A frail-looking young man with pale skin and muddy, black hair trudged towards a translucent dome-shaped barrier. He clutched a few precious credit points he had managed to save from working in the air-purification mills. After a long, long time of saving up, he was finally able to collect enough money to buy something extravagant.
Coffee.
Not the cheap, synthetic crap slum rats like him were used to—no, this was going to be the real deal. Even though it would be his first time drinking the luxurious coffee, he couldn't help but feel bitter. It was going to cost him all of his savings, afterall.
Never in his life would he have considered something this insane. But today was special... His life was coming to an end afterall.
Soon enough, Lynx saw a tall, black wall, it was made out of some material which didn't seem to have any joints, as if the whole thing was a single sheet of metal. On top of the metal though, sat a translucent dome which shimmered with faint light which kept getting obstructed by large, ashen clouds in the sky.
The wall should be at least twenty meters. It had a cubicle at its front. In front of it however, a burly man with wide shoulders and an athletic physique stood guard, clad in a black uniform and a helmet covering the half of his face.
As soon as the burly man saw Lynx, a scowl appeared on his half-covered face, and he spoke in a voice full of disdain.
"State your business."
Lynx didn't mind, this was how the slum rats like him were treated. Anyways his focus was elsewhere. His mouth watered at the thought of having a real coffee.
Tilting his head, he glanced at the guard, and showed him the credit points:
"I'm gonna buy something."
The guard scoffed as he looked at the points, then gestured the doorman in the cubicle to open the gates.
Lynx stepped forward; the thick, black metal doors groaned open, and a surge of pleasent, fresh air hit his gaunt face and muddied hair.
The moment he walked through the gates, they sealed shut, preventing any of the fresh air from escaping the inner settlement.
'Now, where do I find the coffee shop?'
As to answer his thoughts, at the edge of his gaze, he found a coffee shop.
***
Lynx was sitting across the City Park, which was filled with trees, grass, and sweet fresh air; he was enjoying the warmth of the luxurious coffee in his hands.
Excited, he raised the luxurious drink and savored the aroma. Then, with cracked lips... and took a small sip.
Immediately his face grimaced as he felt an assault over his taste buds, and he spat.
"Argh, crap, it's bitter!!"
Oh yes, it was even bitter than blowing his entire savings on this steaming disappointment. But he had spent so much credits on it... feeling another one of those terrible waves of sleepiness, Lynx slapped his face, and then focused again.
So, he ploddingly drank the coffee. Oh, what a waste it was, but he couldn't let it go, he was determined to get his money's worth!
Gulping another bitter mouthful he exclamed:
"What a ripoff!"
The people who lived in the inner settlement rushed past him, moving past the magnificent park without even glancing at it. They gave Lynx strange looks as they moved past him on their way to work. Lynx couldn't even blame them, in his ragged clothes and frail, gaunt body, not to mention how pale he was, obviously they looked at him strangely.
After finishing the coffee, Lynx tossed the cup in a garbage can, and stood up. He shook his head dejectedly when the cup missed the bin. Rolling his eyes with an exasperated sigh, he picked up the cup, and put it in the bin. Only then, did he start walking over to the nearby police station.
With a slight frown that appeared over his face, he crossed the street.
Inside, a tired man say behind a large desk, his face resting over his hands. Glancing at Lynx, the man sighed and shook his head.
"You lost, kid?"
Lynx shook his head, then spoke in a somber voice.
"Uh... I came here to surrender myself as stated in the sixth declaration, I've been infected with the Sere Syndrome."
The man's expression quickly turned from tired to surprised. He looked at the gaunt young man who was dressed in tatters, and asked again.
"When did the symptoms start showing?"
Lynx gazed in the air, then again at the officer and answered.
"Four days ago... Yeah, four."
However, when the man heard the answer, his face turned pale. He quickly grabbed the communicator on his shoulder and spoke into it.
"Emergency! It's another infected!! Code red!!!"
The police station soon erupted into chaos.
Wasn't this just a coma? Why were they acting like he was a ticking bomb? Unless... there's that they knew. Something he didn't know.
Lynx was dragged in, and then taken to a basement which seemed to be heavily guarded, and protected by some strong alloy reinforcement instead of mundane walls. His face grimaced.
'Why so much caution? Isn't it just a simple coma inducing disease?'
Who knows, he was prolly gonna find out anyways.
It was a new kind of disease that had sunk it's claws inside Lynx. He was experiencing The Sere Syndrome... or as they call it in fancy parts, Total Neural Shutdown... Or were they comparing it to TNS? He wasn't sure.
No known person had woken up after having felt the same symptoms he had... so what hope did this slum dweller had. The diseases like these were at least fair, unlike everything else in this cursed world.
It judged fairly, no one had been able to determine what exactly was the cause of this strange disease.
At least the government had issued a decree, of sorts. The people infected with the Sere Syndrome were to be brought into police custody, where they would provide a permanent shelter for people like him.
It was oddly generous of the government, too generous even.
Inside the reinforced room was a bed so soft... It should've been a crime to have it, along with medical equipment surrounding it.
Another officer entered the highly secured vault Lynx was going to stay in. She looked at him with her beautiful ember eyes, pulling out the pen she'd been biting and said in a voice that almost made him drool.
"What's your name?"
Lynx took a while to adjust on the soft bed feeling his head sink in the fluffy cushion while other policemen were putting him in restraints.
Why were they restraining him anyways? What was the point? It's not like he was gonna become a monster and attack them... Wait, that wasn't gonna happen now, was it?
The comfort betrayed his doubtful tone though, and his answer sounded like a moan.
"Lynx."
She tilted her head a little, and started scribbling on the notepad she had.
"Lynx..." she repeated it in a soft voice. "A strange name, not sure I've heard it before." The woman raised an eyebrow.
Lynx glared at her defensively:
"What's so strange about it anyway? At least I've got one."
She gave a short laugh, shaking her head. "Fair enough, kiddo."
She grabbed a nearby chair and sat down in front of him, and others left the room. She wore a pristine white lab coat over her police uniform which seemed to have two starts at her breast pocket. "How long can you stay awake?"
Suppressing a yawn, Lynx replied—watching as the vault he was inwas now locked. "Not much... longer."
The beautiful woman leaned in, her emerald eyes glimmering in the light, and her supple, saffron skin clearly visible now.
"Well, try to stay awake. Sere Syndrome... well, everything isn't exactly very straightforward with it."
Lynx's eyelids closed for a long moment before he opened them forcefully.
''Of course it isn't simple.' He let out a dry, exhausted chuckle. 'Nothing ever is with this damned government.'