PROLOGUE
Dr. ter Laan-Luintinga stood in his laboratory,peering down the microscope at a tiny body. He looked forward to a great discovery on this thing. What sort of virus is this?he wondered. He ought to carry out an experiment on this strange virus he just discovered. Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga straightened and walked to a shelf along the wall of his lab to reach for a syringe. He ought to put the virus into a syringe and inject it into one of the laboratory animals. He reached for a syringe and went back to the microscope.He got the virus into the syringe and went to the little cage where he kept his own experimental rats.He held the syringe poised in his hand and reaching for a huge rat in the cage,dug the syringe into its neck.The rat gave a shrill squeak. Dr.ter Laan-Luitinga stood by the cage waiting for result-the virus's effect on the animal. “Oh,Dad!” a boy's voice rang out. “Yes,Tom”,said Dr.ter Laan-Luitinga without looking A boy of nine or ten came into the room and stood in the doorway,watching his father. “I didn't know you were busy,Daddy” “That's all right,Tom.What is it?” The boy came towards his father and stood beside him, his eyes fixed on him. “What are you doing?” he asked in a low voice. “Keep your mouth shut and watch,okay?”the father retorted. “Daddy, this rat sure is a big sonofabitch“,Tom spoke in a tone of awed admiration. ”Sure does“,Dr.ter Laan-Luitinga croaked , putting his hands through the bars of the cage to stroke the rat. ”Mum's asleep in her room“,the kid chattered. ”You too should go to sleep.The night is far spent already.Early to bed is early to rise,you know“. Then all of a sudden,the huge rat emitted a strange sound like the growl of a dog;its eyes flashed red. It turned on Dr.ter Laan-Luitinga's hand and before the poor scientist could pull his hand away to avoid the teeth, it nipped his hand hard. Blood gushed out and the syringe fell from his other hand. ”Ouch,shit!Damn! What is this?“he swore hysterically,drawing his bleeding hand free and in the process,reeling backwards. He leaned weakly against the table, holding his injured hand. ”Daddy!Daddy!“ the boy cried ,running to his father's assistance.”He bit you! He's gone crazy!“ Dr.ter Laan-Luitinga turned an ashen face towards him.”Go-go get me the first aid box.Quick!“He pointed towards a shelf at the far end of the room. The boy ran fast to get it. ”The wound looks bad, Daddy.l'd better go wake Mum so we take you to the hospital.“ Tom volunteered ”Now just help me bandage this goddamn hand.“Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga,his brow furrowed in agony, barked. ”Just go to …“ His voice died away all of a sudden. He coughed up blood and lurched forward a few places before sinking to his knees, nearly pulling Tom,who had sprung to his assistance,down to the floor with him. ”What's the matter, Daddy?“ the boy whispered,kneeing by his father. Soon Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga raised his head slowly to face his son,and in his eyes Tom saw a tiny of red. At first, Tom did not know it,but then he remembered it was just like the flash of red in the rat's eyes. The boy paled and quickly backed away, terror-stricken. ”Daddy, what's going on?” his voice came out in a terrified whisper. Slowly Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga slowly stood and raised his head and his eyes flashed red. His feature had changed considerably;it had lost its usual colour associated with human but was now dead white an d haggard. “Daddy what has come over you?” Tom whispered backing away till he bumped into the table. His father-turned-animal took a wobbly step towards him and snarled ferociously. “No,no,no.Daddy stop it. If it is a prank please stop it now. I can bear it no more!” the boy cried. Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga snarled ferociously and lunged at him. He held the boy in a very tight embrace and sank his teeth into his throat. Tom's eyes widened with disbelief and his lips hung open. Blood crept outward in widening circles, spreading quickly now and splashing all over the wall. Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga went in for bite after bite,ripping the flesh and devouring it with blood oozing out of the gaping hole left on the throat. The door swung open noiselessly and a plump, blond woman stood in the doorway in a kimono. “What is going on here?”The woman's glance took in the syringe that lay broken on the floor and the figures onf his husband and son clinging to each other. Her husband back was to her. Her heart jumped when she saw her son's face;it was darker and his eyes bulged glassily.Blood was flowing freely from his mouth. “Laan, what are you doing? You're killing him!” the woman screamed. Dr. ter Laan-Luitinga-or whatever he had turned to- suddenly turned to the sound of the voice. His eyes were as red red as the blood on his face. Snarling,he lunged at the woman and buried his teeth in her throat, eating the flesh deliciously. The huge rat eyes flashing red climbed down through the bars and landing on the floor scurried away across the floor…..
