Freedom.

I clenched my teeth in pain as the cold needle dug into my arm's skin. I pressed the blue serum from the syringe into my system before carefully pulling it out and throwing the used syringe into the trash bin.

Finally, I administered the cure to myself.

To be honest, I already finished making it a year ago, but I needed to make sure if it actually works. That's why I gathered some test subjects, which took a long time given the scarcity of life outside this underground science facility. The serum worked for all of them, but better be sure than sorry.

Five years ago, an incident in the International Institute of Nanotechnology kick-started doomsday: The Nano Cataclysm. A box of sentient, self-replicating nanites was accidentally released into the air, letting the airborne robots roam freely across the world. Biotechnologically engineered with viral capabilities, the nanites started evolving and adapting on its own until it developed into its most lethal form — a highly contagious pathogen that infects the host's brain and is transmitted through bodily fluids like sweat, blood, saliva and more. It makes its host cannibalistic, violent and dangerously agile, making the scenario like a zombie apocalypse except the fact that they're neither dead nor sluggish like in the movies.

The nanites abandoned their former airborne robotic nature and completely converted themselves into Nano-viruses, making it harder for people to find a cure. It's easier to make a kill-switch for a mechanism than to make a cure for a disease. Being one of the pioneers who started the project and submitted it to the Institute for profit, I'm a total guilt-ridden mess. The population plummeted at a rapid rate because of its infectivity, lethality and lack of symptoms.

If only I haven't submitted our work to those greedy monsters, this wouldn't have happened. On second thought, I am a greedy beast as well, selling my team's work all for my own good.

Whenever I remember the fact that I claimed the project all for my own without giving any credit to my friends, I feel absolutely guilty. Then again, we cannot do anything to change the past anymore. What happened already happened. But of course, if given the chance, I would grab the opportunity to fix my mistakes.

The outside world is a total wasteland. Honestly, I highly doubt anyone else is still alive out there. Time by time, I would go out of my bunker in a protective suit to search for resources and to capture some potential test subjects whenever possible, although my quests usually end up with me gathering nothing.

I have spent the years conducting experiments and gathering observations, for it seemed to be the only reasonable thing for me to do in order to repent for my sins — and it is also one of the few things that I can actually do right. Thankfully, I managed to construct my own underground shelter and science facility using the money I got from the Canadian Institute before the Nano-Cataclysm even occurred.

The nano-virus works differently in my body since the nanite prototypes were all tested under my blood. Despite going through a lot of mutations, the virus can still recognize my DNA structure, making its effects on my body different from what it usually does to normal hosts. This certain disadvantage made my research a lot harder than what it really should be.

Something that I observed about the infected was the fact that they refuse to eat one another. The infected—which are still living organisms—started to die off one by one as well due to lack of food (since almost everyone was already eaten). Good thing I managed to capture some test subjects before they're all gone.

One of my favorite subjects is an infected couple. The guy would always act protective towards the girl, despite my attempts of separating them through numerous obstacles and traps which the infected guy would pass through effortlessly. They are one of the reasons why I haven't used the cure before — the affection they show to one another despite the infection sparked wonder inside me.

Never have I touched them to administer any drug at all; they're basically for psychological research only. I wanted to know more about the behavior of the infected, and that's exactly what I did. It baffled me how they managed to retain their "love" for one another. I guess love is still a mystery, after all.

Love always made an impression on me as an indecipherable code that runs through everyone's neural system; a volatile cocktail of hormones and chemicals brewing inside our brains. I have never actually fallen in love, which made my research a lot harder and a lot more interesting.

I was absolutely perplexed by how stupid we humans could get for the sake of love. For instance, I placed the infected couple in the Experimentation Chamber, the guy on one side of the room, the girl strapped to a metal chair at the other side. The walls, ceiling, and floor can all be moved and adjusted to create obstacles for the guy. Heat lasers, blades, and other obstacles can also be activated to prevent him from reaching the girl furthermore.

The infected couple showcased a feature that I haven't observed from any infected individual ever since—care and affection. Usually, everything that an infected individual cares about is food. The rest of their necessities are on the lower and less important parts of the spectrum.

Often, the idea of ending my own life enters my mind. I mean, in the situation I'm currently in, isn't it the most human thing to do? To remind myself that I still have some sort of grip in this fleeting life of mine? I've always contemplated about doing the easier path to freedom instead of finding a cure: death. However, 'freedom' is, in fact, a very dynamic word that can have multiple meanings at the same time. It's just . . . I don't know. I don't even understand myself anymore.

Overthinking stuff can sometimes be too devastating, but it's the only thing that keeps me from feeling 'human'.

Being human.

Human.

Hmm. What even makes us 'human'? What makes a person a 'person'? Based on what I observed about the infected, most of them lose their memories, which leave them heavily dependent on their newfound instinct to devour the non-infected. Despite this exceptional couple retaining their ability to recognize each other, are they still 'them'? Or are they just empty shells of what they used to be?

Somehow, even the survivors lost their own 'humanity', based on my perception. Back when the way of transmitting the virus wasn't clear enough yet, the survivors did horrible stuff to prevent its spread. The infected would be chained with metal restraints and once they were fully controlled, their nails would be hammered down by the survivors until they fall off.

Their teeth would then be plucked out one by one using some metal pliers, preventing them from spreading the infection through bites. The infected, despite losing most of their normal mental processes, would still shout their cries of agony. You could hear their pain along with the sound of nerves and gums tearing apart, giving way for their blood to rush out of their mouths.

The entire world was thrown into chaos. Humanity lost its 'humanity'. It's quite an interesting thought to ponder upon, to be honest. A human, if you strip away his superior intellect and moral reasoning, is nothing different from any beast out there. We are a part of the Animal Kingdom, after all. We are nothing but mammals that developed enough intelligence to be set as the pinnacle of all creation.

Geez. Sometimes, I don't even know if this 'intelligence' of ours is a gift or a curse. I mean, isn't it scary? To be able to contemplate upon the complexities of life and the universe, while a cat wouldn't even give a damn about it.

Maybe that's it.

Maybe 'intelligence' is the real aspect of humans that imprisons us in the big spiral of complicacy. It makes some kind of sense now, does it? Corruption is nonexistent in the worlds of simpler creatures. Maybe—just maybe—if we regress back into simpler, less evolved 'humans', we would be free.

The infected lad was already halfway through the deadly obstacles when I finally realized how dedicated he was to reach his significant other all strapped up in a chair. For the first time ever, I deactivated all the hindrances restraining them from each other's touch: no cages, lasers, moving walls, blades, or metal restraint chairs; just them.

I pressed my face on the transparent mirror as I watched while inside the Observation Room where all the controls can be found. I watched them kiss slowly and passionately; it was such a heart-warming and envious sight. Although a part of me worried that they might start eating each other (literally), I allowed them to continue. They deserve this, after all.

The effects of the cure started to kick in. Finally, I can completely sympathize with them—for I cured myself from being human. Now I can be one with them.

At last, I am free.