Chapter 1: Prologue
"My mom always said that once a crack appeared on a dishware; the crack would keep spreading till it...till it completely breaks."
"And well, I would tend to agree with that, after what has happened."
"30 years ago... or more precisely 34 years ago, the world went to shams,"
"And I mean the worst kind,"
"The ecosystem, the weather, the plates...b-but... they were the least of it all,"
"Humanity paid for it all, with the blood of our race running as fine wine; wine that spilled till it overspilled."
"But I would simply sum it all up and give it under the name 'THE GREAT RESET'"
.....
In a run-down, dimly lit bunker within the bottom floors of the military base, several groups of individuals, from white to black, from Asian to Hispanic, were all outfitted in half-hazardously assembled, battle-worn reinforced carbon alloy armor and assumed a weary and degrading stance.
The flickering light cast dramatic shadows across the rugged surface of their protective gear, showing the splatter of blood with dirt and grime all over.
"Tonight, we conquer!! Who's with me?" shouted an older man with fair, grimy skin; he had black hair streaked with patches of white and a long goatee resembling a billy goat's. His face and skin were scarred with several cuts, burns, and injuries.
One of his eyes was gouged out, covered by a black leather oversewn patch, and the other was still functional, with his eyes being red from drops of blood seeping in. He held his forged spear high in his right hand, and in his left hand, he carried a black, roughed-up full-cover helmet.
"Yeahhhhhh!!!"
The men and women, some with long overgrown hair and others with either short or bald heads, roared in an uproar as they thumped their weapons - which ranged from maces and spikes to hammers and swords - and chanted in preparation for the fight of their lives. Tonight, it was their turn - their turn to go to the other side.
Everything they had was gone; everything they had recovered was gone - their children, parents, partners, and friends were gone. Some had lost their money, some had lost their homes, some had lost their motherland - everything was gone and they had lost it all.
It was by no chance their fault, it was by no choice by chance, it wasn't by the incident, it was by the result. The ones who craved war, the ones who craved immortality, the ones who craved power and control, those who wanted revenge, and the ones who craved godhood.
Everything led up to this result, to this particular moment, to this point of time; if they were going to go down, they would go down in the burning flames of sweet old dear victory.
"Let's fight for our dead children, for our dead parents, for our friends, for our partner,"
"And last of all let's fight for our survival,"
"Who's with me?"
"Yeeeeaaaahhhh!!!"
The older man shouted trying to boost their morale and though most shouted in an uproar, some cried from the pain of remembrance, some shed tears from trauma carved in their hearts while the others hid it under the facade of the roar.
They looked at their blood-sewn scars, they looked at the burns, they looked at their fractured, torn out, ripped body parts that even punctured their lungs, they were ready, they were prepared they had made up their minds.
They began to March out from the bunker, all 200 thousand of them in unison; those of the north left wing, those of the east left wing, those of the south and West. They matched in an orderly manner unit from squad to troop and battalion, with their mecha and weapons in arms, their wills and resolve firm, this was war—an unrequited war of survival.
"We are the last stand, let's gooo!! If we die, we die together!!"
"Whose dying with you?" a young middle-aged youth with dirt blonde hair, blue eyes, and several freckles shouted from behind as all the eyes of the individuals turned to face him.
The green moonlit field fell into an abrupt silence, with the only sound being the gentle rustling of the wind and leaves. A sudden awkwardness descended upon them, but before he could retreat into the back, the tension gave way to a burst of hearty laughter that made a slight echoing across the open expanse.
"We will not die, we shall drink tonight,"
"Yeahhhh!!!"
Those were the last words before the radioactive mutants, the zombies, the Titans, the robots, and the beasts never seen all lined up and circled in front and around them.
Meanwhile, on the lush fields atop the hills, a young fair-skinned lad with raven black hair and blue eyes watched it as it happened.
He watched as they fought with a die-hard drag, he watched as they got torn limb by limb, as their flesh and muscles got sliced up, and he watched as their blood flowed like a river with their organs seeping out and being dragged as it soaked into the ground.
He watched as some breathed their last, he watched as others became what they were killing, he watched as those who their friends and partners had become their enemies were killed in cold blood.
It sent chills down his spine; it was intriguing; it was disgusting; it was pure blood and gore; it was a slaughter nothing less; and it was the end of humanity.
His stomach turned and churned with him wanting to barf and funny enough this was just the start but the end had already been spelled out and happened.
1 hour...
2 hours...
4 hours...
6 hours…
The air became murky and stiff with the ashes, cinder, smoke, and blood flowing, rising, and flying around.
One could hear the screams, the crying, the sounds of metal, the groaning of everyone below the mountain as they struggled to survive while clinging to the minuscule hope but still...
He watched them fight for their survival, he watched them wane down, 'he wanted to fight', he wanted to save them, he was human but he too couldn't join.
He kept his view on till the last man breathed his last and the land became barren.
It was a sad moment, he wanted to cry, he wanted to shed a tear, but this was all just a simulation; he would change something, and he would survive, save as many as possible, and fight till the end; but would this really...
***
In the not-so-torn-down shed on the college grounds of Yham City, several students ran for their lives as the apocalypse began.
*Knock**Knock**Knock*
"Open!!"
"Open the door!!!"
"Please,"
"It's Liam,"
"The zombies are behind me,"
"Please, "Liam pleaded while knocking desperately and urgently on the wooden shed door, the rain beating upon him as his ragged zombie body urged him to eat the others inside the shed.
His skin was torn and eaten, with several bite marks covering it; his blue eyes were bloodshot and veiny, with one already gouged out.
His black hair had become fuzzy, his legs fractured while he held on to the last bits of his sentience, he hammered the door profusely for his classmates to open the door. If he was going to die, he wouldn't die alone.
"Push,"
"Push,"
Frantically, two boys pushed several objects, equipment, and electronics into the shed, trying to barricade the door, while another held the door, preventing the zombies from entering.
"Open the door,"
"Let him in."
"He's our classmate. We can't just let him die," the student president Charlotte spoke out loud while crocodile tears formed under her eyes. She had brown hair tied up in a messy bun, dark emerald eyes, and she stood at a height of 175cm, and B cups, she was a model student to the class, though her personality was another.
"Are you kidding?"
"He's been bitten already, and the zombies are behind him."
"If they enter, we'll all die!!" the 19-year-old well-built boy with blonde hair yelled at her with fear and desperation; he was Jason, one of the three boys in the shed.
"I'm the class president,"
"I'll take responsibility," Charlotte said overbearingly.
"Please, just open the door." Liam's cries grew weaker, his "strength" waning with each passing moment.
"See,"
"If he's been bitten, would he be able to talk?" she said, trying to prove a point.
"He's able to talk; should we let him in?"
"He's our classmate. We can't let him die." Carmel interjected, her voice barely audible amidst the chaos. The timid girl, who hadn't spoken up until now, raised her opinion. She was also a college student, standing at 172cm with a lighter build, a slender body, blonde hair, and an average size.
This stupid bitch.
"He's a liability," Jason interjected, his frustration boiling over.
"He's been bitten." Konrad finally spoke up; he had a beef with Charlotte and didn't want to talk, but now her stupidity had broiled him up.
He was also a college student but older, at 20 years old; he had black hair and blue eyes with a slender build.
"Then how do you explain him being able to converse with us?" Charlotte countered him.
There is no need to argue.
No need; he calmed himself down.
"Okay, if you want to let him in,"
"You open the door." He spoke in a weird gentlemanly manner, as his tone was laced with disdain as he gestured towards the barricaded entrance. He would let her make her decision without arguing further.
"But..." she stuttered. Charlotte's protests faltered, her resolve crumbling.
"Scared..." He mocked her with a smirk on his face.
***
(Some days later)
"Fooood!!"
"Water!!" they silently groaned in the drenched-out shed.
It had been a day and a half, and they were hungry, tired, and thirsty. The zombies stayed throughout the previous day as the rain fell while people ran amok. They heard the screams and shouts of several people, from students to staff and even the bystanders on the campus.
They listened in horror as the growls and gnashing sounds of the zombies feasting on their victims alive filled the air, sending shivers of fear down their spines.
They were utterly scared shitless, paralyzed by the gruesome scene they heard. But what was worse than that was the hunger and thirst they were feeling.
They had stayed in the downpour of rain throughout the previous day, and now they were basking in the rays of the scorching sun; all the energy and moisture they had was sapped out under it. While they could endure up to a week without food, going without water for more than three days was out of the question.
The bustling college of the day before, with over 6,000 students and staff, had now been besieged by zombies; it had become a pantry of the undead, which they dared not explore.
They had become desperate to escape and search for food or water, but their weakened bodies made running a joke and a death wish. They weren't athletes, and they had little to no energy.
However, if they stayed any longer, they knew they would start hallucinating and eventually collapse or...
"Jason…go outside and look for food," Konrad said jokingly. He had become slightly scrawny, his stomach had become noticeably flatter, and he looked exhausted of most of his energy with his skin dry and wrinkled. His hair had become matted and messed up from the rain. His clothes were dirtied and stained with several tears.
"No you go," Jason retorted, his form not so different, his hair disheveled and his clothing in a worse state. They sat opposite each other, sitting on the equipment of the shed, right in a position not so far from the door.
The shed was a moderately large building, though weathered down with greenish-brown bricks that had slight moss growth, and the roofing that had once seen better days was torn down and broken halfway with several moss, plants, and mushrooms growing off its dampness.
Unlike both of them, the girls and Mikey were in the worst state.
"No, I'll go," unable to stay on longer, and in desperation, Mikey ran towards the door.
"Noo..." a chorus of protests followed.
"You idiot," Jason shouted.
"Don't," they shouted at him right before he opened the shed's door.
"See nothing," Mikey said in a downcast tone. They were expecting zombies
but...
"Huh!!" They all looked puzzled, the zombies they were expecting were not in front of the shed; they weren't even close or in the surroundings.
They felt stupid, they felt dumb, they were scared, they hadn't checked for a day, and they were dying of hunger.
Unfortunately, the very next moment they stepped out to escape, the zombies ambushed them from behind, their mindless maw eating them, ripping them limb by limb till their blood flowed and they joined the ever-increasing cause.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone