The year was 2052 but it looked nothing like the future people used to dream about. In Las Vegas , the city that once dazzled with bright light's and endless possibilities , now stood as a dark and desolate wasteland. The neon signs that once lit up the night had all gone out.
Meet Arthur Silver. He was a 19 years old guy with wild red dreadlocks , a bit like some famous rapper he used to admire. His black eyes told a story of a world that had lost its color. He didn't care much about what happened to him or anyone else for that matter. Arthur had a cigarette dangling from his lips as he strolled down a street that was now filled with silence.
His love for music never left him , and he wore a tattered jacket covered in patches of bands he used to love. He used to dance to their tunes , but now the only rhythm he knows was the eerie silence of a world overrun by something they called the Hydrus.
Hydrus weren't like the zombies in movies. They didn't groan or shambles instead , they moved silently , their senses sharp. They could hear a pin drop from a mile away , see in the dark , and smell fear. The symptoms of the Hydrus virus were terrifying sweating to much , coughing up green blood , and a mind that craved the taste of human flesh.
As Arthur walked through the empty streets , he heard a soft whimper. It was coming from a little girl , Carina , who couldn't have been more than seven years old. She had blue eye's and blond hair , the kind of hair that seemed like a golden ray of hope in this gloomy world.
"Hey kid , you lost?" Arthur asked , taking the cigarettes out of his mouth.
Carina looked up , tears in her eyes "I can't find my mommy" she whispered.
Arthur sighed and crouched down. He wasn't one to care about others , but something about this little girl tugged at his heartstring. "Alright , come with me ," he said , trying not to sound to gruff. "We'll find your mom."
As they continued through the deserted streets , they stumbled upon another survivor , Michael. He was 27 and had a serious look on his face. He used to be an assassin before the world fell apart. With his black curly hair and purple eyes , he was an enigma.
Michael joined them without saying much. He knew everything about this new world , and that knowledge was valuable , but he kept most of it to himself.
The three of them didn't meet by coincidence. It was as if the world had conspired to bring them together. Their common goal was clear , find out what happened to their world and survive.
As they walked , Arthur took a long drag from his cigarette. The distant sound of gunfire remained them that not all danger comes from the Hydrus. There were other humans out there , fighting over what little remained.
The night grew darker , and the group found shelter in an abandoned building. They huddled up together , the cold seeping through the cracks in the walls. Their journey had just begun , and they had no idea what horrors and mysteries lay ahead.
END OF CHAPTER 1.