Post by Hermedy on Oct 26, 2008 14:30:55 GMT -5
Prologue
Chapter 1: Guardian of Shelly
Chapter 2: Splendid Isolation
Chapter 3: The Entertainers
Chapter 4: Just the Two Of Us
Chapter 5: Universally Acknowledged
Chapter 6: The Departed
Chapter 7: The Dantenora
Chapter 8: A Flock Of Sheep
Chapter 9: Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Chapter 10: Asexual Predator
Chapter 11: I Told You So
Chapter 12: Adam
Chapter 13: The Author is Dead, Part 1
Chapter 13: The Author is Dead, Part 2
Epilogue
Chapter 1: Guardian of Shelly
Chapter 2: Splendid Isolation
Chapter 3: The Entertainers
Chapter 4: Just the Two Of Us
Chapter 5: Universally Acknowledged
Chapter 6: The Departed
Chapter 7: The Dantenora
Chapter 8: A Flock Of Sheep
Chapter 9: Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Chapter 10: Asexual Predator
Chapter 11: I Told You So
Chapter 12: Adam
Chapter 13: The Author is Dead, Part 1
Chapter 13: The Author is Dead, Part 2
Epilogue
667 Dark Apocalypse - Prologue
Dear 667er,
There was no deafening explosion. No earth-shattering crash. No raging winds, or fire falling from a war-torn sky. It was not a violent act of nature or man that signaled the destruction of the world as we knew it. Nor was it the eternal menace of disease or famine. It was the whisper and the ensuing silence. It was the deathly stillness that told you that life would never be the same again.
You know the details as well as I do. The gamma ray burst wiped out 70% of the human population in an instant on that clear summer morning. Continental Europe, Africa and Central Asia were left unscathed, as that part of the globe was not facing the extraterrestrial pulse. Australia, North America, South America, East Asia and Great Britain suffered devastating losses. Friends and families disappeared without a trace. The event left buildings and machines largely intact. But the things that really mattered are long gone.
Suddenly we were faced with impossible questions and seemingly insurmountable challenges. How do you cope with the end when you have been left behind to face it alone? How can you live on without the ones that mean the most to you? How do you motivate yourself to keep on trying after witnessing the abruptness with which life can end?
How do you fill an empty void in your life when the world itself has been reduced to a gaping hole?
Do you remember the trivial things we chatted about that morning? Sitting at your computers, you were gripped by the sudden, unearthly quiet. One by one, you left your seats to gaze through the windows at a horrifying new reality. How long did it take for you to realize just what you were looking at? There are moments when the truth still eludes me.
I know that there were times when you wished that you had not spent that morning indoors, partaking in 667's internet festivities. I know that you have not all been as fortunate as me. I know that there were dark days when you wished 667 Dark Avenue had not saved you from the fate of the Departed.
Maybe you still do...
Every day I wonder. Was it luck or destiny? Was it a blessing or a curse? On that fateful day, we were meant to commemorate the 10th anniversary of our forum. Instead, what is left of our world remembers June 22, 2012 for an entirely different reason. In the safety of our basements, studies and bedrooms, most of the members of 667 Dark Avenue survived the Tragedy of 2012. We emerged from our shelters to deal with the aftermath of an unthinkable catastrophe.
Willis, Sixteen and I have recorded the details of your extraordinary experiences. Many strands of personal histories are enclosed within this single volume. These are your stories - tales of sorrow and hope, temptation and resilience, despair and triumph. As you read them, may they serve as a reminder of the fundamental humanity that will continue to bind us together, no matter how much more the world changes in the coming years. And may they give you hope that better times may still come to pass.
With all due respect,
Tragedy
Tragedy