Contaminate

The hum of an alarm raced down and back through the long dimly lit hall. The light circled along the walls on each side illuminating the gray padded landscape. They sat up steadying themselves with both hands, looking down at a lukewarm puddle of scarlet liquid. With dirt lined fingernails they traced their temple until promptly coming across a fresh gash, lined with cold metal staples pulling the skin together.

Looking around two things came to mind, Where am I? Who am I? Next to them laid a surface Tablet with the screen cracked in the corner but still charged. In bold letters it said:

Reset Your Password.

After glancing up their eyes traced a small round cutout in the wall. Expecting to see light, they instead saw nothing. Using their hands to push off the ground they were able to stand and feel through the Khaki green jumpsuit looking for clues. Running their hands along the seams and fabric they felt small tears and sections that had dried on blood and other materials stained on the material.

A small square caught their attention inside of the right cargo pocket. Pulling the square out they realized it was a tag with letters engraved into the metal spelled Fig. Studying the tag in their hands, and realizing there was no familiar ring or feeling “ Am I Fig?” Half whispered, half spoken.

Their eyes glanced through the room again and stopped at the window. Before anything they grabbed the tablet and attached it with the soft plastic clip onto their pants. Fig Walked towards the window and saw a steady stream of mixed rubble floating through space. “I’m in Space.” The hallway they stood in was also littered with rubble, and the smell of burnt electronics and plastics wafted through the air occasionally. Scanning through the rubble Fig's eyes locked onto a figure that stood out amongst the metal pieces and wires. Their Breath hitched and Fig's eyes began to locate other figures slowly traveling through the line of sight, steadying themselves their hands clutched onto the metal frame of the window.

Bodies of all sizes and genders with arms, legs and facial features missing slowly floated past the round window. A sharp static panic hit their chest and the realization of the situation hit them. Shallow breaths pushed through their lungs and Fig couldn’t feel their hands. With eyes darting back to their hands steading themselves on either side of the wall and wet palms they started trekking through the hallway, with each section only lit by the next flashing low yellow light.

With each step they continued to creep up their body almost like quicksand. Broken Images of what must have been memories with unrecognizable faces flashed through the dark hallway. A soft hissing noise came up on their left side, and they gingerly walked toward the noise. Waiting for the light to circle back they saw the source of the hiss. The wall had been torn off exposing the metal under the gray padding. A gasket was exposed and blood dripped from the hole, while air softly escaped through the bend metal.

Scanning the room with the light rotation lighting up the next section, Fig saw droplets of blood going towards a small turn off on the right side. A Low scraping sound could be heard from the same direction.

Fig glanced around the metal floor searching for something, anything to take with them before going towards the source of the scraping. Their eyes caught the glint of what looked like a handle, stained with blood. Quietly Fig leaned down and grabbed the metal handle careful not to run the top along the floor while doing so. Their eyes met the top of the pulaski, a combined Ax and Adze. Along the bottom of the Letters lined out in Dark bold read: Belov & Yong-Sun Federation.

Fig’s hands tightened around the handle and their eyes met the dark turn off of the hallway. Their boots stepped carefully navigating through the creaks of the metal and whatever light they could get through each rotation of the yellow emergency alarm. Fig’s body was softly illuminated by the light, almost ruining their sight while in the darkness and when the light turned to the next hallway their hearing muffled completely.

Bloodless coloured pale Legs that were heavily bruised, and unnaturally twisted backwards contorted while its nails drug across the grooves scraped into the metal flooring back and forth. It’s toenails drug against the same pattern on the floor, creating small pools of blood . Fig’s eyes cautiously trailed up the creature’s body locking onto its hands grasping at a hollowed out face slowly tearing at its cheeks. Its nose and lips were virtually gone, and its jagged blood stained fingertips continued to pull off until almost nothing was left to peel off.

The yellow alarm light reflected off the creature’s black colourless pupils, as it stared past

Fig into the padded wall behind them. Ivory markings of what must have been bone were scattered on its forehead and patches of wiry hair left in tufts on the creature’s skull.

Fig paused until the realization cut through the room.

This used to be human

While the body rocked back and forth Fig backed up and retraced their steps back into the hall, the alarm muffled by the sinking feeling of dread and fear. The metallic smell of blood faded from the air and was replaced by the smell of burnt electronics. Their back softly hit against the padding of the adjacent wall and a sharp dry chattering echoed in front of them.

Fig’s breath hitched and they stood motionless waiting for the yellow light to circle back, feeling the sweat mixed with blood from their temple sliding down their cheekbone. The yellow light showed the empty corner, with a fresh trail of blood dripping down the wall. The source of the blood trail was a shredded vent opening to an air duct Littered with blooded scratches and deformed hand prints.

A new Alarm sounded through the speakers located above with an AI Voiced attached to it.

“Unidentified Biohazard located in Engineering Sector 2B, Air Duct”

“Chief Metallurgist engineer Yong-Sun, please acknowledge Gaia system Ping”

The tablet vibrated on Fig’s hip with the same message.

Reset Your Password.