The Long Dark Road:
Prologue: The Pale Horsemen Cometh
December, 2015
No one believed it at first; who could it was just too crazy. It started as just rumors on the internet and seemingly random acts of violence on the news. No one wanted to believe, me included but as the hours and the days wore on and the news got worse people began to realize the truth. On Christmas Eve I watched the coverage on the internet of the battle in San Francisco as the U.S. Army and the Police clashed with what we were told was thousands of violent rioters. I threw up as I watched the rioters savagely swarming, ripping apart and eating every soldier or officer they got their hands on. Luckily an evacuation had been ordered for the whole city four days before so there wasn't too many civilians left in the city, which left it a near empty ghost city turned war-zone.
No matter what the Police or the Army did the rioters just kept coming, like a tidal wave of bloodshed and death. When the last shot was finally fired in San Francisco over four hundred officers and soldiers were declared dead and the city was lost. An hour later I was watching the American Secretary of Defense being questioned about the fall of San Francisco. He called it a virus, spread through a currently unknown means, and that efforts to develop a cure were ongoing. There was a moment of silence, a tension in the air... then someone finally asked him the horrifying question.
"Mr. Secretary are the rumors true? These things, these infected are they as some have been saying some sort of... living dead?" again there was silence as fear and tears began to show in the secretary's eyes. The world seemed to hold its breath for the answer as he finally took a deep breath. and said in a voice soaked in guilt and shame
"Yes... I'm so sorry… god forgive me" responded the secretary in a voice soaked with guilt and shame pulling a concealed handgun out of his coat and splattering his own brains all over the wall behind him. The world watched that moment unfold in horror, the weight of it changed everything. After that the fear was absolute as people were faced with the dark ugly truth. From that moment it had all became so clear to everyone…nothing will ever be the same, this would be world's last Christmas.
Kaiba and I were in New York at the time when it all started. We tried to go back to Japan before things got worse but all travel to and from the United States was grounded and Japan had already initiated a national quarantine. We were stuck and things were only getting worse. We knew we had to get out of the city but there was a problem with that too, New York City was hit hard by the virus and the order of evacuation came too late so one of the very first things the government did in their efforts to stop the spread of the virus was to use the might of United States Military to lock down all of New York City declaring it lost. They blew the bridges and set up massive barricades and anti-air defenses all around the outside border of the city, no one in and no one out was the orders they were given. We had to escape and we knew our only chance was by air and this is where our story, our fight for survival would really begin.
Chapter 1: Take to the Skies
Location - Kaiba Corp Tower NYC, New York
Time - Christmas, 2015
"Mokuba come on where getting the fuck out of her, there's chopper waiting on the roof." Mokuba continues to stare out the window where he stood sixty stories above the chaotic war-zone that the once great city of New York had become for moment more before turning to his brother. His mind filled with thoughts and fear about all that had happened over the past week, the world turned upside down, it still didn't seem real. Gunshots and screams echoed from the city below them, Mokuba's deep sapphire eyes lock with his brother's as tears began to fall.
"How did it come to this, those people trying to survive down there, they're all going to die aren't they?" says Mokuba to his brother in a weak shaky voice. Kaiba just continues to stare at his brother for a moment, his eyes cold.
"Their survival is inconsequential, now come on." Kaiba turns as the door to the office suddenly opens and in comes two large Kaiba Corp guards dressed in full combat Kevlar armor carrying M4s. One of them tosses an M4 to Kaiba who quickly readies the weapon for combat before turning back to his brother.
"Mokuba they have already breached the lower floors we have to move now... please" says Kaiba in a now soft, pleading voice. Mokuba nods and casts one last look out the window before turning and making his way quickly to his brother's side. Suddenly a massive explosion erupts just few city blocks away as every light in the building goes dark.
"Damn it that explosion just took out the city's primary electrical station. Flashlight attachments on" says Kaiba as he and his two guards turn on the flashlight attachments on their guns.
"Ready weapons." orders Kaiba as he raises his gun to the ready position. Kaiba turns to the door leading out of the office, gesturing for the two Kaiba Corp guards to take point. Following orders the two guards move towards the door waiting for the signal from Kaiba for them to begin leading the way to the roof. Kaiba drops to one knee gesturing for Mokuba to strap himself into the small harness on Kaiba's back. Mokuba climbs onto his brothers back and straps himself in, wrapping his legs around his brother's waist and holding on tight. Everything seems to stop for a moment; silence fills the air as everyone takes a second to focus on what they were about to do until at last Mokuba leans in close to his brother's ear.
"Brother I'm scared." whispers Mokuba.
"It's going to be okay Mokuba. Just close your eyes and whatever you do… don't peek." whispers Kaiba to his brother in a soft yet stern voice. Mokuba nods and shuts his eyes tight; Kaiba turns to his guards and nods. With that signal the two guards kick open the door, launching it off its hinges. The two guards begin leading the way steadily towards the stairway that leads to the roof. They reach end of the first corridor which ends in a left turn leading up a flight of stairs followed by another right turn leading up another flight of stairs as the sounds of feral screeches and moans continue to grow louder and louder and the sounds of thousands of feet rushing towards them from down the stairs echoes all around.
"Cover your ears Mokuba" whispers Kaiba over his shoulder to his brother, Mokuba nods and covers his ears as Kaiba and his two guards turn towards the sound of the oncoming horde.
"Light em up" orders Kaiba as the first few waves begins to rush the stairs nearest them. The first set of rounds drops the front of the first wave as dozens more begin rushing their way towards them. Kaiba and his men continue to open fire dropping the infected in lines as they try to ascend the up the stairs. Head-shot after head-shot the infected fall as thousands more join the fray until suddenly Kaiba's ammo clip runs dry.
"Back it up" orders Kaiba as he reloads his weapon causing him and the guards to continue moving backwards up the stairway behind them. Down goes the first guard as his gun hits empty just in time to make him easy prey for a group of infected that came sprinting towards him. The first infected to reach him lunges at him knocking him to the ground and biting deep into his throat sending blood squirting out of his neck it spurts as more of the infected turn to the downed guard and begin to feed.
"There's too many drop frag and haul ass to the roof" orders Kaiba as he and the remaining guard both drop one of their frag grenades right before turning and rushing up the stairway behind them. They reach the roof jamming the door behind them with the remaining guards now empty M4 just in time to see a passenger plane come plummeting down out of the sky. The plane crashes with a massive explosion just barely two city blocks north of their position covering the surrounding area in a hell-storm of burning jet fuel and sending large shrapnel and wreckage ripping and smashing through the surrounding buildings. The burning jet fuel setting some of the buildings in the area a blaze.
Down in the streets below gunshots and screams continue to echo all around. Mokuba opens his eyes as Kaiba and the remaining guard make their way over to the Kaiba Corp Combat Chopper, climbing in and beginning to take off. Mokuba stares, shuddering in terror and disgust as the site of dozens of grotesque burning bodies begin to come flooding out of the wreckage of the crashed plane like hungry beasts, sprinting towards what looks like a group of people stranded on top of S.W.A.T. Van; desperately trying to fend off a horde of infected that was swarming around them. Mokuba's heart swells with sadness at the site of their desperate efforts to survive and protect one another knowing deep down that despite their efforts they were all going to die.
The Kaiba Corp Combat Chopper continues its ascent and begins to make its way out of the city heading north. Mokuba could see smoke trails from missiles and tracer rounds and the sounds of weapons fire throughout the next section of the city ahead of them.
"What's going on brother? Those people are fighting each other. Why are they trying to kill each other instead of working together to survive?" asks Mokuba.
"It's fear Mokuba. Fear twists men's minds and makes them monsters. They feel abandoned by God and by all that they had once believed in. They know the end has come and they are afraid; seeking to blame someone, anyone for the horrors that they now face. Blaming each other is easier because they can't bare to blame themselves." says Kaiba coldly. Mokuba just nods weakly unable to understand the terrible and truly illogical actions of the people fighting in the streets below.
"Take us higher maybe, we can slip by." orders Kaiba to the pilot as down below on a high nearby roof a man armed with an Anti-Air Stinger Missile takes notice with a wicked grin and fires another round.
"Fuck, fuck someone down there just locked on to us, hold on to something." shouts the last remaining guard piloting the Kaiba Corp Combat Chopper as a Stinger Missile comes streaming towards them.