Viron

By Jonathan Pogioli

After the loss of his wife, inside poor Floyd Loveless' body the Light escaping from his broken heart has caused destruction and dystopia for all his microscopic inhabitants. Viron, an evil dark virus lord dwells in the navel, reproducing in large numbers until it's time to strike the vulnerable break and vanquish any remaining Light. Eternal Da

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oculus Publications
• Release date: Apr 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638775379

Book preview

Acknowledgements

Mum, Steve, Dad, Bro for all the support.

Dale L. Roberts (the self-publishing guru) for being my mentor, and for going above and beyond.

www.selfpublishingwithdale.com

Mark Graham for the cover design.

www.markgrahamartist.com

Prologue

According to the prophecies of ancient legends, the new millennium was to be a time of uncertainty with what the future would hold. A New Age interpretation held that the date marked the 21st of December was the start of a period during which Earth and its inhabitants would undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation called ‘The Dawn of the Light.’

...Others suggested that the date marked the end of the world or a similar catastrophe uttered only by some as ‘The Darkness...’

...and so, as above...so below

...so below

Deep inside Floyd Loveless’ body, an endless network of cave-like dark cavities burrowed through the white spongy bone marrow, and out of this darkness the red bloodstream carried millions of newborn sleeping baby Naïve B-cells each wrapped adorably in a clear sticky plasma gel.

As the bloodstream carried these cute Naïve Bs, tiny little receptors popped out from the sleeping B-cells’ heads.

Glass-like orbs hung on the ends of their receptors like little bobble hats and when they sparked into life, each orb illuminated a single DNA strand – a key different to any other B-cell ever born.

The new-born Bs stirred.

Their sleepy eyes woke.

Through the darkness, a sign up ahead read: Natural Selection Testing Chamber.

Inside the testing chamber, the bloodstream bottle-nosed the countless Bs onto an examination line.

Beautiful, angelic female examiners draped in white silk dressed the Bs in cute little white military combat uniform along with examining each little glowing receptor as they passed.

A flowing line of orbs sparked into life and twinkled like the night sky, but for some Bs Natural Selection wasn’t quite so kind.

An examiner picked out an unfortunate B with a lifeless receptor and placed it on a separate bloodstream path signposted: Danger! Apoptosis!

Apoptosis is the death of a cell that is not quite cut out for the job in protecting the body, and so the bloodstream carried the unfortunate B into the darkness with only its cries to be heard.

The Bs which had passed through the Natural Selection test floated downstream toward another sign reading: Self Tolerance Testing Chamber.

Inside, more angelic examiners dangled friendly germs over the passing Bs’ receptors like fishermen on a riverbank just to test how tolerant each B was to the Self.

And so, the Bs’ receptors reached out, grabbed onto the friendly germs of the Self for a brief moment and released, passing merrily along the bloodstream.

An examiner dangled a germ over a B. His little receptor reached out, clung tightly to the germ for dear life. A black mist formed inside his receptor and a green poison cloud swept across the germ, deforming it as if suffering from an allergic reaction.

The examiner shook and shook to free the B but it was no use; the B hung on. She prised the toxic B off her fishing line and plonked him onto the apoptosis bloodstream whilst countless selected Bs passed happily on through the line twinkling like the cosmos we see today, all ready to face the world...

As Above...

Meanwhile, outside of Floyd’s body, countless stars twinkled one clear night above London City. The River Thames divided the London Eye and Houses of Parliament. Red buses and black taxis passed over London’s Tower Bridge.

Through a top window of a traditional London apartment overlooking a narrow back street, a withered rose in a small vase rested on the window ledge.

And through this window, Floyd Loveless, skinny, pale, and gaunt hung a bauble on a high branch of a decorated Christmas tree. A conspicuous, murky-green, boggy fish tank strangely stood out from the otherwise pristine tidiness.

His adorable four-year-old daughter, May, lifted a gold star out of a glittery box with a face full of glee; it was Christmas after all.

Floyd lifted May to the very highest branch for her to slot the star on the treetop.

The heavenly shining star finished the tree off perfectly...well almost...

Floyd passed a big red button to May, whilst instinctively and nervously fidgeting his faint wedding ring mark on his ring finger but there was no ring, just the faint mark of what used to be.

With awe, May looked down on the bright red button and pressed it.

Suddenly, the tree lights burst into a bouquet of bright colours and the star shone down so bright.

Her face glowed in sheer delight.

Floyd sorrowed at the tree and necked back a Tic Tac like it was some potent shot of whiskey or something. And with one deep brave breath, he said, ‘Less than a week to Christmas, but we finally did it. Time to write your letter to San—’

But just before Floyd could even finish what he was saying, a sealed envelope addressed to Santa was shoved under his big nose by May who braced Solomon, her grey patchwork teddy with Xs for eyes in anticipation for her daddy’s reply.

Floyd chuckled at his daughter’s enthusiasm and opened the letter, but his smile soon dropped as the look of sorrow took its place on his face.

The letter to Santa contained only one word...one wish. The word read: "Mummy."

Floyd sighed at May and folded the letter.

‘Oh, May, what have I told you about Mummy?’

May peeped at a wall photo of a once well-fed, plump but happy Floyd dressed in a clown costume, kissing his beautiful bride dressed in a stunning traditional white wedding dress. May looked up at the heavens with sorrow.

Floyd answered for silent May.

‘Yes, May, she’s up with the angels. And...?’

Floyd tried desperately to egg May on to speak but all she did in reply was an unenthused little tap-dance.

Tappity-tip-tap.

Floyd forced a broken smile at May.

‘Exactly! We’re the Funky Duo now,’ finished Floyd whilst pulling out a red clown blowout, blowing it with all his might.

The blowout unfurled like a frog’s tongue and made a silly sound.

May giggled. Floyd embraced her tightly whilst grieving at the wedding photo over her shoulder. He released his embrace, braved a smile at May and reached behind the sofa.

‘Hey, shall we make hot choccie and set off the rest of these?’ suggested Floyd, revealing a mega firework titled The Apocalypse.

May crept closer to it. Her big brown eyes widening with each step closer to this beast of a firework.

‘The finale,’ said Floyd.

May squealed with delight and ran in circles until she was so dizzy that she fell to the soft carpet along with her teddy.

Floyd scooped up May. He lowered her out of the window onto the flat roof causing her to wriggle and groan in fear. ‘It’s okay, May, I’ll never let go of you,’ assured Floyd.

A black kitten from the window next door watched Floyd and May stab the fireworks into the soil in the flowerpots along the roof’s edge.

Floyd used a lighter. Firework fuses sizzled.

May nestled herself into Floyd and watched the rockets zoom across the night sky.

Booooooooom!

Explosions of mesmerising colour illuminated the sky.

The kitten leapt into the air in fright and hung onto the curtain for dear life as every colour of the rainbow reflected off his frightened wide green eyes.

May continued to watch spellbound by all the explosive beauty around her, but her joyous moment was about to turn sour when at the window, Ellie, a young, single, beautiful woman with flour all over her face and pinny, frowned at all the loud action outside whilst having to peel her poor kitty from the curtains.

She lifted the window and shouted over at Floyd. ‘Do you mind? Excuse me?’

Floyd couldn’t hear Ellie because of all the loud bangs and remained bent over, lighting the fuse on the big-bad finale firework.

‘Get ready...’ said Floyd looking down at May whilst giving her a trusty thumbs-up and wink.

‘Hey there!’ shouted Ellie.

Floyd and May jumped out of their skin and turned to face Ellie all the while with the fuse sizzling behind them.

‘Um, yeah, bonfire night was like yonks ago?’ reminded Ellie whilst stroking her scared kitty, ‘And now you’ve given my kitty a heart attack. Poor Levi.’

Floyd and May eyed the ground like naughty children when the mighty firework shot off into the air behind them and zoomed through the night sky.

Uh-oh.

May awed up at Floyd knowing what was to come. They both braced.

Boooooom!

The loudest and brightest firework you’ve ever seen and heard exploded into a dazzling blood-red glitter.

Dogs barked. Cats shrieked as pockets of lamps switched on from the apartments opposite the back alley.

Floyd and May instinctively sank their necks into shoulders in reaction to the blast and simply stared at Ellie. Red glitter rained down behind them as trash lids spun to a stop.

Ooops.

Finally, a welcomed blissful silence rose from the chaos when a cheeky rogue roof tile fell and broke right outside Ellie’s window.

Red-faced Ellie slammed down her window and threw her curtains closed in anger.

Floyd gulped dread down on May, ‘Oops.’ he whispered whilst shakily flicking open the lid of his Tic Tac box and necking one back followed by fidgeting his ring mark on his finger.

That night in May’s bedroom, Floyd put May into her pyjamas and tried brushing the knots out of her hair. Her head pulled and tugged on each snag causing her to shriek.

‘I’m sorry, May.’ confessed Floyd not quite having the mother’s touch. He then tried tying bows into her poorly platted hair but it was no use, they looked so silly.

May leapt into bed and snuggled deep into her fluffy duvet.

‘Goodnight,’ said Floyd, tucking May in tight but there was no answer. ‘May? You not going to say night to daddy?’ But again, there was no reply and all May did was turn her back on Floyd. ‘Speak for me, please,’ begged Floyd in vein. But it was no use, all she did was shake her head. ‘What about for Solomon,’ added Floyd, but May shook her head over and over.

Floyd cleared his throat and tried hopelessly to sing a sweet lullaby to May just as she loved her mother doing but the notes coming from Floyd sounded more like a cat being strangled, causing May to pull her pillow tightly over her head and ears.

‘I’m sorry, May,’ whispered Floyd as he rose to his feet and turned off the light.

But before he made it to