Dungeon

CHAPTER 12 - THE LETHAL ELIXIR

The hallway leading away from the chaos in the main church was dark but lit heavily with flaming candles. The air hung around with the distant, fading sounds of the chaos from the main hall, a fusion of strong frankincense and myrrh.

Jessica looked tired, and Bryan looked nothing less. His eyes were bloodshot from the scene he had just witnessed. He felt the earth close in on him as his mind urged him to find the killer and shred him to pieces. He was this close! I could have saved that poor life! He knew that he wasn't at fault, but his guilt pricked him hard to the core.

Behind him, the priest seemed to resonate with his thoughts too. Years of working as a top-notch scientist under the US government were like a dream come true. Beautiful peers, an enriching workplace, and most of all, the Vanguard Lab was like a haven. But everything came crashing down until the devil took the form of a lethal elixir: HydraHepA.

They reached the end of the hallway, where they found themselves in a warm, cozy room. The room was large but had a rustic touch to it. The Last Supper mural by Leonardo Da Vinci hung high above the wall. Paulo motioned for them to sit at a small coffee table beside the window.

Bryan knew that each and every moment was precious and that there was no time to waste. Clearing his throat out, he tried to find the words out of thin air as if they were hanging around him. "Paulo, we need to know everything about HydraHepA...now!"

For the first time since the chaos, Jessica looked up. She gave him a bloodshot look and whispered in a monotone voice. "It's a priest! Address him as a father and not by his name!"

Bryan, who had spent much of his teenage life fending for himself, found himself in an awkward predicament. The unfamiliar territory of religious customs and reverence felt like a foreign language to him. Shifting uneasily, he managed to find the words to cover up the so-called mistake that he had just made. "I mean father Paulo."

Paulo chuckled and heaved a huge sigh, as if this wasn't new to him. "My boy, remember that I was a former scientist? Science and religion are like two sides of the same coin. You flip and watch a single side; you lose faith in the other." He paused for a moment and looked at the large mural above their heads. "Without knowing that, if not for the two sides, a coin wouldn't have been in place."

Jessica seemed to take in the intensity of the room. "Father, I know that you were a former scientist on the team, but we do not have much time. A maniac is out there, waiting to destroy the entire nation."

Paulo gave out a small chuckle, and his eyes bore into hers. "Entire nation? That thing can wipe out the entire earth!" He took a step near the window and opened its doors. Fresh air flowed into the room, which seemed to lighten their shoulders a bit. "It was sixteen years ago when we found HydraHepA. I was 24 at the time, gushing with the vigorous energy of youth. Vanguard Medical Division was my home, and, oh wait! You guys know about Vanguard, right?"

The duo gave a curt nod. Paulo gave a feeble smile and continued without taking his gaze from the window. "AquaPlague was a catastrophic, waterborne pandemic that emerged back in 2066. It spread rapidly through contaminated water sources, causing a wide range of severe and mysterious symptoms. Victims experienced high fever, intense dehydration, organ failure, and ultimately death within a matter of days. We tried to formulate an advanced version to combat the issue, and thus HydraHepA was formed, and it was a huge success."

Bryan couldn't believe his ears. He was indeed aware of the widespread pandemic, but the medicine being a success was something he couldn't believe. "If it was a success, why is it causing havoc? Shouldn't it be publicized?"

Paulo shot him a fiery look, one that carried anger and spite. If looks could kill, Bryan thought he would be dead by now. "The entire medicine was tampered with, its original purpose twisted into a deadly weapon," Paulo continued, his voice quivering with suppressed anger. "Someone infiltrated my lab, manipulating the very foundation of HydraHepA's creation, and the consequences is going to be catastrophic. And poor Jayden..." He heaved a huge sigh and murmured something, which seemed to be a prayer.