AGE OF INSANITY

Chapter seven: The beginning of the end

Marcus POV

I was beyond furious and I had to constantly remind myself that murder would end my life as well. That however seemed like a weak excuse at the moment as Melisa rolled out of my hands and onto her bed. The brat woke me up at one in the morning and then acted like she did not know me when I got there. she only acknowledged me after my ego and shoulders had been bruised.

She let out a little moan as she snuggled deeper into her sheets, irritating me further. The only reason I had come was that I owed her since she helped me the last time I was blind drunk. Waking up naked and realizing I had been washed while practically unconscious was a violation I was not yet ready to dismiss yet.

She did not intend to take advantage of me and had no ulterior motive other than the fact that she did not want her sheet dirty, but even then. I know she did not care about my feelings and was not capable of understanding why that would be a violation of my privacy, understanding her did nothing to ease my misgivings about the experience. I also knew I would never get the apology that I was owed, even if she did apologize it would not be sincere.  She was a sociopath, Brian told me, she also had whatever her equivalent of feelings was, for me.

He had warned me to be careful with her, she was manipulative as she was unrelenting and it was only a matter of time before I fell into whatever trap she set for me. she was objectively attractive and she clearly knew how to use her charms but she was also fifteen years younger than me. she was practically a child. What she needed was discipline, not indulgence.

One of her friends, the tall one who had pinned me earlier, stirred next to her throwing her legs over Melisa's waist and her arms around Melisa's neck pulling her into her embrace. Melisa sank into the embrace before settling down again. The rest of the girls were passed out next to them without a care in the world. My job here was done, I thought closing the bedroom door behind me. my phone went off before I even made it to the door.

It was Brian. It was five in the morning, he had never called me this early before. I received his call while inspecting the apartment for hidden cameras, the coincidence was too big to ignore.

“ I need you to listen to me carefully and do not interrupt me until I finish.” He began as soon as I received it. His voice was strained and he was a little out of breath. If it was anyone else on the other side I would have classified it as an overreaction but this was Brian. He was always, always composed, from his permanently immaculately styled hair to his gleaming designer shoes. I had trouble imagining him in anything other than his suits.

“I am listening,” I acknowledged before letting him proceed.

The conversation that ensued was unexpected, to say the least. If it was delivered by anyone else I might have said it was the ravings of a lunatic, but the respect I had for Brian prevented me from completely dismissing our conversation. I plopped down on the chair, running my fingers through my hair. There was one person who could confirm if what Brian said was true. I hesitated to make the call, not sure which outcome was worse. If it was false then Brian had essentially lost his mind but if it were true then the world was essentially ending. After a short internal struggle, finally made the call, ripping a bandaid was the most effective way of dealing with any situation.

“Hello, sir? General, this is Marcus Humphrey sir! I offered my salutations and waited for a response. The response came a few seconds too long. The general's voice was equally strained as Brian’s was and I felt my heart drop to my shoes.

“Marcus! my boy, I am not sure if this is the best or worst time for you to have decided to reach out. I am glad that you did.” He then hang up, leaving me bewildered. I received a video call request from him seconds later.
The image that came into view was that of two soldiers holding down a bleeding man, his blood must have made his skin slick causing one of the soldiers to lose his grip on him. The man threw his body at the other soldier who lost his balance letting him loose. The man then lunged for a bloody knife on the floor bringing it to his eyes then proceeded to carve them out while screaming out in pain.

The camera moved around showing a man on fire running on the streets. As the general walked around I could see dead bodies littering the street like fallen leaves in autumn. The was a constant screaming in the background, that seemed to increase with every passing second. The general's face finally came back into view.

“I am not sure if this is why you called me but the world is coming to an end my boy,” he paused to duck as a knife went flying past his head “they are calling the mad apocalypse. It does not exactly roll out of the tongue but naming an apocalypse is not even on the list of problems we have right now. If you are still in Africa you have time. The bioweapon has not been released there yet, I am not sure how long you have. It is over for us here my boy. A vaccine has not yet been developed despite all the brilliants minds gathered together to work on it. I just received a call the outbreaks in Russia, China, and Japan are escalating. Even if a vaccine was developed in the next five days the resulting casualties will be unlike anything the world has ever witnessed. Over the next week over a billion people will be behaving like the people you have just seen. Even if you somehow managed to escape contact with the biochemical weapon, you will still have to deal with suicidal and violent people.”

As if to prove his point an old man came at him brandishing a pole that seemed to be weighing him down. The general dropped his phone to fend off the pitiful attempt at assault. The video feed got disconnected. A brick was the last thing I saw.