The Static Vessel

Chapter 01 - The Calm Before As the final bell reverberated through the polished halls of Parrswood High School, a palpable sense of unease hung in the air, like the stillness before a storm. Students shuffled through the corridors, their laughter echoing off the walls, but an unsettling tension lingered just beneath the surface. Outside, the sky was a slate grey, heavy with clouds that loomed ominously, casting long shadows over the school grounds. “And where do you think you are going?” Ruby asked, snatching Jamie’s bag off of him. “No- nowhere, my dad's waiting for me in his lab, I was just-” Jamie replied. “Aw, you cannot make it far without your daddy helping you? How sad. Boys, grab him.” Ruby demanded. The group now hurdled around Jamie, swarming him in, as Norah punched his face, he fell unconscious. “Drag him to the roof, Ruby pointed at another member of the group. The group of bullies were now dragging Jamie by his legs, until they finally reached the roof, now dropping Jamie as if he were an object. As he began to open his eyes, he felt a sudden urge, a tingling sensation to arise and fight back. Jamie stood his ground, immediately shot up, startling everyone amongst him. “Bryan, now!” Ruby shouted. With one smack at Jamie’s jaw, he immediately dodged it and had kicked the boy to the ground. “So that's how it's going to be? Norah said, now picking up a large metal pipe she had found next to the rooftop door. She took one hit towards his skull, but to her surprise, Jamie was unharmed. All of a sudden, Jamie began to transform into something, something unimaginable, his eyes twitched, his head turned, and his bones snapped. He was no longer Jamie, he was... a zombie. The group fell back, startled upon the sight before them. Jamie lurched forward, his movements unpredictable, Ruby now had grabbed the metal pipe off Norah and used it to push Jamie off the roof. “Take this you scumbag!” Ruby yelled. Jamie was met with his death, but this was not over, he was still alive, but not in his normal form. “Ruby what have you done? Were in such deep shi*!” Nora crossed her arms. “Run, everyone! We were never here.” Ruby replied. She was left with a horrifying sight, as she bent over the rooftop to see Jamie laying on the pavement, his bones no longer connected to his body. In the far corner of the cafeteria, a group of friends huddled around a table, their animated chatter abruptly interrupted as the lights flickered overhead. A collective hush fell over the room, eyes darting toward the flickering bulbs as if they were heralding something sinister. Whispers of unease spread like wildfire, igniting a sense of foreboding that settled in the pit of their stomachs. With each passing moment, the atmosphere grew thicker, charged with an inexplicable dread. As students filed out into the parking lot, a chilling wind swept through, carrying with it an eerie silence that swallowed the usual sounds of laughter and chatter. Unbeknownst to them, the world outside was shifting, and the sanctuary of Parrswood High would soon be tested in ways they could never have imagined. As the students drifted away from Parrswood High, oblivious to the dark clouds gathering overhead, Mr. Barry sat alone in his cluttered science lab. The room was filled with the scent of chemicals and the faint hum of equipment, but today, it was overshadowed by something far more sinister. Mr. Barry had always been a dedicated teacher, but his life had taken a desperate turn. His son, Jamie, had been the target of relentless bullying, and in a moment of misguided love, Mr. Barry had sought to create a serum that would enhance his son's strength and confidence. He envisioned a formula that would empower Jamie to stand up to his tormentors, to become the hero of his own story. However, in his haste and desperation, something had gone horribly wrong. The concoction he developed had unforeseen side effects, transforming not only Jamie but his wife, too, into mindless, rotting shells of their former selves. They were trapped in their home, tied up in an effort to contain the chaos that had ensued. Each day, Mr. Barry returned to the lab, desperately searching for a cure while the stench of decay clung to him, a constant reminder of his catastrophic mistake. As he walked through the school halls, students whispered and wrinkled their noses at the smell that seemed to follow him like a shadow. "Why does he smell like rotting corpses?" they would murmur, their eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and revulsion. Little did they know, the source of that odour was a heart-wrenching secret that weighed heavily on Mr. Barry's conscience. The more he worked to find a solution, the more isolated he became. His once-cherished role as a teacher was overshadowed by the burden of his family’s fate, and the walls of Parrswood High began to feel like a prison, closing in on him as the reality of his actions loomed larger with each passing day. The world outside was blissfully unaware of the horror that was brewing, and soon, that ignorance would shatter in an unimaginable way. As Mr Barry made his way outside school, he stumbled across a horrifying site. His son, Jamie, was lying on the floor, unconscious. Without another thought, Mr Barry rushed to the nearest hospital. At the hospital, Mr Barry stumbled upon an old friend. “Davies, please, he’s going to turn any second now, you have got to help me.” Mr Barry pleaded. “Barry? How did you know I was here?” He replied. Mr Barry was losing desperate patience. “Dammit Davies just take me to your lab okay; we need to save Jamie while there is still time.” “You mean, you’re finally going to let me test on him, after all these years? When you left me to do this, all by myself? Why the sudden change of heart?” Davies scoffed. “Please Davies, you don’t want to see your nephew die in front of you, do you? I wasn’t able to save Amy from this, but I’m positive you can still save Jamie, just take us to your lab.” “Fine but keep your voice down.” Davies was now leading Mr Barry to a top secret spot down a hallway in the hospital. Davies pulled out a certain key card, in which only he had access to. With a sound of a click, the solid doors opened, leaving a loud bang sound as they walked through it, the doors shutting tight behind them. “Welcome to Chimera, Benjamin.” Mr Barry took a glance around the atmosphere surrounding him, scientists all working at their designated spots, clipboards in their hands. “You did all of this after mom and dad passed? I’m only impressed you pulled it off.” Barry exclaimed. “There’s no time for small talk, Benjamin. Follow me.” Davies replied. He led the three of them into a tight isolated room, where they Mr Barry laid Jamie down onto a stretcher, strapping Jamie down as he jumped eagerly to bite Mr Barry. Mr Barry, now with a heavy heart indicated to Davies to begin the procedure. “Do it, now Davies, quick before there's no time left.” Davies picked up a syringe filled with a serum and injected it into Jamies arm. Within seconds, Jamie shot up from the stretched, leaped forward and dug his teeth into Davies arm, to which he had no response whatsoever. “Nice try you pathetic scum,” He rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bite sleeve. He grabbed the bible from the pile of books in the bookcase. “Take this you demon!” Davies beat Jamie with the bible as hard as he could, hoping to remove the devil posted inside of him. Jamie screeched to death, as he formed into a tiny rat, now scurrying across the floor. “Jesus Christ, Davies. Hurry put him in a cage.” Barry panted. “Would you want me to continue testing him here or would you prefer to keep him in your lab?” Davies asked.