Act one.
A lone man crept through the ruins of an abandoned building, his rifle to his shoulder alert to every noise made. He moved swiftly and quietly surveying every room corner to corner to make sure the building was clear.
The man remained attentive and alert even once he had cleared the building thoroughly, he observed that the windows were painted over allowing just a small view of the outside world. As safe as he felt he knew that feeling safe and being safe were to very different things, he muttered to himself, "No place is safe, only safer", with that he made his way to what he found to be the most secure room in the building.
In the room he found some old furniture laying around, a sofa and an abandoned refrigerator, he quickly rummaged through the refrigerator but found not an ounce of food.
Disappointed he propped the refrigerator on it's side an pushed it up against the only door, despite his urge to sleep on the sofa he realized the refrigerator alone wouldn't stop anyone that really wanted in. He pushed the large piece of furniture up behind the refrigerator and worked his way to the far side of the room putting as much distance between himself and the door as possible, he concluded that he was safe near the window because he was on the third floor.
As he sat there he pulled a small tape recorder out of his pocket, with a quiet click it began recording, "My name is Daniel Mikasi, I found this old tape recorder in an electronics store I raided yesterday when I was looking for batteries. The date is, well........I don't really know. I've been running for months now though and there's no sign of this ending any time soon.
When this is all over people need to know what happened, though I'm not really sure what's going on myself. Well a quick summary for my listeners whomever they may be, the worlds gone to Hell, and it's gone there pretty fast. People are dying by the thousands..........but they're not staying dead! They go down, but they get up a few hours later, and when they get up they're different than when they went down! I've never seen anything like it, it's like they've lost their minds. They get up and from that point on I'm not even sure they're human any more. They're savage killers, it's like all they know how to do is kill and eat. I don't know how this "plague" as most are calling it broke out, but no one was prepared for it, the densely populated areas were the first to go, it spread like fire through them wiping out entire cities in just a few days. The rural areas didn't fare much better but at least a lot of people managed to get ready before it hit their towns. I don't know how many survivors are left, for all I know I'm the last living man left in this state. Well I guess that's enough for one recording, if your hearing this......ahhhh who am I kidding no one will ever hear this", with that he clicked the tape recorder off.
He laid his head down on is pack making sure his rifle was well within his reach, after a few moments of an uneasy silence he drifted of to an uneasy sleep.
Act one, part two.
Daniel laid his head on his pack, uneasy feelings sinking into his chest as he tried to get some needed rest. The outbreak of the plague had been horrible, there was no doubt about that, but this wasn't the first time he'd been in close contact with death, no far from it. He was in the business of death for many many years, he'd even been called a hero for it............
As he drifted into his dream world images of blood and death entered his mind until his sleep was filled with nightmares, he seen men all around him dying, dying at his hands....his own bloody hands!
Then out of the shadows he seen the corpses of a group of men coming for him, but these weren't just infected men......the were the men he'd killed years ago stumbling towards him hungrily!
Dozens of them, each one he recognized as a victim of his "career", they were coming for revenge, and he knew they deserved their vengeance.
In an instant he bolted from his sleep and before he realized it he had his rifle in hands, he was sweating profusely and his heart was beating a million miles a minute.
He took a moment and realized it had all just been a nightmare. As he collected himself he couldn't help but realize the irony of the situation, here he was in what many would consider a living nightmare and yet his own past seemed to haunt him more than this.
At least these creatures he had killed lately were already dead, the ones he dreamed about weren't so lucky.
He though back to many years ago, back when he still had a clean conscience, and the day he met the man that made a killer out of him.......He drifted into deep though as he could still see the events echoing in his mind as if they had occurred yesterday.
Eight years earlier.
A solitary Humvee made it's way down a lonely stretch of desert road, it's only stop was at a small Guard post.
"Here's his paper work", the driver said extending his arm out the window to reveal a document
The armed guard took a document out of the hands of the driver to examine it. After careful examination the Guard replied to his co worker at the gate controls, "Let em in!".
"The Colonel is expecting you, best not to keep him waiting", the guard said eying at the passenger.
As the Humvee drove off into the horizon the guard manning the gate spoke up, "So do you think the rumors are really true?".
" I don't know", the other guard replied, "They seem kinda far fetched to me".
After a few more miles down the road the Humvee rolled to a stop in from of a hangar like building complex. The driver spoke up for the fist time since the journey began, "Looks like this is were you get off Lieutenant, good luck. You'll need it".
A young Lt. Daniel Mikasi stepped out of the Humvee and stretched his cramped arms and legs out before he walked through the front door. As he walked through the complex he caught the stares of many of the men stationed there, he could hear whispering in the background as he walked through the halls.
The assigned clerk greeted him with a salute as he approached the front desk, he returned the salute as the young clerk led him towards an office.
"C'mon in", a gruff voice from the inside said as the neared the door.
Lt. Mikasi stepped in and held his right hand up in a salute.
"At ease son", an older gentleman spoke firmly, "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Colonel Joseph Aexander pleased to meet you, and you're Lieutenant Daniel Mikasi, you know I've heard quite a lot about you son. You're a very special young man.
You have what I call talent, and let me tell you I'm in desperate need of talent such as yours."
"Sir may I ask what this is about?", Daniel spoke in a confused tone.
"Son I've read your mission debriefings and training records over and over, and I'm convinced that you are one of the finest men our Military has to offer, You've made quite a name for yourself. Most of my men speak of you as if you're a legend".
"Let me ask you this Lieutenant, is the legend true?", The Colonel inquired.
Daniel replied quietly, "You've read my mission debriefings as well as my reports sir, your more qualified to judge that than I am. And with all due respect I'm no legend, far from it, I'm nothing special, I could never figure out why these people look up to me ".
The Colonel replied, "You just said it, I'm more qualified to judge that than you. Let me tell you I know what I'm looking for, and you're exactly what I need".
"And what might that be sir?", Daniel asked.
" The best, I've been assigned by the President to assemble a task force of the best fighters this United States had to offer. This task force will be working under my command and accountable only to the President, We will work night and day to combat global terrorism wherever it may be in the world. And from this day forth Mikasi, you report directly to me. Welcome to task force Black Arrow Captain Mikasi!".
"Thank you sir but I'm only a lieutenant", Daniel replied sheepishly.
Colonel Alexander smiled and held out his hand and revealed a set of Captains bars, "You've just been promoted son congratulations".
Daniel eagerly accepted the Cpt. insignia and replied with a shaky, "Thank you sir!".
As Daniel pinned his rank to his uniform the Colonel spoke up, "Now that we've accomplished this I want to go over some guidelines, first off from here on out you'll do what I say, when I say and how I say, if you fail to do this I'll make you VERY sorry. Don't fret though Captain a warrior of your caliber will have no problem following my orders".
8 years present day, Daniel snapped out of his flashback. As he sat there he thought to himself, "If only I'd said no to him, if only I knew that what happened that day would cost me my soul".
Daniel knelt his head against the wall, his face covered in guilt and agony praying, "God please forgive me".