Chapter 001: Lights Out. 11/06/82
There was never a time when Earth was safe, at least, not in recorded history. There’s always been some threat, be it diseases such as plagues, natural disasters, or even other humans.
But no one ever saw monsters coming for us. Not in the thousands of years we’ve recorded history. But think about it: what was happening before Scorpion I had hieroglyphs engraved- almost 6,000 years ago- and created what is now the oldest recorded event we have knowledge of? Before that, are we even right? Did we evolve from monkeys? Or were we sculpted by beings far beyond our understanding? Did the world start with a big bang? Or was it formed over time? These questions have answers, all of them different, however. Just like these monsters. Where they come from? God knows. Why do they feed on human organs? I'm afraid only God knows, and He rarely shows us answers.
That’s why I’m here. In my 11 years serving as the captain of the ATK, I have lead 1,283 expeditions to the outside world. I have shown thousands of men and women the beauty of what is left. What did it take for me to do that? 22% of the human population’s sacrifice. Every one of those brave soldiers has their name on a monument in the middle of Neo-Tokyo. Did they deserve to die? No. Do I regret leading thousands to their deaths? I wish I could. After you see hell, you are not the same anymore. You become a husk of what you were, but when you become a regular in hell, you aren't even a hollow shell. You become a being that only knows violence...
You become like me.
[11/06/82]
I tripped over a garbage bag and slammed my face into the cold pavement. I felt a warm sensation before I felt the blood sliding down my nose. I lost my shoe, as well.
The alley became ever more narrow as I scampered up the mountain of garbage bags. Damn these littered alleyways. I should have never gotten in the car, nor even thought about coming all the way to Neo-Tokyo. This was my death, I knew it. I could hear the Berserk quickly gaining, it’s spider-like… whatever it was, clacking on the walls faster and faster. The sweat and tears were clouding my vision, and I had a horrid stitch in my side. I kept tripping on my khakis, which were a size too big.
I slid on a wet bag and lost my footing. As I stumbled down the garbage pile, I became aware of the stench and time almost slowed. A few seconds became the last minute of my life. I slid until the Berserk was above me, what was left of the ex-human’s clothes burning without any trace of a fire or heat. It had no eyes, not even eye sockets. It had no ears, no facial features except for its disgusting fangs and the ash-like material that was its entire body. The rest of its body had been mutilated, missing half of its left arm and its right hand was gone. Its legs were stumps. It was skin and bone, in build. Yet the thin-spear-like things on its back gave it an entirely different feeling. It wasn’t a mere carcass, it was a beast with no soul, a pile of ash being controlled by a demon. It was probably the remains of a human that a Umbras didn’t quite kill.
And it stood over me, breathing smoke in my face. It didn’t take long before I went light-headed from fear. I couldn’t move, I felt nauseous. I was going to die.
It extended 2 more spear-things from its back and began its killing process. It pinned me down with 4, and the last 2 repeatedly slashed and stabbed at anything it was close to. One of them swiped at an odd angle, and a burning sensation swept through my body, starting from my leg. It had cut off my foot. I'd never seen anyone or anything lose blood this quick. The searing pain came in non-stop waves, and yet it never stopped cutting. My vision started going dark and fuzzy, and I knew death was imminent. But yet, I held on... kept my eyes open until I heard passerby and then the calls for help. I tried as hard as I could to stay awake a little longer and eventually failed. The last thing I saw was bright lights and the sound of sirens as ATK officers came rushing down the street.
---
There was never a time when Earth was safe, at least, not in recorded history. There’s always been some threat, be it diseases such as plagues, natural disasters, or even other humans.
But no one ever saw monsters coming for us. Not in the thousands of years we’ve recorded history. But think about it: what was happening before Scorpion I had hieroglyphs engraved- almost 6,000 years ago- and created what is now the oldest recorded event we have knowledge of? Before that, are we even right? Did we evolve from monkeys? Or were we sculpted by beings far beyond our understanding? Did the world start with a big bang? Or was it formed over time? These questions have answers, all of them different, however. Just like these monsters. Where they come from? God knows. Why do they feed on human organs? I'm afraid only God knows, and He rarely shows us answers.
That’s why I’m here. In my 11 years serving as the captain of the ATK, I have lead 1,283 expeditions to the outside world. I have shown thousands of men and women the beauty of what is left. What did it take for me to do that? 22% of the human population’s sacrifice. Every one of those brave soldiers has their name on a monument in the middle of Neo-Tokyo. Did they deserve to die? No. Do I regret leading thousands to their deaths? I wish I could. After you see hell, you are not the same anymore. You become a husk of what you were, but when you become a regular in hell, you aren't even a hollow shell. You become a being that only knows violence...
You become like me.
[11/06/82]
I tripped over a garbage bag and slammed my face into the cold pavement. I felt a warm sensation before I felt the blood sliding down my nose. I lost my shoe, as well.
The alley became ever more narrow as I scampered up the mountain of garbage bags. Damn these littered alleyways. I should have never gotten in the car, nor even thought about coming all the way to Neo-Tokyo. This was my death, I knew it. I could hear the Berserk quickly gaining, it’s spider-like… whatever it was, clacking on the walls faster and faster. The sweat and tears were clouding my vision, and I had a horrid stitch in my side. I kept tripping on my khakis, which were a size too big.
I slid on a wet bag and lost my footing. As I stumbled down the garbage pile, I became aware of the stench and time almost slowed. A few seconds became the last minute of my life. I slid until the Berserk was above me, what was left of the ex-human’s clothes burning without any trace of a fire or heat. It had no eyes, not even eye sockets. It had no ears, no facial features except for its disgusting fangs and the ash-like material that was its entire body. The rest of its body had been mutilated, missing half of its left arm and its right hand was gone. Its legs were stumps. It was skin and bone, in build. Yet the thin-spear-like things on its back gave it an entirely different feeling. It wasn’t a mere carcass, it was a beast with no soul, a pile of ash being controlled by a demon. It was probably the remains of a human that a Umbras didn’t quite kill.
And it stood over me, breathing smoke in my face. It didn’t take long before I went light-headed from fear. I couldn’t move, I felt nauseous. I was going to die.
It extended 2 more spear-things from its back and began its killing process. It pinned me down with 4, and the last 2 repeatedly slashed and stabbed at anything it was close to. One of them swiped at an odd angle, and a burning sensation swept through my body, starting from my leg. It had cut off my foot. I'd never seen anyone or anything lose blood this quick. The searing pain came in non-stop waves, and yet it never stopped cutting. My vision started going dark and fuzzy, and I knew death was imminent. But yet, I held on... kept my eyes open until I heard passerby and then the calls for help. I tried as hard as I could to stay awake a little longer and eventually failed. The last thing I saw was bright lights and the sound of sirens as ATK officers came rushing down the street.
---
