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 coul
d 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.
Apocalypse No.3 Page 3