March 17th, 2042. The year scientists finally found the cure. It took them even longer to figure out what damn year the remaining one billion people were in. The cure wasn't for everybody, but for the ones who survived? It was experimental at best.

The cures only started on those already known to be infected, a research run by the Human Survival Ministry of Livelihood. One of their first subjects? A retired man from the US Marines. Staff Sergeant Jameson Hertz. He survived, yes, and with several rounds of surgeries, antibiotics, and who knows what else, he beat becoming one of those undead bastards. Only one long lasting side effect? He was wheelchair bound. His legs from half his thighs down were long gone.

The HSML continued this research and evolved it with billions of dollars. At this point, they argued it should've been free. They were bringing back society as a whole, the CEO, Vance Keffler, argued, and the majority of his workers agreed. Well, they had free land. Their entire development had blocked off the United States, Mexico, and Canada, where the virus first began. Nobody was allowed one foot who wasn't trained.

While Mr. Keffler was a smart man, he had his own rumors as well. How his "rampage" was really mourning the loss of his two-year-old son, Hans, and how his wife, Kassy, was having an affair. None were addressed by him, and he refused to let anybody back on his claimed land.

So, one billion people were scattered on the other side of the world, the majority not even being able to call it home.

Russia, China, Korea, Africa, two sisters wandered the streets trying to find a place to fall home. Lela, the 10-year-old and Jacklyn, 16, Cardine, two who barely spoke English. They were Mexican natives, separated from their family during the extraction. The extraction by the HMSL was cruel in itself anyway. So, they continued trying to find home by themselves. Well, they got lucky one night and broke into none other than Jameson Hertz's home and was it kidnapping if he refused to let them leave now? Herzt's home was big enough to them to live in for their own bedrooms.

And a month later, somebody else just had to break in.

And somewhere else in the US, a HMSL employee was walking into Mr. Keffler's office.