Project Blight: Carnage Prologue: Old Faces

Brian sat on the edge of his bed inside his tent, staring at the vial of blood he had stolen from Apollo. It didn’t look out of the ordinary, but he couldn’t shake the thought that if he consumed it, would he obtain the Blight like the others? As he heard Bella and Colby laughing and talking outside, he quickly hid the vial under his pillow just before they stepped in.

“Yo, ready to go on a mission?” Colby asked. “There’s a place nearby that the General is sending a group to rebuild and expand. He said people can volunteer as long as they’re willing.”

Brian nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. No point in sitting around here doing nothing, right?”

“True,” Bella added. “And we gotta make a name for ourselves. Everyone here praises us for being part of the other group, but let’s be real. They did most of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time to show what we can do!” She always spoke with such high hopes and positivity.

Later that evening, everyone gathered at the dining area makeshift tents serving food, a collection of tables arranged like an outdoor cafeteria. After people settled down with their meals, the general stepped forward to make his announcement.

“It’s no secret that we still don’t have solid plans for what comes next,” he began, his voice commanding the crowd’s attention. “We are still in the dark about what this virus is. But that doesn’t take away from what we can do. AND JUST AS ALWAYS, WE WILL THRIVE!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, clapping and shouting in agreement. As the noise died down, he continued, “We’ll be sending a squad to overtake one of the nearby infested cities, reclaiming more of what was stolen from us. We need volunteers capable hands to defend this place and warriors to take back what is ours from the revenants. No one is forced to join, but every hand makes a difference.”

The whispers in the crowd slipped through the air.

“Sounds dangerous, but I wouldn’t mind stepping up.”

“I don’t want to go out there. I wouldn’t.”

“They’re acting like we’re soldiers... I’ll just stay back and let them do the work.”

Brian listened to them, disgusted. He thought about Andrew and how that coward just waited for help, depending on hope and dreams instead of taking action.

The general pressed on. “Anyone who takes part in this mission will have the opportunity to become leaders of the new settlement. You’ll gain access to military equipment and a say in our next steps. This is more than just fighting, it’s about shaping our future.”

Brian, Colby, and Bella exchanged glances. This was the opportunity they had been waiting for. A chance for power. A chance to have a say in what came next.

As the General concluded his speech, the crowd cheered again. He dismissed them, allowing everyone to finish their meals in peace.

“This is it,” Bella said, leaning forward “Our chance to prove what we’re made of. And once we succeed, we can catch up with Tomie and the others and show them what we accomplished.”

Colby shook his head. “Or we stay here, build something bigger, and let them handle their part. We could establish other cities, grow communities, and when they return, we’ll show them our progress.”

Brian stared down at his meal of chicken and soup, now gone cold. “What’s the point of winning a few battles if we lose the war?”

Colby frowned. “You can’t think like that. We don’t have their capabilities. They literally have superpowers... You saw it firsthand, right?”

Brian remembered it all. Apollo’s raw strength, the sheer force behind his every move, the way he tore through revenants after enduring unspeakable torture. Seth, rising from the ruins of that hospital, surrounded by hundreds of dead revenants, the blight running through his veins, power unlike anything human.

“You aren’t wrong,” Brian admitted. “But if we just sit here and wait for them to fix everything, we’re no better than Andrew. Hoping someone else will save the world when we could and should be right there beside them.”

Colby went silent. He knew Brian had a point, especially with how much they despised Andrew for doing exactly that.

Bella crossed her arms. “How about this? After we retake that city, we’ll decide. If they didn’t make it far, we can still catch up. But for now, let’s do what we can.”

Colby nodded, and Brian reluctantly agreed. They left the table, each lost in their own thoughts. That night, as the sun fell below the horizon, Brian made his way to the general’s office. Inside, the man sat at his desk, studying a map scattered with papers.

“Are you here to join the mission?” The general asked without looking up.

“Yes,” Brian replied. “But I have a request.”

Now the General looked up, intrigued. “That depends. What do you have in mind?”

Brian met his gaze without hesitation. “The group I came with split off because they thought staying here would be safer. But if we don’t have a real endgame, all of this is pointless. I want supplies for myself and my friends. If we prove ourselves in this mission, I want the chance to catch up with them.”

The general just stared at him in silence for a long moment before leaning back in his chair.

“The things they did... the people they saved... it was clear they were different,” he admitted. “Their eyes, their presence, something about them wasn’t normal. But I had to focus on keeping this camp alive, on rebuilding.”

Brian clenched his fists. “You felt it, didn’t you? They’re capable of things no one else is. And if we have any chance of saving this world, it’s them. I’ve seen it firsthand. You wouldn’t believe what they can do unless you saw it yourself.”

The general exhaled slowly. “Maybe. But you?” He looked Brian over. “You don’t have that same presence. That same power.”

Brian remained silent.

The general thought for a moment, then nodded. “If... No, when you come back alive, we’ll talk. If you’re serious about this, I won’t stop you from doing what you believe is right.”

Brian responded with pure confidence. “I won’t fail.”

The general nodded once, dismissing him.

Back in his tent, Brian sat perched on the edge of his bed, twirling the vial of blood between his fingers. The dark liquid shifted with every movement, and all he could think about was power.

Could he wield it? Could he take the Blight for himself?

But power is not something to be stolen.

What is given by nature or fate has purpose. But power taken by force, ripped from where it does not belong, is bound to end in chaos.

Power does not bend to those who want it, it simply amplifies what already exists within.

And those who yearn for something that isn’t theirs?

They may get what they desire...But at the ultimate cost. Themselves, their identity.

At sunrise, Brian and the others made their way to the center of camp. Soldiers prepared for battle, weapons and supplies being distributed.

A soldier with a clipboard looked up as they approached.

“We want in,” Brian said. “Is this where we enlist?”

The soldier studied them, three young faces among a rest of rugged adults. “Are you sure? You don’t have to prove anything. No one’s forcing you to put your lives on the line.”

Colby responded “Neither are you. But you’re here, doing your part. Let us do ours.”

The soldier nodded and scribbled their names down. “Stay in the area. The briefing is coming soon.”

As they waited, they listened to the conversations around them, the hopes of victory, fears of failure. And then, the final words before war.

“Today, we take back what was stolen from us.”

The battle for Clovis had begun.