Year 2530

7th Underground Base, Egypt.

“General! First to third floor has been breached! I repeat! First–”

The man who wears a green military uniform with four silver stars that pinned on his golden epaulet snatched my wireless headphone and put it in his left ear. He walked out the door but he stopped and glanced over his shoulder, still facing his back against me.

I saw the smug on his face in this dark office and used my headphones as he perfectly mimicked my voice, “Code Violet… That’s an order…”

That code is the abandonment of the base which made me want to kill this bastard even I’m already dead.

The automatic door slowly closing and the last words are unbearable for me to hear by using his original voice, “Too bad, your people believed that I was you.”

When the automatic door locked itself, darkness took over my sight.

♦ ♦ ♦

My name is Natasha Walker. I was born and trained to be the fitting leader of an army and nation to defend the civilians from humanity’s worst enemy.

Shadows.

500 years ago, those abominations entered our world through the black portals that scattered around the world which known as the Gates of the Abyss. The first gate opened in the secret laboratory somewhere deep down of London. Scientists intend to create portals as humanity’s new transportation but it turns out to be the beginning of the apocalypse.

The first shadow that walked across the Earth was a small humanoid black creature with a height of 3 feet and it carries some kind of purple energy balls. That thing acted like a child as it juggles the balls but the scientists were threatened and the armed forces started shooting at it. Unfortunately, the bullets won’t do any damage to a lone shadow and it became upset as it cried in a deafening shriek.

Then it went on a rampage and managed to destroy a city in just one night. That thing it touched can destroy almost everything. From the word ‘almost’, there are specific things that it can’t destroy. Air, earth, fire, and water. It doesn’t make sense and the scientists have no idea how to explain that thing.

The whole world panicked when every weapon they got won’t help to exterminate the one small shadow but then there’s one boy who managed to take that thing back to its original world by using the Teleportation Gun. His name is Ian Walker and he’s my ancestor. He was born to a rich family and has the blood of great leadership which I had in my veins. His invention is the only thing that could minimize the numbers of shadows.

Their celebration after sending the little shadow to its home is a huge mistake. They should’ve closed the gate. However, they did manage to destroy the support of the gate by using the self-destruct function but it was remained untouched while hovering on the huge crater and the result is not successful. It became worse than they imagined.

More shadows gushing through the gate but this time, they are more careful because those things aren’t attacking unless if they were provoked especially that some of them are big as mountains. They walked aimlessly without destroying things as if they are walking black mists. Many soldiers entered the gate to search for answers but none of them come back alive.

10 years later, the scientists couldn’t find a solution to get rid of the gate but they are running out of luck when the moon suddenly turned into a disgusting purple eyeball. We called that thing as Eye of the Apocalypse. It creates 5 to 10 gates in every 10 years. Their attempts to destroy that thing is futile because it can mirror all the attacks. As a result, they let that thing do its job such as shining like a real moon but in a purple version.

A year later, other strange things were discovered. Some plants and animals began to transform into something else. Those things became the living nightmare but thanks to my ancestors, they are only a mere joke to us. That phenomenon was called Shadowfication because it has something to do with the Eye of the Apocalypse’s light.

100 years have passed, the people who are fused to the shadows are considered as a new form of threat to mankind because they became rebels. Those are the people who acted high and mighty when they possessed some kind of power that came from an abomination but they already forgot how those things go back to their home. Shooting them with the use of teleportation gun is their punishment for their stupid rebellion and to those who are still loyal to our nation, they must become part of the military to have some use to their gifts.

My ancestor became a general at the age of 30 and led the army to put the shadows to where they came from because day or night is war. The other nations unite for the greater good but it wasn’t enough to keep up the peace and order in the apocalyptic world. Trust is a serious issue and none of them could predict when the snake tries to bite. They are just being blind and stupid but if it weren’t for my bloodline, humanity would’ve already become extinct.

Speaking of trust, that’s not my issue. I already got rid of the traitors so long ago. My real issue that caused my death is my depression. The snake that I already killed is alive and took that opportunity to strike while I’m defenseless which I regretted for being weak.

And now, here I am. Watching my motionless body in a dark office. My corpse sat on the red chair as the right foot stepped on the foot rest which made my death looks like my pride never dies even after death. I’ve been staring at it for 5 days and no one tries to get my body out of this place. Of course, they abandoned this base after all.

Why am I still seeing this so clearly? I have no fucking clue.

Is this how dead people do after their death? Watching their bodies eaten by mutated maggots until there’s nothing left?

But my dead body’s situation is different. Instead of maggots, some shadows entered the office not long ago and started staring at it. I don’t know if I feel offended or happy that they watched over me.

I crouched and looked at the shattered picture frame on the floor. If my son wasn’t killed last year, I wouldn’t be upset like this. I’m not like my ancestors who can handle this kind of situation. My father was right.

I am a failure.

I failed my ancestors.

I failed my people.

Even I managed to become the first female General of the Army and a President of the last Nation, I failed as a mother because of some old leadership excuses. It’s too late to ask forgiveness to those who died under my administration. That means I wasn’t good enough. If there is a God who watched over me, I only ask one thing.

I want my EVERYTHING back.

It sounds silly and selfish because I want to correct my mistakes but I’m sure that there are no second chances.

“Esigólve sam sóeht o.” The voices of the shadows around my dead body spoke.

What? Did I hear them right? Since when these monsters started talking gibberish?

“Esigólve sam sóeht o.” They said once more and I scratched the back of my head.

“I don’t know if you can see or hear me but I wish I can understand you.”

“God has blessed us.”

Wait… What? Did they translate it for me?

A few moments of my confusion, the shadows finally moved and walked towards me.

Did they see me?

I want to escape but I almost forgot that I can’t leave my corpse. There’s a force that always put me back to where I died which made me think that the only escape for now is to accept my fate and watched the shadows walked closer.

Is this the real end?

Asking myself in this kind of situation sounds pathetic. I better not close my eye and see what’s going to happen to me until those monsters pointed their index fingers at me.

“You… are… the end…”

Those are the last words that I heard from them before darkness swallowed me.

♦ ♦ ♦

Darkness.

That was all I could see around me and I’ve been here for hours. Boredom starting to annoy me while I’m unable to move and floating in the black void. Then I’m starting to ask myself if this place is a real hell because there’s nothing much I could do in here. There’s a feeling that I regretted for being caught by those things which made me thought that leading the army for eternity is better than doing nothing.

“Krak! Krak! Krak! Krak! Kraaaaak!” A familiar voice laughed somewhere.

I heard this insane laugh before… but I can’t remember his name…

Since I couldn’t move, I wish I could find that twerp and interrogate him. Suddenly, I fell on my feet and was able to move again. I wanted to walk around and find that dipshit but I can’t see anything. So I chose to stay on where I’m standing because I might fall into a trap.

“Krak! Krak! Kra–“

I cut him off, “Will you shut up and show yourself!”

My wish was granted when the white light appeared coming from the above and the insane laugh continues. Then something descended from that spotlight and in the moment that it resolved itself in my eye—

“What the actual fuck?”

—a stupid question escaped from my mouth as I watched him descended slowly with some…

Music?

I’m not gonna lie, it sounds like summoning demons. I don’t know how am I hearing that weird music while he’s doing his landing but trust me, I’m going to kick his ass and start asking questions.

“Krak! Krak! Krak! Krak!” He laughed again as I can barely see his glowing mismatched eyes, one blue, one red, seemed to be looked so excited on seeing me.

Wait. Glowing mismatched eyes? I don’t remember seeing him with those eyes before. They’re supposed to be black and now I’m starting to think that this guy is a different person.

When he finally stood in front of me, I can finally see him properly. He is a black guy who seemed like a beggar that is high with heroin since he has bloodshot eyes, some white powdery substance around his mouth, malnourished, wears the same dirty clothing when I first met him and he smells like he didn’t shower for years.

He stopped laughing but the smile on his face didn’t fade and said.

“Interesting.”

The End of Chapter 1