Revenant



  Introduction

  Nobody knows the exact time or day. Even the year it happened has been lost and forgotten—as time does when it slips by unnoticed—but the end of the world came and went, leaving in its wake a path of death and destruction.

  The population grew to an alarming rate, and as a consequence, the human populace forced the world into rapid global warming; compelling the planet to turn on itself. Weather and natural disasters killed off the human race faster than they could get rid each other. Coastlines grew, while islands disappeared. Earthquakes and tsunami’s took out entire countries, leaving extreme temperature's to take care of the weak and frail; starvation, dehydration and heat exhaustion were major players for team earth.

  The apocalypse that had been warned and foretold about for centuries was upon us, and millions perished under the force of rock, water and flame. Tens of thousands fled major cities seeking safety upon higher ground, while others went to smaller, underpopulated towns and untouched lands. Years of disaster passed leaving the planet’s surface and the life on it forever changed. Buildings were ransacked and towns were destroyed and highways and streets were littered with abandoned vehicles. God and country had been replaced with fear and self-preservation; it was Martial Law, and then every man for himself.

  Yet, this was only the beginning of Earths demise, with a forecast a barometer couldn't predict. The worst had yet to come, and it was then—during the quiet—that the eye of the storm finally showed its face.

  The plague didn't spread like the old Hollywood movie scenes. There were no neat epidemic maps or calculations, and there was no Army, Navy or Air Force to guide us with direction and show us the way. The infection didn't spread like rolling waves or wildfire—there weren't enough of us left for that—but the infection was strong, and in the first days it spread quickly and with it taking thousands of the remaining few.

  We have only ourselves to blame. When you bargain with the devil, he always collects his debt.

  Life on our planet was dying, we wanted to survive, and they wanted to live, so when the Vampires offered a solution to both of our problems, we readily and greedily signed on the dotted line, neither party fully aware of the oversight they were making.

  A world without humans meant a world without blood. Blood became the driving force that both needed to exist, so while they created “I-M”, we formed the receiving lines. It wasn't mandatory; it was optional, but thousands of us lined up anyway.

  Ageless immortality had been packaged neatly in a little vial. It kept the humans human and the Vampires fed. The serum made us stronger, healthier and closely immortal without changing the person into one of them. For some it seemed a small price to pay to ensure the survival of the human race and in addition a regular blood donation was exchanged indefinitely, giving the opportunity for both species to live to see another day.

  For the humans it gave us an infinite amount of time to rebuild and learn from our mistakes; and with enhanced health, strength and durability to survive mother nature; it meant we were less subjective to the power and the force of her will. We would no longer die because of human frailty and disease. Sickness would no longer affect those who had taken the shot and our wounds would more easily heal.

  The vampires gain was that of the sun, and with the creation of “I-M”, they were no longer left to live in the shadows. Our blood was the key to their survival so when our population dwindled, so did their food supply. The inoculation was an antidote for death, it meant they would never starve and we wouldn't perish.

  It wasn't until it was too late that we both understood what that would mean and that we had made a terrible mistake.

  Everything dies, and when it does it stays dead—or so we thought.