Red Eye

Part Eight

I'm not sure why I've become so fixated on finding out what this is. No one else has made any progress so why do I think I'll be the one to discover something new? What I should be doing is plotting my next move, gathering my supplies and staking out a new place to hide out. 

But if I know what I'm facing, if I truly know what lies beyond those doors, maybe I can be better prepared. If I finally know what I'm up against, I'll have a better chance of surviving, a better chance of staying alive. And maybe if I find out what this is, I can stop it before it gets any worse than it already is. 

Everything in my gut is telling me this isn't zombies... It just can't be! None of these people are dead, none of them have been bitten, none of them are feasting on brains! The heightened levels of aggression and violence give strength to the whole super-soldier theory but I'm not fully convinced that's the answer quite yet. And even if this were some kind of illegal serum or enhanced steroid, how would it be spreading this quickly... especially across the globe?

Speculation is still running rampant on the ZASurvivors blog that now there's a poll pitting four of the most plausible theories against each other. Zombie invasion and super-soldier takeover are currently neck and neck. The mutant herpes guy is still advocating his theory, poor guy!

In my desperate obsession to find answers, it's strangely become easier for me to watch the videos now, seeing them as a means of research rather than a source of twisted entertainment. Just endlessly scrolling and clicking. Eyes glued to the screen. I've looked through dozens of photos and screen-shots, zoomed in until the images became too blurry to focus on any small detail that could serve as a meaningful clue. And still, I've found nothing. 

I've thought about posting my own theory to the ZASurvivors account but I fear what kind of response it would get. Instead of indulging more crazed conspiracies, my belief still stands (admittedly on shaky legs) that this is some outward, heightened expression of people's inner turmoil- their rage, their unease, their uncertainty- somehow boiling over into acts of pure  chaos. Maybe our emotions have finally gotten the best of us, have completely shut down our rational capabilities. Maybe we've finally given ourselves permission to be the worse versions of ourselves without remorse, without fear, without concern for the consequences of our actions. 

There's always been this primal urge within humans. There's always been a feral side to us, a beastly nature that we haven't fully shed since our gradual evolution. Maybe we've been holding it in too long, kept it caged and now it's found a way to run free. I have nothing to support this theory... not that proof really counts... but it's the best I've got so far. 

This quest for the truth has been really kicking my ass and sleep is becoming harder and harder to come by. Despite the mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, I keep pushing myself further, extending my limits in this pursuit of something that may never be revealed. 

How far into the darkness can I go before it swallows me whole?

...

I've found something...

I don't know what it means yet... But it looks promising.

Chasing various threads on forums deep within the ZASurvivors account, I found a user that somehow got hold of and posted one of the first videos of the attacks. The exact details are scarce but from what I've found, it looks like the footage was taken roughly within the first few days people started to notice something strange was going on. The video apparently is from a small town in London.

It's a bit shaky at first and looks like it was recorded from an older cellphone so the quality isn't the greatest. The person behind the camera appears to be testing it out, waving it around here and there, a slow panning of their surroundings. They stop for a second, pointing the camera toward the ground, recording their feet. I assume they're trying to figure out the settings. Then it suddenly jerks upward, focusing on a little girl with her back facing the camera. She's standing completely rigid, her arms appear to be crossed in front of her chest, her hands furiously twisting something we can't fully see yet. 

"Oi... everything alright miss?" the person behind the camera shouts.

The girl's head moves slightly, reacting to the person's voice, but she doesn't turn around.

"Are your Ma and Pa around?"

Aside from an unnervingly slow tilt of the head, the girl shows no response.

"Are you lost then?"

Silence.

The person behind the camera begins to hastily walk toward the young girl. In a gentle tone of  voice, they ask her if she needs to be taken to the station to talk to the police or if there's someone in the area looking for her. The concern in their voice grows more noticeable the closer they get to the girl who still has yet to offer any response. 

The person, now inches away from the girl, hesitantly reaches out toward her. Sensing their presence, the girl suddenly begins to emit a strange noise. A low whining... but not like that of a normal child... more like a feral cat that's defending its territory. Startled by the inhuman sound, the person suddenly drops their phone and for a moment, the video goes dark as the person struggles to pick it up. 

Lifted from the ground, the camera suddenly shows the person holding it. For only a split second, we get to see the face behind the screen. We get to truly see them in their final moments. A much older gentleman, his face heavy with wrinkles but youthful, almost sky-blue eyes that show a deep kindness that is only known within the gentlest of souls. He was probably someone's grandfather, or someone's neighbor, or a cherished resident of the small town. For the briefest of moments, he is someone we all know, someone we care for...

And then...

The camera suddenly shifts focus and we come face to face with the young girl who's now staring directly into the camera. Her eyes are a deep scarlet, more intense than the other Red-Eyes I've seen. Her chapped lips, partially opened, continue to release that high-pitched whine. It's revealed she's been holding a baby doll, one hand around its neck, the other firmly gripping its head, deliberately twisting it until it's facing the wrong way. The entire time her eyes are focused on the camera until a loud pop like the uncorking of a champagne bottle is heard, startling the man.

As if this disturbing display was merely a prelude to the horror that would follow, the little girl tosses the decapitated doll aside and drops to the ground, crouching on all fours. A stomach-turning mixture of a giggle and a howl erupts from within her and she launches herself forward, sprinting after the man like a deranged animal...

The video stops after that.

Most of the comments are simply stunned reactions. The typical abbreviations here and there. A scattered few asking if there's extended footage of what happened. Others expressing concerns. Did the man survive? What happened to the girl? Does anyone know who either of them are?

Perhaps the most important... and alarming question... is within the video's title.

IS THIS PATIENT ZERO?