Aria Michaelson sat up, and promptly hit her head on a park bench. Why has she slept so close to it again? She'd get a concussion at this rate.

She stood shakily and glanced up to check the time. The clock tower said that it was 11:24 in Stillwater, PA. She yawned and glanced down at herself. Her tattered navy blue shirt had gotten a bit more dirt on it, but that was to be expected from sleeping on the ground. Her pants were filthy, and there was a hole in one of her sneakers.

Since she had lost her job about six months ago, she had been kicked out of her apartment and lived in the park for the most part. Many restaurants and general stores have denied her entry because of the layer of dirt and grime on her clothes. In short, she needed a job.

She decided to take a walk down a back street, avoiding the stares of children and frightened parents. While walking, she saw a black truck stopped by an alley, and several people with odd-looking equipment scanning trash bags.

"Hello," a man's voice said from behind her.

It was one of the men from the truck. He had blonde hair and green eyes, and he was studying her quizzically from behind safety goggles.

"Hi," she said hesitantly. "What's all this?"

"Government testing. Here," he said as he pulled out his wallet. He showed her a badge and pulled out a piece of paper. "We're looking for potential test subjects, low risk and high pay. Interested?"

"What makes you think I need your money?" she said defensively.

"That," he replied, making a general motion with one am that encompassed pretty much her entire appearance. "Anyway, take this, and give us a call if you change your mind."

"I didn't make a decision on anything. And I don't have a phone. In short, when do I start?"
She was slightly taken aback, but she needed the money, and hey, the government wouldn't lie, would they?

"Tomorrow alright? You can stay in the facility for the night if you want. We'll get you a change of clothes and everything. It's not far, only a twenty minute drive. We can take you." Without waiting for a response, he called out to another man, "Hey Liam, I've found us a subject! Her name's - what's your name? - Aria."

She whispered it to him when he paused, and he looked at her with gratitude.

"She staying overnight?" The man named Liam asked. He walked around the truck, and she could see that he was about 6 feet tall, tan, and quite muscular. Frankly, he was intimidating.

"Yeah," the other man said. He addressed her again, "You got anything you need to grab, or can we get going?"

"I'm good to go," she replied.

•*•*•

Half and hour later, they passed a highway sign that read, "Welcome to Stillwater, PA. Well-known boating and fishing district since 1986."

Aria doubted that. She'd never heard of the town. 

"We're here," said the man who had introduced himself as Ian on the ride. "The testing area's right over here." He pointed to a white tent-like  structure with two men stationed as guards in front of it. Ian flashed the men his badge and drove by as they waved.

They entered the tent and parked on one side. The trio then walked through another door, which revealed a white padded room with a bed, a nightstand, and a window for surveillance.

"This is where you'll be for the next three days while we monitor the effects of the vaccine. We're trying to change a person's hair color to more, ah, broad colors. We're trying to pinpoint the exact change for different start colors. Just sign here, and we'll begin." He handed her a sheet of paper and a pen, and pointed out a dotted line at the bottom.

She scanned it before signing her name with a flourish at the bottom.

"Alrighty, I'll send in the guys with the vaccine in a moment. Hang tight." With that, he took the paper and walked out.

The next day, a man walked in holding a syringe and wearing a lab coat. He rolled up her sleeve, rubbed a section of her arm with disinfectant, and administered the vaccine. He then walked out without a word, shutting the door behind him.

Aria looked up at the surveillance windows, and saw Ian, along with three other men and a woman, watching her intently. She sat down in the bed and decided to take a nap. She yawned, settled down, and closed her eyes.

•*•*•

When she woke, her vision was blurry, and her arm ached fiercely. She looked at it and saw that it was bruised and turning blueish green.

She looked at the window where the observers were, and mouthed the words "Is this normal?" while pointing at her arm.

The woman who was there nodded curtly and scribbled on her clipboard. Aria couldn't make out much about her features, as she was still having trouble seeing. Having nothing better to do, she laid back down and took another nap.

•*•*•

This time when she woke, her arm and both legs were numb. She passed it off to sleepiness and sat up in bed. On the side table were three plates and a glass of water. On one plate was a cheeseburger, on another was a chicken salad, and on the third was what she decided looked like a rare steak.

She picked up a fork and a knife and started eating the salad. She wasn't very hungry, but she finished the chicken in a minute, so she moved on the the burger. She devoured it quickly. Dropping the fork and knife, she tore into the steak. She ripped it apart with just her hands and her teeth. In less than two minutes, she had eaten the whole thing.

She slept again.

•*•*•

When she awoke this time, the first thing she noticed was that the side table was crooked. She stood up to fix it and wobbled a bit. Her legs were still numb. When she thought about it, all of her was numb.

She lifted the table up a little and moved it to it was parallel to the bed, then let it drop. There was a crunching sound, and she looked and saw that her three middle fingers on her right hand were under the table and bent the wrong way. She lifted the table and shook out her hand, then sat on the bed. Glancing up, she saw a timer that she hadn't noticed before in the window. It had been 27 hours since they had put her here.

Next to the timer, two scientists were speaking quietly. She could make out the sounds, but not any noise. Her stomach growled.

Deciding to try and go get some food, she stumbled to the door. She felt as though she were about to fall, so she reached her arms in front of her to catch herself if necessary. She continued to shamble along like this until she reached the door.

She gripped the knob and turned, but her fingers slid off. She tried again, but she couldn't get a grip on the smooth metal. Instead, she slammed her body against the door. After only several tries, it burst open. She ran as best she could through the second room and through the tent flap. She was free!

Her stomach growled. A man said something behind her, "You can't leave," perhaps. She turned and saw him standing there, a look of terror on his face. She spun around and found herself facing something that looked oddly like a childhood nightmare...

It couldn't be a zombie, could it?