Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

It was no understatement to say that the world had changed a lot in the time since it had become infested with the dead. The war between the moderate undead who did not see death as their literal mother, or an actual figure to be worshipped with absolute certainty, and their more fanatical counterparts continued to be waged.

While at the same time, their numbers dwindled as a result. Horde Kings began vanishing into the battles they fought with one another. The one proud ruler of the undead who had brought humanity to its knees with little to no effort, were now themselves starting to become an endangered species.

And without even realizing it, the balance of power began shifting. From absolute control over the world outside of a few small enclaves of the living, back into lands being reclaimed by humans. The war between the two factions of undead caused the living to gain opportunities they otherwise wouldn't have had to gain power.

Powerful enough where challenging tier one horde kings was no longer an impossibility for the average survivor. In fact, even the weakest of the tier 2 horde kings were endangered by the guilds of larger settlements.

Bastion itself became a beacon of hope for humanity. As Bartholomew was forced to flee from his own territory in the face of its growing might. He now hid beneath Lilith's skirt as her personal underling. All the while, the humans reclaimed the city ruins of Carson and Reno.

As well as everything else in between. While the majority of the world was becoming darker, colder, and filled with nothing but death. Bastion remained filled with the living as its vibrant light could be seen within the lands where most human survivors west of the Rockies had now congregated to.

The life that flourished in the area was thanks to Lily and her abilities. Plants and animals frolicked, free from the stench of death, which kept clear of Bastion and its borders. Almost like the very land itself was naturally repelling it.

Meanwhile Angelica's own light of healing helped create a barrier which blocked out the encroaching darkness which continued to enshroud and devour most of the world. Creating a frigid and frozen environment across the northernmost portions of the Earth.

The two of them combined appeared to have created the perfect haven for humanity, and its animal friends to live in prosperity despite the situation growing ever more grim for all life on Earth. None of them knew that Death herself was the ultimate protector of humanity's last fortress in a world which truly sought to eliminate it.

Sure, other survivor communities existed and even thrived in the apocalyptic world. But none were as Paradisical as Bastion. Not even the Cult of the so called goddess and its "haven." The adherents of these lands refused to recognize the truth of their society.

And the fact that it was a farm to foster Lilith's growth. And anyone caught saying such heresy was immediately branded an enemy of their community. But as the darkness began to envelop even the Sierra mountains with only Bastion remaining free of its corrupting influence even the most ardent of the cult's devotees began to silently waver in their faith.

Meanwhile, the remnant began to shrink in power, influence, and overall population as time passed. Initially burying themselves had proven to be the solution to ensuring the survival of the United States Government, or what remained of its leadership following the outbreak of the virus which had been responsible for the damn near extinction of the human race.

However… As time passed, and little ground gained above the surface as a result of their ardent refusal to potentially corrupt themselves with blood crystals. This may have proven to have been their undoing.

In recent months, multiple bunker complexes began to go silent. Nobody knew why, and while teams had been sent to investigate these lapses in communication, none had ever returned. As a result, the Governor of the bunker complex in Oregon was beginning to bite his nails in anxiety.

By now, he was a full-blown alcoholic, as he and his peers had suffered exceptional losses trying to combat the increasingly powerful undead threat. As well as the monsters and beasts which roamed the land, themselves having become an instrument of the dead to wield at their behest.

No, things were not going well for the remnants of the United States government, and because of this, the Governor of Oregon's bunker complex was starting to unravel mentally speaking. However, nothing could have prepared him for the events that he was about to find himself in.

For the first time since the apocalypse began, the alarm system of the complex went off. Sirens ringing throughout the facility. At first he thought, perhaps this may be a scheduled test ,as until now the undead had never attacked their facility.

But as the sirens continued to rage, and screams could be overheard throughout the halls. The Governor quickly realized that this was by no means a scheduled test of the systems. As a result, he quickly got on the radio and began asking around, himself already heavily intoxicated as he did so.

"What the hell is going on out there?"

The words that came back were brief, and disconnected… But they hinted at the threat not being undead in nature.

"Monsters… Tunnels… Underground… God… Us!"
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Just as the Governor was about to call for his own security, he noticed a sound, a scratching sound, as if something was digging through the earth beneath his room. As if something was trying to break its way through the reinforced materials that lie firmly beneath his feet. And then, as if his worst horrors were realized, he saw the ground break in front of him.

A giant hole appearing as darkness spewed forth from the abyss below. And when he could finally see through the debris and the mist, the governor's mouth fell agape as he gazed upon a massive creature, with pitch black dark skin, and a troll like body.

The creature appeared to be wearing the bones of human beings reshaped into a mask as it approached the Governor along with its comrades with a sick and sadistic smirk on its face. No doubt it was intended to have fun with the prey in front of it.

And when the governor realized what had happened to not only his own facility but all those that had lost contact, he hit a button on his keyboard in front of him, using his last moment to send an alert to the remaining remnant facilities.

Naturally, the monsters witnessed this and quickly moved to attack the Governor, grabbing him before he could end his own life, with a speed so swift, it broke the sound barrier immediately. What happened next could not reasonably be described with words as it was a fate so gruesome, the English language would fail to accurately describe it….