He opened his eyes, another day. Another boring day. That would have seemed to be the case, until... her.
It was a day at school, cars driving down the street, people walking around town, going to stores, and going on dates.
Not for students of the school though. They'd look out the windows of their school and see the cars leaving town.
Kayla. A girl in the classroom walked up to Xiphos, who sat at his desk, watching the outside world pass by slowly. He hated it. He hated how carefree the people were. How they lived their lives, ungrateful of it.
"Hey. Can I... sit here?" Kayla asked, pointing to the seat across from Xiphos. Xiphos didn't even look and just simply shook his head.
She sat down anyway, despite his obvious answer being no.
"Xiphos, right? Cool. How are you? What are your hobbies? Do you like to draw? Read?"
"Shut up you brat," Xiphos replied, still not looking toward her.
The two were in seventh grade, and both got amazing grades. They were similar in a lot of ways, although Xiphos would never admit it.
"Anyway... I like to read..." Kayla said.
***
Days went by with her constantly bothering Xiphos while he walked to school, while he was in class, doing homework, and even somehow got his home phone number.
"How have you been?" She asked one day, expecting his usual hate.
"Fine. How have you been?" He replied to her surprise.
"I'm great! I'll be out of town tomorrow to go with my dad to the forest! We're going hunting and berry-picking."
Something inside Xiphos shifted, he felt... strange. Something he'd never felt before. He felt like her being gone was going to affect him. He felt... sad.
"When'll you be back?" He asked.
"Don't be too worried for me." She giggled.
***
She was gone for a couple of days and then finally back at school. A boy with dark brown hair approached Kayla on her first day back, asking her out. She stood there without a response and Xiphos rushed up to the boy and pushed him to the ground.
"Hey! What the hell?!" He exclaimed in pain.
"Stay away from her..." Xiphos said, surprised at his own actions.
The boy left Kayla alone for some time, always afraid of what Xiphos might do. One day, however, the headline in the news was that a boy was found dead in a nearby river. Near a forest. The boy was the same one who had asked Kayla out.
While walking home with Kayla, Xiphos spoke to her about the boy. He seemed to know nothing about it, although he could have just been lying.
"Are your parents home?" Kayla asked, changing the subject entirely.
"My parents... are dead. I think. I've never met them." Xiphos said, not seeming the slightest bit sad, despite Kayla's sad expression and her constant apologies.
"Don't feel bad. I've grown up with nobody. I don't need anyone. Not then... or now."
Kayla's expression dropped lower and she began crying. Xiphos looked up, not understanding what her face was doing.
"I'm alright..." Kayla said, trying to look away quickly to hide her tears.
Xiphos instinctively raised his hand, and using his thumb, wiped her tears away. She stood still, shocked by this action, and even looked at him with her face completely red.
"Your eyes are... cool," Xiphos said, staring at her in the eyes. For a moment, she could almost see his eye color brighten as if she was somehow healing his broken and damaged heart. Putting the pieces together once again and making a person, the person he truly was.
"Thank you." She said, stepping back and looking back at him before entering her house. "I'll be with my dad for a couple of days again... I'll see you after that."
She closed her front door.
Days passed by, and with them, Xiphos felt sadder and sadder. He couldn't understand why he missed her, and why it made him sad that she was gone.
That was until she didn't come back as usual.
***
A whole month passed and Xiphos was beginning to return to his normal state again, staring out the window and ignoring everyone and everything that tried to interact with him. He spent his days doing homework or sleeping. He began to realize that he, himself wasn't grateful for Kayla before she left. Just like how everyone else wasn't grateful for their amazing lives. Not being hunted by monsters or murderers.
***
The classroom door opened and Kayla stepped inside, not smiling or anything. Her expression was dull. She was wearing a long tattered dress and her eyes were darker than usual. She approached Xiphos and sat down next to him.
She whispered, "Let's make them grateful, let's show them what they have to lose, and let's make this world more exciting."
Xiphos turned his head and looked Kayla up and down before reaching out his hand. Kayla put hers on top of his and a small tendril pierced his hand. It slithered down his veins and wrapped around his heart. He flinched and when he opened his eyes again, everyone in the class was staring at him and Kayla. Tendrils flew from her back and they all began to try to leave the classroom, which now seemed to be locked.
Xiphos' flesh hardened and his arms grew razor sharp. His bones began randomly firing and forming weapons, which began hitting and killing students.
***
The students were finally instructed to leave their classrooms and run to the authorities outside. Kyo did as much, getting attacked by an infected student and shot for being "infected."
Xiphos and Kayla both vanished from the building, assumed to have been casualties of the incident. The "Pathogens" as they were called began spreading all around, and soon, everywhere was infected. Towns and cities were either abandoned or set up strong fences and walls to protect themselves from the Pathogens. Soon, a city took in Xiphos and thus was called traitors for their actions.
This would start a long-lasting war.