I. The Beginning of the End

<p>The end of the world didn't come like a whirlwind, nor in a rapid succession of fire.<br/><br/>If anything, it came in the form of a whisper; something which overtook the city in ways most wouldn't even expect. <br/><br/>A beloved house pet had fallen ill - seemingly with no indication - turning into something unnatural, possessed. As if every fiber of good in its body had completely disappeared and gone ballistic, turning on its owners with no indication. Its eyes red, sickly coated fur as it tore into the hand of the owner.<br/><br/>A good dog gone wild, put down as it would only become a threat if left around other animals. Around people.<br/><br/>Tragedy, however, did not end there as more pets fell ill to something - this… mutated thing breaking them apart; wild and feral and thirsting for that attack, turning against their owners and their families. Eyes sunken and hollow, fur matted but no one could pinpoint what had happened. The bigger this grew, the more animals were taken away - placed into quarantine, or put down immediately.<br/><br/>Nothing managed to save them, and even if they survived, they would never be the same.<br/><br/>Until a family's lovable terrier hit flesh, blood sloshing in the dog's teeth; the human bucking against the bite but ultimately served to do nothing.<br/><br/>Despite the treated wound, it didn't stop the rashes from spreading - the bloodshot, beady eyes and sunken lips - and soon enough, one thing led to another. Slowly seeping like a poison, like a virus, as the infected man began feeling less human and more feral. Holding insatiable hunger, the need to tear and break something apart, until it consumed him from the inside out. <br/><br/>The news hit suddenly; of a deranged man who had taken a chunk from his wife's shoulder, and then pulled the vocal cords out of his own daughter's throat. Horror filling the minds of many but then more people began falling sick, unable to do much of anything once it spread.<br/><br/>People shutting themselves in their own homes, and soon enough, businesses began closing down - schools sending their students home, all in the guise of protocol and guidelines. No one wanted to deal with the aftermath.<br/><br/>That was seven months ago.<br/><br/>It was now January 2045; at the base of military personnel was a man - clad in dark clothing - positioning the sniper's rifle against the block; lying flat on his stomach. His ears were protected by the muffs, and black gloves remained on his hands - a finger poised close to the trigger.<br/><br/>A beat of silence filled the air, eyes zeroed in on the target before drawing in a breath and exhaling the next; pressing down as a ricocheting bang rang out. Hitting dead center of his target, and the sniper just didn't react, not at first. He seemed ready to fire again, completely concentrated in shooting.<br/><br/>All before being interrupted.<br/><br/>"Captain!"<br/><br/>The voice of his Lieutenant rang out.<br/><br/>"Lieutenant Morales," he spoke curtly. "What do you need?"<br/><br/>"Sir, I was just wondering if you would like to join me for tea," Morales replied; reddish curls kept back and lips quirked upward in her gentle demeanor.<br/><br/>Her Captain watched her for a moment before grunting, "alright, fine."<br/><br/>It was a wonder things remained running smoothly at the compound - all things considered - and yet the Captain in question refused to just accept the sudden docility. Placing the safety back onto his sniper's rifle, and removing the muffs from both ears, he just followed after Morales - as was evident by the embroidered last name on her uniform.<br/><br/>"Captain," Morales cut in softly, as they neared the kitchen. "Could I ask you something?"<br/><br/>Her Captain paused, giving her a look before nodding.<br/><br/>"If the Outbreak… if it reaches our base, could you let my father know… what happened to me?"<br/><br/>"Lieutenant Morales," the Captain paused. "… that won't happen. If we have to deal with that, we're both getting out of it, understand?"<br/><br/>"Yes, sir." Morales sighed.<br/><br/>There was a moment of silence between them, and her Captain just exhaled, "I trained you well. Don't forget that. No matter what comes of this-"<br/><br/>Almost as if in an instant, the alarms to the base began going off and the Captain in question swore suddenly; eyes narrowing before turning to Lieutenant Morales. The two sharing a knowing glance, that their final strip of peace had finally shredded away. <br/><br/>"Looks like our tea will have to wait," he snarled, already reaching for his trusted blade. "Let's go." <br/><br/>Exchanging a sudden glance, the duo had made their decision and rushed outside; only to be met with a horrifying sight.<br/><br/>One of the soldiers was frothing at the mouth, as if he had rabies; blood staining his clothes, rashes spread down both arms, on the face, and literal flesh hanging from his bottom lip. Eyes wild like some sort of animal, releasing a low, guttural growl following suit. Whatever humanity had been in it before was now gone - withering away in decay. <br/><br/>"Captain, what do we do?" Lieutenant Morales hissed.<br/><br/>There was a beat of tension and then, without so much as a warning, the infected soldier zeroed in on the pair and screeched - high and unpleasant.<br/><br/>"Captain," Lieutenant Morales carefully said. "We have to move… now!"<br/><br/>The once soldier, now a creature of decay, suddenly charged.<br/><br/>"Logan, move!"<br/><br/>And then everything came undone. </p>