Beginning:

The end of the world as we knew it died in an instant, only a flickering moment trapped inside of the blink of an eye. Alyssa didn't really understand what had happened, how it happened, nor did it really matter much to her. All she knew is that everything she knew had vanished the moment that she saw the lights. It was a surreal thing, seeing everything that she used to have vanished. To her, she took for granted the little things, the special moments and had just figured everything would be normal. Hell, this supposed apocalypse wasn't even supposed to happen until the clock hit the year 2000. Y2K it was called, but no one expected that the end would happen in 1995. From what her adoptive parents had told her, she was found in a makeshift cloth wrapped up and located in the remains of a burnt out apartment in what used to be a place called Guildford. She hadn't really remembered much, but from what her new parents had said? It was about forty minutes or so from London if you had used the train.

Alyssa sat inside of her cave, a tower of walls surrounding her along with two strangers with the last name Gotwick. The United Kingdom wasn't as united as it once was, the pain of what once was stared at her, constantly reminding her of the stark reality of what had happened. She was told stories about how they barely escaped from the quarantine zone of London alive, that there was an unnatural plague that had been going about. They wouldn't describe much else, but anytime that the capital would be brought up they shriveled. As they told it, they used to be something called a "paramedic", people who would travel around in these moving vehicles and heal people the best they could, and transport them to an actual "hospital". These stories wriggled their ways into the mind of a young Alyssa, who had grown up to idolize them. They were her saviors, her heroes, and most importantly probably the best parental figures that she could ever have.

She remembered all of this while driving the old ambulance she used to see her adoptive parents driving in, passing by through the ravaged streets of Brighton. Her mind had wandered throughout the day as she had driven along, raiding old medical shops to see if she could salvage any medical products and grabbing an old snack or two for the road. Looking at the old pictures again on her dashboard, she remembered another light of her life: Lincoln. After her adoptive parents had died, the cycle had continued and she had somehow picked up and looked after a small child while still young herself. To support the both of them, she worked hard doing odd jobs and courier deliveries on top of her medical trips to try to earn as much food as she could between the various communities. One day she went out on a trip, and when she came back he had apparently gone out on his own to scavenge supplies, but had disappeared trying to breach the wall into the Quarantine Zone. He was found with his leg broken and having starved to death in the three weeks that she was out. In her mind, while she was heartbroken and devastated at the thought of someone she cared for dying, a small relief entered her mind where she was glad he didn't die getting feasted alive by those things that were inside. Alyssa had long forgiven herself for everything that had happened, though admittedly in her mind it was hard to let go, hard to forget seeing his corpse like that. She loved that kid, to her he was one of her own, a bit of a bright light in the torrid and cruel world that's still picking up the pieces of what it once was.

Picking up what remains of her life, she had decided to fully dedicate herself to the job as a doctor in the community; scavenging what supplies they could find, scrounging up and combining them into other tools they needed. This had gone on for Alyssa for a couple of years, that while it felt satisfying to finally answer her call fully and not having to worry about food anymore, a hole had slowly started to grow in her heart. What purpose was there? Just to survive? Is that any life at all? Yeah, she was helping people and that's all, but what about her? While it didn't affect her in the way of getting her duties done, she certainly felt there was something missing now. Something changed though soon when an explosion had erupted a couple miles out of town. It couldn't be believed but a vehicle had exploded, carrying a whole group of people. There weren't many left surprisingly, but witnesses saw what seemed to be a missile hit an armored minivan, though that was gone by the time the security forces got there. Body after body on, stretcher after stretcher they came in. If there were attackers scouting out the camp, they would have to be on extra alert duty. However, something had caught Alyssa's eye this time. A small child had died, skin charcoal gray with bits and pieces of skin flaking off. A heartbreaking display of needless violence, but all she could think of again was Lincoln. Making her way over to mourn briefly over her loss again before getting back in, a modern miracle seemed to have appeared.

The corpse started to move, but not in a way that would signify him being a carrier of the flesh eating diseases. Quickly opening his eyes and gasping for air, he slowly turned his head towards Alyssa and grabbed her in, bringing her closer to his face so that she could hear his words. Time had ceased to move, his eyes opened up and his mouth seemingly twitched its muscles as if to smile or speak. In that sudden moment, she felt that she had recognized more and more who he was, or at least a very similar resemblance: Lincoln. Tears started to form up but she was pulled in closer, with everyone around her not even seeming to notice.

"It's not your fault…" he started to gasp, seemingly heading back and forth into a choking cough and full breathing. Alyssa couldn't understand how he seemed to be healing and near death so quickly and so often. Was he speaking to her personally? Was he speaking to someone in a lucid state?

He spoke up again. "There's still hope…" he violently choked again, this time sounding like something was lodged in his throat before gasping again. "...to heal the world."

Now Alyssa KNEW he was speaking to her, but how? How did he know about her, about Lincoln? What was this hope? I doubt he really knew anyhow, but still she was curious, even entranced by this whole thing. She wanted to heal her and tell the small child to stop talking, but it's like she couldn't move even if she had tried, only listen. She started to speak up, though without even realizing that her vocal cords were moving.

"How?" she questioned, her accent seemingly echoing around this empty chamber. The world around her started to phase out as a black abyss had enveloped everything around except her, this dying child and the gurney he was lying on. This time, he spoke clearly with no sense of injury whatsoever.

"Twisted Metal.." he spoke before expounding upon it decently well as if he had been there in a past life. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the world for a small child barely older than Lincoln around the time that he died. The way he had spoken, he had seemed so sure about this competition. Twisted Metal he called it; he described it as a sort of twisted demolition derby where people had killed each other for a variety of ways: greed, desperation, because they felt like it; all led by a mysterious figure named Calypso. The number one prize for this competition however was one singular wish, one thing that could be granted no matter what size or scale and now more than ever, Calypso was back to start anew. The young child said this all as if he personally saw Calypso himself, whom he also described as a burn victim. Alyssa made note of the lack of facial movement with the child, as if it was speaking but not opening his mouth but in the back of her mind, she brushed it off as the burns limiting the child's ability to speak. Somehow, he knew every single thing he needed to say to entice her into this contest he was talking about, like he had some hypnotic power over her.

"Bring me back…bring us back…." he whispered before everything had turned back to normal. Everyone was seemingly pre-occupied back in their previous positions, as if the world had revolved around their conversation. She couldn't seem to snap out of it before others began to descend upon her position, recognizing that she was having a moment and sitting her down as she was quickly operating on the kid. Others around her began to frantically yell as if he was dying and they needed to rush to get him back up, as if they couldn't see this small child blinking or hear him speaking in the slightest. After a while, they gave up as it seemed that he had passed away, though this didn't affect Alyssa in the way it usually would. As he was carried away to be buried, all she could think of seemingly was this competition. Kill people? All to get a wish? The fact that the child was moving and talking and no one else could hear that?

It stewed in her head for a while, even as she went on to patch up the wounds of others that she found, bringing them back to the same makeshift clinic as before. This dying, burnt child had popped up in her head all too often; the burnt and peeling skin mixed in with a feeling that she didn't know she could have: hope. It sounds stupid to chase a dream off of a mere feeling and some words from a child who was probably having one last dying dream but…it felt all too real. Something bigger and greater than the one she already had before? One where she and all the people she cared about wouldn't have to starve? One where her little brother and her parents and everyone she knew from before would be alive? The Hippocratic oath she swore into forbid her from taking life, only helping those who were in need. But for Alyssa, it was something more, a potential future for the human race, a necessary sacrifice. What are the lives of a couple of rejects, serial killers, warlords for the lives of those who perished underneath the tyranny of man's actions? This contest, this impossibility, this could be the ticket to reverse the course and perhaps give humanity the second chance that it deserves. Alyssa understood this weight and drove out into the distance, ready to apply the salt to seal the wound. As the ambulance drove out into the wastes of Old England, the old grave where the child's body was buried disturbed itself out of the slumber, a giant hole where it once lay.

Diary Entries:

The Zone- That child, all I can think about is my little brother, how he died. We never knew the comforts of modern society, but perhaps I can change that for the better and give us that second chance we deserve.

Savior's Point or Scorched Earth- The irony of being a medic and slaughtering dozens of people in this contest isn't lost on me. Am I violating that oath? What if that child saw me now? To be fair he did encourage me to join, and what I'm going for is a lot bigger than me. I guess I just hope that this isn't all for nothing.

The Arctic or Niagara Falls- I never knew who my real parents were, or where they were even from. Are they even alive? Maybe I'll reunite with them soon once I win, and maybe see the adoptive ones as well.

Boss: The Junkyard (Auger & Mr. Slam) or Old Orleans (The Redneck Trio)- It's not too late for a truce! I'll give you one last chance, I don't want to fight you! I will if I have to though!

The Belfast Exclusion Zone or London Point- Home, or close to it, the only thing I've ever known. How did we even get like this? So much is unknown to us, but everything seems to point to this damn contest!

Venice or Transylvania- This place is evil, one of the worst that I've ever seen and I've upheld the Hippocratic Oath for a long time. The only thing that keeps me sane in this time are my dreams of a better future.

Boss: North Korea (Apocalypse 9 Trio) or Mount Rushmore (The Government Duo)- The same ideology fighting over their territory….or at least whatever's left. Why do these guys think that what didn't work before would work this time? Either way, they're in my way and they need to go.

Chichen Itza Or The Oasis- It breaks my heart to see one of the last safe havens on Earth…only to see it crumble before my very eyes.

Kowloon Karnage or Johannesburg- However, this safe haven? Is it really safe when people don't have access to proper food and health care? Burn that shit down.

Final Boss: Hell on Earth (Minion) or Mexico City (Minion)- It doesn't matter if you're a demon or not, I'm winning this contest for everyone you killed!

Ending:

Alyssa Gotwick had spent most of her adult life trying to solve the unsolvable goal: to heal the world. Taking down a literal demon of all of those things had cemented her legacy as a hero in the eyes of the people on Earth…or at least, what's left of it. She won Twisted Metal as a hero, as someone who did what she needed to do. She was young around the time of the previous Twisted Metal competition and had experienced the horrors of what was to come. Her family had died, her home lost to the sands of time and struggling for food made her a survivor, but in the end the only thing that she could feel is hope: hope for the future. Taking that old ambulance had paid off and so did the years of stockpiling and creating makeshift medical supplies, stuff that she hoped that she wouldn't need anymore once Calypso granted her the ultimate wish: bring everyone back to life. After all, without people in the world to suffer at the hands of Twisted Metal, how could Twisted Metal continue? Alyssa wasn't a fool, as men in powerful positions are known for twisting whatever words they need to twist in order to get exactly what they want. While Calypso was a force of chaos, screwing over anybody he could for the sake of a laugh, he also knew when to fold his cards. Perhaps by appealing to his humanity, he could restore the world to how it was and help the Kingdom become united once more, hopefully free of the plague.

Driving on the highway past all of the dead bodies that had slumped over with tire mark burns engraved on their back, it urged a feeling of remorse for the young woman. All of this bloodshed to save more lives, or as the saying goes "crack a few eggs to create an omelet" she once heard as a child. She didn't know what an omelet was, but she knew that it sounded like something she wanted to try hopefully when society would rebuild itself. In her mind, why would everyone be so stupid as to make the same mistakes twice? "Perhaps this time, when all is said and done the world will unite together to take down Calypso?" She thought, hoping for the best. The highways turned into the remains of small towns covered in ash, through the destroyed remains of the Guildford Town Square followed by passing by the church nearby. It used to be so nice, so beautiful. It would take far beyond her lifetime but it would be a start. She drove through the remains of the town square again before hopping onto the train tracks and following the path. Soon, she would be in London though she was unsure as to whether or not it would be ravaged by the undead. It was funny, she hadn't seen any since the Twisted Metal competition; perhaps they're all dead and gone?

The undead were there of course, but they were more quiet than usual, staring out in sheer silence as the ambulance drove up and entered the gate into the city, backing away and staring at it; almost as if they were waiting for it, taking orders from some sort of master. The dead bodies on the outside remained untouched, the walking corpses with their insides ripped out and jaws dislocated while covered in blood staring out into the open but held on a metaphorical leash. It was strange, the crowd parting the roads while Alyssa had driven down the highway and into the greater city at large. Burnt out pubs and destroyed monuments would pollute itself around the ambulance, the remains of the merry go round floating into the river and blocking off one of the arches underneath. Big Ben itself would be shattered into pieces, the clocktower itself having found its way on the streets with only a singular path through it, riddled with pieces of gears and machinery. Soon, Alyssa knew she would encounter the legendary Calypso soon and claim her prize, hoping to set the foundation for the rebirth of society. The Hippocratic Oath lay firm the foundation in her mind, though she knew for a fact now that it would take a miracle of re-organization to firmly fix society's woes. Where would they get all the food to feed them? The housing? What's even left to give? "That was up for everyone else, not her" she would think down in the recesses of her mind.

Soon however, she would come upon the corpse from before, the one that spoke of this strange tournament in foreign lands only a short while ago. It was staring out in the open as its child-like features reflected off of the bright sun nearby, painting a torturously beautiful landscape. It lay completely still, only moving its neck to look at the bright-eyed paramedic, inching her closer with its gaze. It reminded her so much of her little brother, the one who starved to death without any food and a broken leg as she ran for help all those years ago. She missed him, every inch of hurt pounding its fist into her heart. But still, it was a strangely happy reunion and it couldn't help but make her smile. Exiting the old ambulance and walking closer, she stuck her thumb underneath her latex gloves before turning it on itself, peeling it off her hands before throwing it into a nearby trash can. Walking up next to the small child, they both gazed out into the sunset for a couple of minutes as the light reflected off of the puke brown water, the remains of what once was the historical Thames. It was only once a brighter orange color started to emerge that Alyssa opened up, placing her shoulder onto the remains of whatever small child it was. She didn't know if she was just going crazy or what, but something had to give if she had fought people all over the world for this.

"Calypso…" Alyssa spoke hesitantly, believing this small child to be the strange deity but confused as to how to address it. The child cracked as it tilted its decomposed head towards Alyssa, waiting for her to continue. "...or whomever you are." She glanced over her shoulder again to the skyline, feeling a sense of pressure due to not knowing when the undead will come back. Will this wish cure them too?

"The world is ready for humanity once again. Please Calypso…bring everyone back. Everyone who has lost their lives….we need to rebuild once again. This can't be the end for us, you and I both know this." Alyssa had pleaded, thinking of her little brother and all of the people who had died in the tournament. A bit of sadness hung over her, hoping that somehow she had penetrated Calypso's heart and would take pity on the human race as while she saw pure evil in the form of the clown and the freaky guy with all of the burns, throughout her life she saw genuine human connection as well. In her mind, there might always be bad but the good would outweigh it as it's human nature to band everyone together. The corpse had looked at her for a little bit, smiling as it had opened its mouth and gave her a judging look for her nativity. Whatever voice before was gone, and she felt goosebumps witnessing whatever voice came out. It was like a strange radio signal, imposing and uncomfortable whilst simultaneously clouding her personal space. She didn't like it, not one bit.

"Alyssa! Your wish…..IS GRANTED!" Calypso had screamed into whatever remained of the heavens as the sky behind the both of them had changed. The child threw its hands into the air as lightning struck all around them, the sky behind them changing from a sunset orange to a crimson blood moon. The earth began to shake around them as if something was crawling out of the ground, and it created such a fear in Alyssa that she collapsed back onto the ground and felt the breath leave her body for a split second. As the child stood over her, ready to feed; she could hear the horde slowly shambling back to them. As she was looking into the child's eyes, she began to see visions of the roads that she had traveled on, the dead that she had walked past, the contestants that she killed. Hands had popped up out of graveyards in Chichen Itza with decayed flesh while whole bodies swam to the shores of the swamps in Old Orleans; the Belfast Exclusion Zone gave birth to radioactive undead piling out of the womb while the Junkyard had transmogged creatures start to chomp on survivors. Needles Kane would crawl out the shell of his ice cream truck, a burned husk of its former self while covered in flames as it chased after a nearby homeless man. Alyssa had stared at the child hopelessly as it mouthed one last sentence.

"I gave you exactly what you wanted…I brought everyone back! You never said you wanted them…alive!" the child had cackled, Calypso's voice reverberating. Just like that, it was gone. The bastard really threw out the last chance to restart Twisted Metal didn't he? Threw away the chance for humanity to grow? That's all that Alyssa would think about as the horde drew closer and closer, hungry and ready for flesh. How many people were on Earth back then? She estimated six billion people, not to count everyone else that had died beforehand. All of them rose back from the grave and in a split second, she was surrounded on all sides. There was one sick thought she could count on though: there wasn't enough food for everyone to go around. Soon everyone would starve, and truly from then on the world would die as it did once before. Her efforts in vain, she shed a tear for all of those who had died as she was ripped apart, the guts feasted on as if it was dinner at the local buffet.

Calypso had looked down, satisfied as he saw everyone else chewing on pieces of Alyssa. In a split second, he had forced two of them out of the way and had grabbed a piece of leg, bringing it over to the remains of a still burning vehicle, roasting the leg over the fire for a while before chewing into it. As they chewed into it, blood and flesh coming out, Calypso looked out on the remains of Alyssa one last time, smiling as he was chewing.

"I AM CALYPSO, AND I THANK YOU FOR PLAYING….TWISTED METAL!"