A New Infection

Prologue

When the sky descended in the capital cities of the world, the range of reactions spread from sarcastic and sober. Some made fun of it. ("The sky is falling!" "Of course it is, Chicken Little.") Those who were religious reacted differently. ("God is taking out his wrath on the sinners!" "Has Atlas finally abandoned his post?")

Most of the population went about their daily lives, continuing to send their children to school, going to their everyday jobs. Smarter people acted. They followed their gut or their head, or they followed in the paths of their neighbors. These people spent all their savings. What good was money in the apocalypse anyway? They bought bunkers and cans of food, enough to feed their families and those they stayed with for years to come. Safe stores and real estate made a lot of money; wholesalers made a profit too. They could barely keep up with the demand.

Newspapers printed a wide range of stories and, depending on what the articles told the public, sales either soared or plummeted. Some of the newspapers talked about how the 'President Warns Nation to Take Cover For Safety,' while others provided facts and research, and talked about how 'Scientists Explore Skywide Phenomenon.' Others simply gave up, and had titles like: 'Global Hallucination Baffles All'.

By far, the most successful papers were ones that proclaimed safety for those who stayed above the surface. The second most popular was the papers that attempted an explanation. But no one liked being told they would die.

But finally, the sky ascended back to its proper place once again, relieving millions. Some people came out of their bunkers, leaving supplies sealed behind them. The smartest of all stayed behind, sensing the danger hadn't passed. Exactly one moon cycle after the sky started rising again, a black gas expanded across the tops of the cities. It was lethal, killing those who inhaled it within seconds. The second wave of gas was green and sent men, women, and children alike keeling over in pain. The gas penetrated bunkers, infecting anyone and everyone. The last wave that descended on the world was a white mist, a sealant of sorts. Those unaffected by the green fog died immediately after being exposed to the mist.

The world's population was now one-fourth of what it was before the gases, and 90%
of the survivors had gone insane from the horrors inflicted on their bodies by the green gas.

After months of research of the gases, scientists found the culprit was one that was thousands of light-years away. Aliens. And they had left the human race to wipe itself out.