Elena came home from classes to find her mother waiting for her on their house's front steps. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet like she usually did when she had a breakthrough. Elena smiled at her genius hairbrained mother, an oxymoron of a woman if you've ever met one. She was a literal contradiction. She had one of the most brilliant minds Elena had ever seen to date. She was logical, observant, and controlled. On the other side, she was goofy, free-spirited, and even a bit childish at times.

"I've found it!" Her mother squealed when Elena made it to the steps of their front porch.

"Found what?"

"The genes, the key, a whole string of them! Come quick I have so much to show you!" She took Elena by the arm and pulled her into their small home and out the back door to the three-car garage that sat behind their house. This building served as her mother's lab.

Elena's mother was a geneticist. She had dedicated her entire life to studying genes in the human body, specifically ones linked to the processes of healing disease and sicknesses. She had made two large discoveries so far in her life that earned her mass recognition in her field. Her mother discovered a way to enhance a specific gene in the human body to better fight and treat cancer when she was only twenty-five. Her research saved countless lives and made her career. She had received many awards for her work and had, at one point, been at the top of her field.

It was after she adopted Elena that she had a shift in focus. She began to wonder if the same principle could be applied to blood clotting and tissue regeneration. The short answer was yes, she could manipulate the human body to stimulate faster healing times but not at the rate that she wanted. Elena's mother wanted to find a way to rapidly heal fatal injuries that would cause a person to bleed out under normal circumstances. This was when she lost respect in the scientific community. What she was looking for was a miracle or superpowers, not science.

The new studies she wrote about and published borderline pseudoscience, and her legacy fell from grace. Colleagues turned their backs on her, and her lab refused to fund her research. Her talents were wasted on the topics she chose to research, and her peers made sure she knew that her passion was an 'ineffective waste of time.' The older Elena got, the more inclined she was to agree with them.

Elena's mother swore that she had seen a person heal from a fatal injury in a matter of moments ten years ago, which led her to pursue the research. The tale sounded too fantastical to believe, but her mother didn't appear to be lying or crazy. For as long as she could remember, her mother collected blood samples from as many test subjects as she could get her hands on, including Elena's. Sometimes she helped her mother with experiments by running some of the machines or transferring recordings into her notes. She studied her subject's blood for years, breaking down the DNA and isolating specific genes in search of something that told her how that mystery subject had healed so quickly.

Upon entering the lab, Elena could tell her mother had been busier than usual that day. The garage's entire back wall was covered with a piece of clear acrylic, which her mother used to write her equations, data, and findings on. Today it was exceptionally full. She had even used the ladder to climb up high and utilize the full breadth of the surface. Beakers, test tubes, and vials dominated every surface, and paper littered the floor. There was a hum of electricity in the room as her machines were up and running, analyzing the genetic material she had put into them.

"It just appeared in a test sample out of nowhere, a completely new string of genes I had never seen before in anyone. The tests I ran on it gave me promising results, so I used the serum I learned about from the Yukimura journals and it worked! I've created the modern-day Water of Life!"

Her mother began to ramble off her experiments and methods, an explanation full of scientific jargon that was even a little difficult for Elena to understand. She followed in her mother's footsteps and got a degree in biology from Duke University, a local college. However, she still didn't have the entire depth of knowledge her mother did, even if her first words were 'chromosome' and 'allele.'

When Elena's mother saw that she was becoming lost in her explanation, she settled on showing her instead. She pulled a syringe from a nearby drawer and had Elena unwrap it from its package. She then went to the other side of the room, where she kept a wall of plastic cages containing lab rats and took one out. It was a small brown rat with beady eyes and pink hands. Elena looked to him with sympathy for the experimentation he was about to endure. Her mother woke up her phone and turned on her note recorder.

"November twenty-ninth, two thousand nineteen. Elizabeth Callahan running experiment thirteen on test sample O-962B. Test subject is T9-821." She filled the syringe with a bright red liquid that looked almost like it was glowing while she spoke. She continued to talk and give background as she took a small scalpel and made a deep cut into the mouse. Elena's stomach revolted, but she kept quiet. She knew better than to make noise or speak while her mother while she was recording notes. She closed her eyes and placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her cries. "Subject T9-821 has suffered a fatal laceration to the lower abdomen and is bleeding out. Entrails appear to have suffered significant damage as well. The subject is moments away from death. I am injecting serum SNV-7319 now."

Elena watched as her mother injected the small amount of 'SNV-7319' into the open wound and then gasped. Almost immediately, the incision started to light up with a soft orange glow that reminded her of a campfire. Smoke tangled with the air forming thin wisps of gray around the small creature. As the wounds miraculously closed, the fur on the mouse turned white, and his black eyes changed to red. A few moments later, the mouse turned to dust.

"What the hell just happened!?" Elena demanded.

Her mother gave her an incredulous look and then turned off the recorder on her phone. "I'm not entirely sure. This breakthrough is uncharted territory for me."

"The rat just disintegrated! His wound caught on fire, he burned-"

"That not what happened. I know that much. I've watched this reaction a dozen times today, and the medicine isn't burning them. That rat's wound completely healed up. I know you saw that. He didn't disintegrate until a few moments after the wound healed. I think something is going wrong towards the end of the metabolism phase, I just have no clue what..."

"This feels wrong."

"I know you don't like it when I experiment on animals, but think about all the lives they're helping me save- "

"That's not what I'm talking about. This entire experiment feels wrong. I'm all for modern medicine and curing diseases, but a miracle healing serum sounds dangerous. Imagine what could happen if this research got into the wrong hands."

"Scientific advancement is always scary, Elena."

"Just promise me you will be careful?" Elena begged.

Her mother nodded too eagerly, a sign that she didn't intend to heed her warning. She wanted to argue with her to take this discovery more seriously or to stop her pursuit altogether. Still, her mother had a fire set behind her eyes that said she would see this through. She knew there was no changing her mind. Elena sighed heavily and turned to walk away, there was nothing more for her to do, and she had to study. As she walked out, her mother gave her one final promise.

"This discovery is going to change our lives, Elena. Nothing will be the same once this goes public."

One year later

The bright flash of cameras assaulted Elena's vision as she stood at the podium in the front of the room. There was a hum of voices all around her; everyone's words melted together into one unintelligible sound. A few voices called out her name over the crowd, hoping to catch her attention. The last thing she wanted to do was answer their questions, but she didn't have much choice. When she decided to accept an award on her mother's behalf, she agreed to the entire event, including the press conference after.

"Miss Callahan! Adrianna Jenkins, Journal of Genealogy. Your mother's groundbreaking research on genes and their effects on the healing process has turned the medical field upside down. What does it mean to you to accept this honor on her behalf?"

Elena swallowed thickly, wishing she could be anywhere but here at the moment. "It's bittersweet," She replied honestly. "I wish more than anything that she was here to accept it herself...since that isn't possible, I have found that being in the presence of her peers to be comforting. Hearing their admiration for her work makes me feel close to her again."

There were a few endearing coos from the crowd before another explosion of reporters shouting for her attention.

"Miss Callahan! John Michales, Public Library of Science." A short, squatty man with a balding head and thin glasses was called upon. "The science community has suffered a huge loss from the death of Elizabeth Callahan. What can you tell us about the continuation of her research?"

"My mother, as many of you know, has done a great deal of research on the genes that help the human body heal and fight infections. Her work was not always appreciated and was even openly mocked by some members of her professional community. Because of this, my mother worked alone. She shared her research with no one, and her work dies with her." Elena tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but failed miserably. Death was vicious and good at its job of making you hurt. It enters you like a poison, finding the seeds of doubt and blame in your mind and fertilizing them. The hate and anger bloom within you, consuming you until you're a bitter shell of your old self. Most days, she fought death's hold on her; today, she let him win.

"Miss Callahan! Selma Atwood, The Chronicle. You have been studying biology and genealogy at Duke, do you plan to follow in your mother's footsteps?"

"Yes, I do. My mother devoted her life to her studies and shared that passion with me. I intend to forge my own path and legacy in the field and honor her memory that way."

"Miss Callahan! John Michales, Public Library of Science with a follow-up. The work your mother did was extraordinary and groundbreaking. Do you not feel that it would be a disservice not to continue her research or at least pass it onto another capable scientist?"

Elena was offended by his question. She knew the importance of her mother's research; how dare he try and tell her what to do with it!

"No one understands my mother's research better than I." Elena spat through her teeth. "I helped my mother with her research. However, it is too painful for me to study her findings and pick up where she left off, and I will be damned if I pass it along to the very community who doubted her!"

Elena turned on her heel and stalked off the stage leaving the award on the podium. She was done with this stupid event. Tears pricked behind her eyes, and she ran as fast as she could down the hall. She wouldn't give those jerks the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Behind her, she heard one of the presenters calling after her to wait, but that only made her run faster. She didn't stop until she made it to the hotel's lobby. On the opposite end, she spotted a bar, perfect. Elena slipped into the quiet ambient room and took a seat on one of the barstools.

"Crown, double shot on the rocks," she said, flashing her fake ID.

The bartender nodded in acknowledgment and set to make her drink. She drained the first half of it in one unladylike gulp earning her a hard stare from the bartender. She didn't care; he could go screw himself. Elena returned his disapproving gaze with one of her own, and he faltered, turning away to wipe off a glass. She smiled victoriously and finished the drink.

"You look like you could use another," a man said from behind her.

Elena turned and saw a gentleman standing off to her right. He had kind, dark brown eyes and a friendly smile surrounded by a groomed mustache and beard. His hair was wound into clean dreadlocks that he had tied half up at the back of his head. He wore a light blue tailored suit and copper brown tie that complemented his skin tone quite nicely. He looked to be about a decade or so older than Elena.

"I could. Are you buying?" She asked cheekily.

"Of course," he took a seat next to her at the bar and extended a hand to her. "Markeith Earls, nice to meet you."

"Elena Callahan."

"I know, I was actually here to watch your speech. I ducked out after, though; that last part is for the press anyway."

"You didn't miss anything, trust me."

Markeith smiled. "I know it's probably cliché, but I would like to offer you my sympathies for the tragic loss of your mother."

"Thank you," she said numbly. She felt terrible because he sounded so sincere, but she was tired of hearing those words. Her mother wasn't 'lost,' she didn't 'pass away' she was murdered.

"I'm a huge fan of her work," he continued on. "The lab I work for sourced her with some of her blood samples and rented out specialized equipment to her. She was a fascinating woman."

Elena nodded absentmindedly. Her mother was amazing, and now she was gone... Grief and fear threatened to consume her again. Elena took a sip of her drink followed by a deep breath.

"She had faith in her work, she told me the only person who needs to believe in what you're doing is you. She didn't care for the approval of others, and she didn't even care about proving them wrong, she just wanted to prove herself right." She told him wistfully.

"That's one hell of a way to live."

"If I can embody even a fraction of her confidence..." She told him wistfully

"How long did she work on that gene project?"

"About ten years give or take."

"It took her that long!"

"Yup, a whole decade. The majority of her findings happened in the last year, though."

"Did you ever get to see her experiments?"

"Yeah, she shared her work with me when she could, but I would have to study her notes for years to have a good enough grasp on her studies to speak intelligently on them."

"I'm sure you don't give yourself enough credit."

Elena laughed, "No, really, I'm not being humble. She was brilliant, and she understood DNA and the makeup of the human body better than anyone I have ever studied under."

"Did she ever teach you?"

"What? About genetics? Yah, I learned most of my information from her and her lab."

"So, then you do know all about her experiments?" he pressed, eyes lighting up with greedy interest.

The questions were starting to make her uncomfortable. "Is there something you're getting at here, Mr. Earls?" Elena demanded.

Markeith feigned hurt. "Now now, Ms. Callahan, there's no need to be defensive, I was merely making conversation. Although, I do find it a tad insulting that you are so sparing with your details."

"Details for what exactly?"

Markieth smiled. "I heard a rumor that her research went farther than what she published. That maybe she was onto something...bigger."

Elena stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about. My mother discovered a new method of gene therapy that increases healing rates and reduces scaring."

Markeith's entire demeanor changed. His posture became more predatory, and his smile hardened into an insincere mask. "Come now, Elena, surely she told you more than that," he pressed.

Elena stood from her chair. Markeith rose with her.

"There's no need to get upset, I'm merely looking for details. I heard your mother made something more powerful. Something that could make a person invincible."

"There are no details," Elena said through gritted teeth.

"You're not a very good liar."

Unnerved, Elena took off running. She burst through the hotel doors, took her key from the valet, and fond her own car. She didn't look back to see if she was being followed, and she didn't stop until she had made it to her car and locked the door. She turned on her car and sped out of the parking deck, eyes alert, and looking for anyone who may be following her. She made it out onto the city streets and took the long way home. In the quiet of her car, she broke down.

She screamed and cried and made strange noised of grief that sounded more like a primal animal than a twenty-year-old girl. She cursed her mother for exploring such a dangerous concept. Then she cursed her for being gifted enough to actually solve the genetic puzzle. Finally, she cursed her for dying and leaving her alone. Elena had no other family around. She was adopted by her mother, who had no living relatives; her mother was all she had.

Elena cried the entire way home and into her house. She raided her mother's liquor cabinet, found an unopened fifth of crown, and made her way to her mother's lab. She collapsed on the floor amongst the scrapped paper and drank. The liquor burned her throat and stomach but gave her some relief from the constricting inside her chest. When she finished about a quarter of the bottle, she found the strength to pick herself up off the floor. Her eyes felt swollen and hot from all the tears she had shed.

She began gathering up her mother's notes and journals and piling them into one of her large file boxes she kept on hand for experiments. She cleaned out all the paper clutter from the space and tried to erase the physical reminders her mother had left behind. She left out her mother's most recent journal. It was a two-inch-thick book with tabs dating the last ten years and detailing the latest experimentation phases. One day Elena would read it in remembrance of her mother and her legacy, but that day wasn't today. Today was over, night had fallen, and she was ready to sleep.

Elena stacked her bottle and clutch on top of her mother's notebook and started closing down the lab for the night. She heard a faint thumping sound. Elena, being easily startled, froze and looked around the lab for the source of the thumping. One of the lab rats was ramming itself into the front wall of its plexiglass cage on the back wall. The rat was snow-white with crimson eyes, indicating it had taken the serum her mother had made. All who were injected with it lost pigmentation. Just like the rats turning to dust, this too was a shortcoming her mother was working through before she died. Worried it may hurt itself, she quickly opened the hatch and went to grab him out. As soon as she wrapped her fingers around it, the creature reared back and bit her hand savagely. A small trickle of blood ran down the side of her hand.

"Ouch! You little jerk!"

Just then, all of the white lab rats went ballistic. They ran around their cages, rammed into walls, and let out high-pitched squeaks. Elena staggered back, unnerved by their erratic behavior. Her back bumped against something hard, and she let out a high-pitched shriek of her own. Elena whirled around and came face to face with something that could only be described as a monster. A tall, white-haired figure stood before her, staring her down with glowing crimson eyes. Its skin was bleached of all its color to the point that it was almost an ashen gray. It clung to him being too tight and too loose at the same time. His skin was taut over its cheeks and jaw while it hung loose and wrinkly around the eyes and ears. The creature smiled a manic smile exposing sharp serrated teeth like that of a shark.

"Blood..." The creature rasped. "I want your blood."

Gnarled fingers reached out to her, pale and grasping like the tentacle of some hideous monster. Elena batted the hand away and sidestepped the grotesque creature. She ran for the door only to find it blocked by another beast; she was trapped. The second monster stepped into the lab, driving her back into the enclosed space. This one moved faster than the first one; his moves were more sporadic as if he was in a frenzy of some kind. The monster threw out his arm in a wide ark and knocked Elena back with incredible force. She crashed into the nearby table, toppling it over and shattering glass beakers and equipment.

Elena was too stunned to feel any pain, she scrambled up to her feet, but the monster was already on top of her. He grabbed her around the throat and squeezed so hard the two sides touched together and cut off her air supply immediately. She clawed his paper-thin skin, drawing blood, but the wounds began to glow and heal right before her eyes. Suddenly everything made sense to her, the red eyes, the leeched skin, and hair, the fast healing. They had taken the serum.

"Well now," a voice said from behind the monster. "I expected to find another scientist in here looting the research, but I never thought I'd find the prodigy's daughter herself."

A clean-shaven man with an elvish face stepped into her view. He regarded her with the detached, observant stare of a scientist taking in her suffering and struggles. He was well dressed in a button-down and tailored vest. His loafered feet took slow, calculated steps towards her, like a predator stalking prey. He placed a restraining hand on the shoulder of the monster, and the grip around her throat loosened. Elena took in a sip of air.

"Release!" The man commanded, and she was dropped to the floor.

Elena hit her knees hard and scrambled backward, cowering under a nearby table. The man tisked and sauntered towards her.

"You shouldn't be here," he told her. "You're supposed to be at your mother's dedication."

"Who are you? Why are you here!"

"My name is Erik Carlson; I was a peer of your mother and a silent partner in her research."

"You're lying! My mother didn't share her research with anyone!"

"That's where you're wrong, your mother is a brilliant mind, but she doesn't have all the equipment she needs in this lab; she had to outsource some of her work. I let her use my company's labs and equipment in exchange for the opportunity to use and profit off of her findings."

Elena knew her mother rented out other labs' equipment, but she was never told about any silent partners.

"It's a shame what happened to her. She had done such promising work, but her...ethics got into the way of things."

"What are you talking about?"

"She wanted to continue testing on animals, perfecting the serum until all of these undesirable side effects were gone. She was so concerned with 'protecting the quality of life'; she never stopped to see what she had truly created: the ultimate weapon. An almost immortal killing machine."

Elena's eyes fell to the monsters lurking behind him. They moaned and groaned; hungry eyes fixated on her. Her hands and legs were cut up from the glass she had to crawl across in her retreat. They hissed and whispered about the blood welling up through the scratches and punctures.

"They aren't weapons!" Elena spat. "They're pitiful human beings driven mad by an awful poison! How could you take something meant to save lives and use it to destroy them!"

"The madness is a nasty side effect; their bloodlust makes them harder to control. Rest assured; I will be fixing that issue as soon as I have her research back in my lab where it belongs."

"Like hell you're taking anything from this lab!" Elena said with more gusto than she felt.

"There's no need to be hostile, young lady. Besides, I don't believe you're in any place to be making demands. I am, however, in the market for a new research partner. Seeing as you are your mother's daughter and know a great deal about her research, I'd be willing to overlook your rudeness and work with you."

"Are you insane! I'd never work with you, never! Leave this place now before I call the police!"

The man shook his head. "Such a waste. I had hoped you would be smarter than your mother and see reason, but it appears insolence runs in the family. At least you will make a fun toy for my friends here."

The man took a step back and motioned the monster forward. Elena shut her eyes tightly and prepared herself as much as any person could- for the very real possibility that she would die. They say when you face death that you see your life flash before you in a blur, but that's a lie. When you know you're going to die, time slows down to a painfully sluggish pace and shows you your deepest fears. Elena sat in silent torment as her fears took over.

Fearof the pain she will experience as her body is beaten and ripped apart. Fearthat she will die before she has really ever done anything in her life. Fearthat she had no one to look for her, and her body would be left to rot on thefloor of the lab. And fear that that man, whoever he was, was about to walkaway with her mother's research and create more of those monstrosities, andthere was nothing she could do to stop him. She hated herself for not puttingup a fight, but she was too afraid to move. She was literally living out anightmare with real monsters. Just as those awful gnarly fingers brushed theskin of her throat once more, there was a flash of brilliant light followed byall-consuming darkness