The Cursed

The Earth is no longer our Earth. By the time the polar ice caps finished melting, the salty sea levels had risen higher than any scientist could have imagined. The continents became unrecognizable. Fresh water became a commodity for the rich, but even they couldn't avoid the violent plague of dust storms and disease that began to ravage our world. Food became even more scarce than compassion or humanity. Our biggest threat, by far, surfaced as a blood disease similar to hemophilia, but we just call it "the curse." It is spread by cough, cut, or even by sharing a drink with an infected person. Once you have it, the burden is yours to carry. Some people survive for a couple months; others (mostly the elderly) for only a few weeks.

There is no known cure, though people talk and rumors circulate of a reclusive savior in the desert who may be the key to saving all humanity.

My family has managed to avoid the disease thus far. My mother was killed in a struggle over half a loaf of moldy bread nearly two years ago and my youngest brother, an infant, was too young to survive without her.

We all die. Disease... Starvation... Murder. This isn't our planet anymore. It now belongs to the savage, the soulless, and death itself.

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A special thank you to Marnie-Rae Harvey who let me use her photo for my cover. Marnie is a very special and amazing woman who is afflicted with an unknown condition that causes her to bleed from her eyes and ears up to five times per day. You can follow her on Instagram (@marnieraex)