The Prologue; News of The Past
The year was 2012; scientists were trying to find a cure for the outbreak of the swine flu. Frantically they were studying where it came from and how it had mutated in humans, people were dyeing everywhere. The world was in a panic already from all of the talk about the world ending, and in a way it was. The flu had mutated farther along the genome than people expected, it had started to mutate the human body into grotesque beings. Extra limbs came out of odd places for the humans; babies were dyeing at birth because their little bodies couldn’t take the outside air. It was odd how some of them had grown gills. People were becoming more and more sick until finally only those who were naturally immune to it were safe, but that wasn’t enough.
“Derik, grab that bag and throw it in the pit. We need to burn the bodies so the virus stops spreading. Come on now, get your head in the game boy.” His father watched him while holding one end of the human body bag; a large flame flickered as they stood near the edge of the massive hole in the ground. Sweat bead down the elder man’s face, down his cheek and off his chin. It dripped with a splash on the black plastic bag; he was in his late fifties. Gray hair poked through the dark brown which once held a vibrancy of his long gone youth, instead now sporting the wise or not so wise look. Most of it was around his temple area, his eyes were slightly wrinkled two scars dragging from the middle of his scalp down to his cheekbone on the left side of his face. The iris in his left eye was gray and the pupil white showing he was half blind; his right eye a vibrant green color searched his son’s face. The old mans face was slightly slack, perhaps from his aging. His mustache showing just how old he was feeling, a mixture of salt and pepper. When he opened his mouth his left canine was missing otherwise he was a seemingly healthy and muscular man.
“Yes father.” The young man spoke out to his father, the small stench of his sweat emanating and mixing with the stench of burning bodies. Derik looked like a younger version of his father; Thomas brought his son up strong and with pride. They hoisted the body up only to watch it fall and become engulfed in the flames, only to continue this for the next ten hours before they were relieved with the next shift. Derik was relieved and walked home with his father; his mother lay on the ground next to the stove as the smell of boiling beef stew filled the air. The scene was heartbreaking, both of them cried as they held the woman on the floor. They buried her the next day, her heart had given out while she was cooking. Too much death had come to the world, and as they continued to burn bodies the virus seemed to just disappear. For a while everything seemed peaceful, but without the technology that once was everything soon became to tumble around those who had survived. The ones who couldn’t cope with changes died from natural selection, those who survived formed groups they called clans.
It is now the year 2020, a lot has changed. The continents have grown closer together almost forming one large structure of land, the wilderness has taken back everything that was once used, and buildings are crumbling as structures are falling. No matter though, the groups of people have moved away from the cities taking pets and what they can with them learning to survive on their own again.
The year is 2025, welcome to the present day. Humans and animals have come far from that fateful time; humans and domesticated animals keep each other companionship. The last of the electricity flickered out down at the Houston train facility last month, so there is no hope of having light during the night anymore unless you burn fire.
