Dear Sir,
As I sit here, penning these words, I can feel the weight of the past upon my shoulders. The Blight—the very name sends shivers down my spine, and I pray that my trembling hand can convey the gravity of our struggle.
You see, I was once a man of faith—a chaplain in His Majesty’s army. My duty was to offer solace to the wounded, to whisper prayers over the fallen, and to keep the flickering flame of hope alive in the darkest of times. But the Blight… oh, the Blight shattered all illusions.
It began innocuously enough. We marched through the snow-covered fields of Berezina, our boots crunching on frozen ground. The French had retreated, leaving behind a trail of misery. Our regiment—ragged, frostbitten, and weary—pressed forward. And then we saw them.
The reanimated.
Their eyes, once filled with life, now glowed with an unholy fire. Their limbs moved mechanically, driven by some malevolent force. They hungered for flesh, for warmth, for life itself. We fought them, bayonets clashing against rotting sinew. But they kept coming.
The Blight spread like wildfire. Men fell, their bodies convulsing as death claimed them. I, too, felt its icy touch—the fever, the ache, the dread. But by some twist of fate, I survived. Perhaps it was my unwavering faith or sheer luck. I cannot say.