Thud

…

That was close. Way. Too. Close.

A shaky breath escaped as a chuckle as he stared down at the mess in front of him. The typical stench of rotting blood and flesh wafted from the mangled corpse; once Ghost couldn’t stand it, but now it was hardly a second thought. The metal pipe dropped from their hand, hitting the ground with a loud clang. 

They stared blankly down at their blood-soaked clothes and skin. Such a pain, they had just found these clothes and now they were ruined. Damned walking corpses. Ghost wiped his hands against the already ruined cloth, only succeeding in smearing the blackish-red liquid further. Why did it always have to be so damn messy? He gave a hard sigh, stepping over the body of his would-be killer and walking further into the construction site he had entered earlier.

Of course it was bound to be filled to the brim with rotters, but they needed an escape and this had been the best option. Ghost would rather not get cornered in one of those cramped apartments; rotters could be dealt with, but those hunting him weren’t as mindless as those corpses.

Rotters… the dead now living once more. If you could really call them “alive”. No one was sure what caused it; the bodies of the dead to reanimate. It only took hours, but after a person died, their body would slowly rise again. 

They were far more dangerous freshly dead. Their bodies were still mostly intact. As time went on, those walking corpses would slowly rot, becoming weaker and slower over time until they couldn’t move anymore; thus the name “rotters”.

Unlike the typical zombies from the media, being bitten had no effect– at least no effect in regards to turning into another rotter. The injury would still get infected with all the nasty germs rotters carried but that was another subject entirely. Rotters only turned when they were fully dead, cause of death didn’t matter. The only way to truly kill one of them was to completely annihilate it or to destroy or sever the head. They were a pain to get rid of.

The dim air from the looming floors above and crumbling concrete provided good cover; and if worse came to worst… there were always those open, unfinished walls. He peeked over the edge, seven floors up. Definitely a last resort.

Ghost flopped over on a dirty white bucket that sat on the floor. It sloshed at the impact; they had no interest in finding out what foul liquid was inside. Left unattended for god knows how many years, who knows what could be festering inside. 

Not that Ghost was unaccustomed to such filth, there was no such thing as “clean” when people had more pressing matters to focus on; namely surviving the walking corpses and various freaks whose only goal was to kill and eat them.

He closed his eyes. He was so tired.

It was a constant, something that never seemed to go away. Regardless of how often they spent sleeping, wasting away each pointless day, they never felt awake– honestly, they hardly ever felt alive. Perhaps it was the stress of having their life always on the line, or the lack of food and water. Whatever it was, it was annoying.

Ghost’s eyes shot open. Those were voices, barely audible, echoing through the open concrete structure. Shit. How did they find him so fast? With one swift movement, he was off the ground and running around a cracked pillar. Pressing their back against the cold stone, they paused. The voices continued to grow closer, three… no four of them.

Could he take that many?… Of course not, that’s why he ran in the first place. Ghost tightened their grip on the bloodied metal pipe in their hand. It was the best weapon they’ve had for a while- ever since they broke the bat. But those people were also armed, with guns nonetheless. How they had found such rare weapons was a mystery to Ghost; if only he could get his hands on one of those…

But most of them had been snatched up when the mutants first began their attack.

Ghost shook their head. No time for wishful thinking, they needed to get out before they got caught. Gunshots rang out, the violent blast echoing painfully. That could only mean his hunters were being attacked– pray for them it was mutants and not rotters, guns were useless against the corpses; you can’t kill what’s already dead.

Inhaling quickly, Ghost pulled away from their hiding place to creep along the shadows. Call it edgy or whatever, but this is exactly why they only wore black. Anything else was too easily spotted. Each step was quick but quiet; he had a natural talent for being silent.

He had made it down one level when he came across exactly who he had been avoiding. Two people in typical tattered clothing stood talking while another sat crouched over the bleeding body of what was likely the fourth person. Another corpse sat nearby, it’s inky blood forming a pool on the concrete. A mutant. Too bad it only took care of one of Ghost’s hunters before kicking the bucket. He stared at its withered black form for a moment longer before continuing to dart between pillars and other debris that could hide him.

He cried out, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Ghost stared blankly at the ground now inches from their face; what? It was only then the fading echoes of a gunshot came to him along with a searing pain in his leg. Not good. That was really not good. A gruff voice sounded from above them. 

“It’s about goddamn time, you’re a real slippery rat you know?” The large man crouched over, one of the two who had been talking, Ghost recognized. 

He didn’t respond, earning an irritated grunt from the man. Without another word, the man grabbed Ghost by the shoulder, shoving him into the open. He hit the ground once more, pain shooting up his arm this time.

“Oh c’mon Al, there’s no need to be so rough with the kid; he’s already caught,” An amused, female voice hummed. 

The other person who had been talking; a sly looking woman smiled down at Ghost. He returned her smile with a cold glare. These people were so annoying. The third, the one who was crouched over the body of their ally, hadn’t moved or so much as glanced over to look at the commotion.

“Did you really think you would just simply get away with murdering an entire hunting group, Ghost? I thought you were smarter than that,” She sighed, kneeling down beside him. Ghost sat up, edging away.

“Screw off Tess, I already told you. It. Wasn’t. Me,” Ghost snapped. Though there was a hint of anger in his voice, his expression remained eerily blank. 

Tess simply clicked her tongue.

“You’ve been found guilty, Ghost, it’s time you come back and face punishment,” Al grumbled, still standing over Ghost. “Or, we could kill you right here and now. I would be ecstatic to finally end your miserable life for you.”

With that, Ghost leapt to his feet. They only made it a few paces before Al had caught up and slammed them back against the ground. They hit the hard concrete, air knocked from their lungs. They coughed, gasping for air as a heavy boot slammed into the center of their stomach.

“Wrong answer,” The man grumbled, pulling a gleaming back pistol from his belt. 

Time seemed to slow. Was this… it? Darkness covered the edges of his vision, his consciousness slipping; his head had hit the ground one too many times. At least, they wouldn’t have to witness their own death…

–

“Mmmhn…”

Ghost slowly opened his eyes. Where…? He shot up in the bed, blankets falling from his shoulders– bed? They stared down at the mattress and blankets. Surely he was dreaming, there was no way those people would’ve spared him. Could he… already be dead?

The dull ache from his body said otherwise. Ghost shifted the blanket off of him, looking down to find his leg bandaged. They lifted their hand, lightly touching the side of their head where more bandages sat.

Ghost slowly looked around the room, a filthy window was the only source of light. The room was nothing special, small and simple; in the typical state of disrepair most places held. The door hung off the hinges, open enough to reveal the dark hallway behind it.

There was no questioning it, someone had most definitely brought them here; but who? Ghost had no allies, nobody who would care enough to bother saving him. But there was no way in hell Al or Tess would’ve left him alive.

He stood, gingerly testing his leg on the carpeted floor. As usual, the pain was now only a dull ache; Ghost had noticed early on, they seemed to have some ungodly level of pain tolerance. It was rather useful. Though how long exactly they’ve been like this, they couldn’t tell. See… he couldn’t remember anything past two or so years ago. It was… not even a blur, it just wasn’t there.

However, Ghost didn’t care all that much. He had more important things to worry about, such as not dying. The past was useless to him, so why pursue it?

He eyed the broken door. Unless they had just up and left, whoever had saved him would likely be on the other side. He really didn’t want to meet them… It wasn’t a good thing to owe someone your life, not in this place. With a sigh, Ghost pushed the door out of their way, stepping into the dark hall. More dim window-light came from the other side, it was probably the living room. He could hear voices.

Ghost peered around the corner. There were two; a taller woman and… the third person who had been with Al and Tess? His eyes narrowed, would it be safe to step out? They hadn’t so much as spared him a glance when their two partners had been attacking Ghost; they didn’t help him, but they also didn’t show any aggression.

He took a slow breath, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. Ghost stepped into the rather small living room, hanging by the wall until the strange woman noticed him.

“Oh! You’re awake! How… long have you been standing there? Didn’t even see you walk in!” The woman now stood, walking calmly over to him. Ghost tensed, but she stopped a respectable distance from them. 

“Name’s Jay,” The woman– Jay– hummed with a smile, sticking her hand out. Did she want them to shake her hand?… So odd. Ghost stood firmly in place, crossing their arms across their chest.

“Not a chatty one ‘ey? No worries! The kid back there is Echo, they called me over when you were getting attacked by those fools,” Jay chuckled, smiling back at Echo who gave a small smile in return. “They don’t talk much either.”

Ghost watched with a weary gaze. So the third– Echo– had helped him in a way… He sighed.

“Ghost. That’s the name I go by,” They muttered. Could they let their guard down here? The pair didn’t seem malicious… 

He had plenty of experience with people like that; those who just wanted to use and discard him. Too many to count. But he didn’t sense those same malicious desires from the smiling woman in front of him or the quiet person behind her; he didn’t sense much of anything from Echo; it made him only more weary.

“It’s lovely to meet you Ghost~” Jay beamed at him, finally closing the distance between them to pat his shoulder. Ghost flinched away from the touch, walking to the other side of the room. Jay watched him in confusion for a moment before chuckling. “No touching then, got it.”

Where did she get such cheery energy from? Ghost couldn’t decide whether it was amusing or annoying.

“Mind if I ask you a question? Why were those republic folk after you like that? From what I’ve seen they only ever want to recruit more people, not kill ‘em,” Jay tilted her head, walking over to the sofa to flop down beside Echo.

Ghost stared for a moment. Could he trust them? It was the question he kept asking himself. Perhaps?… It wouldn’t hurt to try and make new allies; he’d just keep them at arm’s length.

“They believe I’m at fault for an incident that resulted in the death of seven others. I was the only survivor, thus they think I orchestrated the mass killing,” He spoke in a simple, matter-of-fact tone. It truly was annoying, but perhaps they had already been looking for a reason to get rid of him.

Jay raised a brow.

“Quite the heavy crime there, no wonder they were so dead-set on killing you,” She gave a strained laugh, clearly uncomfortable now. “You didn’t actually– y’know– kill a bunch of people right? I’d rather not be hosting a mass murderer. Hehe…”

Ghost gave her a withering glare to which Echo piped up.

“I uh– was actually there when it happened… not with the group but up in one of the buildings looking through a window. It really was just them being in the wrong place, at the wrong time,” They mumbled softly, fidgeting with their hands and not quite meeting anyone’s gaze. “I wouldn’t have called Jay to save you if I weren’t sure you were a good person.”

Echo gave a shy smile at Ghost, to which he softened a little. ‘Good person’ was a bit of an overstatement, but he didn’t say anything. Echo really didn’t appear to have any ill intent; in fact they didn’t seem to have an aggressive bone in their body. 

“Speaking of ‘saving’, what happened to Al and Tess?” He asked quietly. “The two who wanted me dead,” Ghost added when Jay seemed a bit confused.

“Oh! No worries~ I just chased ‘em off. They should be alive and well so long as they didn’t get jumped on their way back,” Jay giggled with a tiny grin. “They got real scared when I almost turned– Al was it?– into a shish kabob~”

Ghost grimaced, holding back a small laugh. The guy definitely deserved it. They stood in silence for a moment before Echo spoke in a small voice.

“How’s your leg? It looked really bad earlier, but you’re walking now so it can’t be too bad,” They mumbled, looking down at Ghost’s leg. The cloth of his pant leg had been cut away so the injury could be treated and bandaged. Ghost tilted his head.

“It’s fine. Nothing more than a small ache,” He sighed, finally relaxing against the wall. The pain had begun to build again but it was nothing they couldn’t handle.

Echo nodded, giving a small smile.

“Perhaps you should lay back down? Wouldn’t want the stitches to break,” Jay waved Ghost back in the direction of the room he had come from. He watched her wearily for a moment before walking through the hall without a word. They seemed trustworthy… but appearances could be deceiving.

Ghost flopped back into the bed, the wooden frame creaking in protest at the sudden weight. It had been a long time since they had slept peacefully. They doubted now would be any different, especially with the two strangers just a room away. He sighed, laying back against the thin mattress. Best to try and rest while he could.

–

Things had been going surprisingly well; Ghost had been staying with Jay and Echo these past few weeks. It was… nice having some company. Echo had opened up to him more and Jay continued to be unreasonably upbeat; it seemed that’s just how she was. They’d had a few run-ins while out and about, scavenging and whatnot. Rotters and mutants were prominent in the city. It was a hotspot for survivors and thus death followed. Regardless, things had been about as pleasant as they could be in the apocalypse.

Though… it had become clear someone was watching them. Ghost had noticed it about a week ago; an odd presence that seemed to follow the trio wherever they went. He hadn’t yet spoken up about it, but it seemed that Echo noticed too. They had been on edge quite a bit; Jay, however, seemed to be oblivious to it. He didn’t really care to tell her, if it was important enough Echo would do so for him.

Ghost wouldn’t deny that they were also on edge. Being stalked usually wasn’t a good thing, especially not when you had an entire stronghold of survivors who wanted you gone. Unfortunately, Ghost hadn’t yet caught even a glimpse of whoever it was.

At the moment, they sat outside a crumbling storefront, the voices of their allies sounding from inside. Ghost sighed, absently kicking a piece of debris away from their foot. Jay had insisted on him standing guard outside and so here he was, alone and bored.

He froze. So much for being alone…

It was there again, that wretched feeling of being watched. Ghost lifted his gaze, discreetly scanning the surrounding area. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but he knew better. Whoever this was, they were good at hiding. He debated for a moment; should he just try calling the person out? It could work… or it could make the stalker even more cautious.

People were such a nuisance…

Ghost jumped to the side, raising the metal pipe in their hands. They glared at the stranger who had just tried to grab them. Where had they come from? This had to be the stalker…

“Finally stopped hiding, I see?” Ghost grumbled, keeping his eyes trained on the figure. They were just a bit taller than him, perhaps the same height as Jay. Their face was hidden by the large hood pulled over their head. Ghost could only see their unsmiling mouth.

“You need to come with me, Elias,” The figure said, gesturing for Ghost to follow him. Ghost simply stared back with a blank expression.

“Firstly, you have the wrong guy and secondly, why the hell would I follow some faceless creep I don’t know?” He stated bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest, metal pipe still held tightly in his hand.

The stranger only frowned further, taking a few steps closer. Ghost held the pipe up in a silent threat and the person stopped, staring at him.

“I’m not going with you,” Ghost said once again, stepping back. He was already fed up with this guy; who the hell did he think he was?

The stranger suddenly lunged forward, moving at a freakishly fast speed. He would grab hold of the metal pipe so Ghost couldn’t swing at him. He dragged him down an alley next to the store, shoving Ghost against the wall. It was only then he finally took off his hood.

His hair was ridiculously long, held up in a messy ponytail, but most noticeable was the massive blackened marks on his face. The inky black skin looked… just like a mutant’s. Ghost tensed; he may have lost the pipe, but he still had a short knife stored in a sheath on the side of his leg. He had a feeling that if he reached for it, the stranger would strike again.

“You need to come back with me Elias, the master had demanded that I return you home,” The stranger said, staring at him with a no-nonsense look.

There was that name again…

“I already told you, you have the wrong guy. My name’s Ghost, not Elias and I’ve never seen your face in my life,” Ghost growled, his arms once again crossed over his chest. Watching the other’s face, he seemed almost… hurt? While it was true that Ghost didn’t know the person standing in front of them, there was that hole in their memory. They couldn’t remember anything from over two years ago. Could this man possibly know them from before then?

What a pain…

“So you truly don’t remember?–” Seems their assessment was right. “–That’s a shame… but I’m still required to bring you back. It’s a miracle you’re even alive at all,” The ‘stranger’ spoke, stepping back over to Ghost. “I can help you remember everything, I just need you to come with me.”

“I don’t even know who you are,” Ghost said quietly, still cautious. He had nowhere to back away. What was taking Jay and Echo so long? Surely they would be out soon and notice him missing.

“You can call me X. It’s the name you gave me,” X said in a softer tone. Ghost had… given him the name? The hell?

“Well clearly I suck at naming stuff. I’m not going with you and that’s final,” Ghost spoke in a harsh tone, finally shoving past the other. He stalked out of the alleyway, glaring over his shoulder. “And stop following me everywhere, it’s creepy.”

X watched as the once familiar figure disappeared around the corner. He’d bring Elias back… even if he had to do so by force.

–

Ghost sulked behind Jay and Echo as they walked down the street, clearly in a sour mood; not that he ever seemed to be in a good mood. The earlier event kept replaying in his head. Someone who knew his past… something even he didn’t know. Ghost had never been interested in remembering whatever happened to him; it never seemed possible, but now there was a chance. X’s offer rang in his ears; could he really help Ghost?

“-ost– Ghost! Hey, space cadet, time to come back to Earth!” Jay shook their shoulder, startling Ghost from their thoughts. “Somethin’ wrong mate? You’re never this spacey when we’re out ‘n about.”

“Sorry, it’s just– it’s nothing, I’m fine,” He mumbled, picking up his pace. Jay easily caught up, giving him a look of concern. Echo had been watching him as well, but they remained silent as usual.

“If somethin’s bothering you, you know you can tell us,” Jay said, patting his shoulder once again. Ghost gave her a tight smile and continued walking.

It was then a small rustling caught his attention. He stared wearily at the shady alley they were passing; the city was full of alleys like this, anything could be hiding inside. Thankfully, it seemed that Echo and Jay had noticed too and stood, watching closely. 

A hooded figure walked out, not the same guy as before, Ghost noted. What was– he wasn’t alone. Ghost could make out a decent sized group further in the alley. He quickly took a few steps back, now beside Jay and Echo.

“Mind tellin’ us what this is about?” Jay hummed with a cold smile. Clearly she wasn’t too comfortable with them either. It was clearly an ambush; the Republic perhaps? No… they were organized, but not this organized. They also didn’t give off this creepy cult vibe. What was with all the hoods?

The hooded figure pointed at Ghost. “Hand over the boy and nobody will get hurt,” He spoke in a low, chilling tone. Ghost tensed, pulling the knife from the sheath on his leg; that rat from earlier hadn’t returned his metal pipe to him.

“Sorry mate, but that won’t be happenin’. So how ‘bout you bug off and mind your own business?” Jay took a threatening step forward, brandishing the sword in her hand; Ghost had no idea where she had gotten such a weapon from, but it had saved them multiple times before.

Another hooded man stepped out of the shadows; it was him again– X. His gaze was fixed solely on Ghost. Ghost grit his teeth, so he was behind it then.

“I already said it, I’m not going with you,” He forced out, raising his knife. “Another step closer and I’ll start stabbing.”

X seemed to sigh. With a raise of his hand, the rest of the group lunged from the alley. The three were quickly overwhelmed by the numbers.

Ghost slashed and stabbed at anyone who dared to get close; through the chaos he could see Jay and Echo fighting back to back. Jay would ward off their attackers with the sword while Echo mercilessly swung their fire ax at anyone foolish enough to get close.

Ghost felt someone grab them from behind. They quickly slammed their elbow into their attacker’s ribs, but a second had grabbed hold of his arm and knife. Despite their best efforts, the trio were simply outnumbered.

Ghost was dragged away with a fight. Jay and Echo were forced back further and further. Echo would watch desperately as Ghost was hit over the head, knocking him out cold. Jay grabbed their arm, yanking them into a sprint. Echo cried out in protest, but they were both injured. The two were forced to retreat.

X would watch as the two ran, holding Elias– or Ghost as they called themself– carefully in his arms. The master would be upset if his son was injured any further; he would too.

“The target’s been retrieved, time to return,” The other man said, turning back into the alley. A short line of trucks sat on the other end.

X lifted the unconscious person into one of the trucks, taking a seat beside them. He would watch in boredom as the rest of the group piled into their assigned vehicles; none of them mattered, now that he had Elias back.

–

His head hurt. Ghost slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the bright fluorescent lights above. This was the second time now he’s woken in an unknown bed; this really better not start becoming a pattern.

They carefully sat up, scanning the room. It looked to be a hospital room, but it was unbelievably clean; where was he? A shuffling from outside the door caused him to tense. The door slid open with a soft woosh. What in the high-tech? Ghost’s fascination with the door was cut short as an unfortunately familiar person walked in.

That guy, X, again.

“Where am I?” Ghost snapped before the other could get a word in. X would tilt his head for a moment before walking closer.

“You’re in the Atlas building, in one of the safe cities. You know what those are right? You’ll be safe from the monsters outside here.”

Ghost watched X wearily as he came to a stop at the bedside.

“The master requested your presence, I’m here to walk you over.” 

“And what if I refused?” Ghost said in a challenge, glaring at the other. X simply sighed, reaching out to pull Ghost from the bed. He yelped in protest, but he was already standing on the smooth tiled floor.

“There’s no need for you to be so stubborn, just come with me and behave yourself,” X said, patting Ghost’s shoulder. Ghost promptly slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” They grumbled, walking towards the door X had entered from. X followed behind, easily overtaking Ghost so he could lead them down the halls.

The walls were blank with a metallic sheen; honestly the entire hall was rather empty. It felt too open but at the same time incredibly oppressing. Ghost took note of every turn they took, reading the small labels that sat beside doors.

‘Cafeteria’, ‘Lab 1’, ‘Commons’, among other things, all sat on said labels. How large was the building anyways?

Eventually they stopped at a door that read ‘Meeting Room 3’. Three? How many meeting rooms did a place need? Ghost crossed his arms over his chest, his heart slowly picking up pace. Why was he so nervous?

X watched Ghost for a moment before finally stepping forwards to open the door for them. He gently nudged them through; Ghost took a few steps away to put more space between them.

The room held a massive table in the center, the wall on the far end entirely glass. Through it, Ghost could see more skyscrapers. At the end of the table sat an older man, two guards at his sides.

“It’s good to see you’re alive and well Elias,” The man started, giving a warm smile; it seemed a bit forced. Ghost was uneasy; whoever this man was, his presence made them very uncomfortable.

“My name’s Ghost, and am I supposed to know you?”

The man frowned for a moment. “So the reports were true, you’ve lost your memory,” He sighed, “I guess it was to be expected with everything that’s happened. My name’s Gerald Atlas, I’m your father. Elias is the name your mother gave you”

Ghost’s eyes narrowed. Father…? He had a dad? This was… a bit too much already. But Ghost couldn’t deny their resemblance now that he looked closer. They shared the same unruly black hair and sharp eyes; though Gerald’s hair was much thinner and graying along the sides.

“What exactly happened? You can’t just kidnap someone from the streets, tell them you’re their father and not elaborate,” Ghost said, curling his nails against his palms. He couldn’t let these people see how nervous he was.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t time now for me to tell you everything. I just wished to meet you before my trip to our neighboring city. I will tell you everything you wish to know once I’ve returned. Until then, please show him to his room X.”

X nodded, motioned to Ghost to follow. He glared at his “father” then at X before stalking out of the room. X quickly caught up, the door shutting behind them.

“You’re uncomfortable,” X commented, watching Ghost’s expression. They glanced over at him, eyes narrowing.

“No shit. Would you be calm if you were kidnapped then some strange old man tells you he’s your dad?” Ghost snapped.

“I’m sorry,” X mumbled; he seemed… genuine. Ghost just rolled his eyes. “If you’d like, I can tell you a bit more about your father?”

Ghost watched X for a moment, considering the offer. He then nodded. The more he knew about the man the better. He wasn’t just going to blindly trust a stranger.

“I guess firstly, Dr. Atlas is a scientist; a microbiologist to be more specific. It was one of his experiments that– well… It was one of his escaped experiments that began the spread of the mutants and as a result, the rotters.”

Ghost stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting out, “Excuse me!? You’re telling me the man claiming to be my father started the apocalypse? Do you realize how crazy that sounds!?”

X just shrugged as if it were everyday knowledge, continuing to walk ahead. “He’s trying to fix it now. He’s been developing a cure to the virus the mutants spread to the living. But there’ve been many… issues in development.”

“Real specific,” Ghost muttered. “So the rotters are caused by mutants?”

“Correct, the master didn’t create the virus that infects humans, he created another that mutated animals. I don’t know the specifics as it’s classified information,” X’s hand drifted up to the inky black side of his face. Ghost had a feeling that X might be a “victim” of said experiments; whatever was going on with his skin definitely wasn’t natural.

“So this cure or whatever still doesn’t work? How long has Gerald been working on it?”

“About four or so years now; and it does ‘work’ per say, it just has some side effects,” X huffed. Clearly these “side effects” were why it wasn’t being used yet. Ghost stared at him questioningly until he finally continued.

“It eliminates any trace of the virus in the subject, but no subject has actually survived the after-effects. Lots of bleeding from the nose, throwing up blood; it’s quite gruesome to watch– but they never reanimate or become rotters. They stay dead.”

Ghost cringed at the thought. That really did seem like a horrifying way to go. And yet they continued to use human subjects to experiment with. He understood “sacrificing one for the whole,” or whatever, but everything about it just seemed wrong.

He looked back over at X who now seemed somewhat nervous.

“Anything else you’d like to tell me? Any more world shattering revelations? You’re acting like I’m going to bite you.” Ghost huffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“Well…” X paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before he continued. “You… were one of those experimental subjects. Your father wanted to see how it would affect someone closely related to him– he’s really never been an amazing person, he’s only creating the cure for himself and for the money.”

“But you said that everyone who’s received this ‘cure’ died some horrible death? So how is it that I’m here, alive and well, right now?” Ghost said, glaring wearily at X.

“The thing is… you died two years ago.”