Darkness surrounds all of what he sees, no light reaching the pit. It is dark so he wouldn’t be able to see even the smallest of movements even if there were any. Yet he can see figures and shadows moving around in the dark. Paranoia ? Or maybe the innate sense for danger.

Perhaps it is his mind playing tricks, perhaps there are creatures truly lurking.

“I smell fear” the darkness whispers to him.

Suddenly he shudders, not because of the ominous words. But from the cold touch of a bony hand, on his shoulder.

“I am not the one to fear  silly human, but the rot is.”.

Suddenly he realizes what has become of him. He realizes that the embrace of death already reached him.

How could this have happened when he only a year ago, was but a mere high school student that was supposed to attend graduation.

It all started at the end of May, when the first comets fell. And he found his destiny, a meaning in life.

“Woah!! Are those shooting stars? Look!” She said while in his embrace.

“Woah I think you’re right Alice. Quick wish for something!”

“Haha you silly, I’m not a kid. Neither are you anymore. Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

“No not yet”

“Hmm really? But it’s time to send in the applications soon. Just choose something and I’ll follow.

“Well why do you think it’s so hard to choose Alice? I want you to choose something that’ll let you be able to shine like the stars above.”

“ Why don’t you become an Astronomer then?”

Hit with a sudden realization he answers” yes perhaps I will. Wow there’s a lot of those shooting stars, the whole sky is filled with them.”

And then he wakes up, soaking in sweat. “This goddamn dream, why do you still haunt me? Your funeral was a month ago.”

That night was the beginning of what is now called The plague of rot. The night everything changed. The night Alice got sick.

Shortly after, not even a week having passed by. Alice, one of the first in the world. Started to rot while  alive. No anesthetic seemed to work, no sedatives taking effect. She died in immense pain. 

At the beginning the plague was not well known and hadn’t been treated as a genetic disorder. But as more and more got the symptoms and died. It was found that it was a virus that changed the human genome and made the cells kill themselves.

Eventually the world was plunged into chaos, by the plague known as one of the most deadly and contagious throughout history. 20% of the western population died, mostly youths between the ages of 15- 25.

Even though Atlas was in grief he had no choice but go forward in life. He was to attend one of the Universities that  had been established welcoming all those confirmed Immune.