The Black Crest Chapter 4

Ten years ago, on a planet called Jargon, a new disease had been discovered. This new disease became highly contagious, and killed more people than it infected. The reason being is that this new disease breaks down the body and then the body explodes. This virus became known as the “Exploder Virus”. Due to this, the entire planet became chaotic, fear of both being infected by the disease, and fear of someone next to them exploding. The entire planet started isolating themselves from each other. Seven years later, a doctor named Gromm invented a vaccine for the disease. Dr. Gromm was never satisfied with only preventing a disease, so he went to planet Jargon himself to try and heal the population, as well as apply the vaccine to the healthy. After seeing countless deaths and saving many lives, the people of Jargon gave him the nickname “Doctor of Death” for he never stopped to clean his blood-stained clothes. The cured people of Jargon gave Dr. Gromm countless gifts and helped fund his stay on the planet, allowing him to bring in more supplies and produce more of the vaccine. Applying the vaccine was easy for any doctor, but to remove the virus was an entirely different story. No drug could cure the disease, the only was to remove the disease, was by surgery…

Dr. Gromm was sitting down at a table in a townhouse. His patients helped provide food and shelter whenever he moved from town to town. At the table were two girls, Amber and Penelope. The girl’s mother, Karin, walked in with a covered tray. She removed the tray to reveal a small baked chicken. After cutting up the chicken, she provided mashed potatoes and rolls. The amount of food provided was small, and only enough to feed three. The doctor eat only a small amount, allowing for the girls to eat extra. It didn’t bother the doctor too much, the town had lost most of its recourses in the chaos of the Exploder Virus. Some towns had more food than others, but this town had a relatively little amount of food. The doctor each little, knowing he could probably fill himself up in the next town. Suddenly, a boy knock madly on the door…

Boy: Doctor! Doctor! There’s another one!

The doctor got up to his feet and came outside. Two men dragged a sick man towards the house. Dr. Gromm then grabbed his blood-covered apron and placed a mask over his mouth.

Dr. Gromm: How long has he been like this?

Boy: A few hours…

Dr. Gromm: We haven’t got much time, lay him down on the grass, I’m going to have to perform here.

The men laid the man down, the doctor injected the patient with three shots.

Dr. Gromm: Alright, sir, what I want you to do is count to a hundred.

The patient looked at the doctor and started counting.

Patient: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, … 15, 16, (starting to break off) 17, 18, (slowing down) 19, 20, 21, 22...

The patient became silent, the doctor tapped him a few times to make sure that he was out. Gromm then pulled a scalpel out. As he cut open the man, he saw a bright light…

Dr. Gromm: What the…?

A flash of light and a big bang filled the area where the patient sat.

Karin: Doctor! Are you ok?

Dr. Gromm sat in front of the body. The torso had completely disappeared and blood splattered like a red-paint filled water balloon that had popped. The doctor’s face was completely covered in fresh blood, clothes drenched deeper than they already were.

Dr. Gromm: Yeah, I’m fine, but… unfortunately, the patient…

Karin: Don’t worry about the patient, as long as your… YOUR ARMS!!!

The doctor’s arms, from the hand to the elbow, had been blown off. A distant look in his eyes showed that his passion for his work outweighed the feelings he showed for his lack of limbs…

Dr. Gromm: Without arms… I can’t work on patients…

Karin: Amber! Penelope! Get out here!

Amber and Penelope run out and grabbed the doctor by his legs, while Karin grabbed under his armpits. They both then started to walk, carrying the doctor with them, crowd coming with them. After about hundred yards of walking, they came to a house, an old mechanic name Ixion, who was the only person in town with a vehicle. Karin planned on asking the mechanic to borrow the car. The mechanic was not pleased to hear them knock on the door.

Ixion: What do you want?

Karin: We need to borrow your ship!

Ixion: Why? There some sort of emergency?

Karin: We need to get to a doctor…

Ixion: Isn’t there some sort of hot-shot doctor in town, let him take care of him…

Dr. Gromm: That would be me…

The mechanic looks behind Karin to see the doctor, armless.

Ixion: Well, it hurts me to say it, but my ship is being worked on, so it an’t going nowhere.

Dr. Gromm: Hey, you say you’re a mechanic, right?

Ixion: Yeah…

Dr. Gromm: So you probably have steady hands, am I correct?

Ixion seemed confused at this question. After thinking about it, he realized what the doctor wanted him to do.

Ixion: Hey, hey… I can’t perform surgery.

Dr. Gromm: Your probably the only one that can do it.

Ixion: I don’t care what you say, you can’t make me perform surgery.

Dr. Gromm: It’s really easy, all you have to do is close my veins to prevent bleeding, then you…

Ixion: I don’t want to hear any more!

Karin: Please Ixion… we beg of you… this man has saved millions of our people with his vaccine, and has personally treated thousands, this is the least we can do for him.

Ixion froze for a moment. He didn’t want to do anything, half the town being on his front porch was too much pressure for him. Even so, with Karin begging him to go on, he took a deep breath and said…

Ixion: Alright, I’ll do it…

Ixion went inside to get a chair, then place the chair on the cement. Dr. Gromm sat down and instructed him on how to sew his arms. After the work was done, the doctor left the town, and boarded the nearest ship. Without his arms, he could do no more help for the planet…