The Faet of the World

Chapter One

Year: 2025

I walked my normal path, the one I traveled every day. Breathing in the fresh air, I looked around at the redwoods. You'd think by now I would be used to the loneliness. That I would be used to seeing the now empty homes of all the other nymphs that used to mingle around me. It never got easier, though.

Every tree was just another reminder that I was alone here, the only wood nymph left is these woods and quite possibly the entire world. Any other fae has either been infected, recruited by the "New King" as he likes to call himself, or is fighting against him.

At this point, you're probably wondering what in the world is going on. Let my begin by simply introducing myself. My name is Willa and I am a wood nymph. I used to call the California Red Wood forest my home, but by now it just seems like a graveyard.

I don't remember exactly what year I was "born" but I know I had been at around at least 100 years before all the chaos began. Now, I don't really even know how long it has been since the virus plagued the earth. Time seems to move differently when you're alone.

Before all of this happened, I had a few opportunities to sneak some glimpses of what the humans called "movies". I never understood how these little boxes with moving pictures worked, but they always entranced me.

I enjoyed watching the humans. It seemed like every year they'd bring even crazier things with them when they went "camping". When they brought the movie trapped in what they called "portable DVD players", I was captivated. Whenever I spotted a human with one, I'd perch myself in a tree and watch the moving pictures. The humans never saw me, then again, they never really saw anything.

My favorite kind were the ones that would have me laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. My least favorite...the scary ones. I've never liked being scared. The other nymphs used to joke about me being a pansy.

I remember one very clearly that seemed to haunt me for weeks afterwards. It was about these things called "zombies". I honestly thought zombies were just fantasy creatures that didn't really exist. Just like most humans didn't think the Fae existed. One day, that all changed.

Throughout my years, I noticed that humans have a bad habit of meddling with things they shouldn't. From the rumours that had spread throughout the forest, the humans were at it again.

I'm not sure if the story is true, but I heard that a "scientist" tried making humans better. I guess the wanted to be stronger, faster, and to live longer. I don't understand the last one. It becomes a bore after so many years.

Long story short, the syrum the created didn't work out the way they had planned. Sure, it accomplished everything they had wished for, but it also made them feral. The changed humans thrived on raw meat of other creatures, including the Fae. I don't know how the syrum gave them the ability to see us, but it did.

I really didn't think the mess up with the syrum would affect us. None of their other illnesses ever did. Boy, was I wrong...