A special thanks to:

Larry Lawson

Jeff O’Brien

Elena Henry

for inspiring me to become a story teller

Our world has seen many catastrophes, extinctions, and genocides, but the most devastating losses of life in our planet’s history are The Flu Pandemic and The Black Death. These Apocalypses reshaped the lives of millions and destroyed more lives than any other disease until now. The world is facing a manmade pandemic and this newly created disease will test humanity’s persistence and will to survive.               We now will face the devastation of Apocalypse No.3…

Part 1: Genesis

Chapter 1

It was a quiet night, for once. The usual explosions and gunshots in the distance have been absent from sight and sound, but being on watch was still nerve-racking.  I have always hated being on watch because it gets me on edge and puts me in a position where failing is not an option. It is even harder to put energy into this job when you’re starving. We were waiting for a convoy of supplies to show up, but it seemed like its arrival time was getting longer and longer. I had been stationed in the outskirts of the Helmand province in Afghanistan for the last three months. However, this was not my first tour; I had been on two tours prior to this one, but I am always in fear of seeing my life flash before my eyes. I had trouble imagining what I would see during that moment. Would I see the happiest parts of my life, or would I be witnessing all the wrong I had done?

Being a soldier in some of the most dangerous places in the world requires sacrifice and occasionally shatters whatever moral code you think you have. Reminds me of a time when we were driving through a city in Afghanistan. We had stopped because a few children walked in front of our convoy and had their hands out asking for food. They looked like they were in the range of ten and fifteen years old. One of our soldiers got out and handed a few MRE's to the children. In that same moment a child ran out from one of the buildings yelling profanities about our country. It took a second for all of us to realize that he had a block of C-4 on his chest. Before he got to the children receiving food, I pulled out my gun and put three shots in his stomach right below the strapped explosive. The kid fell and yelled out some other words, clicked the button, and then... He was gone.

In the middle of my train of thought I could hear the convoy arriving, and it is almost like Christmas.  We now have food and water again, which is a relief. Two days is a long time to go without either of those necessities, especially in this climate. Seeing those crates filled with food, water, and ammunition was a sight for sore eyes. My thirst was being quenched just by looking at the crates. All of this equipment showing up boosted the morale in this place; you would think we were in hell already by the way we acted.  We always kept composure, but the distress in the soldiers’ eyes was far from hidden.  We had been so down, and too hungry for too long, and it seemed as if we would never get a break. We have been rationing for three weeks and exhausted all of our resources two days ago. However, Murphy’s law is well enforced and the universe made sure we knew it. As the tailgate dropped and we smiled in adoration at the supplies that the convoy had delivered, I heard the loud bang of thunder in the sky.  It was a sound that made us all jump in haste. The only problem was, we did not have a cloud in sight and we were expecting no rain. This sound meant that we had only seconds before a shot from a tank would hit our outpost.

“Get into position” shouted the colonel.

The soldiers ran into position without hesitation, we thought we were prepared for this, but we were wrong. Sure enough, the shot was a direct hit on us. It put a ring in our ears that would make anyone feel like the universe was talking about them. The shell sent metal, earth, and fire into the air making our vision blurry and almost surreal. I ran as fast as I could to my post, but as I was on the run a shell landed within my proximity and the force took the wind from me. I drifted out of consciousness and instead of seeing my whole life run across my mind, I saw a man. He could not have been older than forty. He stared at me with such fear and had a rushing feel to his body language. He held out his hand and said, “Here is the catalyst, take it. Take it now!” I woke up to the sound of beeping and yelling. I was in the infirmary back at HQ. I knew I had been unconscious for a long time because Headquarters is at least 18 hours away from our outpost. It’s a miracle that I made it here, I had the weirdest sensation though, I could feel the morphine coursing through my veins as the pain in my side began to fade. I had the obvious assumption that our camp had been attacked and devastated. The explosion was all I could recall from memory, and in the state I was, I was only able to mutter that I had the catalyst. The nurses and doctors were looking at me like I had a major screw loose. I felt my eyes rolling back and sleep then took me once again.

Chapter 2

Breathing was heavy and painful; the feeling of a boulder and needles lying on my chest was unbearable. I broke three ribs and pulled all of the muscles on my left side. They said that the explosion threw me backwards against a crate that was about half of my height. This caused me to wrap around the crate and bring about my injuries. I feel lucky that I even survived, I was fortunate enough to be part of the thirteen survivors that “walked” away still breathing. The sad thing is our outpost housed forty-seven soldiers. It was heartbreaking to hear that so many of my brothers would not get the chance to walk on the soil of their hometown ever again. And yet I feel relief in the fact that I survived another tour. Is it wrong to be glad that I am not in their place? “It should have been me” is what I feel I am expected to think, but I cannot help but feel joy in my survival. However, I do not use the word alive lightly. Many of my fellow soldiers walked away breathing, but I would not consider a lot of their injuries as minor as mine. My best friend Allen was not so fortunate. The fact that he walked away alive was part of gods cosmic irony. It is an irony I do not find humorous in any sense. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He was on his way to the communications tent when he felt an object hit him in the back and send him to the ground. That object was a piece of shrapnel that flew into his back and sunk into his spinal cord. His spine was not severed, but it was severely damaged. He was never to walk again; well that is what the doctors said at least.  He would not be able to play or run around with his little girl again.  His daughter is all he has back home.  Charlotte is eight years old by now and she is very beautiful and very smart. Charlotte’s mother died from cancer when she was five, so although Allen could not walk, it was a miracle that Charlotte did not lose another parent. Allen is able to return home and watch Charlotte grow up. As for me, I have been alone since my wife died. Her heart was too weak to keep her body up and running. The doctors could not put more emphasis on anything except the fact that her heart would fail and that she would only survive if her heart had been just a little bit more resilient. She left me with only these words, “Always thrive, do not give up, because to give up is to fail. I failed you, DO NOT FAIL ME, DAMIAN, I love you.” Those four words would change the way I made choices for the rest of my life. DO NOT FAIL ME…

It is a perfect and sunny day. It is our weekly picnic with the family. Me, my little girl, and my wife. We go to the same park every week, and we sit in the same spot, with the perfect amount of sun, shade, and breeze. My wife is eight months and fifteen days pregnant, and we cannot wait for our little girl to be born.

We started on a walk until we came to a spot that was a frequent stop for us when we were young. We sat down and held each other as if to never let go. I slid my head down and laid my head on her stomach. I began to listen to my baby and feel her kick my head. I sighed in happiness, and as I looked in the distance I noticed the sun going down. We knew it was time to go because it was getting late.

Chapter 3

This feeling of frustration cannot be exaggerated, I feel so restless and caged. I have been in this God forsaken infirmary for the last two weeks. They say it is because of some long term acute care program. I feel great due to the Vicodin I have been prescribed, the pain is minute and only occurs every now and then, which is why I should have been out of this place already. Allen and I have been playing the same game of checkers for two weeks, and I have not had a victory against him which is even more frustrating because I always figured I was the smart one. He always sets up the perfect strategy, and I have yet to understand it and beat it. It is almost like a plague in my head that I cannot cure, he uses the same series of moves and still I cannot find the pattern. He always says “I will walk again before you beat me Mr. Walker,” and I knew it was him making funny jokes, but it was also a way for him to cope over the fact that he has very small chances of walking again. Every night he pulls out a picture of his little girl and mutters to her that he would trade anything to get his legs back so he can run and play with her. He did not lose his legs literally, but that seems to be the way he sees it and explains it in his letters to his family back home. I wish there was some godly power or miracle that could make his request come true. He doesn’t have much to trade, but I am sure God could find something. I hate to say it, but I have had trouble lately praying like I used to, and when I say lately I mean the last four years or so. The things I have seen on my tours make me wonder how anything is destined in this world. My wife dying and Allen not getting to run around with his little girl make me put The Book down and go on with my business. Allen however has seemed to put all his wishes and requests in God’s hands. His faith is astonishing and sometimes pathetic. I hate to sound rude towards someone who just lost their legs, but I do not see how anyone can get down on their knees and pray to someone whose plan was to put you in your hopeless situation in the first place. Then again it makes me wonder if I have a bigger purpose in store for me. If God has this almighty plan, do I have a place in it? Will I make a difference in this world or will I be just another jarhead in the marines?

Chapter 4

I can’t sleep. Karber will not stop screaming. His convoy was just attacked and he is the only survivor. The Humvee that was leading the vehicles ran over an I.E.D and then they were rained on with mortars. The three passengers in his Humvee pulled out some supplies out of the back and then started looking for survivors in the front Humvee that hit the I.E.D.  A mortar shell fell and hit them directly, and another one hit in close proximity to Karber’s Humvee. He was on the outside of the vehicle and the force tipped the Humvee over on top of Karber. Luckily an ammo crate was next to him preventing the Humvee from crushing him to death. He used the radio that his fallen colleagues brought out to call for help. He was then found and brought to the infirmary. I am not supposed to be walking around, but he has been hemorrhaging for the last 45 minutes and the doctors are having trouble stitching all the major blood vessels back together. His screams are keeping everyone from sleeping, so I decided to go see what exactly was going on.

Allen: What are you doing?

Damian: I’m done with all this noise, I’m gonna go see what’s going on.

I snuck over to the infirmary area of this facility and peeked inside the medical room.

Doctor: He is going to die if we do not try it.

I did not know what “it” was, but from the look on one of the doctors face: it seemed as if “it” was dangerous. I could hear another person saying that they had no human trials yet, and that they have no clue what the effects could be. I then realized that it was not only doctors in there, but scientists too. I see the main doctor grabbing a tube filled with a purple liquid and inject it into Karber. Karber screams with all of the breath he has in him and then calms down, it looks like his pain has vanished. He breathes heavily for a few minutes and then seems fine.

Doctor: See I told you it would be fine, primates are not that different from us.

Scientist: I guess that, by luck, you were right.

I felt happy to see that whatever they injected into him helped, but as this thought crossed my mind Karber jumps up and coughs blood in the doctor’s face getting it in his mouth, eyes, and all over his nose. Karber screams, “What did you do to me!” He then drops onto the bed limp and his eyes, nose, and mouth started leaking out blood like a fountain, and you could see his stomach swell up and fill with blood. It was a horrible sight, and I had seen the whole thing. What the hell did they do to him? He was fine one minute and the next thing you know he dies screaming in agony.

That purple stuff was on my mind all night. What could alleviate all of his pain and then kill him? It looked like he was hemorrhaging, so maybe they just could not deliver the treatment in time. It definitely was a mystery, but why were there scientists in there. Were they testing out a new narcotic on patients here in the infirmary? Maybe I will find out soon enough.

Chapter 5

I began to ask other people in the infirmary if they had any idea what they had given Karber. There seemed to be cluelessness all around, but the fascination increased ten-fold. Everyone started talking to the doctors asking for the “miracle medicine” that they all heard about. As anyone with a secret does, they deny any fact or chance that the information exists. The soldiers now had such lust for this pain relieving drug, we had so many soldiers in so much pain, and it has caused them to completely ignore my warning.

I heard the soldiers plotting out some sort of plan. They wanted to storm the lab area of this building and grab all of the “miracle medicine” that they could. I had a horrible feeling about this plan and I wanted no part in it. The scientist obviously did not want this stuff to get out before it had proper tests to prove that it works. This night is not going to end well. I saw what it did to Karber, I was there, and now I am going to have to watch other fellow soldiers go through the same torture. I tried to warn them, but they just mock me and say, “Oh yeah Damian, Karber just died from a narcotic. You know everything don’t you Mr. Vicodin.” I guess they think the Vicodin is going to my head just because I have to take it three times a day. These guys must be in a lot of pain if they think Vicodin is really that strong. I hope that I am wrong about this drug and that Karber’s incident was just a freak accident. The soldiers look more ready to steal than they were ready to fight for our country. Do not get me wrong, we soldiers are marvelous people, but the conditions and variables of this situation make the other soldiers turn into animals. I understand needing pain medicine, but going after something that should not exist is just crazy.

Chapter 6

It is three in the morning and I can hear the soldiers plotting out this “mission”. They are whispering, making sure that no one can hear them and so that the soldiers that did not want to participate cannot find out who was a part of this. I thought it was funny that they are trying to keep this a secret and not let anyone know who was doing this, but Allen is sitting right there amongst them in his wheelchair and I think that is pretty obvious. I could hear one of the soldiers preparing them for the storm on the infirmary’s main medicinal area.

Soldier:  Alright, is everyone ready?

Group:  Yes, let’s do this.

They then rush towards the medicine room, break the door open and start tearing everything apart. They look like a bunch of monkeys in a room full of glass and newspaper. After a few minutes, one of the soldiers finally found the loot.

Soldier: Hey guys, I found it!

I was glad that my bed had a direct view at the medicine room, but at the same time it scared me to think that I could relive that same nightmare I did with Karber. I really hope this has a happy ending, but this is real life and fairytale dreams rarely come true. The main soldier who led them all to this point grabbed that same purple stuff and a needle. He sucked out some of the fluid and slowly put it in his arm. It took him a few tries to get a vein, but sure enough he got it into a vein and injected that fluid. He breathed in real deep and sighed in relief.

Soldier: The pain is gone.

The other soldiers immediately grabbed their own needles and injected themselves with the purple fluid. They all felt the same thing, they felt relief. I was glad to see that Karber’s incident was a fluke and that it was just a freak accident. They all walked out of the medicine room and went to bed. They looked completely peaceful as they all drifted into sleep. I guess some fairytales are real.

Allen: You should have come with us Damian. That medicine is amazing and I feel much better.

I was glad to see my best friend was feeling better; he really deserved to have some of his physical pain relieved. I was able to fall asleep much easier tonight; I was not worried anymore.

Chapter 7

I woke up to the sound of a bunch of soldiers screaming in agony all morning, and the doctors were trying to find out why so many soldiers were crying out for help. There are not enough nurses and doctors here for everyone and I kept hearing the sound of elongated beeps on the monitors. Soldiers were dying left and right and it seemed like it was an impossible task for all of these doctors. It was horrific, and I was reliving Karber’s incident on a massive level. The patients are screaming as if they were set on fire. The majority of the patients said that their blood was boiling and it felt like their veins were turning to stone.

This lasted for a few hours and then finally all I could hear were the beeps on the monitors. Only a few soldiers stopped screaming and finally did not feel agony. Among these soldiers was Allen, He was shaking and he was breathing heavy. I asked him if he was okay and it took him a second to answer.

Allen: I’m fine Damian, my legs just hurt like hell.

Damian: Did you just say that your legs hurt?

I looked down at his legs and it was unbelievable; He was wiggling his toes and moving his legs.

Damian: Allen your legs are moving!

Allen: Holy shit Damian, My legs are moving, MY LEGS ARE MOVING!

I could not find words to say, I was so surprised that this was happening, the doctor said that there was no human force that would cause him to walk ever again, and I lay here looking at his legs moving.

Damian: Allen, try getting up.

He moved his legs to side of the bed and slowly slid down to the floor feet first. I heard a thump on the floor and it was not his whole body. His legs were weak and not as muscular as they were a month ago. The atrophy to his legs made it a little harder for him to stand at first but sure enough he was standing in front of me and he was not falling. He walked around his bed slowly and trembling, but he was walking.

“You look like my grandmother,” I laughed.

It was hard at first due to the inactivity of his legs for a while, but he looked so happy to be moving around without a wheelchair.

Allen: Damian it’s a miracle!

He then dropped to his knees and started crying. I could not imagine how happy he felt, He was so excited to get better and get home to his little girl.

Allen: Damian it’s a new day, and God has answered my prayers.

Chapter 8

It was slow and gloomy in the infirmary, and everyone had the same look that soldiers do after a bad encounter with the enemy. The sad thing is that they were struggling to find places where they could put the bodies of the deceased. It was very eerie when you looked around and you can still see dead bodies uncovered and still lying in their beds. We had about forty or so soldiers staying in the infirmary and if I am correct, it looked like they ran out of bags for bodies after twenty-five. The losses could not have been more sorrowful.

I’m happy that Allen is walking now, he has been going around helping in any way he can. I have also been helping by bringing food and water to the remaining soldiers that are alive. Some of them are actually doing much better than they were yesterday. They all exclaim to have no pain and they just want to get up and move around, but the doctors are being strict about them staying in bed. One soldier, Albert Gonzalo, has been having a lot of stomach pain, and is constantly throwing up. I have been giving him soda water in hopes that it will ease his nausea.

Damian: Here Gonzalo, you need to drink some more of this soda water, it will help your stomach feel better.

Albert: Alright, give it here, I can open it myself I don’t need you treating me like a vegetable pal.

As he opened the can, his finger slipped and he cut himself on the inside part of the can.

Damian: Here I’m gonna bandage that for you.

Albert: I don’t need it, it’s just a paper cut buddy, no need to make a big deal.

He was right, we all have seen worse injuries than that, so I let it be. I feel very productive today, despite all of this horror, I think we did some good for the remaining soldiers.

Chapter 9

Things have calmed down here at the infirmary, but it took doctors over an hour to get Gonzalo’s finger to stop bleeding. It wasn’t like normal bleeding though, his finger was bleeding almost like a water spout. The doctors have no clue why this happened so they did some blood work on him and it looks like they may have found something.

Doctor: It seems as if your blood has no sign of the clotting factors needed for your blood to clot and stop the bleeding.

Albert: Speak English buddy.

Doctor: Apparently you have a severe form of hemophilia.

Albert: Hemophilia? What does that mean exactly?

Doctor: It means that your blood cannot clot and that means that without constant blood deliverance or proper treatment, you would have bled out and died.

Albert: Ain’t that the way to go out huh... a paper cut!

Doctor: However we did find an abnormality in your blood that has doubled the length of your telomeres.

Albert: And this means what?

Doctor: It means Mr. Gonzalo that if we can get you to stop bleeding out and get you all healed up, your life expectancy would nearly double and you would age half as fast, which means you could live to be 130 years old.

Albert: Wow, 130 years old huh, that’s a lot of extra years.

Doctor: However, you would live with this severe Hemophilia disorder for the rest of your life, and your flesh will heal twice as fast due to the abnormalities in your blood.

Albert: Kind of like wolverine huh?

Doctor: It is not miraculous healing, it is just faster. If you get cut and you do not treat it, you will die of blood loss.

This had to be the craziest conversation I have ever heard.

Damian: Allen, How did a completely healthy man contract hemophilia?

Allen: Technically you cannot contract Hemophilia; Hemophilia is a hereditary disease Damian.

Then what the hell is going on here? And how is it that his life expectancy has doubled?

Chapter 10

It has been three days since the incident in the infirmary and still no word from the doctors explaining what happened. A bunch of us get to go home today including a lot of the doctors. They have looked like hell for the past week, so it is good that they get a break.

They brought in a whole new staff of doctors to finish the work here. Allen and I are part of the lucky group of people that get to go home, however, we have to go to a meeting first. They started calling names to get us lined up to go to the meeting. I figured out toward the end that they were calling out our names in alphabetical order because I got put in line right next to Allen. Since my last name was Walker and his name was Westmore it was pretty obvious. We walked down a long hallway, the same hallway that the medical room all of the soldiers raided. I could hear Allen behind me laughing under his breath, so I turned around and asked him what was so funny.

Allen: I'm glad I went with the boys to find that medicine because now I can walk, I just think that is the greatest.

Although I was happy for Allen I felt a hint of disappointment in him. I never thought Allen would be happy about destroying a military medical room full of thousands of dollars’ worth of machines and medicines.

We finally reached the room where we were going to have our debriefing and the man at the head of the table was a new face to all of us.

General Levi: Please, have a seat gentlemen... Now, I am General Leviticus Blehm, and I am here with your orders. I am aware that you have had a few incidents within the last couple months that have resulted in major losses. I could not imagine how you all feel, but let’s get to the point of this meeting. You all are being honorably discharged from the service and will receive the medal of honor and the purple heart due to the fact that during the attack on the base you showed true valor in which the president and congress feel you should be awarded. I am also aware that you all were injured in the line of duty, and whether it was critical or not you deserve these medals. I am proud to call you American soldiers and I hope you will enjoy life after war. Transportation will be provided tomorrow at 0500. Please be ready to board the plane and head back home. You are all dismissed.

I couldn't believe that I just received these two prestigious medals. I had trouble grasping the reality of this situation and realizing that I am going to have to try and live a normal life now, but at least I was rewarded well for doing my job. As we were leaving I took a final glance at the General. I saw him shaking hands with one of the new doctors and the commander of this base. I only could hear a few words being muttered before being escorted out of the room: incident...contained...quarantined...cover up...

Chapter 11

0500 came faster than I imagined, considering I did not sleep at all. I was too busy worrying about what I was going to do now that I am considered a retired soldier. I don't want to end up in some burger joint or be a waiter for a restaurant. I quickly realized that nothing else will suffice. At least some of us have something to go home to. Allen is very excited to see Charlotte again and spend more time with her. He will also have quite a tale to tell when he gets home. I do not personally know anyone besides Allen that lost their legs and then got them back. Actually we will all have a story to tell. Things were really crazy during this tour, and I can honestly say that this was the most surreal feeling tour I have ever had. We lost so many people and then there was the incident with Karber. Then there was the whole thing with the General, what were they hiding and trying cover up? Now that I have left the base I have no way of figuring anything out. I guess I can say that one thing hasn't changed about me being a soldier, and that’s that I get sent away again without knowing all of the details.

We landed in New York, and I as I woke up all I could hear was loud cheering and people screaming. Immediately I thought, “Damn it another attack? What the hell?" I failed to realize, though, that the noise was directly outside of the plane. As we got off, there were people with signs that read "Our Heroes" and "Welcome Home Survivors." I guess our base attack and the incidents at the infirmary made news quickly and we instantly became military celebrities. We were escorted through the roaring crowd to a hangar that housed another plane that was just a little bit bigger than a private jet. We all boarded the plane and over the intercom we heard the pilot say, "Next stop D.C., everybody."

These plane rides do not get any easier over time. Every plane ride is just as long as the last one regardless of where you’re going. I figured I would try and sleep during this plane ride. Hopefully D.C. is worth all of this traveling.

When we landed, it was quiet and the area was unoccupied. It was very different from New York, and honestly, I kind of missed the crowd cheering for us. We were being escorted to a few SUV's, and still we had no idea what was going on or where we were headed. We began driving and the more we drove the more apparent our destination became. We were going to the almighty White House. Waves of adrenaline passed through my body as I hoped I would get a chance to meet the President, an honor very few got to have. We pulled right up to the White House and we were put in line and escorted in. The courtyard was beautiful. All of the trees, the fountain, and the grass looked like they were tended to perfectly. As we walked in the door, I saw a man whose hair had slightly greyed, whose posture looked powerful, and whose voice was familiar to everyone in America. It was the President of the United States.

President: Welcome to The White House gentlemen. Please follow me.

Walking through The White House was an immeasurable experience. The President waved his arm towards a room and instructed us to take a seat. We all were excited to hear what he was going to say.

President: I have brought you gentlemen here because we will be discussing some very important things today. I would like to begin by saying that I am proud to call you American soldiers, and I hope you feel honored to have served for such a wonderful nation. The medals we have awarded you will forever symbolize your valor and sacrifice that you showed in the line of duty, and you will be seen as heroes by the public for many years to come. I know that the attack on the base was unexpected and devastating, but you all handled yourselves wonderfully and with extreme precision. I am glad that you all were able to survive such a horrible incident and that you are able to come home to your families. As for the incidents that occurred during your stay at the infirmary, we have not allowed for those incidents to be made public. The infirmary is considered confidential information and will never be shared with the civilian population. I wanted to be the one to tell you this personally so that you gentlemen understand how important it is that this information stay hidden. You will from this point forward be monitored by the U.S. government and be under constant surveillance. Our Central Intelligence has been ordered to handle anyone who attempts to tell anyone about the incidents that took place in the infirmary. I hope you all will be cooperative and live your lives as normally as possible. You will all be permitted to go back to your respective homes and see your families and go on with your life. I wish you all luck in your future endeavors, and boys remember… confidential.

"Wow" was the only thought I had. Constant surveillance on my life from here on out? What was I supposed to do with my life now? I mean it’s not like I have people that are very close to me. I barely talk to my family, and girlfriends are pretty much non-existent. Maybe this will be easier than I thought. The other guys may not have it so easy. A lot of these guys actually have a wife and kids. I guess all we can do is attempt to make our lives normal.

Chapter 12

Six months of being watched constantly was easier than I thought, especially since I have not talked to anyone at all. The only person I have really talked to besides the usual telemarketers was Allen. He was having an easy time just like me because all he does is hang out with his daughter Charlotte. I really think she helps him forget about all the stuff that happened. He seems very happy despite the memories that lurk in his mind.

All I do is go to work, the gym, and back home. When you live in Colorado Springs it is easy to find a job where you can stay under the radar. I work in a small restaurant down in Old Colorado City which is just a street near downtown. To be honest, having a civilian job makes me feel insignificant and useless. I was a soldier who fought for freedom and now... I am just some guy. TV was the only entertainment I really had and it was always the same thing on the news: Weather, traffic, and tragedy. Tonight, however sparked my interest because one of the stories read "Horrific accident for one of the survivors of the base attack in Afghanistan." I waited to see the details and then the newscaster began.

Newscaster: A survivor of the tragic base attack in Afghanistan six months ago had a terrible accident today. Officer John William Vigol and his family were involved in a fatal accident that killed him, his wife, and their two sons. While the family was driving a man drove onto their side of the road forcing them off of a bridge. This incident is being labeled as a hit and run because the whereabouts of the other driver are unknown. There was only one witness and all they can remember about the vehicle is that it was a black sports vehicle. More details to come on this accident.

I could not form any thoughts. His whole family died and no one can find the person responsible for this. Unfortunately I only knew John from the two debriefings we had together, so I doubt I will get an invitation to the funeral. I immediately tried getting a hold of Allen by calling him.

“Hi! You have reached Charlotte and Allen, Please leave your message after the beep!"

Damian: Allen, its Damian call me back as soon as you get this message.

It took three hours before Allen called me back.

Damian: Allen did you watch the news today?

Allen: No, why?

Damian: John Vigol and his whole family just died. They were in a car accident and drove off of a bridge.

Allen: Are you serious Damian? He has only been home for a few months!

Damian: Yeah, the witness said they were run off the road by a black sports car.

Allen: So Bruce Wayne killed them?

Damian: Allen this is serious. I'm not kidding!

Newscaster: BREAKING NEWS, The entire population of Herat and Baghlan have been found dead today. There is no known source of what caused this massacre. The town had no signs of guns being fired and no signs of explosives. All of the occupants were found dead in their homes. Doctors say that the cities’ distance from one another rules out the possibility of a disease or virus. There is no known link between the two cities, but it was said that both cities are exactly the same in the way the population died....."

Part 2: The Apocalypse

It began in Herat and Baghlan and then soon consumed the entire country of Afghanistan. It quickly spread to the surrounding countries and began to move faster and faster. Australia, North-western U.S., Japan, Southern Africa, and Europe all had outbreaks shortly after the Herat and Baghlan incident. It took only two weeks for two thirds of the world’s population to be destroyed. The United States is now divided into regions, and is under control of the Valkyrie Federation. Some people govern entire states, and some just have gained control of a city. The government is gone and electricity is scarce. The world has been reduced to pure survival.

Chapter 13

I feel alive. I have never felt so good in my life. After I contracted our man made hemophilia I had the energy of a twenty-one year old and looked younger by a few years. My back injury was gone and I no longer feel the occasional pain in my ribs.

I am forty-one and the world is much different now. The disease has killed the majority of the world and left us living in an unstructured society. The U.S. government shut down within a week of the outbreak and shortly afterward other countries followed suit.

When the disease hits, you begin to sweat, you feel feverish, your body starts burning up, and you feel like your blood is on fire, which is why it is called the Blood Fever. Shortly after the fever and burning up, your body stiffens and cramps intensely. This renders you immobile as you hit the floor like a sack of potatoes. Imagine being electrocuted while receiving acupuncture and cauterizing a wound at the same time. If you survive this process, you wake up feeling better than you ever have. You're faster, stronger, and more durable. Unfortunately when the blood fever hit, the majority of people could not survive the attack on the body.  The elderly and almost anyone from an infant to adolescence died. Anyone who was sick, or just plain weak did not survive. I feel lucky to have survived, and sometimes I feel as if I was meant to be here still.

Houses are useless now because they are easy targets for raids, so people have moved into larger groups and live together in a food market/camping style. I stay alone and I have turned myself into a nomad. This way I don’t have to get attached to anyone. I stay for a few days to gather supplies and food before I take my leave.

Currency is different in our new world, so if you want something you have to be willing to trade something of yours or pay up. Depending on where you are, the currency changes. I have been to a few banks and have gained a substantial amount of cash, but I also stop by malls to find goods that I can trade. Big stores are dangerous because people set traps and try to rob you of what you have. I rarely run into problems when I go to these places because I was in the military. I know how to sneak in and out without being seen. In case I run into problems I carry two firearms and at least three knives. Guns are still feared amongst people, just like the old world. Knives have gained a significant amount of lethality though. One cut, no matter the size, can result in death. Don’t get me wrong, getting scratched by a tree won’t kill you, but a decent cut will leave you bleeding out. The blood fever has made human skin thicker than usual. It takes a knife and good force to cut someone. Getting hit in the face or getting hit hard will not kill you either. It is hard to get bruised in this new world, so fist fighting is last resort when confronting someone. Staying safe and not getting cut is the key to survival. Fortunately, when the blood fever hit, scientists created synthesized platelets in shot and pill form called platelet inducer series nineteen, or PI-19. If you get cut you can survive if you have this medicine. They are very rare to find, though. Most CDC buildings went into lockdown after people started trying to overthrow the people in the buildings to steal the PI-19. I myself have one shot and two pills in my collection of supplies.

The sick, young, and elderly may have died due to weak bodies, but those with cancer got hit the worst with the blood fever. Because cancer is so strong and affects cells directly, the blood fever had a different reaction when dealing with both cancer cells and cells in your blood. First your liver, spleen, and various lymph nodes swell up badly. Then your bone marrow is attacked and your bones become fragile like glass and nearly hollow. Scientists were baffled and could not figure out how to help them because all of these things happening at once were impossible in the world they once knew. These people were eventually placed in iron lungs or gurney looking housings for them. They were eventually left alone and labeled immortal, but immobile. They sit in camps and are now referred to as the Hollows.

Chapter 14

My best friend Allen could not endure this world, which is partly why I try and keep to myself. His world was crushed when Charlotte didn’t survive the blood fever. She simply wasn’t strong enough, and he held his little girl as she screamed until there was silence. When I found Allen he was in his living room in the corner still holding Charlotte for the fourth day straight. I broke his door in and immediately a gun swung up in my direction.

Allen: What the fuck are you doing here Damian?

Damian: I came to check on you guys and see if you were ok.

Allen: What the hell are you doing here!

Damian: I told you Allen, I came here to make sure you two were safe.

Allen: What makes you think I am ok? Charlotte is dead! Why are you here?

Damian: I don't understand you Allen.

Allen: Why are you so fucking special! Why are you here and not my daughter!

It took me by surprise when I realized that he would have preferred I died in place of Charlotte. I cannot say that I disagree with Allen. I would have traded her places in an instant if I had that power, but I am only human. Allen rose up, ran at me, and pushed me against the wall.

Allen: This is not what I wanted! I wanted to be with my daughter! I wanted to be able to walk and run with her! You stay away from me Damian!

Damian: But Allen..

Allen: I said stay away Damian! I mean it! Leave!

He put his gun in my face and forced me out of the house.

Allen: Whatever you do, never come back here. Do not turn around and walk into this house again!

He slammed the door and I turned around and started walking away from his home. I could remember how cloudy the day was, it was dark and gloomy, and it fit the situation. As I continued walking, a gunshot echoed out of Allen’s home and imprinted on my mind forever. My body kept walking, but my mind raced back inside of his house and found Allen dead in the corner with his daughter, and a single shot to his temple.

Chapter 15

Today was a long day, I have been walking for about fourteen hours straight with minimal breaks. I am coming back to Colorado Springs after exploring Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. It has been a long journey and I sort of got home sick. Colorado Springs was not so bad except for one thing: the animals. For some reason the animals that did not die, changed. Males had a giant boost in their testosterone production and became bigger. Dogs were no longer pets, they became hunters and stayed in packs. Wolves and mountain lions were the biggest threat I have faced being back in Colorado because of how relentless they are when they hunt you.

I was on my way to the train station in downtown Colorado Springs. I was trying to find shelter there so that I was out of danger of animals. The front door was unlocked and I walked in with no resistance. I started walking toward the nearest bathroom so I could barricade the door and shut myself in.

"Hey you!" Someone yelled

I turned around and to my surprise I saw two teenagers. They could not have been older than fifteen or sixteen. I hadn’t seen a teenager in months.

Teenager 1: What are you doin here?

Damian: I am looking for shelter for the night.

Teenager 1: Well, my friend, you came to the right spot.

As he said that someone grabbed my arms from behind and yelled, "Get em!" I quickly turned around got out of his arm hold and through a punch right at his nose. The other two quickly charged at me with an untrained mind set for fighting. I fought both of them and put them on the ground. Then I got a hold of one of them and put my knife to his neck.

Damian: Enough!

Teenager 1:Whoa whoa whoa there D, stop. Let’s leave this guy alone. I like him. Man you can fight! I haven’t had my ass handed to me like that, ever!

Teenager 2: Help! Help me Berg please! My nose is bleeding bad!

I noticed that I busted this kid’s nose and caused it to bleed. I only have so many PI-19's, but if I can save this kids life I will. I couldn’t save Charlotte so maybe I can give this kid a second chance, and possibly earn a place to stay for the night.

Damian: Move!

I pulled out the shot and stuck the needle right in the tip of his nose. He started screaming and holding his face. I told him to count to ten out loud. After he did, all that remained was a mixture of blood and purple liquid dripping out of his nose. I wiped the goop away and sure enough he stopped bleeding.

Teenager 1: What was that?

Damian: That was a PI-19 serum. A platelet inducer that causes hyper coagulation to occur so that the bleeding will stop.

Teenager 1: Well damn, thanks man. What is your name anyway?

Damian: My name is Damian. You?

Teenager 1: I am the group leader. They call me Spielberg. The guy whose face you punched in, That’s Twitch. Twitch is also second in command here. The other guy you see, well that’s Denzel. We have about ten other people further into the station that help us keep this place going.

Damian: How have you guys stayed alive so long?

Spielberg: Well we used to move in and out of places before stumbling upon this place. When we got here we hunkered down and protected ourselves. Twitch made sure we had what we needed.

Twitch: Yeah I sure did bro. I broke into Fort Carson and got us a nice little arsenal for our protection.

Spielberg: You can stay here tonight if you wish Damian, and in the morning you don’t have to leave either. We could really use a man of your skill to help us hold down the fort.

Damian: Thanks, but I think I am going to head out tomorrow morning. I want to try and make it to some markets tomorrow. There are a few things I need.

Spielberg: If that’s what you want, we will respect that. You can take the bathroom like you were planning, we don’t use it and no one is in there anymore.

I walked to the bathroom and set up for the night. I laid my sleeping bag down along with a pillow and then I put my pistol in my right hand and fell asleep.

Chapter 16

I woke up to pounding on the bathroom door the next morning.

"Who the hell is in there!" Someone yelled.

I opened the door to find a man with a pistol aimed at my face. I quickly disarmed him and shot him in the arm. I kept walking and I could see a few men grabbing Twitch, Spielberg, and Denzel screaming, "Give me everything you have!" We know you have guns from the Fort Carson armory you little punks, hand them over."

Twitch saw me before these guys did and I put my finger to my mouth telling him to be quiet. I walked closer and shot all three of the guys in the head. They dropped and I quickly asked the boys if there were any others.

Denzel: There are two more.

Twitch: Yeah they are back with the others.

I quickly started moving toward the others with the boys. As we started coming around the corner we saw the most horrible thing. There were about seven bodies in the corner all gunned down like wild animals. The other two were being forced to make the two gunners feel pleasure.

"Please, Please let us go!" One of the girls cried out.

I took my knife out and snuck towards the two gunners. I shot one of them in the back of the head and then took my knife to the mouth of the other one. With my knife on his mouth horizontally I said, "Maybe you would like your mouth to be forced open."

I then pulled the knife sideways cutting his mouth to about the middle of his cheeks. I grabbed the two girls and started bringing them to the boys. The guy I just cut kept screaming in agony until Twitch went up to him.

Twitch: How dare you, you Crusader fuck!

The gun shot echoed throughout the entire complex.

Twitch: Serves you right motherfucker.

Damian: Who were those people?

Spielberg: Those are the Crusaders.

Damian: The Crusaders?

Spielberg: Yeah, the Crusaders are the "soldiers" that work for Phoenix. His region stretches from what used to be Colorado Springs all the way to Divide. He sends his soldiers to find supplies and weapons so that he can protect his territory. He thinks he is some new world leader or something, but he is a really bad man. He uses religion to control people that live at the capitol of this region. They all eat it right up. 'Rising from the ashes of the old world to start anew.' Personally I think it is bullshit, which is why I won’t join his ranks. He took control of the shrine right above the zoo and also controls the neighborhoods just below where he lets his “God” worshippers stay!

Damian: I'll make sure to stay hidden from his radar as much as possible then.

Twitch: What do you mean? You’re not just gonna leave us here are you?

Damian: I am a nomad, That is how I have survived this whole time. When you move you live!

Spielberg: Take us with you.

Damian: What! No way!

Spielberg: Think about it. We can really help you. We have guns and all of our skills are useful. Twitch is fast and good at running point when we travel. Me, I am a great shot and I am good at leading… well second to you of course. Denzel, well he's good for talking and keeping us entertained. You need us, and we need you, so if you plan on leaving it won’t be without us right by your side. Plus, these girls cannot stay here. Especially if Phoenix sends more people.

Damian: Fine! We need to move fast then and find other shelter before dark. Get moving!

Chapter17: Phoenix

"...and through me the lord will lead you into the light so that WE can rise from the ashes and begin anew!"

The crowd roared and started clapping. There were people crying and saying thank you.

"Now go home everybody before it gets dark and don’t forget to pray and give thanks for all I have given you. May God bless you!" I said.

Crusader: Phoenix, sir, I need to talk to you.

Phoenix: What is it?

Crusader: That party you sent to get the weapons from those boys was found dead today in the old train station downtown.

Phoenix: That... is... unfortunate, well let’s get them replaced and see if we can find those boys.

Crusader: Yes sir, Immediately.

Phoenix: Wait. Gather some of the younger boys, tell them that it is their turn to hold the title of crusader, and that these other boys have killed some of our own. Motivate them, and then I need you to send them on a hunt for those boys.

Crusader: Sir? Don’t you think that’s a little… unethical? I mean they barely survived the breakout when they were babies, they are…

Phoenix: Unless you want to be replaced I suggest you gather our kids and get them on their way.

Crusader: Yes sir, I will do that immediately. One more thing sir. One of the crusaders was shot and left to die. We found him just before he died and he told us that there was a man with the boys who killed everyone single handedly. He also said the all he knows is that they were headed towards Woodland Park.

Phoenix: Hmmm, I see. I guess you better get these boys going right when the sun comes up; Lets test this man’s morality.

These people don’t have what it takes to do what is necessary. I let them live under the illusion that I am their shepherd, and that I will lead them with peace and order. I never would have thought that I would have become a man of the Bible. Well I preach it, but I do not believe it. I just think it is hilarious how powerful one single book can be. These people need a leader, and I have stepped up to give them a leader. I give them guidance and I allow them safety. I allow them food, and I allow them protection. Fear is the key to survival. The bible is just an instruction manual on how to instill fear into large groups. These people follow me out of respect and fear.

Michael: Phoenix It’s about time for your shot.

Phoenix: Alright alright, let’s get this over with.

After the blood fever hit I couldn’t walk. I was put in a wheelchair and was told that there was no way I could walk. One day I cut myself cooking in my home. Luckily I had a PI-19 serum that the doctor gave me. When I injected myself the cut went away and the feeling came back to my legs and I could walk again. The effects wear off after about eight hours so I have to take shots of the PI-19 regularly in order to continue walking.

Michael: Here you go, and all done.

Phoenix: Thanks, you know it hurts every time and I still can never fully prepare myself for these shots. I guess it’s just one of those things huh, Michael?

Chapter 18: Damian

The girls have been quiet and have stuck to themselves this entire trip. The boys, however, have done nothing but mess around. For some reason I didn’t mind having these boys around though. They were actually kind of funny. They remind me of when I was a teenager, you know, pushing each other and cracking jokes. I figured that if they were coming with me to where I was going I should get to know them better. It was strange because since my wife died I haven’t had the desire to get close to anyone; but in the past few days that I’ve known these boys, I have used a precious resource to save one of their lives and now I’m finding myself wanting to know more about them. This is definitely a side of me that I have been out of touch with for a while.

Damian: Hey Spielberg.

Spielberg: What’s up Damian?

Damian: Where did you get the name "Spielberg" from?

Spielberg: Well, before all this crap happened I was into making movies and stuff. I directed a bunch of short films and all that jazz.

Damian: Oh nice, sounds like you were headed for Hollywood back then.

Spielberg: Yeah, but now that there is no steady source of electricity anywhere, I am not able to continue that hobby.

Damian: Damn, that really sucks. Well, what about Twitch? I noticed that his nickname matches that little wink he does every so often.

Spielberg: Twitch used to have issues with seizures. When the blood fever hit, his seizures went away, but he developed a twitch in place of that. That’s why we call him twitch, obviously.

Damian: ...And Denzel? What’s his story?

Spielberg: Denzel was an actor or something. He actually went to the same school I did, but he graduated before I got there. I never got to do any work with him because he was off at college doing improv stuff.

Damian: Cool, sounds like you guys really lost a lot when the fever hit.

Spielberg: Yeah, What about you? What is your story?

Damian: I was a soldier before all this happened. I was actually at ground zero for a short period of time.

Spielberg: Ground zero?

Damian: It means where the fever started. My base had been attacked, and our HQ that we were sent to for medical care was where patient zero was. Karber... Karber was his name. I guess you can say he was the first to spread the Blood Fever.

Spielberg: That’s crazy. Well what else did you do in your past life?

Damian: I guess now that there is no government I can actually tell you. Before I was stationed in Afghanistan where my base was attacked, I was part of an elite group of people who were “people retrieving experts.” If our government needed someone in another country, we would sneak in and snatch him before anyone blinked an eye.

Spielberg: So you are probably the most bad ass person we could have come across?

Damian: I guess that’s how you could put it if it makes you feel safer traveling with me.

Denzel: Hey guys I have to use the bathroom!

Damian: Okay, but stay close I do not need any of you kids getting lost.

We were on our way to what used to be Manitou Springs. I always take the back roads, so we were traveling through old neighborhoods that have long been deserted, and it just so happens that when humans leave, animals take over. Denzel happened to choose the wrong time and place to have to use the bathroom. Upon his arrival to a secluded area to take a piss, he came face to face with an Elk who contracted the Blood Fever. In the old world an elk would have been something beautiful to encounter, but in our new world the blood fever makes animals more aggressive and nearly double the size. Males are the worst to run into because they lose the majority of their body fat and pack on a huge amount of muscle. The average elk used to be about five feet tall and eight feet long. Due to the mutation from the blood fever, they now average seven feet tall and can be up to ten feet long. Also, for some reason all animals lose fur from their mid torso down, so they look much different now. Denzel was very vulnerable and had no idea how to handle the situation, he immediately panicked and ran away, but the elk was much faster. I could see him running towards us screaming and then the elk caught up to him lowered his head and then shot it back up with Denzel on the antlers. Denzel was thrown against a tree and then to the ground. The elk continued towards Twitch, but I pulled out my pistol and put one shot in the elk’s front leg and then two into his skull. The creature blew out an eerie and ear shattering yelp before exhaling and laying limp. Twitch sat there shaking as the elk fell right at his feet. I could hear Denzel from behind the tree screaming loudly in agony. I ran over to him with the boys, and I knew right when I saw him that this would be a hard day for all of us. The two girls that were still with us shrieked and fell to the ground crying. Denzel had been thrown onto a piece of wood that went straight through the middle of his thigh. I fell to my knees and attempted to calm him down. I was in a puddle of blood that continued to run across the land like a coursing river.

Twitch: Damian give him a shot like you gave me!

Damian: I don't have any more Twitch, I gave the last one I had to you.

Twitch: What do you mean? We can't save him?

Damian: Unfortunately, no Twitch. I'm sorry.

Denzel: Eh it’s okay Jodi, I just need a coffee break and then we can get back on set.

Denzel had lost so much blood and hit the tree so hard that he lost track of where he was. He had mumbled a few more words and then took his last breath. He was gone.

Chapter 19

It was a long walk to Manitou, The boys walked with their heads down the whole way. The loss of Denzel really hit them hard, but hopefully I can help keep their heads from thinking about him. I'll let them take a little shopping spree with some money.

Damian: Twitch, Berg, girls come here. I am giving you each three hundred dollars. Go buy stuff that you may need for the rest of the trip.

The boys were very enthused and immediately ran off to get stuff. The girls however handed me my money back and said, "We don't need your money Damian. We have some family here that we are going to stay with. Thank you for all of your help."

As long as they were safe I was happy. They walked away into the Markets and I never saw them again. I needed to pick up a few things of my own so I started shopping also. I was looking for a new pack because the one I have has a bunch of rips in it and it will not hold onto everything I have. I saw this little old man in a shop who had exactly what I needed. I walked up to him and grabbed the bag.

Damian: How much for this sir?

Shopkeeper: Well boy that bag there will cost you one thousand dollars or a Rolex.

I quickly handed him eleven hundred dollars and took the bag. I have so much money because I go scavenge places that other people would not dare. Most city buildings have become homes for wolf packs, bears, and vicious birds. I came across a bank and with the skill set I had, I was able to get in and out with over two hundred thousand dollars. This is why I need a new pack. I don’t want my pack ripping open when I have all of this money in it. I walked around browsing waiting for the boys before I came across a very familiar item. It was a necklace that read "Charlotte". I know for a fact that this used to be Allen's because on the back of the necklace it had the same numbers that were on Allen's dog tags.

Damian: Where did you get this?

Shop owner: Some guy traded it to me. I didn't know who he was, just some guy who said he took it from a man long dead. If you ask me, looting the dead is disrespectful, but to each his own.

It was sad to hear that someone raided his house and scavenged his place and took stuff from him while he was lying there dead. I guess some people in the world just don’t care about respect for others.

"Damian look what I found!" Twitch shouted.

He had found a compound bow that had only three arrows. Nevertheless it was a great find, because arrows can be easily made and reused unlike bullets.

Twitch: I figured you could use it Damian. You know, when we are out traveling. It is much quieter than a gun. I had to give up my watch, but I think it was worth it.

Damian: Where is Spielberg?

Twitch: He was on his way back last time I checked.

No sooner than he said that I could see Spielberg running from what looked like Crusaders.

"Damian help!" Spielberg screamed.

I figured I would give this new bow a try. I loaded an arrow, aimed, then I released and the arrow I shot soared right into the shin of one of the crusaders. A little low for my first shot, so I drew the next arrow and released. This time the arrow flew right into the throat of another crusader. There was one Crusader left and he managed to tackle Berg to the ground. The Crusader sat down on Berg's chest and was striking at him with a knife. I drew the last arrow, took a deep breath, and then let go. The arrow hit the Crusader right in the chest and you could see him fly off of Spielberg. While I was still looking at the guy that I just shot off of Berg, another Crusader popped out from behind me and went to strike me, but Twitch threw his arm out and stabbed him in the chest. His feet flew over his head and then he hit the ground with his entire weight. There was one other crusader who decided to run away and disappear in the crowd. I took off the paintball mask that the lowlife Twitch just stabbed was wearing. To my surprise it was a young boy. He couldn’t have been older than fifteen. Everything was happening so fast I didn’t even notice that they were smaller than a man. One of the crusaders was bleeding from his mouth and said one final thing:

“The Phoenix will get you. There is no place out of his rea..”

I ran over to look at the other people I shot. All three of them were also children with ages ranging from eleven to fifteen. It was very surreal because they looked so peaceful with their young faces. So untouched by this world, and I shot them down like they were men. They were just kids…

"We need to get out of here now!" I exclaimed.

The boys and I started making our way towards Woodland Park through the pass. Hopefully we can find some sort of shelter before the night finds us.

Chapter 20

I didn’t want to keep traveling at night, but we have no choice right now. We are a little more than halfway to Woodland Park and we have to hurry so we can find some shelter. There have been no signs of any animals so far, so I am hoping that we will have good luck tonight. The boys are tired, but I know that they understand the importance of us having to keep moving. We are on our way to what used to be the super store that comes up right before the town of Woodland Park. I need more arrows for the bow due to the fact that we left Manitou so quickly and I didn’t have time to grab the arrows I used to kill those young boys. Those boys are haunting my mind. I know that what I did was right and that if I did not act we would have all mostly likely died at the hands of the Crusaders. I’m trying so hard to not feel guilty for their lives, but my conscience is yet again clouded by thoughts of another young child’s life being taken. It’s been a long time since I have been in this mindset.

I can see the building I’ve been trying to reach, and my worst nightmares were realized. It has been turned into a B.V. camp... B.V. is short for Blood Vultures. These guys think that they have no rules. They are the anarchists of our society, which is ironic because of how little structure our once great nation now has. They kill with no regret, they steal without consideration, and they feed on the one thing that they shouldn't: Humans. They are still very human, but they are the lowest form of scum that you could ever come in contact with. From the looks of it, there are only about ten or twelve people in this camp.

Damian: Okay boys, if we‘re gonna use this place as shelter tonight, we are going to have to clear this camp of these B.V.'s.

Spielberg: Okay then what is the plan?

Damian: We load up our guns, and take them very tactfully. I want you two to walk around and come at them from the front where they can see you, and I need you to be loud and obnoxious. I will sneak up from behind their camp and then, when I give the signal, which will be a flicker of my lighter three times, we will open fire on them and kill all of them. Do you both understand the plan?

"Yes." They whispered.

I headed towards the back of the building and I came across two of them. I ran quickly at them, I stabbed one in the throat and then I ran towards the other one and stabbed him in his right lung. I went around the corner and I could see the boys at the very front of the parking lot making their way towards the front of the store where the B.V.'s are partying around a very bright bonfire. I grab my lighter and then I flicker it three times. The boys start running towards the B.V.'s and start screaming and jumping and yelling profanities. I get my pistol and a knife out and then I start running towards the group and I start shooting. I shoot the two closest B.V.'s and then I run up to a third one and stab him in the shoulder and shoot him under his jaw with the gun aimed at his brain. The boys have successfully killed about five or six of them on their own. I continue running and I shoot one more B.V. until I hear,

"Stop!"

I quickly looked over toward the shout. Twitch had gotten himself captured. The B.V. had a knife to his neck and was threatening to kill him.

Blood Vulture: Put the weapons down you motherfuckers, or I will peel this pretty boy’s face off with my blade.

He proceeded to cut Twitch's throat just enough for it to bleed, but not deep enough to sever any arteries in his neck. I dropped my gun and so did Spielberg.

Blood vulture: You're a bigger fool than I thought.

He went for a big stroke to Twitch's throat, but before he could finish slitting Twitch's entire throat, a blade sliced open the side of the B.V.'s skull, killing him. Twitch pulled away with the minor injury to his neck. The body of the B.V. fell to the ground revealing the silhouette of a man in black.

The man stepped forward and pulled off his hood.

Dai: It has been a while Damian.

It took me a second to make out a face, but as soon as I did I knew exactly who it was.

Damian: Dustin?

Dai: Yeah that is what I used to go by, but now I go by Dai.

Damian: Dai huh? What are you doing out here?

Dai: Probably the same thing you are, Damian. I was looking for supplies and shelter for the night, but I found you instead and had to save your life, Again.

Damian: Well don't sound so arrogant Dai, I have had to save your life before also.

It went silent and the boys looked at us with a look that suggested they were thinking that we were enemies. Dai smiled and gave me a hug.

Dai: It has been too long brother.

Damian: I know. The last time I saw you I think we were in Japan living with that fishing family. The father knew martial arts and taught us a few things. Obviously you have more experience than I do Dai. When I left I remember you stayed behind with the family and lived with them.

Dai: Yeah I remember that. They were in danger from the North Koreans, so we had to stay down there in order to protect the smaller villages.

Damian: Those were some crazy times man.

As I finished up talking about Japan with Dai an arrow flew right into a post near me and Dai.

Dai: And that would be James. He has been traveling with me. He is an expert marksman, particularly with a bow as you can see.

I looked over at the building and he was sitting at the top with his legs dangling.

"It's clear Dai!" James shouted.

We headed inside the store to start making a shelter and settle in for the night. It was a paradise in this place. I guess the B.V's had accomplished quite a bit. The store seemed to be perfectly intact. There was barely any food, but everything else was stocked full. I gave Twitch a PI-19 pill and then instructed the boys to follow Dai and me to the camping section of the store. As we got closer to the camping supplies, James popped out and scared the boys nearly out of their shoes.

James: You should have seen the look on your faces! Priceless!

He turned to me and shook my hand, and it felt like a gorilla squeezing my hand. This guy was strong, and I think he will make a wonderful asset.

James: Hey, I'm James.

Damian: I’m Damian.

James: So what are you guys doing in a B.V. camp?

Damian: We are looking for shelter and supplies and we figured this place could provide both.

James: Well that was the plan that me and Dai also cooked up, so I guess we think alike.

Damian: Yah I guess so… Okay boys find a place above ground to sleep. The entrance to this place is wide open so animals may come in here, I need you off of the floor. I am going to stay up and keep watch and gather supplies for tomorrow.

Spielberg: What do you mean?

Damian: What do you mean, what do I mean Spielberg?

Spielberg: Why can't we just stay here and make this our new home?

Damian: This place is not safe Berg. If we stay here we risk the same thing happening to us that just happened to the B.V's. We will take all that we need and then leave.

Spielberg: Ugh, Why do people have to be so evil and mess up good things.

Dai: People are born to survive, some are better at it than others, but we do what we have to do to survive. Just remember that we had to interrupt the B.V's lives to survive this night.

Spielberg: I guess your right Dai.

I watched the boys fall asleep and they seemed to be more comfortable than I had ever seen them before. Maybe they felt a sense of security being under my watch. I could not imagine how it must be for these kids to run their own little society for god knows how long. Then this asshole Phoenix sends his men to slaughter their entire camp and rape all the women. These boys have seen too much too early and I think being with me helps them feel like they have some sort of normal father figure in their life. Maybe something more is being felt by me for these boys. Am I starting to feel like a father to them? All I wanted was to help them and get them somewhere safe, and now I am sitting here pondering whether or not I should have them call me Dad? I do not know how to proceed. I have been alone all of these years and now I find myself in a group hoping that all of them will see the next morning.

I started gathering supplies for tomorrow and I feel like I hit the jackpot. I found three backpacks with the tags still on them, arrows for my bow, knives, mini shovels, personal tents, and the best find of all. There was a fully stocked case full of rifles and shotguns for hunting. I broke the glass and started grabbing guns out of them. I ran to the toy section to get a large wagon so that we could pull the guns and ammo behind us. I ended up filling up two wagons and three backpacks full of supplies. I felt that tonight the group accomplished something great. Now I just have to wait out the night and get these boys moving in the morning. I hope Dai and James will join us, maybe we can start our own camp somewhere and finally have some peace for once.

Chapter 21

It was a smooth night, and there were no signs of animals during the night. Last night reminded me of the last time I was on watch in Afghanistan. It scared me a little bit to be the one in charge of our safety because last time I had that job, my base got attacked. It was an uneasy feeling, but I got the boys ready and gave them their new back packs with all new supplies; they seemed very pleased with the contents. James and Dai seemed to have their own system and they didn’t take as much as we did. Dai preferred the light path, He had a small bag filled with what he called the essentials: Small medical kit, a few knives, some ammo, a pistol, and hand sanitizer. Maybe he is planning on joining us and that is why he is taking so little.

Damian: Are you two going to be joining me and the boys?

Dai: Considering the fact that I haven’t seen you in a long time, I am going to say yes. We will join you, and go wherever you go. The bigger the group the better. Especially when it comes to the wildlife. Even big animals know not to mess with a big group, but you already knew that didn’t you Damian.

I responded with scoff and a slight smirk because I always felt it was safer to be alone, but Dai did have a point, we will be stronger with all of our skills being put together. It will be exciting to have James and Dai join us on our trip, despite Dai convincing me to leave the wagons behind because they would slow us down. I figured he would do that though because he used to do the same thing when we were in the military together. I don’t know much about James though so maybe I should get to know him a little more.

Damian: So… is James your real name or is it a name that you came up with after the fever hit?

James: James Marshall is a name that I use as an alias. I took the name from my favorite basketball player and my favorite musician. My name used to be Adrian, but this is a new world and a new life, so I figured that I should also start over and be someone new.

Damian: I get what you’re saying, this world changes a person. It’s good to know that you were able to change with it instead of going against the grain

I explained to the group that we were going to Woodland Park because I’ve always had good luck at the markets there. They seemed excited to go, and I think James and Dai are familiar with these marketplaces too. I needed to visit someone specifically though; I needed to get some more PI-19 shots. I prefer the shots because they work almost instantly. The PI-19 pills take about thirty minutes to start working, and often times people bleed out before the pill kicks in. This guy in Woodland Park has his own system for getting the PI-19 serums. He pays off a doctor that was part of the CDC lockdowns. CDC buildings locked down when the blood fever hit, and the doctors inside still try to develop cures and serums, but they are cut off from the rest of the world. The guy I know gets PI-19 serums by the box and of course he pays handsomely for them. I have to locate him first and make sure that I can get him alone because he only deals with certain people, and I happen to be one of those people. The danger of dealing openly keeps him pretty secluded.

We began to approach Woodland Park and I could see that ahead of us were some B.V's walking toward us. If they are a part of that camp that we just raided then they are in for a big surprise.

Damian: James, I need you to cover from a distance, just in case we happen to get into a confrontation with these guys.

James: I got this, I'll go find a vantage point.

James disappeared to the right of us before the B.V's could spot him. The protein they receive from eating humans affects their vision, and makes them unable to see far, so James was able to disappear pretty easily. As we got close, the B.V's started to eyeball each of us. They tried to intimidate us with their group size compared to us.

B.V. leader: Well, well, well. Looks like we have some sheep who have lost their way. Why don't you hand over one of them boys back there and we'll let you go free, SHEEP!

Without hesitation Dai pulled out his sword.

Dai: Good luck with that request. You wouldn’t be the first cannibalistic monster this blade has met.

B.V. leader: Oh I am so scared you little yellow faced prick.

Dai: If you don't believe me, why don't you go checkout your camp that we destroyed. Every last abomination there is now dead.

B.V. leader: You stupid yellow motherfucker! Get them boys and skin these two assholes protecting them!

One of the B.V's ran towards Dai and right before he got to him, James shot him in the side of the head with an arrow. Dai proceeded with his sword and began to separate limbs from bodies. I pulled out my knife and began to help out Dai. There was blood flying, limbs on the ground, and arrows flying from James’ bow. Once the movement stopped everything was silent and the only thing you could see were B.V's on the ground and blood everywhere. The three of us managed to kill nine B.V's… I could see one of them still breathing so I told Dai to go and finish him off. As Dai approached the B.V. on the ground, The B.V. swung his knife into to the air cutting Dai's face diagonally from the bottom right of his chin to the top left of his forehead. Dai quickly pushed his sword through the B.V's face and forced his last breath. I was surprised that the B.V's weren’t armed with guns. You would think that as much as they raid people they would carry some guns. Then again, it is hard to own a gun because bullets are so scarce and regulated in certain regions. This is why I didn’t use my gun on these B.V’s. I didn’t want to waste ammo on the likes of them. I was glad that the boys were unharmed, but we do need to get Dai a serum before he bleeds out too much.

We rushed into town in search of Prometheus. Prometheus is the name of my contact. His real name is Randall, but Prometheus is definitely more appropriate for him. Last time I was here, he had a stand within the market, and you would have to give him the right password in order to carry out the business that you wanted to. We went into the market area of Woodland Park and immediately I escorted everyone to the correct booth. The set up was the exact same as Randall's stand, but instead of Randall standing there, there was a young woman. She could not have been older than sixteen, and she grabbed the attention of both boys quickly.

Damian: Hello.

Evelyn: Um hello, how can I help you?

Damian: I'm looking for the man that used to run this booth, Randall was his name.

Evelyn: Oh, well he's here, one second, Grandpa!

Damian: Grandpa? I didn’t know that Randall had a granddaughter?

Evelyn: Yeah he does. Me and my father just got into this town a few days ago and we saw him here at this booth and figured we would give him a hand and help him run it.

Damian: Well that’s very nice of you, and what’s your name?

Evelyn: I'm Evelyn, and my father's name is Gabriel.

Damian: Well, Evelyn, that is a beautiful name. Is your Grandpa coming because we have an emergency.

Evelyn: He will be out in a second, I just need you to be patient…

Before she could finish I went and grabbed Dai and pushed him towards Evelyn and said, "Would you please hurry now!"

Evelyn: Oh my god, bring him in back, we have just the thing for him.

We walked Dai into the back of the booth which used to be a store back before the fever hit. We laid him down and she came back with two shots of PI-19. She handed me the shots and I stuck one in his forehead and the other one in his chin. The cut on his face began to heal before our eyes. In a matter of fifteen seconds, his face was completely healed, and all that was left was a scar across his face.

Damian: I have never seen the serum do that. Did it do that because we used two shots?

Evelyn: No, this was a new version of the serum that we just tried. PI-26.

Damian: What do you mean by tried? You've never used this before?

Evelyn: Well, technically, no.

Damian: What if it killed him?

Evelyn: it didn’t!

Damian: Where is your grandfather?

Evelyn: He is with my dad further back.

I got up and walked towards the back of their shop. I could hear two gentlemen talking behind a curtain, so I opened the curtain and saw that Randall was in a bed. He looked very sick and tired. I guess Evelyn was hoping I would just leave after waiting too long for him to come to the front of the shop; I’m glad I didn’t

Randall: Damian! I haven’t seen you in a while, what are you doing back here in Colorado?

Damian: I was here trying to get some shots from you, but now that I see you, I think I may change my plans.

Randall: What do you mean Damian?

Damian: Well you have that girl running your stand. That is not very safe for her.

Randall: What else do you propose I do Damian?

Damian: I can see if my group would be willing to stay and help you for a few days. Your family looks like they could use the extra help.

Randall: I would never ask this kind of favor of you, but if you choose to stay, I will not protest it.

Damian: Do you need us here, Gabriel?

Gabriel: How do you know my name?

Damian: Your daughter told me.

Gabriel: Oh, well we could use some help bringing in more fur from animals. That’s what my father has been using to sell to cover up his serum work.

Damian: Let me go talk to my group and see if they want to stay.

I approached the group as they were finishing up helping Dai. I know that what I was about to ask them contradicts what I told them back at the store, but Randall has been good to me in the past and it would be the least I could do for him.

Damian: I have a huge question to ask everyone. Evelyn's grandfather is very sick, and he needs us to help him and his family keep this shop afloat. I told him that we would be willing to stay just a few days in order to help his family, but we need to vote on this first. All in favor of staying and helping them out, say aye.

The vote to stay was unanimous, so it was time to settle down for a few days and get this family straight before we leave.

Chapter 22

What was supposed to be days turned into weeks, and then months. We have been staying here with Randall's family for two months now, undisturbed. Randall has long since passed, He choked to death on his own blood in his sleep. His departure was really hard on Evelyn and Gabriel, which is part of the reason why we all decided to stay here. Evelyn and Berg have grown a very close bond with each other and Twitch has started to learn how to defend himself better with James and Dai. I am worried about Evelyn the most though. She has been getting sick lately. She has been throwing up a lot and it is starting to concern me. She is already very petite, so she cannot afford to go without eating. Berg has been doing what he can to get her to eat and keep it down, but no matter how hard he tries, she continues to throw up.

Spielberg: Damian, I don’t know what to do. Evelyn isn’t getting any better. What should I do?

Damian: Well let me talk to her and see if I can figure out what might be wrong.

I made my way over to Evelyn in the back of the shop. As I got there I pulled back the curtain to her room, I saw her sitting on the floor with an onion. She took a big whiff, sighed, and took a huge bite.

Damian: What are you doing, Evelyn?

Evelyn: This onion is delicious, and it has been the only thing I can eat without feeling sick. I don’t know why, but onions have just been so delicious to me. Is that weird?

Damian: No, not at all…

As I said that, a memory raced across my mind. My wife would eat some of the weirdest things when she was pregnant. Pregnant. Evelyn could not be pregnant, when the blood fever hit, women could not get pregnant because the disease prevented women from holding the lining in their uterus in order to sustain pregnancy. There is no way that pregnancy is even an option.

Damian: Evelyn have you done anything lately that maybe you have never done before? Anything at all?

Evelyn: Well a couple weeks ago Spielberg and I were out in the woods and we.. well you know. We did ‘it’.

Damian: Do you mean that you and Spielberg had sex Evelyn?

Evelyn: Yes, we had sex. Is that why I am sick Damian?

Damian: I don’t know yet, but I am going to find out. I am going to have to leave tomorrow to try and find some answers. I won’t be gone long. For now just get some rest and eat your onion.

I had to travel back to that B.V. camp that we raided a few months ago. As crazy as it sounds, I think that Evelyn may be pregnant. The only way I can find out is if I can get ahold of a pregnancy test and have her take it. I have to do this alone though. If that camp happened to be taken over again I would not want anyone risking their lives for such a farfetched idea.

Damian: Alright everyone, I am going to go for some supplies at that old B.V. camp we took care of a few months back. I am going on this trip alone to ensure everyone is safe.

Spielberg: But what if you get hurt, Damian? You need back up!

Dai: Trust me, this is gonna be a piece of cake for him Berg. Our old missions were all about infiltration without being seen. I wouldn’t worry at all.

Damian: Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.

I started to get ready and prepare for this trip when Gabriel came over to me and pulled me aside.

Gabriel: Thank you Damian, I really appreciate you making this trip… but why the sudden rush to go on a supply run?

Damian: I didn’t want to announce this to everyone, but… I think that there is a chance that Evelyn is pregnant.

Gabriel tried to leave the conversation to confront Spielberg, but I grabbed his arm and kept him with me.

Damian: I know that you are angry with him for sleeping with your daughter, but if I happen to be right and she is pregnant… She would be the first woman in years to have come close to having a child.

Gabriel: Your right Damian, I’m sorry. You do what you have to do. I will keep an eye on her until you get back, and again… I appreciate it Damian.

I grabbed my things and made my way towards the exit, but before I left I looked over at Berg and I realized that He is not the only one who may become a father.  Berg seems to really worry about me. I think he is starting to feel a sort of father and son relationship growing between us. I wish Twitch was a little bit closer to me, though. Ever since he started learning how to fight, he has been more introverted. He still has fun like he always has, but I sense a feeling of power from him. He uses his training as an illusion of power over people. I hope that he will snap out of whatever he is going through and go back to being the old Twitch that I first met.

I am glad that I’m able to go on this errand alone. I don’t have to worry about anyone falling behind or compromising me. I have no idea how that camp has changed since these months have passed. For all I know, it is still abandoned and no one has tried to take it back over. I can only hope for the best at this point.

I made my way out of the shop and began my mission. I missed these long walks alone. It gives me a chance to really think about a lot. I cannot help but pray that I am wrong. If Evelyn is pregnant then we will have big trouble headed our way. Who knows what Phoenix would do since he acts as Governor of this region; I worry that if she is pregnant, she will be used for breeding and she will be seen as nothing but a vessel for a new beginning in this world. She would be the rebirth that Phoenix is looking for. We would immediately have a bounty placed on our head, and it would be a pretty hefty payday for someone who captured us. What if the Federation found out? All of the Regions would be ordered to turn us over or face the consequences. President O’Connell is not the nicest leader on the planet. I can only imagine what The President of all the regions would do to one girl in order to preserve the human race. I have to do what is necessary to protect Evelyn, Even if that means going back to a darker place.

As I began to approach the camp, I could hear howling. I looked down into the camp and my worst fear became a reality. A pack of wolves made this old camp their new home. Honestly I would have preferred anything else in the world because wolves are relentless and huge. This pack consisted of six wolves and one alpha male. All of the wolves were surrounding the entrance to the store that we stayed in overnight. I would now have to find a way in from the back of the building. I figured that if I stayed in the shadows, I could get in and out in a matter of minutes. I arrived to the back of the building and I found a door I could use to get inside. The door was locked so I was going to have to break off the handle and hope that it opens. I got out one of my knives that had a very sturdy handle and I swung the handle of my knife directly on the door handle, and when the two handles met, they met with a loud bang. Immediately after the first hit, I heard a noise that I knew could compromise this mission. A crow replied to the bang on the door with a loud “caw”. It continued to scream and flap around and rustle the trees. I could hear a loud howl, and then loud steps coming around the right side of the building. I ran in the opposite direction around the left side of the building. I was able to go unnoticed and slip in through the front entrance. I stayed low and glided through the different sections of the store. I heard the wolves come into the store, so I knew I had to be extremely quiet. I finally made my way to the pharmacy area and I found an aisle that contained what I was looking for. I picked up a box and looked at it. My trip was a waste. I never would have thought that a pregnancy test would have an expiration date. It has been six years since the blood fever hit, which means it has been six years since any fresh tests have been made. I cannot believe that I made it to this point just to run right into a dead end. I might as well grab some more supplies while I’m here.

I started gathering some ammo for our guns, and some fresh medical supplies. I decided that the best way to get out of this place alive is to create a distraction for the wolves. I snuck over to the dog food aisle very quietly. I grabbed three bags of Beggin’ and threw them one at a time across the store. They landed with a loud crash and I could hear the wolves run quickly over to the noise. I stood up turned around and I came face to face with the Alpha male. This wolf stood fiercely at about eight feet in length and five feet in height. His breath stormed over my face with a typical dog breath, but much nastier. He growled at me with a low blood curdling tone. I closed my eyes, and time froze. I counted down from five as the wolf sniffed the entirety of my body. As my clock reached its end and I recited the number one in my mind, I opened my eyes and took my knife from its holster on my hip and swung the blade upward sticking it right into the wolf’s bottom jaw. It screamed out in pain and whimpered loudly. I threw the wolf, knife and all to the side and pulled out my pistol. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I heard the pack behind me getting closer, so I turned around and fired three shots and dropped two of the wolves. I shot one in the head and the other one in the shoulder and the heart. I turned quickly and ran down one of the aisles. One of the wolves slipped and slid right into the shelf unit. The shelf unit fell and smashed that wolf. It is now four down and three to go. I continued to run and run and run, but my legs can only go so fast. These creatures were much bigger and much faster; inevitably one of them caught up to me and tackled me to the ground. We slid into a register and I put my gun in its mouth as it tried to bite me. As my arm entered the wolf’s mouth, its jaws came down onto my arm. I started firing shots from my pistol while it was in the wolf’s mouth. Blood splattered out of its head and blood started pouring down onto me; at this point I could not tell my blood from the wolf’s blood. The other wolves caught up and were quickly met with gunshots. The last of the wolves were shot down by a fire squad of Crusaders. They proceeded to walk towards me and one of them hit me in the face with the butt of their gun, knocking me out cold.

Chapter 23

I have been taken prisoner by a group of Crusaders. I guess I had a price on my head for killing so many of them. The Crusader Republic does not tolerate murder of their militia. I will be made an example of in a very public place as a reminder to not stand up against the Republic. I hope that the reward is at least flattering. I would hate to be insulted by some sorry ass bounty.

I am starting to get very weak. I have lost a lot of blood from the wolf-bite on my arm. My legs are weak, my head hurts, and my vision has been going blurry every so often. They have my hands tied together and attached to a horse that one of them is riding, so I have no way to stop and rest.

Damian: Hey you! Guy on the horse! What are you a captain? What?

Officer: I am an officer, a loyal soldier to the Crusader Republic.

Damian: Uh huh… and you are taking me where?

Officer: We are taking you to our capitol, where you will meet Phoenix himself.

Damian: So you’re taking me to see a guy who named himself after the place he lives at?

Officer: Do not disrespect our Governor like that, murderer.

Damian: oh yea, about that... what is the bounty on my head anyway?

Officer: $500,000 and a promotion to Captain.

I looked over and I could see James in a tree aiming at the guy on the horse and under my breath I whispered “Well that’s gonna get cut short.”

An arrow flew right into the arm of the officer pinning his arm to the side of his chest and causing him to fall off of his horse. I fell over and stared at the sky. The sky started spinning and then my consciousness drifted into a dream where I was in a field full of golden wheat. In the distance I saw a teenage boy being taken by some men onto a stage and then there was another man yelling from the stage as if there was a crowd there, but it was just dirt and plants he was yelling at. I turned to look around and as I turned I caught a glimpse of my wife in a beautiful white dress. She came and rubbed her hand down my face and kissed me. She moved her lips to my ear and put her hand in mine and whispered, “ Here comes a second chance.”

When I woke up, I could feel someone’s hand in mine.

Damian: Beth?

Evelyn: He’s awake guys, come here he’s awake! He forgot my name, but he’s awake.

Dai: Hey Damian, are you okay?

Damian: Yes, my head just hurts.

Dai: Well, I’m glad that your arm doesn’t hurt.

Damian: How long was I asleep?

Dai: Six days.

Damian: Oh wow.

Dai: Yeah, but we were able to get your arm fixed up. Luckily that dog didn’t hit any major blood vessels.

Damian: Yeah lucky me. Wait, who is this guy?

Dai: Oh him? That’s Ben. He’s been lending a helping hand and covering for us while we stay here. He knows everything and he knows that we are pretty much criminals in The Republic’s eyes.

Damian: Can we trust him?

Dai: I don’t think we will have a problem with him.

Damian: So how did you find me?

Dai: Well your trip went a little longer than we thought, so James and I went looking for you. We pretty much had to just follow the blood trail that your arm left behind.

Damian: Well thank you, I would have been at the mercy of Phoenix if you didn’t find me. I could be dead.

Chapter 24: Phoenix

Phoenix: I’ve missed you.

Ruth: I know you have, Abraham, You don’t come and visit me as much as you used to.

Her voice was horrific. It was a voice of pain, short breath, and pauses. The Hollows are tough to visit because of the smell, and all of the screaming. It is a very eerie setting when I come here.

Ruth: How have you been, Abraham? I don’t hear much about the outside world. Being in this place isolates me from the world.

Phoenix: I have been fine, a lot of work though. Being a leader is not as easy as people make it out to be.

Ruth: No one ever said it was easy Abraham, but the key to being a leader is love. If the people love you, then you know you are doing a good job. So… Do they love you Abraham?

Phoenix: After many years of suffering and chaos, I would say I have created a nice community for them. I honestly believe that they love me. I give them the hope they need. I give them faith.

Ruth:  And who do you give them faith in?

Phoenix: Well… me, I provide for them, and I lead them. If I give them a home and a world where they are not afraid, then I am the one they need to believe and have faith in.

Ruth: But you are only human Abraham. What if you fail? What happens when they realize that they can do it as whole instead of being led by one man with man written words that require them to bow or leave?

Phoenix: The Holy Son did it, and he didn’t have the instruction manual like I do. I have everything I need to succeed. I will succeed, and I will always be a kind and merciful leader in their eyes.

Ruth: Just don’t let things get out of control. I would hate to hear that you were killed or overthrown for being a ruthless man. The man I married is such a kind soul. I still see that kind soul in you Abraham, please don’t ever let it fade away.

Phoenix: I promise, and I promise to visit more often my love. I hate that we cannot move you closer to Phoenix. Please keep me in your thoughts my wife.

I went to hold Ruth’s hand before I left, and as I grabbed her hand, I could hear one of her fingers shatter as if I had broken glass in my hand. She screamed out in agony as I pleaded for forgiveness from her. I never meant to hurt her, but this was the first time I have made physical contact with her for four years. I could not imagine the pain she felt from my touch. I miss my wife, and I wish I could help. Unfortunately all I can do is protect her and keep her hidden from the world.

Chapter 25: Damian

I am finally able to get around on my own, which is nice because it has been a rough couple of days. Being in a bed unable to move around is horrible. I could not imagine being a hollow, immobilized for life. Just the thought sends shivers into my spine.

I decided to go see how everyone is doing. Evelyn has started gaining a little bit of weight, and she is very emotional. We know now that she is in fact pregnant. She is truly one of a kind, so she has not been allowed to leave our shop for a while now. She hates being cooped up inside all the time, but we keep letting her know that it is for her safety. The new guy, Ben, has been very helpful in keeping this a secret. He runs the front of the shop and makes sure people do not ask where Evelyn went. He usually says that she moved to a different region in order to find some lost family after Randall died. He is very attentive to her, and I think it is starting to bother Berg. I think Berg feels a sense of jealousy when it comes to Ben tending to her. Gabriel also seems to not like Ben being around Evelyn so much. It makes him very uncomfortable and a little impatient with Ben. I however have learned to trust Ben in such a short amount of time, which for me is very odd. It usually takes me much longer to gain trust with somebody. Dai and James have also seemed to take quite a liking to him. They, however, also treat him like he is Igor from Frankenstein, He has become their little errand boy when it comes to little odd jobs that need to be done: like washing clothes. Ben is very intimidated by them, but I would be too if I was as small as Ben. Ben is only around five foot six and only weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds. Long story short: Ben is tiny.

I have noticed that Crusaders have been increasing in population, which means that James, Dai, and I are unable to go out in the open during the day. The bounty on our head increases daily in desperate attempt to find us. I never would have thought that we would become renowned criminals. Our reputation seems to remain in this region however. When eavesdropping in the market, I can hear people saying that Phoenix has kept us a secret in order to keep The Valkyrie Federation out of this region as much as possible. Phoenix seems to have this idea that he can be his own leader separate from the rules that The Federation created.

Ben: Hey Damian, I’m gonna stay up tonight as guard. Is that okay?

Damian: You know Ben, You have been doing really well keeping us hidden and out of Phoenix’s sight. I’d say that you earned the chance to do this.

Ben: Great. I won’t let you down Cap’n.

He hurried off very excited, He really seems to enjoy being a part of our group. I think it is the rush of being outlaws and harboring fugitives. I have faith that he will do a good job protecting every single one of us, especially Evelyn…or so I thought.

The next day we woke up to Berg pacing and nearly hyper ventilating.

“Evelyn’s gone, and Gabriel is dead!” Berg yelled.

I made my way to Gabriel’s room and there was blood everywhere. He had his throat slit and a knife left in his chest. I left Gabriel’s room and I quickly ran to Evelyn’s room and I could see signs of a struggle. She did not have anything that could break in her room, which is probably why none of us heard anything. I looked around for things that would help us figure out where she might have gone. Towards the front of the shop there was a paper fluttering that had some writing on it. I picked it up and it was a note that read:

“When the time is right, bring her to the capitol.”

Phoenix has found out about Evelyn, which means that one of us has tipped off the Crusader Republic.

Damian: Where are Ben and Twitch?

James: I don’t know.

Damian: Well… let’s go to the capitol then, and see what is going on.

Chapter 26

We started making our way to the capitol. We were all quiet and we knew what to expect. We all understood the brutality of the Crusaders and we only pictured the worst for Evelyn. Berg’s hand was rubbing his gun as we walked. He was very determined to kill the person responsible for abducting Evelyn. We all trusted Ben and he betrayed us. He preyed on us and waited for the right moment to pounce. As for Twitch, I have no idea what to think. I do not know if he was an accomplice, or if he is just ahead of us in pursuit of Evelyn as well. We have quite a ways to walk in order to reach the capitol, Woodland Park is about one day’s walk from Phoenix. We will have to find shelter somewhere before nightfall in order to ensure safety for all of us. I figured tonight we could stay in a lodge somewhere in Manitou Springs. This way, none of us have to build a camp or try and claim one as our own. Tomorrow is going to be a long enough day as it is.

There is this lodge right off of the highway that used to be a very fancy mansion. It has now been turned into a place where travelers can stay. As we approached, there were plenty of people hovering around acting like they owned the place. Bandits, bounty hunters, and even B.V’s were just loitering around. We got inside and walked over to the lodge owner at his desk.

“How much for the night?” I asked.

He studied our group for a second before replying, “For four people it will be four thousand dollars and four shotgun shells.”

I pulled out a roll of cash and six shotgun shells and handed them over and said, “Keep the Change.”

Lodge owner: You fellas will all have separate rooms tonight. Just take whatever rooms you can find.

We all said goodnight and found our own rooms. It was time for a good sleep and hopefully some good dreams.

I put my hand on the ground in order to stand up. The ground had a very warm watery feeling to it. I looked down and my hand was covered in blood. I picked up my wife and started carrying her down the trail. There was a line of blood that followed us the whole way.

We got to the car and I started driving to the nearest hospital. I turned around to check on her and she looked straight at me with a face that had no concern at all and whispered, “Wake up.”

As I opened my eyes, I was met with the stock of a gun. Apparently our bounty doubled when Evelyn was taken. It was Phoenix insuring that we would not make it to the capitol unless it was under his conditions. We all were taken from the lodge and were being transported to the capitol. This time they put bags on our heads to make sure we did not try anything slick. I did not even know people used vehicles in this region, but the Crusaders were transporting us in some kind of truck. The drive to the capitol was not long which means we would arrive at our destination very shortly. I do believe that this will be the last night of my life. Phoenix is too ruthless to let us go free with exile from this region. Especially knowing that we are Evelyn’s guardians.

The truck came to a stop and the tailgate was dropped with a loud metallic sound. We were pulled out of the back of the truck and escorted up a hill and inside a building. I could hear them taking the other guys to a different area. Then, in an instant; all their voices vanished, but as I was forced into a chair I could hear the southern draw of another man, and the bag on my head was taken off, revealing a man before me. I could tell by his demeanor and the way that he was regarded, it was Phoenix.

Phoenix: You know what I like about you Damian? You have the power to discipline and govern yourself. You don’t need all these rules to guide you or tell you who you are. You are a man who has morals and sticks by them. In fact I am no different than you. Except for….

Damian: We are not the same, you mistake your place in this world with your true self. You are not self-disciplined or self-governed. You just discipline and dictate the people of this region. You pillage and rape like a barbarian.

Phoenix: I will only ask you this one time Damian, Do not interrupt me when I am talking, only warning…

He turned his head to a Crusader.

Phoenix: Did that party you sent to the train station try, and rape the women that were with those boys.

Crusader: Well, Phoenix sir, I figured…

Phoenix turned to the Crusader and shot him in the head. “Rape is not our way.” He muttered. He sighed and then turned back to me.

Phoenix: What I was trying to tell you Damian is that we are the same except for one major difference. I see the flaws in man and how those flaws affect the societies of our world. You see the potential in humans that does not exist and you hope, and hope is the biggest lie that man has ever created.

Damian: So you’re telling me that man has no potential in this world?

Phoenix: Are you familiar with the Bible Damian?

Damian: Of course.

Phoenix: There is a verse in there that proves that man has no potential. The verse is from Philippians 4:13 and it says “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This is simply stating that man cannot do things without a provider. Now I firmly believe that this world was saved, not by hope, but by leadership. Now you can argue that people were born to self-govern with freedom and equality like John Locke believed, or you can see the truth and understand that humans cannot provide for themselves without a foundation. I am that foundation in this world, I provide food, shelter, protection, and work. They were not born with the potential to survive, I gave it to them, and I can just as easily take it away. I promise you Damian, if you ever become a leader, you will not be able to have a society in which the people are free to make the choices for themselves.  You cannot govern free people.

Damian: So in order to have a society, you have to take away the people’s rights?

Phoenix: I have not taken one right away from these people. They are not slaves in my community, they can leave whenever they feel oppressed. The people have chosen to stay here which means that they have sacrificed their own rights for a comfortable and consistent state of living. America followed the same rules when it came to society. America came up with a list of rules in which citizens would follow in order to have a stable society. The people gave up the majority of their rights in order to stay in the country and stay out of jail. In return, the American government gave law abiding citizens food, shelter, entertainment, work, and most of all; protection. These people were not forced to do anything, they had a choice to leave the country and live somewhere else if they disagreed with the way things work.

Damian: America was a democracy ruled by three different branches who were elected by the people. You are one self-appointed man.

Phoenix: You really think I appointed myself? two years ago I was nothing more than an ordinary person who worked within a group that failed. We made choices together and ultimately it lead to half of our group’s demise. All the people I was with then turned to me for reasons I still do not understand. I took the group and slowly we started functioning properly, I told them what to do and in return we had food, and eventually we had a permanent refuge. People steadily kept showing up until we had the society you see before you. All of this was built because a few people gave up there rights to me. So once again we’re back to it, people do not have the potential to survive unless it is given to them, and this is why I have become such a successful leader; I provide. Now how about I provide for you a little bit, would you like a drink Damian?

Damian: Might as well, I feel like I may be here a while.

Phoenix: Great, I hope you’re a bourbon man…so you ever been married?

Damian: Yes, but only once.

Phoenix: I was married once also, in fact it would have been my second marriage if the first girl I loved worked out.

Damian: Who was she?

Phoenix: She was the first woman I had ever loved, we even were pregnant with a child. A handsome boy, she left me before we named him however, but I loved that boy and sometimes I wonder where he is and whether he is even alive. She had to leave me because of her work; she was a doctor and she was very well known, which is why she moved every couple of years to help teach classes and work with special patients. She had to work with a young boy who had a split personality disorder and killed his entire family and numerous other people. On the phone she would tell how this kid created himself a brother in which he blamed for all the murders. I used to be so interested in her work and I would wait for her call everyday just so I could hear her voice. Then for whatever reason she stopped calling, and I never heard from her again.

Damian: Wow, it sounds like you really loved her.

Phoenix: Oh I did, but I had to be strong and move on. That’s when I met my former wife, Ruth. She really helped me become a good man and helped me learn how to love again.

Damian: Well what happened?

Phoenix: She’s dead. The blood fever took her life, and now I am left with only myself once again.

Damian: I know what that is like, my wife died when she was eight months pregnant with our first and only child. Neither of them made it and at first I was angry and blamed myself, but her last words helped me get out of my slump. It took me a long time, but I think I have found what the meaning of life is through her death and through all my experiences. We as humans are born to learn, and everything we do is a test. The only thing that sucks is that life gives the lesson after the test, making it harder to know if what you’re doing is right or not.

Phoenix: I would have to disagree with you on that one Damian, I believe that humans don’t even care about the meaning of life. We as humans only want to know that everything we did on this earth, on the physical plane, was worth all of our hassle, trials, and tribulations. We couldn’t care less why we are here, we just want to matter. Which is why religion was created. It is a way for people to have second chance when they feel like what they did in this life wasn’t worth it, Faith is what I use to drive the weak into doing better for themselves and our community here at Phoenix.

Damian: But don’t you need to have faith in order to preach faith?

Phoenix: No, a man does not need faith when he has experience.

Damian: Experience does not give you the right to become some false prophet with a vision that ensnares the minds of the many. These people blindly believe every word you say. They believe that you are here to protect them, instead you are sending their children out there in this world to be killed. A boy should never be used in a man’s war.

Phoenix: It was their turn to prove…

Damian: To prove what!

I knew I made a mistake when I interrupted him, especially since he warned me about doing it again. He snapped his fingers and two of his men held me down and held out my hand.

Phoenix: Michael…knife please.

Out of the shadows came a face I thought I would never see again, it was my best friend Allen. I guess what I thought was his suicide was just his rebirth. Allen, who is now named Michael, handed over a bowie knife to Phoenix, and with one hand he curled up all of my fingers except for my ring finger. He brought the blade down with a hard strike, and all I felt was a pop followed by pain. Phoenix cut off my ring finger as punishment for interrupting him.

Phoenix: I told you…do not…interrupt me.

He seemed very weak, he even collapsed when he tried to stand back up, but I can’t say I was doing any better. The pain from my finger has got me searching for breath.

Phoenix: Michael could you please get me my shots, and bring one out for Damian’s hand also. We don’t want him dying just yet.

Damian: So what’s… the deal… with the shots?

Phoenix: Just a little side effect of the blood fever. I have to take these shots of the serum or else I can’t use my legs.

Damian: Michael would know all about that, He lost his legs before also.

Phoenix: Oh, so you guys know each other? He failed to mention that.

Damian: Yep, he and I were best friends until I thought he killed himself. This is the first time I have seen him in years, back then his name was Allen.

Michael came in with three syringes filled with the PI-19 serum. He put two in each of Phoenix’s legs and one directly into my finger. That shot stung like hell, but once the serum went to work all of the pain was gone and my wound sealed shut. Phoenix held up my finger and told me to remember what happened, and to make sure not to interrupt him or else next time I will lose a bigger appendage.

Phoenix: Now my appetite for discussion is gone, and you have caused too many problems in my region. I have to show the people of this region that chaos will not be tolerated. Tomorrow morning you and your pals will be hung as example of what happens to those who rebel against me. Take him away.

Damian: What about Evelyn!

Phoenix: Oh don’t you fret your little self about her, she will be safe. Just think of her as the queen bee. Her only purpose will be our rebirth, nothing more.

Damian: You son of a bitch! She’s just a little girl!

His guards dragged me out that room and took me to an area with a bunch of fences. It looked like the old zoo that used to be here. They took me too the same area that Dai was being held and threw me into a cage. I couldn’t see any of the others, I assume they are in a different area of this prison. I looked over at Dai and he was telling me to be quiet and be still. One of the guards saw this and kicked the cage next to me, and immediately after that a mountain lion jumped at me. This is why Dai wanted me to be quiet, and the guards knew that. Now I have a lion next to me trying to break through the fencing between us to come and eat me. This night is just not going the way I wanted it to. I scooted away from the lion’s cage and closer to Dai’s, which was a relief since the big cat sort of backed off realizing it pointless to try and get to me.

Dai: What happened in there?

Damian: Well we had a nice long discussion and I lost a finger.

Dai: Well you seem pretty calm after losing a finger.

Damian: Well he also told me that we’re all going to be hanged tomorrow, so I figured I would enjoy this night and not worry too much about all of this.

Secretly I was terrified because I knew I failed, and even though I hated Phoenix, his words rung through my head like a broken record. I do not know if everything I have done even matters, in the end I failed Evelyn, and I can feel my wife’s presence being emulated through my choices. I failed.

Chapter 27

Time moved very slowly as we walked up the stage where our ropes were waiting for our necks. I looked around at the crowd and I saw Evelyn sitting next to Phoenix in the front row. Phoenix had dressed her up for this event and she looked sort of like those girls at the horse races with the big hats and the funky dresses. Phoenix looked relaxed with his arms up on the chairs and a smirk on his face that said “I won.” We all arrived at our ropes; Me, Dai, James, and Spielberg. The ropes slid over our head and I could hear the fibers of the rope rubbing together and scraping across my hair. The sun was bright and beating down, I could see birds flying and I could hear their songs as they soar past. I look down at Evelyn and she pierces my very being with her eyes. I can see one tear trickle down the right side of her face, and in that moment she transformed into my wife, My wife stood up, walked over to me, and ran her hand down my face while whispering, “It’s okay.” I closed my eyes and bowed my head, “I’m sorry.”

I could hear Phoenix yelling at the executioner to tighten the ropes and to put a rush on this execution. The executioner did as he was told and tightened our ropes around our necks. The feeling of the rope squeezing my neck was nerve racking, I have never been scared of death, but thinking heavily on what Phoenix said made it harder to accept. Have the things I have done in this life mattered?

I looked up at the crowd one last time and I saw Twitch making his way through the crowd pushing and fighting off Crusaders. He got to the middle of the crowd and pulled out two grenades, one in each hand.

Twitch: Phoenix! Let them go or this crowd is going sky high.

Phoenix stood up unafraid and calm, turned around and faced Twitch.

Phoenix: Boy! I have worked too hard to get them up there on that stage. If you really think you can threaten me with the lives of these people, then you are horribly mistaken. Compared to the importance of the death of those four individuals, these citizens of mine are expendable. So drop those grenades, you…don’t…have…the guts.

Crusader: Hey kid, don’t do this, I have a family in this crowd and I do not agree with…

Before that crusader could finish his sentence, Phoenix put a bullet in his head.

Phoenix: Does anybody else disagree with me? How many of our brothers have these men killed, and how many more if we let them go? Do it boy! Do it!

Twitch: That blood is on you then.

Twitch pulled out the pins with his mouth and threw the grenades sideways away from him. He took off and ran towards the stage in order to escape the explosion. Once he reached the stage he shot and killed the executioner and two other crusaders. Twitch pulled out a knife and cut all of us loose and told us to follow him.

Damian: What about Evelyn?

Twitch: We don’t have time, just come on. We’ll come back for her.

He took us down the hill and into the old zoo. A group of Crusaders were chasing us and were keeping up very well. We ran through the entrance and continued to run up a hill and through a building that used to be for hippos and penguins. We got to the other side of the building and back outside, the crusaders got tired of chasing us so they decided to pop off a few rounds. They hit Spielberg in the leg and caused him to fall to the ground. One of the crusaders put his gun in the air and fired three rounds and shouted, “STOP!”

We were forced to stop here and face the crusaders once again. Twitch reach for his gun and the crusader shot him in the shoulder, Twitch screamed out in agony and then was silenced when we heard a loud roar from an animal. We looked behind us and on top of the building was a gorilla with fiery tinted hair. One of the crusaders pointed his gun at the ape and shot. The bullet seemed to barely do any damage, and the gorilla stood up tall and threw his fists at the ground and roared loud. He then jumped from the building and onto one of the crusaders. He proceeded to hit, smash, and rip apart crusaders left and right with a rage I have never seen. All that was left was carnage, the ape turned to us and walked towards me and the others towering over us with a height of at least eight feet. He growled at us, sniffed us, and then noticed that the boys were injured. He scoffed at us and then went back over the roof vanishing in the trees behind.

We gathered ourselves, healed Berg and Twitch with some shots that Twitch brought, and started our journey out of the zoo making sure we stay off of the roads. I was taking them to a place that I know will welcome us with open arms: Validus.

Validus is an underground group that acts as peacekeepers in the shadows. They go into different regions to try and protect the people from corrupt tyrants. Currently they are out east, right outside of the city residing in an old housing development. I need to speak to their leader and see if they can help us save Evelyn, I’m sure they will understand the importance of her pregnancy and her life. Let us hope that they are willing to do me a favor.

Chapter 28

We reached the gates of a camp and we were met by four individuals who escorted us inside.

The boys, Dai, James, and I went to talk to the leader. We were escorted to a tent where I saw the man who could help me get Evelyn back.

Damian: Alistair Magriae.. How you been?

Alistair: If I wasn’t mistaken, I would say that that is the voice of my old friend Damian Walker. I’ve been good old friend. What brings you to these parts, mate?

Damian: Well… to be honest, I need a favor.

Alistair: Okay mate, I’ll bite.

Damian: We need you and your troops to help us take out the leader of Phoenix and rescue a girl who is pregnant.

Alistair: Pregnant? Now that is a serious subject Damian. You know there hasn’t been a pregnant woman for years.

Damian: I know, she is the first, and if we do not save her… she will be the last. Phoenix plans to use her for breeding purposes. She will become a slave.

Alistair: So what do you want from us? Do you want us to just storm in there and grab her?

Damian: No, if we do this, we will do it the right way in order to ensure minor casualties. However, if things go a different direction than we planned, we can expect blood to be spilled.

Alistair: No, I can’t risk my people for one girl.

Damian: She could be the most important girl in the world right now. If we save her, she could be the key to a new world. She is the hope that people have been searching for in this dark and desolate world. She is our new beginning.

Alistair was sitting in his chair staring at the desk thinking hard, and I can only hope that he changes his mind. He is Evelyn’s last hope for a decent life with purpose other than breeding.

Alistair looked up and gave a little snarky sigh. He said, “We will go.”

I knew that this would be dangerous, but Evelyn is definitely worth the sacrifice we may incur. I knew that Alistair had access to vehicles and they would be our way into Phoenix. Our plan was to use the trucks and SUV’s to get through the residential area of phoenix and bring the fight to his main base where we had our little conversation. We would use the trucks Alistair provides to block the road and avoid citizen contact or harm, I know that as soon as phoenix sees us coming, he will line up the crusaders on that road thinking that they will prevent us from getting to him. We will have ground forces pushing through the road as well as snipers set up so that we can have someone watching our backs the entire time. Once we get through that first wave, then it is on to the shrine where we will get Evelyn and hopefully take Phoenix’s life.

I walked outside to get ready and I could see Alistair’s troops lined up and ready to move out. There had to be at least 250 soldiers ready to fight for Evelyn. It was an uplifting sight, and it made me believe that we could win.

Now that everything is prepared, it is time to go and finish this. I got into one of the vehicles that Alistair has provided, and Twitch hopped in next to me.

Damian: Are you ready for this Twitch?

Twitch: Yeah, I know what is waiting for us... Damian, about those grenades, Damian, I…

Damian: Twitch you did what you had to, to save us, and sometimes the right thing involves a little wrong doing. Trust me, I would know better than anyone.

Twitch: No, that’s not it. The grenades were duds, I emptied the inside of them before I came, soooo they wouldn’t have exploded at all. I guess Phoenix must feel pretty stupid right now.

Damian: I don’t know if stupid is the word I would use Twitch.

In fact I believe he is feeling multiple ways right now: defeated, impatient, and angry. Although I feel prepared to storm the gates of Phoenix’ domain, I cannot help but feel that we may not understand what we are going up against. Now that Phoenix has been shown to be weak in front of his people; He would have rather seen innocent people get blown to bits over letting us slip his grasp again. I think the people have seen a side of him that they do not like, and it could affect the way they follow his lead. This has to stop, a tyrant like Phoenix is no good in a world where we need sanctuaries over prisons.

With reasonable men, I will reason; with humane men I will plead; but to tyrants I will give no quarter, nor waste arguments where they will certainly be lost.

-William Lloyd Garrison

The Final Chapter

Riding in this SUV reminded me of riding in the Humvees when I was in the military. It was almost like my body remembers those days because I had the same uneasy feeling I did when being transported to war zones. It was the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen and not knowing if my life will continue after this night. Alistair seemed very confident in his soldier’s capabilities, and that helps soothe this feeling. It is the middle of the night, so we have the element of surprise giving us a head start.

These men and women fighting with us never looked so prepared, it is almost like they were excited to be taking down Phoenix. They wanted him gone and that was very apparent. There was not one ounce of fear shown in these faces, and it began to rub off on me because as we approached Phoenix, thoughts of Evelyn ambushed my brain. My fear and uneasiness was gone as if an ocean wave crashed against me and took away all of my weakness. I am ready.

We had to try and get everything into place, but the fight had already begun. The crusaders that guarded the residential area began to lay fire down on us as we drove through. Some of the vehicles stopped and started shooting back. We were able to get to our positions and finish this battle. We let the Validians go to work as they cleared the residential area and worked their way up to our group. Phoenix has already been alerted about us and started sending his troops down the hill towards us, at least 300 Crusaders came running down the hill with weapons drawn. Behind me I could hear Alistair yell, “To the last drop of Crusader blood!”

Forces met with hand to hand combat and gun fire back and forth. I used my pistol and my knife to clear the crowd; left and right I sliced and stabbed crusader flesh. I put bullet rounds into foreheads and stomachs; I was unbeatable. Being in such a crowded area caused blood to splatter on my face and all over my clothes. I was definitely a sight of terror to most Crusaders. I got ahold of one Crusader and stabbed him in the stomach, as he fell to the ground I could see Allen walking down the hill. “Damian, this ends now!” He yelled.

I made my way towards him while fighting off Crusaders, and as he came closer to me he shot five Validians with his revolver. We had a clearing in which we paced towards each other.

Damian: We don’t have to do this, Allen.

Allen: yes we do.

Allen shot me and hit me in the right shoulder. The shot caused me to stumble backwards almost knocking me down, Allen charged at me and I came back with a vicious right hook to his face. Although the pain in my shoulder was nearly unbearable, my mind continued on fighting. I threw another punch with my left arm and Allen was able to block it and get me to the ground. He fell on top of me and started mercilessly hitting me, I was able to block most hits, but he landed a few good ones to my face. I reached down and grabbed my knife and shoved it into his ribs. I threw him off of me and we rolled away from each other. We stood back up and we paced in a circle staring one another down like two vicious lions fighting over the pride.

Damian: Why! Why would you choose this path? Is this what Charlotte would have wanted for you Allen?

Allen: Don’t you dare speak that name again. It is your fault that she is dead! Your fault! If you had never been so nosy and told everyone about that “miracle medicine”, none of this would have ever happened and she would be alive! You killed my daughter!

Damian: I know you don’t believe that Allen, this isn’t you!

Allen: How would you know who I am in this new world? You abandoned me! You left me there alone with my dead daughter!

Damian: Allen you told…

Allen: Stop calling me Allen, My name is Michael now. Not that it will be your concern anymore.

Allen popped his neck and twitched a little bit and then ran at me with his knife drawn. We collided and our arms with our knives pointed towards each of our faces.

Allen: I’m sorry old friend.

Damian: No… I’m sorry. Tell Charlotte I said hi.

I bit Allen’s hand causing him to drop his knife. Then I turned my body to the left very quickly causing my knife to sever the flesh of his throat. He fell to the ground and gargled on his blood until he stopped breathing. My best friend was dead.

I fell to my knees and I let out a blood curdling scream. “Phoenix!” I screamed “Come and face me you coward!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing when they heard me yell out. They seemed very shocked and a little terrified. I would have been too looking the way I did. I had Allen’s blood all over me, and I was breathing very heavily whilst pacing back and forth waiting for Phoenix. It was almost like a spectacle for everyone. Even people from the residential area starting making their way to where we all were. It was a fight just like in the Coliseum in Rome. I was a lion, I was invincible, and I was not going to fail.

I could see Phoenix making his way down the hill with Evelyn. He had her by the hair in one hand and in the other he had a knife. As he approached the circle that was now formed around me, he threw Evelyn down to the ground. She put her hands on her stomach and cried out in agony. I glared hellishly at Phoenix, he looked me right in the eyes and said, “Let us fight like men, neither of us will die by the bullet of a gun. Winner keeps Evelyn.”

I walked towards him with haste, pulled out my gun and shot him the knee. He fell to the ground crying out in pain.

Phoenix: You filthy cheat!

Damian: No, you said we couldn’t kill each other with a bullet.

I grabbed him by the hair and I put my knife to his throat, but I hesitated. I looked up and I saw Beth walk out of the crowd of people watching.

Beth: This isn’t you Damian. Let him go.

Damian: What do you mean Beth! I can’t just let him go. This is what I have to do. Plus if killing him goes against who I am, why didn’t you show up to stop me from killing Allen?

Beth: He was strong enough to kill you if you didn’t fight back. This man is wounded and unable to stand up to your strength. Let him go, or kill him. It is your choice, but Damian, DO NOT FAIL ME.

I looked up and I could see Spielberg tending to Evelyn, the whole conversation must have been in my head because Dai asked me why I was just standing there. I looked down, closed my eyes, and let one tear fall. My knife dropped and clanged on the ground. I stood up and threw phoenix towards the crowd.

Damian: Is this who you want to follow! Is this the man that you want to lead you!

I turned around and paced away from the crowd and I sat down with my forearms resting on my knees. I was trembling and coming down from the adrenaline high I was on. I could hear feet walking towards me on the pavement, I looked back and I could see Twitch. He came towards me and then dropped to one knee. The lady whose husband was shot on the day we were supposed to be executed came forward with her kids and took a knee, and then she was followed by everyone else. Before I knew it, I had everyone, including Crusaders, kneeling before me. Twitch looked up at me and said, “Looks like you’re the leader now.” I looked out to the crowd and I could see Phoenix holding his leg in pain.

Damian: Abraham, you are banished from this region. Somebody get him in a vehicle and drop him off in the next region.

A Validian and a Crusader picked him up and dragged him away. I looked over and I could see Evelyn breathing very heavily and crying out in pain. I rushed over there and sat behind her holding her and giving her some support. A lady came over and said, “I used to be nurse at a hospital, it has been a while since I helped deliver a child so bear with me.”

I held Evelyn’s hands as the lady told her to push. She gave out some very loud yells and squeezed my hands really tight. After about five pushes, I could feel her body relax, and then I heard the cry of a baby. Spielberg was handed the baby and he looked so happy. He scooted over to Evelyn and showed her the baby, they laughed, cried, and hugged their baby really tight. Twitch took off his jacket and rolled it into a pillow for Evelyn.

Spielberg: If it weren’t for you Damian, I would have never seen this baby. Here, hold her.

Spielberg handed me the baby and as he did the sun broke over the mountain revealing her eyes to be a very bright and glistening purple. I covered her face and handed her back to Spielberg.

Damian: What’s her name?

He looked at Evelyn and then looked back at me.

Spielberg: Helen

I nodded my head at him and then turned around to speak to the crowd before me.

“This is our future! This baby is our sign that this world is not over yet. This child proves that there is still beauty to be found in this ugly world. I know a lot of you may believe that this world has lost its way, or that the right path has been covered up by lies and tyranny. Phoenix was a tyrant holding on to the idea that hope doesn’t exist, and that it destroys us and makes our whole existence as humans inferior.  We will uncover that path and we will make this world whole again. We will be the people that uphold what is right and what is good in this world.  Hope is right there in in her mother’s arms, Hope is right here with us. We will not be the prison that was Phoenix, No, we will be the uplifting spirit of this world; we will be the sanctuary for those lost and in need. From this day on we will not be known as Phoenix.”

We are Atlas.