The time when your actions are judged as good or bad and you are rewarded or punished…
An informed group of secluded “zombies” is aware of the earth’s impending apocalypse and are making plans on taking over the world. The zombies are organized like a bee colony with a queen, worker bees and sacrificial bees. Zombie squads are sent out into the world using various methods to recruit soldiers, and destroy enemies.
Almost ninety-five percent of the United States is uninhabited, and the sobering truth of the matter is that the government has no ability to monitor all of the activities that occur in these rural lands. Officials attempt to record major events in the unpopulated zones, but there simply are not the resources available to do so. Not to mention, if anyone wishes to remain hidden, it is not that difficult to do so with that much open space available.
Across the continent, in isolated pockets, there are unknown hives; entire populations that have yet to be documented or studied. These hives are found in the desert, where the creatures are hard like rocks, and dry and dark and dusty. In the forests, the creatures are larger, and more dependent on water, unlike the smaller northern variety, which are almost pure white. In every corner of the nation, hives are tucked away in the mountains and deserts, the swamps and frozen hills.
Waiting.
Deep in the heart of the Oregon forests, lies the nation’s largest hive. Thousands strong, the colony has existed for as long as humans have been in that region.
Because the creatures in the hive were once humans themselves.
Out of the chaos that is evolution, came a creature whose purpose was not killing and eating, but poisoning and collecting. These creatures infect healthy hosts with a toxin that reprograms the mind. All that matters to the infected is the survival of the colony and the spread of the infection. If the colonies were no more than a collection of infected hosts biting and spreading their disease, the region would have a serious problem. In the hive, the problem has the potential to be worldwide.
Within a colony is a simple hierarchy that keeps the creatures organized and focused. Like bees, there are different classes within these hives, and each infected person is assigned a duty by the queen, the source of the infection. Some are reserved as builders and engineers. Others are hunters and soldiers. Still others are set aside for private service to the queen.
The colony gathers food and wards off predators and expands the hive. For the most part, American hives have never grown beyond moderate in size and have never seriously threatened human populations. The Oregon hives have grown larger due in part to the number of lost hikers every year in state forests. It’s all too easy for a meandering soldier to snag a live human and assimilate them into the colony.
Which is not a pretty sight.
An infected human is little more than an automated shell. The venom used to convert a healthy person into a worker in the hive attacks all four lobes of the brain to a degree, but leaves the brain stem relatively untouched. This allows for the body to maintain major motor functions, but eliminates conscious thought, independent problem solving, and creativity. Infected persons can hear, see, smell, touch, and taste, but they will not attempt undesignated tasks.
The appearance of an infected person is similar to one who has become very ill. The color in the skin depletes until the body appears ashen, more so than others depending on the age of the queen and the region the hive inhabits. The hair becomes thin and oftentimes falls out. The skin becomes thick and rough, as though the entire body is covered with thick callouses. This phenomenon gives the infected an additional visual symptom of unhealthy, though the condition does not seem to slow them down at all.
It can be understood why the assimilated human is often confused with what popular media refers to as a ‘zombie’, though the two have very little in common. The assimilated member of the hive is not dead, nor does it exist solely to find and consume human flesh. It may look infected with death when all one sees is the grey, calloused skin, thin hair, and thoughtless expression, but assimilated humans are very alive and can be killed like any other living creature. The difference between them and the uninfected is the presence of the toxin, and the power the venom has over the assimilated.
Infected humans will continue to operate long after receiving a mortal wound. The venom forces the brain stem to continue to operate for hours after the rest of the vital organs barely function. This allows for assimilated humans to continue to hunt, work, and protect the hive even after they are technically dead, further fueling the zombie fears.
Besides the infected humans that have been added to the hive, there are natural-born creatures in the colony as well, including the queen. These creatures have only received cultural titles, but a common name used in many areas is Reaper. Very little is known of these creatures, and even less is known of the queens. What is known is that the queen communicates with the colony through her Reapers, who in turn send messages to infected humans by way of pheromones. Different pheromones are used to place different orders. There are protection pheromones, as well as build, gather, and attack orders, not to mention the countless small tasks that are chemically transferred.
Reapers are smaller than humans, and shaped like elongated, tube-shaped spiders, complete with eight legs, fangs, and a cluster of eyes, though they behave more like a bee colony.
Hives have existed and thrived for thousands of years in the world, but only a fraction of that time has been in America. This had more to do with a lack of human habitation than a difficulty of environment. In fact, the only places on earth where there are no hives are the places where you will also not find humans residing. And for centuries the hives seemed content to maintain their numbers and preserve themselves as opposed to growing.
Until now…
Something is stirring in the hives, and it is not just in isolated locations. The commotion is spreading from one corner of the nation to the other. Hives are increasing their numbers and preparations can be seen being made from colony to colony. The number of soldiers is increasing and the number of engineers is dwindling. Why? No one knows for sure, but all the measures point to war. What can the hives sense that healthy humans can’t?
The world is plagued with famine, war, poverty, sickness, and death. Humans have never been more engaged in the eradication of cultures and beliefs than they are currently, and the most powerful nations are at the tip of the spear, including the US. It is an era filled with hate, and fear, and destruction, and the Reapers can feel it. The end is coming, and the time has never been better for the hives to make a mighty migration. Like African Bees, the Reapers will gather the colony, and rove the country, killing and assimilating, killing and assimilating, until the world is a hive, alive and crawling with the lifeless servants of the queen. There can be no stopping them once it has begun. There will be no escaping them once they enter a city. Every man, woman, and child will join the colony or be destroyed in the process. The world as it has always been will be replaced. Humans will lose their seat as the most powerful creatures and the Reapers will rule.
There can be no escape.
There is no cure.
There is no standing against the wave.
The Hive is expanding….
Stay tuned for Episode 2!
You must be logged in to post a comment.