THE AWAKENING: BIO-GENETICS

Present Day

"Touka-san!"

"Touka-san"

"Touka-san"

Touka groaned slowly opening her eyes, she froze as she blinks Hachiro's face was close to hers, inches apart, his glasses shinning blank white.

"Aren't you too close?" Touka said with a twitching eyebrow.

"Been calling you but you wouldn't budge another nightmare?" he asked.

An angry vein pops out of her head, she pokes a finger at his forehead as she pushed him, his head waving backward.

"I said too close," she said irritated, raising her head from the desk.

"Understood," Hachiro said adjusting his glasses as they cleared, he typed on the transparent keyboard swiftly.

"We both know it's not a nightmare," Touka said holding her forehead.

"It's reality worse than a nightmare" she adds with shaky eyes.

Hachiro's fingers halt, as it trembled, his eyes shaking remembering what happened two years ago.

"It's all in the past now," Hachiro said with dark looks as he continued typing.

Touka sighs checking her watch.

"Alright Kashi it's time, we need to refill the serum," she said.

Kashi growls leaning on his seat.

"Can't Holly do it?" Kashi said shivering at the thought of going to the bio-genetics level.

"Holly is just a wake-up call and leading voice, she's not an android that can do things we can do ourselves" Touka hissed as a vein pops out of her head.

She rises to her feet.

"Alright alright, will call the others," Kashi said raising his hands in defense.

Touka was a no-nonsense woman, and he wouldn't wanna get on her bad side. She looked away her eyes landing on Hachiro who kept analyzing the recorded vitals.

"Still getting stuck on that?" Touka said making a face.

"It is a sight to behold," he said.

***

Level 17: Bio-genetics Level

Room Hall

About five doctors steps inside the room hall, they were covered in protective gear and a full face mask protector. They rolled a trolley with blue drips on it.

"Make it snappy," Touka said.

They nod spreading out to different rooms, to quickly change the serum.

Touka silently moved her trolley, her head moving back and forth, she stops at a door, stepping inside, she carefully set her trolley, grabbing what she needed to change the drip.

Shino's fist was tightened against his sheets, beams of sweat against his features, his teeth clench as he curved in a ball, he gasps flashing his eyes open, he took deep breaths. Sleeping peacefully was now a big deal, anytime he closed his eyes, black storm day always haunts his dream and worse his sister on her sickbed, it kept plaguing his mind, he wished it could just stop.

A sound came in, Shino's body went stiff, he was sure Daiki was fast asleep. 'Who is in the room?' He thought with trembling eyes. He heard footsteps pacing around the room in-between him and Daiki's bed, he heard click sounds. With anticipation, he turned to seat up.

Touka gasps at the unexpected movement, the blue drip bag slipping from her hand but she caught it before it reaches the ground.

"How are you awake? You should be asleep" Touka said taking a deep breath as she recovered from the shock.

"Who are you?" Shino demands frightened but then he pauses when he looks closely, he remembered her from the video in the classroom when they were told about everything. He was unable to tell at first because of the full face mask helmet she wore.

"Seems like you remember me now judging from your face," she said flashing him a smile.

"Dr. Touka?"

"Yes," she said continuing what she was doing.

Shino's eyes land on the blue drip bag, it was written 'SPS' on it.

"How come you're not asleep Shino," Touka said.

Shino froze.

"Ho...ow do you know my name?!" he asked with shaky eyes.

Touka stops what she was doing, facing him.

"I know all your names, I spent 2 years tending to all of you," she said as her eyes grew wistful with memories of the past 2 years.

"I see," Shino said his face dropping in a scrawl.

"I'm deeply sorry about your parents or loved ones that you lost Shino" she said.

His fist tightens as his teeth clenched. She turned to place the other drip at Daiki's side.

"What about Hiro? Is he okay?"

Touka pause.

"I'm sorry" she faces him.

"I'm not in the position to tell you that, all I can say is" she sighs.

"He's in a critical condition isn't he" Shino guess.

Touka was silent.

"I hope he gets well" he adds as his mind played the training and the death of Rin.

"When he finds out he's responsible for Rin" he began with clenched teeth.

"It's not entirely his fault, Rin was unfortunate to get caught up with Hiro awakening his abilities. It's none of your fault that you are all caught up in any of this, who knew the world would just end" she said with trembling eyes.

Shino looks dark.

"We never expected any of this, it's unfortunate you all have to bear the weight of everything, it's unfair, it's like living in a nightmare you just want to wake up from" her eyes widen in horror.

"A living nightmare," Shino said pulling his knees to his chest as his body shakes.

"When will it ever stop," Shino said faintly but she heard him, she turned to him with sad eyes.

"All the dreams always start and end the same," he said again.

"It's constantly playing Black storm day"

"I have nightmares too," she said with shaky eyes. She remembered when the explosion happened, she was at a hospital a distance away. And when she was assigned with Hachiro to check for survivors at the explosion area, the destruction she saw and then the death of Riku by something she can't explain.

Shino turns to her.

"The truth is everyone has nightmares," she said, her eyes drifting to a sleeping Daiki, so did Shino

"But everyone has a way of dealing with it".

***

Kashi silently fixes the drip in Mirai and Yumi's room. He took a deep breath when he was done.

"Finally," he said sweating a bit, this place always gave him chills. He turns but his arm came in contact with the edge of the trolley, it rips.

"Hmm?" he blinks puzzled at the sound, turning he paled.

His looks turn into horror.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" he shouts.

This alarmed everyone.

Yumi flash her eyes open so did Mirai, she panics seating up.

"Who are you?!" Mirai demands in defense.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Kashi shouts as he ran out but trips to the ground.

***

"What's that?!!" Touka said hearing the sounds.

Shino blinks. Daiki jolts up awake and saw Touka.

"GHOST!" he shouts with white eyes.

***

Kashi lands on the floor, the other three doctors rush out. Some of the bio-genetics were awake as they rushed out of their room. Kashi covered the ripped part.

"It..It..it's over" he stutters with shaky eyes. 'I'm going to be infected'. He thought in horror.

"Kashi!" Touka hissed stepping forward, she paled when she saw the rip area.

"I'm done for Touka".