Read Online The Bloodless by Andrew Gibson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Andrew Gibson
Tags: Zombies
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However, Jack wasn’t actually sure why the man was yelling and screaming in apparent pain. He had a guess, obviously, but nothing more than that. Eventually the man did begin to calm down but it went on much longer than Jack had anticipated, but he kept Justice assured that it was just part of the process.
“Did you see this before?” Justice asked as the man’s screams deflated into soft moans, “in the previous two?”
“Yes,” Jack said right away, “but not to this extent.”
“Well,” Justice said, thinking deep, “perhaps this is what a successful reanimation actually looks like?”
“Could be,” Jack responded.
“I’ll see if I can rouse him,” Justice said. “Let’s see if he is who he’s supposed to be.” Justice reached a hand out and placed it gingerly on the man’s shoulder, as if he were afraid he might crumble into dust if he applied to much pressure. The man’s skin reacted right away to Justice’s touch and Justice pulled his hand back quickly as he was not expecting that type of reaction. “Merton Chaucer, can you hear me?” Justice asked quietly.
The man didn’t respond, but the machines monitoring brain activity lit up like Santa’s workshop on Christmas Eve. “The brain activity makes it seem as if he’s trying to respond but not everything is firing properly,” the scientist monitoring the brain activity said.
“Can we fix it?” Justice asked.
“If things continue on their same path, it looks like the brain will fix itself,” the scientist responded. “Or rather, the regenerative cells will be strong enough to support normal brain functions.”
This was good news all around and Justice’s smile grew as he realized what was going on in front of their eyes. They had done it, most of it anyway. The crucial moment of finding out whether the proper soul was retrieved or not was dragging along but it seemed as though they would find out in only a few short moments. “Merton Chaucer,” Justice said again, this time a little louder.
The man moaned, “What?”
His speech was slightly slurred but still remarkable for a person who had been dead for several days. “Can you hear me?” Justice asked.
“Yes,” he responded, his words becoming clearer. His voice was scratchy and sounded as though the ravages of old age had their way with it. The man opened his eyes, they were a startling blue but there was an odd glow around the edge of the irises. Nobody made note of it.
“Is your name Merton Chaucer?” Justice asked, speaking slowly.
“My name,” the man responded, sounding quite confused.
“Yes, Merton Chaucer. Is that you?”
‘I-I don’t t-think so,” the man sputtered.
Justice looked worried. He looked around to Jack who mirrored his concern. It would seem the soul and the body they forced together we not, in fact, one and the same. It was something they had expected but were still saddened by. The achievement, however, was tremendous. It was the kind of scientific progress that haunted every single scientist’s wet dreams. They had just transcended the boundaries of nature and physical law. They had just brought the dead back to life.
CHAPTER 4
Itchy Trigger Finger
A few years had passed since the first human was brought back from the dead, but the outcome was nearly always the same. More often than not the soul that was returned to the reanimated body was not the original that was present prior to death. However, every once in a great while they would manage to capture the right soul.
“Did you see this before?” Justice asked as the man’s screams deflated into soft moans, “in the previous two?”
“Yes,” Jack said right away, “but not to this extent.”
“Well,” Justice said, thinking deep, “perhaps this is what a successful reanimation actually looks like?”
“Could be,” Jack responded.
“I’ll see if I can rouse him,” Justice said. “Let’s see if he is who he’s supposed to be.” Justice reached a hand out and placed it gingerly on the man’s shoulder, as if he were afraid he might crumble into dust if he applied to much pressure. The man’s skin reacted right away to Justice’s touch and Justice pulled his hand back quickly as he was not expecting that type of reaction. “Merton Chaucer, can you hear me?” Justice asked quietly.
The man didn’t respond, but the machines monitoring brain activity lit up like Santa’s workshop on Christmas Eve. “The brain activity makes it seem as if he’s trying to respond but not everything is firing properly,” the scientist monitoring the brain activity said.
“Can we fix it?” Justice asked.
“If things continue on their same path, it looks like the brain will fix itself,” the scientist responded. “Or rather, the regenerative cells will be strong enough to support normal brain functions.”
This was good news all around and Justice’s smile grew as he realized what was going on in front of their eyes. They had done it, most of it anyway. The crucial moment of finding out whether the proper soul was retrieved or not was dragging along but it seemed as though they would find out in only a few short moments. “Merton Chaucer,” Justice said again, this time a little louder.
The man moaned, “What?”
His speech was slightly slurred but still remarkable for a person who had been dead for several days. “Can you hear me?” Justice asked.
“Yes,” he responded, his words becoming clearer. His voice was scratchy and sounded as though the ravages of old age had their way with it. The man opened his eyes, they were a startling blue but there was an odd glow around the edge of the irises. Nobody made note of it.
“Is your name Merton Chaucer?” Justice asked, speaking slowly.
“My name,” the man responded, sounding quite confused.
“Yes, Merton Chaucer. Is that you?”
‘I-I don’t t-think so,” the man sputtered.
Justice looked worried. He looked around to Jack who mirrored his concern. It would seem the soul and the body they forced together we not, in fact, one and the same. It was something they had expected but were still saddened by. The achievement, however, was tremendous. It was the kind of scientific progress that haunted every single scientist’s wet dreams. They had just transcended the boundaries of nature and physical law. They had just brought the dead back to life.
CHAPTER 4
Itchy Trigger Finger
A few years had passed since the first human was brought back from the dead, but the outcome was nearly always the same. More often than not the soul that was returned to the reanimated body was not the original that was present prior to death. However, every once in a great while they would manage to capture the right soul.
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