Mutation 2020

I woke up in a room that I had never been in before. Not knowing where I was, who I was or even what I was. All I knew was that I was alive.  I sat up and look around the room the walls were blank, nothing but the paint on the walls. There was one window in the room and it was open and a cool breeze floated into the room. On the floor along the walls were multiple boxes all along the walls beside the wall behind me and that was because the bed I was on was against that wall. The door was closed and had 4 different locks on it a knob lock, dead bolt, a chain and 2 sliding locks on the top and bottom of the door.
I dropped my hands in my hand trying to remember anything, anything at all. My mind was a blank. I knew that I had memories but they had seemed to just disappear, gone, removed from my brain. I stood up and looked out the window. I was 3 stories up. There were cars that I had never seen before in the parking lots by the building I was in. There was a park across the street full of trees and crops. I didn’t understand anything I was seeing. It all seemed different changed but I didn’t know how there was something different in the air.
The door opened behind me with a clamor as the chain hit the door and I charming voice called to me.
“How are you feeling?” the gentle voice said.
“I don’t know, I don’t know” I whispered softly.
“You don’t remember anything do you?” the voice said so soft and kindly.
I turned and looked at the door. A lean girl stood looking at me with compassionate eyes like a mother would have looking at a child. She had short brown hair and dazzling light blue eyes. She wore a white tank top and a short denim skirt that went to her mid thigh. She was so sweet in nature it almost hurt to look at her not knowing what I was doing there or what I had done to get here.  I felt my eyes watering and my throat clench. I shook my head. Then I looked down to hide my weakness from her.
“You will in time. Everyone always remembers a couple hours after waking up. Maybe not all of it but they start to remember some of it. Do you want your stuff you came in with?” Her voice was encouraging and relaxing.
I nodded. She left the room and closed the door on her way out. Again I was alone and lost. I was even more lost by her word. “Everyone always remembers a couple hours later…” who was everyone. Was I not the only one this had happened to. Where am I? What am I doing here? I sat back down on the bed in bewilderment.
A few minutes later the door opened and the beautiful girl walked back into the room carrying a back pack which she set down in front of me. Then she sat down next to me on the bed. The back pack in front of me drew my all my attention. I knew it was a military pack. How I knew I don’t know I just did. On the top by the handle was a name.  M. Polenger. I knew it was my name, but what was my first name.  I opened the furthest pocket from me, the main pocket. I reached in and pulled two sets of military uniforms and a canteen. I opened the next pocket and found a letter on the top. It was unopened. It was addressed “Max Polenger”.
“So Max is your name. Well max nice to meet you, my name is Autumn. “  She said joyfully and stuck her hand out to me in greeting. I shook her hand and said “Nice to meet you Autumn”
“I’ll leave you to your stuff. I will come back in a few to check up on you. Ok?” Autumn whispered.
I nodded again and she got up and started to walk out of the room but before she closed the door a managed to ask “Where am I?”
She stopped and answered without looking back “You’re in hell.”
I froze at the words. What did she mean hell? Things seemed so peaceful and calm here. How could a place so beautiful be hell? I didn’t understand, and then again I didn’t even understand who I was or why I was here. I look at the letter that was still in my hand. It hadn’t been opened yet. I ripped off a small strip down the side of the envelope and looked inside and the pulled out the one piece of paper inside and opened it up.
June 9, 2021
Mr. Polenger,
         I regretfully inform you that you have been randomly selected to gather intel. from quarantine sector7-546B. Due to quarantine regulations you have been given an injection called Melacodone. It has minor side effects including but not limited to: Drowsiness, temporary loss of short and long term memory, and increased urination. The side effects should start to wear off 24 hours after injections. Contact will be made with you on your LMC (Long-Distance Mobile Communicator) in approximately36 hours. Further orders will be given upon contact.
Lt. A. Constance
     
Officer in Charge Of Operations
Thing made a little more sense but I still did not remember anything. I don’t know why this place is quarantined and why I was selected to come here to gather some kind of intel. I continued to search through the bag only to find military equipment. After pulling out a plated vest a reach in the bag and felt a cold metal. I pulled it out to see a T92 Handgun. Worried that autumn might come back in the room I put the gun back in the bag along with everything else. I grabbed my boots that were lying by the bed. I was wearing a pair of blue jeans, military boots, a gray t-shirt and a leather jacket, the classic American outfit. I was ready to go and look around but I was going to wait for Autumn so I could get some answers.

~“So who is he Autumn?” Larse asked.
“His name is Max, he still doesn’t remember anything. He seems to be doing well though” Autumn replied softly.
“Does he seem dangerous?” Dan asked
“No he seem like he will be ok to stay here.”Autumn alleged cheerfully.
“Ok but anything goes wrong and it is on you. He is your responsibility I don’t want anything to go wrong now we have worked too hard for someone like him to mess it up now. Take him outside while there is still day light. Make sure you don’t lose time be back BEFORE dark.” Sam barked
“I know Sam. God you worry too much relax I got it taken care of.” Autumn relied as she turned around and headed back to the room where Max was.
“If I didn’t worry so much we all would be dead” Sam hollered at Autumn
~I was trying to remember anything about anything, who I was where I was from where I was, what I did, anything but nothing came back to me. I heard some raised voices on the other side of the door. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but I could distinguish 3 male voices and one female voice which I figured was Autumn.
After a brief moment the door opened and Autumn walked in. She closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed next to me. She looked at me for a long moment just staring at me with those light blue eyes.
Then she finally broke the silence “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“Yah I think I would like that.” I said in relief.
“Follow me” She said while standing up. We went out the door into a small hall way. We walked down the hall and passed a few doors and an open room that a few guys were sitting in smoking an playing cards.
We went out the door at the end of the hall way which led outside. We walked on a cement walk way that lead to a spiral staircase that was surrounded with chain link fence and barbwire. When we got to the bottom we walked along the side of the building. I noticed that all the cars around the building had bars, fencing or some kind of guard on all the windows. All the cars also looked like they might be electric powered I couldn’t see any gas tank or anywhere to put fuel into them.
We then walked across the parking lot I had see from the room I was in to the park across the street. The park smelt so beautiful. The fresh air was a relief on my body. I stopped, spread my arms and closed my eyes and let the breeze brush my entire body. I felt like a bird in the air gliding through the wind.
As if Autumn knew what I was thinking she said in a joking tone “You done flying or do you want to talk later?”
I pulled myself out of my flight and followed her to a bench in the middle of the park. We both sat down on the bench. I looked around enjoying the park and all of its life.
“What would you like to know” Her soft voice pulled my attention to her.
“Where am I?”
“You are in what was once Los Angles.”
“What do you mean once?”
“The city has been secluded from all other cities by the military there is only one way in, the air. There is no way out every way we try they stop us.”
“Why are you guys secluded and who is doing this?”
She looked at me then started the story: “ It all started 6 years ago when the military was doing test on animals to make them military weapons so they wouldn’t lose as many American lives. As you would guess the test went bad way bad.
“they were doing trails on multiple variety of animals with a new drug called Trancom. Trancom was designed to give animals more strength and intelligence and make them more fierce. Chips were implanted on the animals to manage them so we could have control over them.
“The chips ended up frying due to the excessive amounts of brain activity from the animals. The animals luckily were still locked up in cages when the changes occurred. The animals not only changed their behaviors but they also changed physically. The all lost their fur, feathers, any kind of outer hair and  grew a hard dark skin similar to a snakes skin but stronger. Depending on the animal their bodies also began to mutate. On one animal, the Alaskan Wolves, their hips and hind legs reset themselves along with their spine so they could walk on their hind legs o run on all four. Their outer most paw joints dropped down and extended more outward, making an opposable thumb. All the animals went through massive mutations. The hawks that were tested on lost their beaks and grew rows of long sharp teeth that took up their whole mouth along with thin bat like wings.”
I sat in silence at what she was saying. She continued” Eventually they found out that the chemical was contagious. If the saliva or blood of the mutations were spread into the blood of another living creature it to would mutate. This was found out when a scientist was trying to get a blood sample from one of the animals when it bite him. St first it just seemed infected then a few days later he had a fever and began to go crazy. He was put into a quarantine cell and tested. They found the same drug the animals had been given in his blood.  A week later he had lost all his hair and his skin was turning black and hard. His muscle mass also grew extensively. His teeth became sharp and rigid. He lost all conscious though and thrived only to eat.
“After a couple months the militaries worst fear happened. The mutations broke out of their cages and took over the base the military ordered a lock down on the base. The military was not quick enough nor strong enough to handle the mutations. The epidemic began to spread in Los Angles, where the military had the scientific base. As soon as word broke out that there was a quarantine out break the government ordered a full containment of LA. It was called the Dome project the government had just finished the construction of a containment dome they would be place over a city like la in the kind of situation. Welcome to LA.