Year 2035 after the Cataclysm. Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany

Before the sun had even begun to rise, I found myself perched at the edge of a crumbling building, looking down upon the ghostly ruins of what once was Düsseldorf's bustling city square.

Below, the infected wandered aimlessly – previous humans who were now nothing but hollow shells drifting in apocalyptic land. Their haunting moans sliced through the silence of dawn, a melody I'd heard far too often.

As I breathed in the ash-laden air, I let out a sigh.

It's getting cold.

It took only one step forward for me to feel like I was going to tumble. But my heart remained frozen, refusing to acknowledge that death was staring at me in the eyes.

The ledge on which I stood crumbled under my feet, sending a cascade of debris into the abyss below. The infected turned, their lifeless eyes briefly locking with mine. Finding no signs of prey after a couple seconds, they resumed their eternal wandering.

It was hard to tell who was the hollow among us. I grinned awkwardly at my own thinking, feeling stiffness at the corners of my lips.

Over the horizon, an ominous light emerged, signifying the start of a new day.

Without hesitation, I stepped off the edge.

In that fleeting moment of freedom, I could hear nothing except the ground rushing up to meet me and the roar of the wind echoing in my ears.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, I hit the ground. My bones shattered, my skin ripped, and the breath was driven from my lungs. The pain hit me like a battering ram; it felt like white-burning knives were piercing every inch of my skin, and hot stars burst through my field of vision.

Yet, as always, my body began to mend itself. Bones knit back together, the flesh repaired itself, and agony slowly faded.

I slowly climbed to my feet, soaked in thick scarlet blood mixed with dirt. My skin, alas, remained as flawless as a baby's, like it had never suffered any kind of injury.

Why?

The infected gathered around me, drawn by the noise of my fall. Their grotesque faces, twisted by the virus, were nothing more than a blur. As I dropped my shoulders, I could almost taste the iron in the air from the blood all around me. A taste that followed me around like a shadow.

Why?

I felt like laughing, but I had forgotten how to do so. Like a trigger, my eerie smile set the infected in motion.

They swarmed around me. Their decayed hands clawed at my torso, inflicting tiny cuts that healed before they could form, while their teeth bit into my flesh that refused to yield.

Why can't I die?!

Numbness crept in.

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Although parts of my body were being constantly torn apart by the bites of the infected, I moved. Each step was heavy, carrying a burden beyond the infected's mindless hunger.

I pushed through the horde with only my two legs, undeterred by their bites and scratches. Even the mindless abominations could not outlast me and were left writhing on the asphalt, their muscles aching from too much exertion.

I found myself trudging down the desolate Königsallee in the heart of the city, unfamiliar with the destroyed landscape. The office buildings, restaurants, and shopping malls stood as hollowed skeletons, their facades crumbling under the relentless march of time.

The streets I stepped on, streets that had once echoed with the hustle of life and luxury shopping, were now silent, save for the occasional distant cry of a feral animal or the unsettling rustle of wind through abandoned cars.

Nature was slowly but surely reclaiming its domain from humans now that they were no longer there. As I walked, my blood-spattered feet crushed the wildflowers and vines that were trying to squeeze through the gaps in the pavement, leaving a red trail in my wake.

The Cataclysm had transformed the once tranquil Düssel river, which was surrounded by an attractive array of lined trees, into a brown, smoke-filled marsh.

My nose twitched from the thick stench of decay and overgrowth. I had trouble recalling what a pleasant smell was supposed to be like.

And yet...

Despite the foul smell, despite the chaotic destruction of the city, I could still feel a gentle pull on my heartstrings.

I forced a smile, and for a split second, I felt the distant echo of an emotion I could scarcely remember.

Perhaps it was happiness... or a sense of longing.

However, I knew the void hidden behind my smile. The muscles moved, but the spirit had faded, much like the colors of the world around me.

In the end, it was a lie. I was a man who had lived too long, who had seen too much, and in the process, had slowly been stripped of the very emotions that once defined him.

I once cherished the company of loved ones, their presence a guiding light in my life.

I once held onto a purpose, a reason that gave each day its significance.

Yet, time, in its never-ending march, has blurred the faces of my loved ones, dimming the vivid memories that once gave life its meaning.

There was only one thing time couldn't kill.

Hatred.

A flaming hatred that required no fuel to burn forever.

My chest heaved up and down as I thought about my 'gift', Immortality.

An elusive dream, the ultimate desire of mankind. It went by a lot of names. Who would not want to live forever, never aging, never succumbing to any of life's frailties? It's the epitome of accomplishment, isn't it? To stand outside of time, to watch centuries flutter by as if they were mere moments.

I gnashed my teeth like an untamed beast.

A 'gift'?!

In an act of violent outburst, I smashed a decaying tree to powder with a punch.

This so-called 'gift' is nothing less than a curse in the ugliest of guises.

I witness all that I love wither and perish time and time again, while I am forced to endure, forever unchanging. A mere spectator without any power.

My pupils widened, becoming black holes that ate away at the light of sanity I contained within.

Immortality is pure torment that slowly and monotonously gnaws at the soul, yearning for the sweet release of death that never arrives.

It is not a blessing; it's the cruelest joke ever played on anyone unfortunate enough to receive it.

In an effort to relax, I took deep breaths out of my nose. My sanity had been eroded by long centuries of isolation. If anybody asked me how my voice was meant to sound, I would have no idea at this point.

As for the regrets I harbored in the distant past, they too have been buried deep beneath the weight of countless years.

There are no scars to tell the tales of my past. No objects or memories to remind me of the life I used to know.

Except, perhaps, for the photograph in the right pocket of my bag – a tattered relic smeared with blood and dirt.

The image was fading and barely recognizable, but it had accompannied me for a very long time. It showed two young middle-schoolers, both sharing similar physical traits. I can discern that the boy is me, but the girl beside me is a mystery. Her face evokes no recognition, no flicker of emotion in my heart.

In a moment of detachment, I toss the photograph away, continuing my endless march with a gaze as vacant as the world around me. Toward nowhere, for no reason, just moving because that's all there is left to do.

But then, I pause.

A sigh escapes me as I confront the futility of my gesture. Driven by an inexplicable pull, I retrace my steps, retrieving the enigmatic photo. Carefully, I place it back in my bag's right pocket.

And so, I walk on...

...into forever, a wanderer bound to an eternity with no end in sight.