9

Reverend Apocalysis: Reality Surpassed Fiction

Capítulo 9 - Concerns

"Thank you once again for your help, sir. I hope you have a good night, and that was truly an incredible story." Anton offered a drink to the man who had brought him home and helped him unload all the things he had bought.

Indeed, there were many boxes, not only of packaged food but also canned. Anton was a simple man, so he took care of buying food for months because both he and his father were usually very lazy.

Just as he was about to close the door, a man in a suit appeared in front of Anton's house, and after a few long strides, he said, "Sorry for being late, Mr. Anton. Traffic is horrendous in the city."

Anton looked at his father's lawyer and nodded, "It must have been tough getting here. We live in a gated community, so I suppose arriving after a day's work is sometimes tedious."

Mr. Anderson looked at Anton with a somewhat serious expression and said, "There is something important to discuss. Have you checked the file your father sent you about 23 hours ago?"

Anton shook his head as he entered his house, allowing Anderson to follow. After entering, he walked to the kitchen for a bottle of water, which he then handed to Mr. Anderson, asking, "Do you know anything about what I have on my computer?"

"Information... Very useful information that could change our lives for the better in the future, not now, but in a few weeks, we may face an unprecedented catastrophe." Anderson adjusted his glasses and said in a cold tone, "Mr. Anton, your father Sergei sent me a final message and said not to expect his return. I don't want to think about it, but it was his message, and due to the last instructions he gave me for you, I will send you a series of containers with some things that will be difficult for you to find in the last days due to your age and experience."

Anton frowned and asked, somewhat confused, "Wait, wait, wait, you're going too fast. What do you mean by all this information? Is my father in trouble?"

"I don't know, Mr. Anton, but what I do know is what I've done in these last eight hours, and it's possibly something that will keep you alive for the next ten years..." Anderson walked toward the door and said, "Everything is in that file; you'll understand when you review it. You must prepare yourself, Mr. Anton; the end of the world is near."

Anton wanted to do something, but clearly, he couldn't hit his father's lawyer. Much less this man who had been very close to his family since childhood, so he immediately, with an idea in mind, ran to his room on the second floor and opened his computer.

"Don't tell me you're dead, stupid father!"

As his heart pounded, he opened the file, and folders with code names and hundreds of thousands of files with strange information appeared on his computer.

"[Physiological symptoms of Carriers with the Rage Virus:

The Rage Virus causes Carriers to experience almost constant spasms in their limbs; their iris enlarges and subsequently turns red.

They also bleed regularly, if not constantly, from bodily orifices such as eyes, nose, mouth, and hair follicles. In extreme cases, they vomit large amounts of infectious blood due to internal capillary hemorrhage.]"

"What are these images?" Anton's hand trembled as he saw pictures of what seemed to be human patients bleeding from many openings in their bodies. His stunned gaze shifted to the narrated information below.

"While Carriers eventually die of starvation, they seem to be able to last longer than non-Carriers without nutrition, as up to four weeks passed after the subjects died."

Anton then looked at images and videos of the information that was only in this folder, then he went to another section that said 'warning to keep in mind.' This explained how the virus, initially designed as a weapon to destroy other viruses, began to mutate and create different types of viruses with completely different pathogens.

These virus Carriers, whether mutated or not, apparently retain basic intelligence to solve problems. It is known that they instantly ignore the uninfected they are attacking or chasing if they die abruptly before the Carriers can infect them.

"Test number 534... It has been shown that when an uninfected individual is nearby, a Carrier becomes enraged and tries to reach and infect or kill the non-Carriers. However, those Carriers of Rage also ignore each other, attacking only those who are not Carriers and show no symptoms of infection."

"The infected use their sense of smell to find the uninfected and distinguish other Carriers from non-Carriers, and small amounts of products like perfume or soap will attract the infected to the source. I speculate that the infection occurs like other diseases, and I'm almost certain that this virus enhances hearing and smell senses."

Anton sat on the couch, leaving the laptop on the table in the center of the room. Unbeknownst to him, his body was drenched in cold sweat, and he was absolutely sure that this was not some kind of joke or ridiculous virus.

"Father, how am I supposed to understand this information?" Anton wondered as he walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cold water bottle.

He wasn't foolish; he knew his father worked on something more than simple business trips, as he had told his aunt. In this regard, Anton once confronted his father and asked if he had actually quit his job as a mercenary.

His response was simple: "I will never be in danger, so you should know that there's nothing to worry about."

"I told you that job would end up consuming more than just your pain, father..." Anton was about to check other files when he saw a video outside of all the folders, and the title only said 'Anton...'

"Oh..." Anton took a deep breath and felt his breathing start to accelerate, along with the beating of his heart.

When the video started, he saw his father, covered in blood, with gunshot sounds in the background as he spoke. His face could only be described as haggard; his father, who had always been strong, appeared vulnerable in the video.

"My dear son, I know these words may sound bewildering to you, and that's why I want you to know how much I love you and how much your safety matters to me. What I'm about to tell you is of the utmost importance, and I ask you to listen carefully and follow my instructions to the letter."

"What you will find in the files I've left you is real, and what is at stake is more than just a simple virus. You must understand that we are facing a critical situation, a threat that only a few fully comprehend. What those who did this plan is a global attack, something that will erupt worldwide simultaneously."

"The first thing you must do is gather supplies, a lot of supplies, and take them to the basement of our house. Spend all the cash we have if necessary, and make sure the shelter is well stocked. Spare no resources or effort because the survival of those you choose to bring with you depends on this."

"I ask you to protect the house and keep the shelter in the best possible condition. I don't know when or how it will happen, but I know that something will happen that will make everything spiral out of control. When that happens, we must be prepared."

"You have to take care of yourself, son, and take care of those with you. Before you know it, I'll be back home, and we'll be okay. I won't rest until I come back to you and take charge of your safety, and that's the most important thing to me."

"I know this may be hard to understand right now, but trust me and follow these instructions. Don't worry about me; I'm doing what I know I must do to protect you and those we love."

"I love you deeply, and although I can't tell you exactly when I'll be back, I want you to know that I'll be with you in spirit and that we'll be together again soon. Stay strong, my son, and prepare for what is to come."

Anton remained silent; his hands clenched tightly, and he could only curse, "Sergei, you damn old man, make sure to survive first and don't give me false hope!"