Invasion (2)

The world had perished.

No matter when it had begun or how it had unfolded, the world had perished,

and was now horribly broken beyond any hope of return.

That was an obvious fact that could neither be denied nor evaded.

Those who had survived had to make a choice, whether they wanted to or not, whether they had awakened or not.

Flee, fight back, hide, disappear, or become one with those things.

But as time passed and contact between regions began to break down,

survivors stopped making choices.

Like slaves who had given up trying to reclaim their free will, like slaughterhouse livestock wetting themselves in terror as they waited for their turn.

They were adapting...