Chapter 1

The first to fall was the public officials, although nobody knew at the time as the calculated terrorist attacks struck the world, in the panic the officials and many political figures routed most of their countries military and law enforcement specialists to protect their own. That's when the public health centres were hit, the CDC, PHO, ECDC all suffered massacres of their staff and research teams, the first was a mass shooting then followed the bombings. As panic spread amongst the civilian population mass martial law was enacted and when the protests started and turned into violent riots that was when the infection began. Like the previous attacks nobody knew where it came from but everyone remembers the start of the end, it was mild symptoms at first which helped spread the disease since proper caution wasn't taken but soon the madness started. Those infected began vomiting blood and many slowly withered away in their homes unable to move, that was the best case scenario since those who didn't die a 'quick' death became monsters driven into an animalistic rage attacking anyone they could get their hands on without discrimination or discernment. 

People quickly formed their own groups or secluded themselves, the law enforcement were quickly overwhelmed and withdrew leaving rioters and looters to roam the streets along with pods of infected who tore apart anything in sight. When all hope seemed lost and the survivors had all but given up hope was when the Agents arrived under the banner of a mysterious organisation known as The Peace Corps. They were recognised by many as their peers however they cut down rioters, infected and looters as if they were nothing cleaning the streets and establishing safe zones in conjunction with militia groups and remnants of the emergency services who formed a group called Precinct. Despite their low numbers the Agents were resourceful and resilient taking on militant groups that rose under self proclaimed War Lords alongside The Precinct.

It's now the year 2023, 2 years since the event known as The Collapse and Mike along with a group of militia members following the commands of a Peace Corp Agent, they closed in on a bandit camp that'd been harassing local settlements and kidnapping multiple women. The group used the cover of the night to creep up to the convenient store the bandits had set up camp. The group immediately saw some of the women in the process of being assaulted by a few of the bandits while others ate and drank, it was sickening to Mike and the others to see what their fellow 'humans' were capable of when given an excuse to act like animals.

Despite the Agent trying to calm the group so they could get closer one of the men who recognised his sister amongst the women finally had enough and shot one of the men above her in the throat, chaos followed and the group began firing upon the bandits however they quickly ceased fire as the bandits used the women as shield. 

"Drop your fucking guns and come here bastards!" one of the bandits yelled with his pants still down and holding a woman infront with his gun to her head.

The group did as he demanded except the Agent who had disappeared when the gunfire began, as the group was captured and beaten by the bandits the women who had been traumatised already could only helplessly watch as their loved ones who formed the militia were brutally tortured to death. 

"Oi, come on I know that's not all yah got yah prick!" the bandit leader Ross said as he continued to tortured Mike who was one of the few still alive, the rest had quickly succumb after used their strength to fight back. Mike wondered as Ross slowly carved up his chest what made these men turn into such beasts, why was this all happening but he knew deep down it was because he was weak and they were strong, that was the way the new world operated. You either have the numbers or have the strength, if only he had the strength of an Agent he could have slaughtered them all. Mike was both jealous and resentful at the Agent who was watching from afar, Mike noticed him a while back observing and realised he was waiting for a shot on Ross this whole time since that was his mission, Mike knew what he needed to do and bit down hard drawing blood.

He spat his own blood into Ross' eye causing him to back up, "Fuck! You Fucking little prick!" he grabbed Mike from the grips of the other bandits who held him down and threw him across the store, Ross was a burly man and from intel gathered by the Agent he was ex-military, he grabbed a glass of vodka and bashed Mike across the head smashing the glass as shards tore open his face and head. Mike let out a scream in pain as he staggered back but was grabbed again by Ross who punched his repeatedly breaking his nose and giving him a concussion, Mike tried to defend himself and fought back to the delight of the bandits who had stopped the torture and interrogation to watch the rare entertainment. 

"Once were done with these bitches and once I've completely crushed your little 'Militia' we're gonna burn every piece of shit settlement in this town!" Ross continued to shout as he completely overwhelm Mike whose body was reaching it's limit, as he got closer and closer to what he assumed was the storefront he had only one thing left on his mine as he shouted back to Ross "You ain't shit you wannabe fuck! Cowards who prey on the weak, you're nothi-!!" as he released his frustration and baited Ross to continue playing in his palm the bait was successful and Ross grabbed Mike pulling out his combat knife and sticking it into his stomach before throwing him through the shattered window where he landed in the street outside.

All Mike heard was the cries of the women and the desperate shouting from the surviving members of the militia, everything else was drowned out in that moment as he lay on deaths doorstep. He looked at Ross who leapt after him to retrieve his knife and finish off Mike, then he turned his head to the shadows where he had spotted the Agent earlier, he could barely see him but he was there and it finally looked like he had the perfect shot which caused a smile to appear on his messed up face as Ross reached down for his knife.

The gunshots that followed was a satisfying melody to his ears as Ross dropped beside him with giant hole in his head, he couldn't see what happened next as he faded in and out of consciousness but the sound of gunfire only lasted a few seconds and the next thing he knew a wave of voices echoed in his head as he recognised a few of the muffled voices as Precinct officers. With this he was satisfied and finally closed his eyes, letting the world around him fade to black completely. It was peaceful for the first time since the outbreak began and it was a much needed moment for Mike whose hand slumped as the strength left his body and adrenaline wore off.