Chicago: The Dead Rising

[The Mark]

Northwestern Campus


Sal sat on bench outside the school, it was dusk. He was watching students walking to there dorms keeping an eye out for something special. His army was growing by in numbers he now had fifteen soldiers under is control. Before long he would have the hundred troops he needed. Then they would rip this cities heart out. It was allot easier now that Peterson was out of the way. His doppelganger was doing a good job of keeping the appearance up as if he was still alive though. Yet have his own puppet in place gave him more freedom to move.

Tonight was a Hunting night he was looking for his next soldier. He wanted something special, something yummy. Maybe he would make her a toreador or tremere. Something to aid him in his quest for finding the perfect soldier. Something pretty with a body that could crush a mans heart in one look. Yet she had to be young and innocent looking something a mans mind would think he could corrupt for his own purpose. Several woman passed by then and under his breath he spoke to himself.

"Nope to skanky, Butter face, and a tease. God is anything worth while going to walk by?"

As he was just about to give up and settle for one of the less desirables he saw her. Just out of the corner of his eye she was walking out of the library on campus. He believed her name was Sarah Jacobs and she was in one of his history classes.

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Stopping in front of the vending machine, Sarah selected a diet cherry coke and walked past ::

[The Mark]

"Miss Jacobs."

Sal said from the bench as she was passing by him. He turned his head towards her direction smiling slightly. Sal was a big man but at the moment he was acting relaxed so he didn't throw off his game plan for the night.

[Sarah Jacobs]

"Hi, Mister Yakini."

:: She paused to take a gulp of her soft drink ::

"You know I tried to get that book on our reading list, the egyptian one, but the waiting list for it is too long."

[The Mark]

"It's Doctor, but you may call me Sal."

Sal gave a quaint smile to Sarah as she mentioned the book. The book was a rare one indeed and it was hard to get the college itself only had two copies which Sal had donated to them.

"Well I have my own personal copy I could loan to you."

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Her face lit up ::

"Really? Are you sure???"

[The Mark]

"Yeah I am sure. I am always willing to help a student."

Sal stood up his figure was an imposing one being 6'8" 300lbs. He kind of stood out in a crowd unless he hung out with the football players. Yet those jocks rarely took his classes.

"Follow me to my office and I will get you the book."

He started to head in the direction of his office motioning for Sarah to follow him.

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: She nodded, taking one more swallow of soda before scampering to his side ::

[The Mark]

They walked only a little ways to get his office in the history department building. The walk was silent mostly because the mark didn't want her to get jittery. Although his thoughts where jumping all over the place with the cruel things he was going to do with this one. He would break her and bend her to his will and whim.

They stepped into the history building and walked up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Down a long hallway to a door with the name plate Dr. Yakini on it. Sal open the door and held it open.

"Ladies first."

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Sarah entered the office and quietly took a chair, folding her hands in her lap as she looked about ::

[The Mark]

Sal walked behind the desk but stopped before he got to the large bookcase behind it. He stepped off to the side to a small table and pulled a plate of something off the top. He then turned to Sarah and showed her the plate of cookies.

"Would you like a cookie. My mother baked them a few days ago. Even though I'm a grown up she still sees me as her little kid."

Sal laughed a jolly laugh as he set the plate down in front of Sarah. Then he turned to the bookcase.

"Now where did I put that book."

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Sarah grinned ::

"Thanks."

:: Snatching one of the cookies, she bit into it ::

"Mmmmmmm, peanutbutter!!! Oh I love your Mom!" :D

[The Mark]

"Oh yes here we go. The First Pharaoh, my second favorite book in the whole world. Oddly enough it's right next to my first favorite."

Sal grabbed both the books from the shelf and turned to see Sarah munching on the cookies. He smiled at her as he set both books on the desk in front of her. The first book had a brown cover and some ancient Hieroglyphics on the front. Roughly they translated into the first Pharaoh depending on which translation method you chose to use.

"The book is hard to find. Mostly because the historical and scientific community at large disagree with main hypothesis in the book. I however am a man who likes to read ideas that are a little outside the box."

Sal's finger pointed at the other book on the table. The cover was Black and the book itself was a bit warped as if it had survived fire or water damage. The cover read in barely readable words, the world behind the Veil by Father John Barton. He knew the drug in the cookies should start to take affect soon.

"This book, well it is even rarer. Only Twelve copies in existence. Supposedly there is an elusive thirteenth copy that the writers kept for himself and it details allot more then this book ever could. Maybe I will let you read it sometime."

That’s when Sal's smile went from quaint to sinister almost as if a switch had been flipped. Oh how he loved the game and trapping his victims.

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Sarah simply nodded as she munched the cookies. She started feeling sleepy, but did her best to pay attention ::

[The Mark]

Sal walked from behind his desk to the front of it standing right in front of Sarah. His crooked smile still hanging on his face.

"You will make the perfect specimen for my new experiment."

He reached up and grabbed her chin turning her head from side to side taking in her facial features.

"I'm thinking toreador blood for you my pretty. Ventrue would just destroy your sweetness. But for now you need to sleep and in a couple of hours you will be awake just in time to feel your first death. Then you will feel the experience of unlife the perfect tortured soul you will be."

He stared her straight in her droopy eyes as his nose touched hers.

"You will be my tasty little pet. Very few will be able to keep there hands off you. For the right price they may just get to touch you."

[Sarah Jacobs]

"Nooo ... ***"

:: Sarah's face turned into a mask of fear, but only for an instant before the drugs took hold. Her vision blurred and she became a toy in his hands ::

[The Mark]

45 minutes later.

Sal stared down at his sleeping beauty as she was being strapped into a reclining dentist's chair. The Dentist chair was had no cushioning though it was pure cold steel.





Dr. Haslo: "hehe this one is great boss can I have her?"

"No she is not here for your disgusting pleasure."





Dr. Haslo: "But you promised me one." He said with a whine.

"Not this one. Make sure the straps are tight we don't want the Garnora incident to happen again."

Haslo was loyal Malk and always had been to Sal. Even though sal didn't trust the little git as far as he could throw him. Haslo was a fat stumpy malk with several self-inflicted scars on his face. He was the mark first successful experiment from back in Alexandria.





Dr. Haslo: "She is in tight Mr. president." He saluted Sal.

"Then wake her up with the adrenaline already you Idiot."





Dr. Haslo: "Are you sure she will scream allot and you know how that hurts my hand puppets ears."

"Just do it I don't care about your dang hand puppet. I thought I burned that foul thing anyway."

Mr. Hand puppet: "You did but the brilliant Haslo saved me." The hand puppet was now a half chard shock with lipstick for a mouth.





Dr. Haslo: "Don't make him angry again puppet just grab the needle. I can't afford to lose you again. I love you and someday we are going to get married."

Sal just shook his head. The with a grin of pure ecstasy on Haslo's face the puppet plunged down into the girls chest just as Haslo's long tongue licked across her cheek.

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Sarah screamed as the adrenalin revived her suddenly. Coughing and gasping, she looked in horror from Haslo to the leering handpuppet. Glancing down, she realized she was naked, strapped firmly into the chair so there was no escape. She screamed again, and her blood froze as she turned her head and saw Dr. Yakini ::

[The Mark]

Haslo: "Good morning my pretty, pretty. Mr. Hand puppet says hello to but The Mark doesn't allow him to speak."

"Shut up Dr. Haslo and please leave the room now this is my patient."

Haslo: "But she is so pretty are you sure I can't just have a little taste?"

"Maybe later but for now leave me alone with her. Me and her are going to have allot of fun together."

Haslo walked over to the door and stepped out slamming in loudly in disgust mumbling something to his hand puppet. The mark then looked down at poor little Sarah. He just smiled a cruel smile.

"You’re probably asking yourself God why? Well my dream God doesn't exist in this world. He is only a figment of mortal mans imagination."

The mark walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed some tubing and two five gallon empty buckets. Then he walked back over to Sarah sliding the Buckets on the floor just under her wrists which where strapped in the upright position.

"Have you ever died before?"

[Sarah Jacobs]

"Nooooooo!!!: she sobbed. "I don't want to die!!!"

[The Mark]

"Oh but you will. Then you will rise again as perfection."

Again the Mark walked off this time he came back but this time with a one those wheeled IV bag holders. The IV bag holder had two IV bags on it with blood in them. The IV bags where pinched off at the moment but had a long tube attached to them.

"You see I'm going to give you eternal life something the mortal God promises but only I can give. You will live forever in the House of The Mark. My personal slave."

[Sarah Jacobs]

"Why???" she blubbered, struggling helplessly against the restraints.

[The Mark]

"Because my dear you are beautiful. The army of The Mark needs a little beauty in it."

The Mark walked away again and quickly returned with a krised dagger in his hands. It was shiny almost as if it was brand new.

"Don't worry it has been sterilized. The procedure will be a simple one there is a fifty-fifty chance you might not survive but I am willing to take that risk. I believe you are strong and can handle it."

He gave a nice smile yet in it's own way it was twisted.

"I will start by slitting your wrists and allowing you to bleed out into the buckets. Then when you reach that pivotal moment of death I will shove this tube connected to the IV of blood down your throat. The blood is special the donor was a toreador and well he is dead now. You will be his child in undeath. His Vampire spawn child that he never got to know."

He explained it all to her and he felt it was satisfactory. It would cause little harm to him only the loss of a student but the birth of a child of the night. A little sadness with a bit of joy. A bittersweet ending and new beginning.

"So are you ready?"

[Sarah Jacobs]

"No!!!! Don't do this!!! :cry Please don't do this!!!!

:: He ignored her pleas, proceeding with the task ::

"No!!! no no no no No!!! Please!!!"

:: She sobbed uncontrollably as her wrists were slit, her blood flowing into the buckets. Her eyes fluttered as her life drained away, and all she could do was gurgle pitifully as the tube was pushed down her throat ::

[The Mark]

He watched patiently as death set in then the blood began to flow into her throat. He watched like a small child frying ants with a magnifying glass. He reached over to a small table with a remote on it and flipped on some classical music.

"You will come back into this world with some culture. Beethoven Seventh Symphony movement 2, my favorite. Just like you are my favorite experiment."

As the music was getting to its height he realized the blood wasn't taking. The experiment was failing. He fell into a rage then chucking the remote at the floor, throwing the table clear across the room. He started cursing ever god under the sun. His raging fit went on for minutes as he punch walls shouted wildly."

"I WANTED HER HOW COULD YOU DEFY MY GODLY STATUS. ALL OF YOU UP ABOVE WILL FOR TREASON. CRIMES AGAINST THE TRUST CREATER OF PERFECTION ME. I WILL START BY SLAYING THE CHILDREN IN THIS CITY TO SHOW YOU ALL WHO HOLDS THE POWER. YOU SHOULD NEVER DEFY ME."

[Sarah Jacobs]

:: Sarah woke up again with a choking gasp as the Mark tore the tube out of her mouth. The blood flew everywhere, and her body was drenched with it. She screamed as he continued trashing the room in a rage, frantically trying to free herself from the chair ::

[The Mark]

His rage ended the moment he heard the scream and he spun on his heels. His eye's darted right at here almost as if they where peering right through her. The Mark took one-step then two steps closer to her.

"What is this?"

He the grabbed her top lip and pulled it back as soon as he got in reaching distance.

"Hmmm no fangs?"

He then looked down at her wrist with curious look. The wounds had healed themselves.

"Yes my precious you will do just fine. You are much more useful then a vampire. How do you feel after having died for the first time? What does the new life feel like?"

[Sarah Jacobs]

"EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeee ee ... ***"

:: Sarah's eyes bulged as she screamed insanely, then she passed out ::