Free Dead Life by D. Harrison Schleicher Page A

Astir mountain range.  None of the scientists or technicians from the original laboratory participated in these tests.
                  A huge chamber under the mountain housed the testing facility.  Twenty prisoners from American prisons were kept in twenty cells.  Five technicians were to monitor their progress.  Nine guards were to watch the prisoners, three men to a shift.  All nine guards were CIA operatives.
                  Each of the prisoners had his own water supply.  The water they were drinking was contaminated with varying concentrations of the virus.  They were trying to decipher   at what concentration the water became lethal.  Turned out that every concentration was enough to cause infection.  All the prisoners were given the cure and they all got better at first.
                  The water supply they used wasn’t free of it’s own contaminates.  All water has microscopic life.  The amoeba living in the test water consumed the virus that was introduced.  This altered the amoeba.  It’s DNA took on the DNA of the altered virus.  That new organism took on the DNA of the cure.  The new amoeba altered the DNA of the test subjects.
                  “Guard, open this cell.  Something’s wrong with Number 12.”
                  “I thought that was the whole idea.”
                  “He was fine when I checked him a half hour ago.”
                  “Look around, Doc.  Something’s wrong with all of them.”
                  In each of the twenty cells all the test subjects were either on the floor or in their cots having convulsions.  The “doc,” who wasn’t a doctor or even a nurse, ran to a red button on the wall and punched it.  An alarm blared.  Two minutes later, all the guards and technicians were in the chamber.
                  “We need to open all these cells.”
                  “I can’t do that Doc.  These guys are bad ass.  We’re talking murderers, rapists, and all sorts of deviants are in here.”
                  “You have the guns.  Open up!  We’ve got to get in there.”
                  “Alright, we’ll open five cells.  That’s one for each tech.  That’s it.”
                  The five techs moved into the cells.  The first test subject that had begun convulsing had stopped by now.  The techs were bent over their patients trying to check their stats without much luck.  As fast as it started, it was over.  All twenty of the test subjects stopped convulsing. 
                  “Test patient Number 7 is dead.”  The tech known as “Doc” called out.
                  Down the line, all five techs had the same response.  All the test subjects had died.
                  “Wait a minute.  This one’s starting to come around.”
                  Test patient 7 was moaning and starting to move around again.  The tech pried the subject’s eye open to see if there was pupil response.
                  “There’s no response.  Pupil’s fixed and dilated.  The eye is clouded over.  No pulse either.”
                  “What the hell’s going on?”  The tech exclaimed in a startled tone.  “This guy’s dead.  He sure as hell shouldn’t be moving around making noises.”
                  “Doc” moved his face closer to get a better look.  His patient reached out and grabbed him by the head and pulled “Doc’s” face down to his mouth.  The screams coming from “Doc” were muffled.  Test subject 7 was biting his lips.  “Doc” pulled away losing a good portion of his face in the process.  Blood poured from what was left of “Doc’s” mouth onto the man below him.  Test subject 7 chewed and swallowed.  As he reached out to grab his victim again, shots rang out.  Two of the guards