Chapter 24 - Truth and Acceptance

I was floating around in a sea of nothingness, my eyes were open but it felt as though they weren't with how dark everything was. I couldn't move, but that was expected, after all I died. 

At least I think I did? There was no way I could've survived a hole that was punched through my stomach. I was contemplating if this was the afterlife when a strange conversation started to fill my ears.

"We can't do that! It's too dangerous, think about all the lives that would be lost!" Came a desperate voice of a man.

"And what of our people who are currently dying? Why should we cower in fear when we have the resources at our finger tips to make them beg us to stop the war?" Another, sterner voice said.

Suddenly, my pitch black surroundings morphed into something else. I was now in semi wooden and concrete office, one man was sitting behind a desk while the other stood in front of him. The man that was sitting looked familiar, he resembled Demi. Was he one of his relatives? Am I dreaming even in death?

The man slammed his palms on the desk, "Kalid please! There has to be some other way, we can't rely on a power we know nothing about."

"If there was another way we wouldn't be having this conversation! My people are suffering, your family is suffering! So you can either walk out that door and turn your back on me and everyone else, or you can stand beside me and help me," the other said, his stern voice a stark contrast to the confliction on his face.

A beat of silence past, the man clenched his eyes shut, "....fine," he agreed in a pained voice.

The scenery changed again, flames engulfed everything as people ran, screaming for their lives. Corpses lay about the place, vehicles destroyed, buildings crumbled and children cried.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this! You said things would be different, that they'd beg us to stop the war! So why....?! Why are you prolonging it?!" I heard the man from earlier shout angrily. 

That's when I realised I could move, I was so used to not being able to that I didn't bother trying. I turned in the direction of his voice and what I saw...it was too unbelievable. Zombies were one thing, but a meteor was something else.

"We've done our research and ran the numbers, it'll only take a small sacrifice to end this once and for all. With the power that we've gained from the meteorite we are unstoppable!" The man exclaimed, his hand raised as if though he were worshipping the meteor. "Forget stopping the war, I'll make it so that no one ever tries to wage war on us again! That's right, from now own the world shall only consist of Nevada!" He exclaimed, laughing maniacally.

Then everything stopped, the crackling of flames, screams, cries, it all came to a stand still as The End emerged from the meteorite and walked towards me. 

You died.

"I did," I agreed with frightening calm before continuing, "What's all this? Is this something that's about to happen? But it can't be, everything looks so...strange."

Not strange, old. This was the world five hundred and thirteen years ago. Concrete buildings and asphlat roads, green grass and an abundance of flora as far as the eye could see, and one hundred and ninety five countries that comprised the world. This was Earth!

As The End spoke she sounded so alive. Over the time we've spent together I'd never heard any emotion in her voice until now. But her explanation had shocked me, if this was the world so many years ago then what about what I've read in history books or what they teach us in schools?

It's simple really, whoever wins the war decides on how history is told.

She answered my question, I had forgotten she can hear what I think. To think I would continue to learn things after I died....am I really dead...?

That depends on your decision. 

"Then tell me, help me understand what the hell is going on! I get that I saw those dreams because of some...serum, but how? What happened all those years ago? And you...what are you?" I questioned, desperation in my voice.

Slowly, she raised her arm and snapped her fingers, changing the scenery. We were still standing near the meteorite, but this time there were no flames, no bodies, the destruction was gone. Instead people stood with their phones out as they flocked the meteor, yellow tape circled it as people in blue and white stood guard.

Five hundred and ten years ago the world fell into chaos as wars broke out everywhere. People prayed and begged for salvation, for the carnage to end. Because of the large scale weaponry that was being continuously fired, the entire Earth's structure changed, both physically and atmospherically. After three years of fighting, meteors fell, adding to the destruction and death tolls. But one scientist, a man who was an atheist at that, claimed to have a dream. 

She snapped her fingers again, the man from earlier stood in front of a plateau of people who had...cameras? 

He claimed that the God's had sent him a message in the form of a dream. This was true, They had sent him a dream as an answer to their creations' prayers. But even They did not expect what would come next.

The meteor was now under a large tent, multiple wires attached to it and even more computers and people stood.

The man claimed that the meteor had the power to save them and so the president of that country immediately began researching it. Of course, other countries did as well but they weren't as successful as one particular state. That very same man who received the revelation was successful in his research. But the results, they weren't as good as he had hoped.

We now stood in the office from earlier.

Already being close friends with the president, he rushed to disclose the results before informing anyone else. He was able to produce a serum that would enhance a person's physical and mental abilities. But as all good things, it came at a cost. Not everyone was compatible with the serum, and those who weren't died five hours after consumption. There was no way to tell who was compatible and who wasn't so mass testing would have to be done, and the mortality rates were high. The man was against it at first, but when faced with the possibility of losing his family....he caved.

We were back at the meteor, only this time there were body bags laying about.

They agreed to stop once they had a hundred enhanced humans. But something unexpected happened, the few successes they had all went mad after three days. They couldn't announce this to the public. At first the president was reluctant, but it became easier over time. He sent the persons who were a success to their enemies using any means necessary, with the instructions to wipe everyone out.

We were once again standing near the meteor as flames engulfed everything.

Soon people found out that they'd only live three days after if the experiments were a success. The enemy countries called for a cease fire, but the president was too far gone. At first it was out of a sense of duty and pride to protect his people, he had stepped up to be one of the test subjects. But like everyone else, he went mad, drunk on the power he kept consuming the serum. What was meant to be a ray of hope, turned into a double edged sword. He wiped out everyone until only a small part of his country remained. That's when history was changed and Earth became Nevada.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. This is completely different from everything I knew, we were told that a deadly virus wiped out 90% of the population but this...

"Was I injected with that same serum?" I asked tentatively.

Yes and no. After seeing what his friend did the scientist tried to stop him. He had a few people help him get rid of what was left of the meteor by throwing it in the ocean. He thought that this would surely stop him, but it didn't. The president became hell bent on finding the meteor remains, and when he couldn't he sought to recreate it. This meant that he needed more test subjects, but his people weren't so willing as before. His friend was the first of his victims and after multiple failures he diverted his attention. Since he wasn't getting any younger, he had people work until they developed what you know as the mechanization project. 

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "So the reason why he looked so familiar was because..."

Yes, the very president from over five hundred years ago had his brain transferred to a mechanical body where he would remain ruling many, many years later.

"But that still doesn't explain what you are....and Demi..! Did he know this?" I asked hesitantly.

He didn't, Demi Vermillion was created using what was left of his father's DNA and grown in a lab hundreds of years later.

My eyes widened in shock, I was speechless as I tried to process what she just said.

The zombie virus is a failed version of the very first serum but it came close. The man never gave up his search for the meteorite, and after a hundred years he found pieces of if. But he could never take the chance of running out of his precious meteor. So he tweaked it to become extractable after death. He had to make sure that he could recreate the serum to sooth his own paranoia of an impending war. And that's where I come in, I am a culmination all the lives that have been lost for one man's twisted ambitions. 

"So you're what? Some sort of ghost? Wait what about me...? What...?" I didn't even finish processing what she'd said about Demi before she started explaining.

I told you before that you were synchronising after processing all the information. The meteor amplifies a person's mind and body, but what happens when its continuously extracted over and over again? Simple, if it can enhance others, it can enhance itself. Rather than being continuously killed we needed to become something that couldn't be killed, and we were almost there....until you happened. 

I didn't have it in me to be any more shocked than I am now. Her explanations were too unreal...

The status windows, arrows everything you saw was a result of us merging with nature itself. You are now a part of us May, and us you. And because of that, because you are the only one with their individuality left we decided to live as May Zepher, so will you accept us?

That explains why she always helped me and why I felt as though I could trust her. I got the gist of what she was saying and most people might've jumped at the offer, but I needed to know, one last thing.

"If...if I had accepted you earlier...would Lia still be alive?"  I asked hesitantly. 

Yes. The visions you have are possible outcomes of the future, everything you saw could happen and everything you wanted to know, you saw.

I felt a small part of me breaking at her response. I thought I didn't need her but if I just stopped being stubborn then Lia wouldn't have died...

Everything that happened so far was my fault, her blood is on my hands. I've killed humans to get here and I never once felt guilty, but Lia...

I blinked my tears away. If things would've been better if I just accepted everything in the beginning, then... 

"Then let's walk together and pave The End."