Empty World: Extended

Author’s Note: I still didn't think I could write this into a whole series, so instead it was extended. All in all it’s about 4x longer and has a lot more explanation and character building. Enjoy.

In a small town lived a rather ordinary man, with short black hair and sharp features. He was still only 16, but lived on his own with a part-time job. Originally an orphan, he had never been adopted and eventually had to leave the orphanage. Luckily, he had meet a kind-hearted landlord who owned a set of apartments. The rooms were full and much too expensive for him anyway, so he was allowed to live in the basement. For someone who never had a chance to go to college or have funding from parents, this kindness was much appreciated. Rent still needed to be paid, albeit at a reduced rate. He got a part-time job and was able to pay. Using the meager funds, the man was able to eke out a living, with a couple small luxuries as well. He used an old laptop to take online courses to gain qualifications for a better job.

One day, while working on his classes, he saw that the news stations were in an uproar. Before even having time to check, a sudden surge went through the electronics, frying them. Lights, heat, computer, nothing electronic was spared. From the sizzling and swearing he heard in the other rooms, he was not the only one. At the same time, he experienced an immense headache. Collapsing, without even the energy to scream, another problem arose. There were numerous people driving when the surge hit, and most lost control of the vehicles. One car, a truck, lost control and rammed into the apartment. The walls easily collapsed and several columns were damaged.

Moments after the truck hit, the building lost support. The first part to collapse was the bottom floor. Unable to hold the weight, it fell into the basement. Losing the rest of pillars holding the weight, the rest of the apartment collapsed. Slowly, floors collapsed into each other, until only a pile of debris and dust remained.

On that day, the sun fluctuated and a powerful solar flare hit the planet. An unknown energy had mixed with the solar flare. The power of the flare demolished electronics and all had a terrible headache. If a person’s will was not strong enough, it was stripped from them. It also weakened and degraded most who resisted. At the same time, another strange phenomenon occurred. Humanity entered a state of quasi-immortality. A person’s body would continue to work unless the brain was damaged beyond repair. Aging itself stopped after a certain point and those older stayed as they were.

Those who lost their will had it replaced with a hate. Hatred for life consumed them as they lost all intellect. With mindless rage driving them, they would attack anything, apart from each other, with life. Plants were torn to shreds and trees toppled. They lacked the tools to attack efficiently, so many trees were felled with teeth alone. The survivors grouped together and salvaged the remains of once-great cities to make their own. They did not require food or water, so they enclosed themselves completely. Giant walls were constructed and some buildings were made inside. Most were ramshackle huts, but others were made properly.

Years passed, and with the loss of working and even the concept of the outside world, the force inside people’s minds gradually started to prevail. These survivors did not gain the hate, but instead lost many positive emotions. They started living to please themselves. Regenerating bodies and lack of ethics propelled them into the depths of depravity. Pain and suffering became the norm and kindness the strange.

A decade after the incident, in a collapsed building, gradual wear caused parts of the rubble to shift. This in turn dislodged a man, who had been trapped since the beginning. A metal beam had crushed his legs, and his mind stayed comatose as a form of defense. Blood-loss could not kill now, so his body continually tried to repair itself. Now that the beam was out of the way, it was possible to do so. The man stirred and eventually woke up. His appearance had changed over the years. His hair had continued growing and he had aged to the limit of quasi-immortality. Years in darkness had caused his skin to become deathly pale.

As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was wreckage. Emerging from the ruins, he looked around. A nearby brownish-red stain aroused his curiosity. Looking closer, he realized that the stain looked rust-like and had originated from a skeleton, crushed in the ruins. He recoiled and tripped back into the cavity he had left. A closer inspection of his surroundings revealed that the entire city was dilapidated. Skeletons with crushed skulls littered the streets. There was something clearly off about those who walked the streets. They had torn clothes and twisted limbs, with blood dripping from toothless gums.

The man desperately held in his screams and tried to retreat. A scrambling behind him alerted him, as one of the twisted people saw him and started lurching closer. In a fit of terror, the man grabbed a chunk of rubble and bashed the twisted creature. It fell, but continued to twitch. Acting on instinct, the man continued to pound the head, until it was a lump of blood and brain, dribbling from what was once the skull. A lone eye stared up at the man as he started to dry-heave. He had not eaten for years, so vomiting was impossible.

Finally regaining some of his wits, the man fled. He avoided the few living abominations until he was able to leave the town. Originally, there was a forest around the town. Now, there was a wasteland of stumps, rotting logs and death. The dirt contained no trace of life and was slowly becoming sand. Running desperately through the remains, the man eventually found a small cave. He hid in it, panting for several hours. He eventually calmed down enough to despair at the situation. “Why! How could this happen!?” ran through his head for hours. At the peak of his insanity, it started to change to depression. Slowly, the man fell asleep in the cave.

A strange fog met him as he opened his eyes. There was no floor or ceiling, no sun or lights, but somehow he was able to see. An indistinct figure stood deep in the fog.

“Welcome,” it greeted.

“Where is this?” the man cautiously asked, “Who are you?”

“This is your dream,” the figure answered, “and you can call me the Administrator.”

“Administrator? Administrator of what?” was confusedly inquired.

“This planet,” was the response.

Seeing the confusion apparent on the man’s face, the Administrator continued.

“An administrator technically. You see, everything living has a soul, or life-force”

A gesture changed the fog into a black space, filled with planets.

“However, there is a limited amount of life-force, and it is never used up. It circulates between planets to keep each at about the same amount. Each administrator has one planet that it adds to the loop.”

The display changed again to show shadowy figures behind each planet.

Seeing the unasked question in the man’s face, the Administrator spoke once more.

“We are not gods, in addition, we normally cannot interact with those on our planet. We just enable the flow of life. If a planet loses the ability to sustain it, we wait until it runs out and move to the next. Like this, life-force cycles and enables life to flourish on the planets. As you can see, there are many different planets currently with life.”

As the Administrator talked, the background shifted continuously, showing planets full of jungles, or deserts. Strange and exotic creatures flew on some, while others consisted entirely of plants. Sometimes, humanoids could be seen, fighting with high-tech equipment, or even magic.

“Normally, I would be unable to call you here,” the Administrator continued, "however, circumstances changed that."

“Immortals are not supposed to exist. As they hardly ever die, but still make children, this planet is now acting as a plug, gathering life-force. The other planets are only getting sustained from the life-force that the other creatures and plants had. That will soon run out.”

The Administrator pointed towards the still rather confused man, “This is where you come in. I need someone to fix the situation, and you clearly don’t like it either.”

Hearing that, the man perked up. “I can fix this?” he asked hopefully.

“You can, but there is a price. In order to prevent others from stopping you, I will remove you from the loop. You will be unable to die, even if you get smashed to atoms. Eventually, your body will reform. Also, the mindless will not even sense you. Unfortunately, if you leave the loop, you will not be able to follow the others to the next world. You shall be trapped here.”

The man hesitated, before finally speaking up, “If I can stop this madness, then I accept.”

“Good,” the Administrator gave a rare smile, containing hints of sadness, “you will regret this.”

Before the man could reply, the Administrator and the fog vanished.

Shaking off the knowledge he learned as a dream, the man decided to try and put together what he knew. Strangely, some parts were difficult to remember. In the end, he couldn't even remember his name. “Why? I can remember all sorts of things. Why can’t I remember my name?” Putting his unease on hold, the man decided to leave the cave. He had walked a few paces before realizing that he was surrounded by the mindless. Strangely, none even took a step his way. The man remembered the words of the Administrator. “No way, that wasn't a dream?” Gulping, the man forced down his indecision and grabbed a rock. If he had to forcibly remove the life-force from this planet, than the mindless had to be purged. Brains splattered as the rock impacted. He could hardly hold on as feelings of revulsion and horror swept through him.

After finally killing those around him, the man stopped to consider. After spending a couple moments in thought, the man realized something. He could feel something escaping from the bodies around him. If he concentrated, he could feel the same force from many places around him. “I guess I've also gained the ability to sense life-force like these creatures.” In the innermost parts of his mind, he had already stopped considering them as humans. Very few had survived over the years and it seemed most of them gathered in large groups. “I suppose I shall have to trust the Administrator” The man decided to act and also made a different decision. “I shall need something to call myself,” Looking down at his deathly pale hands, he had his name. “I shall call myself Pale Death, because I have to take the role of the reaper.”

Several hours later, the man had searched the town he used to live in and found some resources. After the solar flare, the sun seemed to be weakening and so the planet was starting to cool. While the cold could not kill Pale Death, he still found it unpleasant, so he grabbed a coat. Most of the weapons had been taken, but he was able to acquire a handgun and an axe. Taking those with him, he started on his journey, killing the mindless he encountered as he slowly walked the world.

A year later, after travelling countless miles, Pale Death found something new. Massive walls towered before him. All the mindless in the area had gathered trying to get in for the life-force within. Pale Death quickly realized that this was a city of survivors. Against his will, he started getting his hopes up. A year of solitude and death had hardened him in many ways. Since he first became truly immortal, he had been fighting constantly. In addition, wounds healed instantly, so his attacks became just as damaging to himself as his enemies. His body would then heal and become more powerful than before. However, he still longed for conversation.

A massive leap sent him on top of the walls, so he could observe the city. His hopes crashed and he became sickened by what he saw. Humans tortured, raped and butchered each other. Pain and pleasure had become the only things they could feel, so they pursued it relentlessly. He realized now why he had been sent to remove the life-force. The people living here had lost all semblance of a purpose and had only a perverted abomination of a life.

The areas near the walls had relatively few people and none noticed when he dropped in. Grabbing the blood-encrusted axe from his back, Pale Death cleaved the head of the nearest in two. Blood fountained and the walls started dripping. After dislodging the axe from the remains of the skull, he moved on to the next. This person had noticed him and saw him approach, bloodied axe in hand. Seeing how Pale Death had killed the first person without hesitation, the second started begging and pleading for his life. Pale Death was taken back, he had only killed the mindless before and had not even considered that these people were able to think. Stumbling he started dry-heaving as the realization hit him.

The man, not expecting his pleas to work so well, took the chance and viciously attacked Pale Death. The attacker pulled out a knife and stabbed it through Pale Death’s head. When the knife was slowly pushed out and the wound closed, he starting backing up in horror. At this moment, Pale Death solidified his purpose. Swinging the axe with new found resolve, he killed the second person. His eyes cold, he surveyed the corpses. “They may be able to think, but they’re just as disgusting as the rest” Keeping that in mind, he started the slaughter. The axe was too slow, and he had grown more powerful, so he discarded it. Using his bare hands, he grabbed his opponents heads and based them against walls until they shattered like eggs.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Eventually, he had cleared the whole city. The city had much better equipment than what he had before. Guns and clothes may have been needed when the city was formed, but they had been abandoned shortly afterward. The storage area contained several guns and more than enough ammo. Pale Death left the tiny pistol and instead grabbed two hefty revolvers. The pistol had been unreliable due to age anyway. Revolvers were made much more simply and held up better over time. He tried several of the other guns, but most were broken or barely functioned. The sun was still cooling and the meagre clothes he picked up at first were covered in blood and hardly wearable. They were swapped out for other clothes and a dark overcoat.

His business in the dead city finished. Pale Death left to head towards the next group of survivors. Most areas had dried until they became wastelands, with only corpses inhabiting them. As he travelled through these, Pale Death used his new guns to kill the mindless. His accuracy quickly grew. He continued to travel throughout the years, eliminating cities he found and wiping all mindless from the planet.

Years later, in a different city, a child was born. This child was a rarity. Human reproductive systems still worked and were used constantly, so there was no lack of newborn. What made the child rare was the parents. While the father was just as degraded as the rest, the mother had managed to keep her humanity. When the child was born, the mother and child hid away. The mother had gone through many hardships and had almost given up hope. When she had the child, she almost killed it herself. However, she quickly realized that the child had inherited her humanity.

Together, the mother and child lived. They had found a cavity in the construction of the city, and, as they required no sustenance, they didn't have to leave. Grateful to have something to live for, the mother named the child Sophie and raised her as well as she could. Sophie had the innocence typical of a child and was obedient as well. Their happy days lasted several years.

When Sophie turned 8, she and her mother celebrated quietly. Sophie had grown a lot since her birth. She had almost luminescent blond hair and wide blue eyes. Combined with her soft features, she was the very picture of innocence. However, on this day, someone stumbled into the cavity they lived in. Sophie’s mother distracted the intruder so that Sophie could escape. This was the first time Sophie had entered the city and she had no idea where to go. Her mother had warned her of how dangerous others were. Sadly, while she was running, the ruler of the city saw her.

The city ruler was a disgusting man who had risen to power by hoarding the weapons and equipment quickly. Although being the ruler hardly mattered, he was able to order others around. Using this power and the hoarded weapons he gathered followers who would obey him blindly. As he and most other humans degraded, he gained an interest in defilement. Every day the youngest would be sent to him. When he saw the innocent child running, he could not resist and swiftly ordered his men to follow.

Sophie had never run and was rapidly getting worn out. A brief glance showed her something odd on the wall. It seemed to be a person. While Sophie felt fear and revulsion towards most of the humans she saw, this one seemed different. Hoping against hope, she ran toward the wall as the person dropped.

Pale Death looked around at the most recent city he entered. It was quite similar to the others with only crumbling slums in the outskirts, but in the center there appeared to be a rather large building. Presumably the person with the most power lived there. Pale Death sighed as he looked up at the full moon, “The last one, it’s finally the last one.” He shook his head, escaping his reverie, when heard footsteps. There were several and he could feel life approaching. He had gotten more equipment from the previous cities, so he reached into his coat and prepared the dual magnums he used most often.

A brief scuffle brought his eyes to the nearest alleyway. A young child was fleeing from several people ranging from youths to men. Initially, they all ignored the him and chased the child. However, the child had seen him and ran towards him, hoping for the best.

“Please!” She begged, “Help me!”

“No one will help you in this city,” the leading pursuer laughed, “the leader wants you and no one will go against him.”

The child continued to run towards him and hid behind him when she got close.

“Oi!” the pursuer yelled, “Hand her over before we go after you too.”

The man shifted his eyes from his surroundings to the group in front of him. As one, they took a collective gasp. His eyes, which originally seemed to have a slight red glow now changed to a deep red. The leading pursuer swallowed his fear attempted to intimidate the man.

“Do you even know who you’re dealing with!”

“I don’t,” the man spoke for the first time, “and I don’t care.”

Pale Death pulled his magnums from the coat in one smooth motion and opened fire. His honed accuracy went to work as each bullet drilled through an enemy's head. Blood and bone showered the walls as the men’s heads exploded one by one. The last remaining opponent was able to pull a gun and fired. Whether by fluke or skill, the bullet hit Pale Death in the eye, shooting out the other side. Pale Death ignored the bullet and approached the attacked, who lost the strength to stand. His knees on the ground and trembling, the attacker screamed.

“Who are you?! What are you?!”

“I am Pale Death” was his brief answer before his brains decorated the wall behind him.

The girl, still hiding in the shadows, took this opportunity to approach.

“Thank you!” She wailed tearfully, “Thank you so much!”

“Why are you thanking me?” Pale Death inquired.

“You saved me!”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you did!” the girl was, rightfully, quite confused.

“I see.”

Overcoming her confusion, the girl decided to introduce herself.

“I’m Sophie,” she proclaimed happily, “What’s your name?”

“I already said. I am Pale Death,” the man reiterated.

“That isn't a name,” Sophie insisted, “You must have a name right?”

“I am Pale Death,” the man responded, slightly irked, “in any case, stay here for now. I have some other business to attend too. I’ll return later.”

“Okay!” Sophie smiled. She had clearly placed her trust already.

“You might as well get some sleep,” Pale Death remarked, looking at the moon. “It will be some time before I come back.”

After saying his piece, Pale Death turned and continued along the path to the main city as Sophie curled up to sleep behind him.

“Such innocence is rare in this world,” he thought to himself.

Continuing to the main roads, Pale Death found droves of people, indulging in anything they might desire. Most performed almost constant sexual acts, but some had degraded even further, finding pleasure in things such as cannibalism. Seeing the depths to which humans had fallen gave Pale Death peace of mind, and proved his journey correct. Giving a slight smile, he exchanged the magnums with sub machine guns he had acquired in a previous city. The guns were quickly loaded and prepared.

Walking forward, Pale Death started the massacre. Bullets flew and blood painted the walls as the hit their targets. Sub-machine guns were much less accurate than magnums, so stray bullets hit other targets. Soon, the air was full of blood and limbs. Regaining their senses, the inhabitants fought back. One grabbed a rock and swung desperately, before the handle of a gun pummeled his skull. Bullets tore through Pale Death as often as they did his enemies, his already tattered coat gaining more holes. The new holes were soon hidden by the splatters of blood. Corpses littered the street and the dirt was saturated with blood, but the bloodbath continued.

Soon, people started trying to hid, but never for long. Pale Death sought them out and hunted them down. The number of attackers dwindled as more and more tried to hide. However, they never managed to hide for long. The gunshots, screams of the dying and pleas for mercy started to blend into the melody of Hell.

In the great hall at the center of the city, the ruler of the city heard the commotion. Not bothering with those outside, he got his followers to group up with the most powerful weaponry on hand. Each member had bulletproof vests and a sturdy helmet. The ruler himself hurried to put on a full defensive suit. The group waited, sweating and nervous, in the town hall for the intruder to show his face. After a long wait, the screams and gunshots finally quieted down. The tension rose until the doors to the hall creaked slowly open.

Before they had a chance to fully open, the ruler screamed, “Open fire!” His followers weaponry was clearly much more powerful, as they had machine guns and assault rifles. Bullets flew through the hall and pulverized the door. After several minutes of firing, the steady stream of lead lessened until all guns stopped firing. The followers started slowly smiling as they realized the destruction they wrought. Their celebration lasted until the dust started clearing. Standing in the doorway was what could hardly even be described as a corpse. There, riddled with bullet holes and covered with blood, stood Pale Death. The impossibility of him still standing shocked those standing. A sizzling noise became audible as the wounds closed and mist fled from the closing wounds. The shocked silence lasted until the first gunshot. One at a time, each person had a magnum shot explode their head. Pale Death had switched to twin magnums for the town hall and once again, the melody started as bullets punctured helmets and skulls alike. Although they fought back, people were dying left and right. When the sound started to diminish again, only the town’s ruler still lived. The ruler tried to backpedal as Pale Death approached, only to slip and fall from a dismembered arm.

“What are you!?” the terrified shout rang out in the new silence.

Pale Death gave another slight smile.

“I am the one who has to clean this world.”

The previous towns ruler could only stare in fear and disbelief at the incarnation of death before him. In the ruined town hall, a last gunshot was heard before all returned to silence.

Pale Death returned to the alleyway to find Sophie awake again. Seeing the guns still in his hands, she was surprised and inquired,

“What was it you had to do?”

Hesitating slightly, he decided to answer, “Have you heard of reincarnation?”

“I have…” Sophie trailed off, unsure of why he had asked.

“This world starting to die years ago,” he continued, “these people were never meant to live for so long, or to continue increase the population.”

Sophie tilted her head, still confused to what he was saying.

“Souls are meant to travel to the next world after death,” he sighed, “here however, they stayed and even created new souls. In order to fix this problem, I was given true immortality, to hunt down the people remaining in this world and transfer them to the next.”

“If you have true immortality, then that means you can never die right?” Sophie inquired.

“That is corre-” Pale Death started to answer, but was cut off.

“But if there’s no one else, wouldn't that be really lonely?”

“That is the price I must pay,” he stated, “in any case, it’ll be a long night, you should get some sleep.”

Still skeptical, Sophie decided to comply and settled down to sleep. Within minutes her soft snoring could be heard. Pale Death felt some regret as he watched her, as there were several things he hadn't said. “This city is already the last,” he considered, “it’s already just us.” He stood. In the darkness, something clicked. “May you find happiness in the next world,” he prayed. The gunshot echoed forlornly through the remains of the city.

The sun was gradually extinguished and the planet descended into a new ice age. Through the snow, there was a single set of footprints. In the darkness, a Pale Death continued to walk. He had lost count of the years in solitude. After an indeterminate amount of walking, he decided to rest. He would not suffer from sleep deprivation, but sleep gave some moments of respite. Lying down in the snow, he closed his eyes as darkness overwhelmed him.

Author’s Note: if you like bittersweet endings you should stop here. If you want a happy ending, then continue.

Epilogue:

Pale Death found himself in a familiar dark area. An Administrator appeared before him and announced “You are entering my planet, and your immortality will be revoked.” Before the scene faded out again.

Pale Death slowly opened his eyes. The area he was in didn't seem to be the dead planet. He had to close his eyes again from the brightness, a warm light, that his eyes was unused to. he managed to open his eyes again and sit up, but before he could get his bearings, something knocking him down. Continuous soft impacts hit his chest. Finally gaining his bearings, he was unspeakably surprised. A bright sun lit the sky with lush forests and green hills spanning the horizon. Looking down, he saw what was hitting him. It was a strangely familiar young girl, with blond hair and blue eyes.

“How could you be so mean!?” Sophie shouted at him.

“Eh?” he responded stupidly, “What happened?”