Ashen

Part Six

(Fifteen years earlier)

Article in Wrathfell Press, August 21st, 2271AD

In light of the mysterious attacks along the border beginning in June, the Mayor's Office has finally released an official statement at 9:00AM this morning regarding many of the questions Wrathfell citizens have been asking for months. According to the release, the perpetrators of these attacks- which have come to be known as the Feral in the eastern half of the city- were, indeed, originally of the Ashen race. A preliminary study by health services on the western side explained the Feral differ in the following ways:

They lack the higher cognitive functions of humans and Ashen, such as complex reasoning and empathy. At this time they are not considered fully sentient creatures.

They are driven by a base desire to consume the flesh of humans or Ashen, with a strong preference toward humans that will lead them to cross the border if possible.

They can reach unnatural speeds recorded as high as 40 mph.

Their Ashen fangs and claws now secrete a green acidic substance.

It is obvious they share their abnormal strength with the Ashen, but whether they can heal rapidly or have the same 'impenetrable' skin is still unknown. Police on both sides of the border have been working overtime to try and curb these attacks. Our sources say discussions have begun about combining human and Ashen forces to try and counter the issue together.

The release also addresses another concerning angle of these incidents. While there is virtually no hope of survival once one has come into contact with a Feral, rumors have spread since July of surviving humans turning into ones themselves. The official statement contradicts these rumors, offering another explanation. It seems that humans who have come into contact with the acid of a Feral begin to turn into regular Ashen, with a few key differences:

Their irises turn a vibrant red, a color not present even in the wide range of bright colors belonging to the Ashen.

They appear to have accelerated healing, but not 'impenetrable' skin.

They can reach higher running speeds than a normal human or Ashen.

The release refers to those affected by the acid as Turned. The transformation takes as little as two weeks since the initial exposure. The acid has no such effect on the Ashen themselves. The mayor and his associates have encouraged any Turned to move to the western half of the city, where they can find acceptance, and their new dietary restrictions- raw meat only, as with any other Ashen- can be catered to. A new orphanage has been scheduled for opening in September with the sole purpose of finding Turned children new homes.

After all this, a final question remains. Why do certain Ashen become Feral? Some scientists speculate it could be a disease that targets the genetic mutation discovered in 2072, then called Ashen Syndrome, that would, after several generations, lead to what we now refer to as the Ashen race. As of today, no definitive pattern has been established between which Ashen become Feral, and the transformations seem entirely random.

('Present' Day, 2296)

Roughly four minutes after the partner's exchange over their first target, the clean up crew arrived. They handled both corpses with care- the only time when Diseased bodies could afford to be treated gently. On either side of the street, human faces had appeared in windows, the bravest and sickest wanting to steal a glimpse of the fate that could have easily been theirs.

Jasper and October watched as the limp thing they had worked so hard to kill was loaded onto a stretcher, like it had been the true victim after all. Captain Haunting's daughter tried not to look away, but desperation kept turning her attention to anything that wasn't the techs checking the body for any remnants of who it used to be.