife already dead on the floor, and Hailey, she…”

“It’s okay Ben. You don’t have to say it.” Cole says.

He can tell Ben is having a difficult time talking about this drastic memory.

“No. It’s happen, and I have to get it out.” Ben says.

He sits up a bit from his seat. Ben has been telling his story without taking his eyes off the road once. He continues,

“My wife Pam was already dead. Hailey, she was eating her own mother. The inside of her stomach was completely torn open and she was covered in blood. The sickness must of took her life and turned her. I don’t blame Pam for not ending her daughter’s life. I couldn’t do it either. Even if she did become one of those things, I couldn’t kill her. Hailey notices me and I was in shock. That’s when it happens and she bit into my arm. After that, I ran. I just ran away from everything.”

Cole listens in horror. He’s astonish what Ben has gone through and witness.

“The rest is blur. I lose my mind in a cave, some men find and knock me out and that’s when I woke up, tied up next to you.” Ben finishes his story.

Cole is overwhelmed. He didn’t expect this from Ben.

“Sorry for your lost.” Cole says in low tone.

Ben doesn’t respond, he just continues to stay focus on driving. He has told his story to Cole, and even though it was tough for him to revisit his tragedy, he felt relieved to talk to someone. Someone Ben could possibly call a friend.

About fifteen minutes have passed since Ben told his story to Cole. They still need about thirty

minutes until they reach the city. Cole has been staring out the dirty window of the truck, thinking and enjoying the view of the mountains. Even though the world has been rotting away, mother nature still keeps the beauty of the Rocky Mountains as magnificent as ever. However, even with the beautiful view of the mountains, Cole still thinks about his nightmare he had. He keeps having it and can’t get his mind off of it. Ben yawns and rubs his eyes, they’re getting heavy. Cole looks to him,

“You need me to drive?” he asks.

“No I’m fine, just bored.”

The road has been quite clear for a while. No cars, bodies, or the roaming undead are on the road. Even with a clear road, Ben still has a steady hand on the wheel. The strong winds dance through the mountains and if Ben loses focus, he could accidently drive them off the edge of the road.

“Why don’t you just go back to sleep Cole?” Ben asks.

“I can’t.” Cole mutters.

“Why not?”

“I keep having the same dream. It’s terrible.”

Ben is curious now,

“What could be more terrifying than walking dead people roaming the world?” he jokes.

Cole stays silent for a few seconds. He imagines Dr. Mori, the man from his dream. His dead black eyes and terrifying emotionless face. Cole’s hesitant at first, but then he decides to tell Ben.

“You remember that creature back at the camp?” Cole says, now serious.

Ben’s becomes serious as well now, “Of course.”

“I told you he was my friend.” Cole continues. “But he was more than a friend, he was my mentor. A man named Ken Mori.”

Confused, Ben asks, “Mentor? What kind of man turns into that creature?”

Cole is displeased by Ben’s remark but he passes it off and continues. “No. Before he became that grotesque thing you saw at the camp; he was researcher for biochemistry and molecular biology. Dr. Mori had a PhD in Biochemistry and he’s the man responsible for the cure to the Fallen virus.”

“He created the cure? How?” Ben questions.

“Before the end, Dr. Mori spend years researching the cure for cancer and diseases through cell biology. He’d research animals that were immune to cancer and certain diseases. Animals like sharks, reptiles, and mole rats. He learned to extract cells and fuse them together. He worked on extracting certain cells that fought off diseases and cancers from the animals, and fusing them with our human biology.”

Cole takes his glasses off; he cleans the lens with his gray shirt.

“During this time, I was in college learning the basics of biochemistry and I signed up on a internship to assist him in his research. He taught me everything I know.”

Cole puts his squared glasses back on,

“Just before the end of the world, Dr. Mori was successful of making the animal cells compatible with our human biology.” Cole stares at Ben intensely,

“He found a cure for cancer.”

Listening, Ben took his eyes off the road to study Cole for a second, “He sounded like a great man Cole, but what does this have to do with your nightmare?” Ben requests.

He turns back to watch the road.

“It has everything to do with it, but I’ll get there.” Cole replies.

He continues to avoid answering Ben’s question. Like a storyteller constructing pieces of a story to build the plot.

“When the virus broke out, he was more dedicated than ever to his research. With the Fallen virus affecting all of mankind, he worked day and night on a treatment. He cured cancer so he figured he would find out a cure for the Fallen virus.” Cole looks to Ben again,

“You said it’s been eight years since the end? Not sure how you know how long it’s been, but that’s how long it took us to find a cure for the virus.”

“I know because of my daughter. She was born when this all happen. My wife and I kept track of the days so we could celebrate her birthday.” Ben answers.

“Oh. Sorry to ask.” Cole utters.

“Don’t worry about it, continue with your story.”

Cole clears his throat and looks to the road.

“Anyways, eight years is how long it took. There were other researches who would help us, but with supplies running low, the undead getting in our way, and other people trying to attack us, it was difficult. Over time, they either left or committed suicide. But not Dr. Mori, he was dedicated to the end. I never left his side.” Cole gloomily looks down.

“However, he was too dedicated to his work, too dedicated to finding a cure. It drove him mad. Seven days ago, he had the cure, but he needed a test subject. I told him I’d do it, but he denied. He also wouldn’t grab an innocent person to test the cure. So he administers it to himself.” Cole chokes up.

“I witness Dr. Mori become that thing before my eyes. I tried to stop him but he was devoted to do anything to complete his cure. Even risk his own life. I told him the world needed him, but he put his trust in me.” Cole’s eyes are watering now,

“Why me? I’m nobody! He was a genius! It should have been me who turned that day! Not him!”

Ben listens to the young man’s words. He can understand Cole is truly damaged by all of this.

“Watching him change into that thing was horrifying, and I witness it happen every time I dream.”

There’s silence between the two. The only sound is coming from the roaring engine of the Toyota.

Cole wipes the tears from his eyes,

“I’m sorry Ben, I didn’t mean to go on like that.”

“It’s okay Cole. You are a tough kid, and you’re smart for your age.” Ben tries to calm him.

Cole chuckles.

“How old do you think I am? Hell, I don’t even know how old I am.”

“How old were you before all of this?” Ben asks.

“Uhh, eighteen I think.”

“Well you’re probably twenty-six now.”

Surprised about how old he is, Cole sets his head back on his seat. “Damn, I’m old. Wait, I’m old enough to drink!”

Just like that, Ben and Cole laugh. They both laugh like good friends who always joke around. Both haven’t felt such clarity in a long time. They both had something they had to let out, and because of it, they’ve grown closer. As the bright sun shines in the middle of the sky, they get near the end of the mountains. More abandon cars began appearing as they leave the Rocky Mountains and get nearer to the city of Denver. The two men had settled down now from their laughter.

“Thanks for listening Ben.” Cole says.

“Of course. I know this might seem too much, but I think Dr. Mori knew what he was doing putting all his trust in you. You’re doing exactly what he wanted you to do. Trying to cure the world.” Ben tells him.

Cole smiles, until something ahead up the road catches his eye.

“Woah Ben slow down a bit. I think I see someone up ahead.” Cole tells him.

Ben leans forward a bit. Ahead they see a man limping with his hand covering a bloody arm; and behind him, two walking corpses chasing him.