started to come up with alternative ways of coping in the US. Some other countries were far less tolerant with their own approaches.
Clinics were established, and blood drives were held in places Haunts could easily get to. But sometimes the hunger won out, and sometimes people got hurt.
That was what worried people the most. People like the clerk at the hotel.
I could have explained the facts, but the rumors about packs of starving fiends roaming the streets attacking healthy humans and draining them dry had everyone on edge, though these were extremely rare instances.
Some Haunts didnât handle the hunger well. Iâve been bitten a few times while trying to bring someone in. It wasnât like they could help it. It was instinctual, like an alien program took over, just for a moment. Most apologized after they regained control and realized what theyâd done. It was best to make sure they ate before they went feral and someone got hurt. To be fair, feral wasnât really the right word to describe this lapse, but itâs what everyone used.
While some of us were content to live next to people with this affliction, even donate blood, most were not. In the United States we had an estimated three hundred thousand Haunts that had survived. On the other hand, China had ten times that number. Had.
Hate groups started to grow in popularity. Names like Vampires, Demons and Zombies were being used. Rumors and outright lies were thrown around about them, claiming they could turn others into monsters like them or that this was just a larval stage before they burst open and turned into a Bug. None of this was true, but it didnât matter if it was true. It felt true.
Of course, when the world is covered with stupid people there were bound to be stupid people on both sides. Some Haunts believed their new form to be superior to humans, there were support groups that turned into cults, and some of those who couldnât cope simply gave in to their baser instincts and became the monsters they feared.
It was only a matter of time before the match was lit and the violence escalated. The worst stories made the news.
By September, everyone was demanding something be done to protect the American people, and being an election year meant those demands were answered promptly.
We had lockdowns in cities. Curfews meant Haunts were kept indoors during the night and since they couldnât go out in the day they were basically prisoners in their own homes.
In the end, the fear intensified until there was no other choice but to remove them from the general population. Laws were passed requiring Haunts be registered and surrendered to their closest clinic.
The Outer Banks in North Carolina was chosen because it was a pleasant community surrounded by water and easy to regulate. Due to the Hauntâs weakened constitution, they wouldnât be able to swim anywhere. Eminent domain was invoked to take possession of the entire region. The bridges were guarded, and all fuel was seized making escape by boat or vehicle nearly impossible. The President instituted a nationwide mandate compelling prison inmates to donate blood to keep up the inventory levels. I guess the idea was that things might calm down if voters werenât constantly reminded the problem still existed.
The government made it sound like we were doing them a favor by forcing them to live at a vacation destination for their protection. But really, it was just a fancy prison. An internment camp. We knew it, and they knew it. They even adopted the tourist term OBX, but now it made it sound like a supermax prison.
Testing continued on the infected humans, sometimes with grave results. It didnât exactly encourage Haunts to come to OBX. A number of them were kept hidden by their loved ones, while others fled their homes and hid wherever they could, often resorting to draining small animals and pets, and sometimes people.
These rogues became despised. A
Clinics were established, and blood drives were held in places Haunts could easily get to. But sometimes the hunger won out, and sometimes people got hurt.
That was what worried people the most. People like the clerk at the hotel.
I could have explained the facts, but the rumors about packs of starving fiends roaming the streets attacking healthy humans and draining them dry had everyone on edge, though these were extremely rare instances.
Some Haunts didnât handle the hunger well. Iâve been bitten a few times while trying to bring someone in. It wasnât like they could help it. It was instinctual, like an alien program took over, just for a moment. Most apologized after they regained control and realized what theyâd done. It was best to make sure they ate before they went feral and someone got hurt. To be fair, feral wasnât really the right word to describe this lapse, but itâs what everyone used.
While some of us were content to live next to people with this affliction, even donate blood, most were not. In the United States we had an estimated three hundred thousand Haunts that had survived. On the other hand, China had ten times that number. Had.
Hate groups started to grow in popularity. Names like Vampires, Demons and Zombies were being used. Rumors and outright lies were thrown around about them, claiming they could turn others into monsters like them or that this was just a larval stage before they burst open and turned into a Bug. None of this was true, but it didnât matter if it was true. It felt true.
Of course, when the world is covered with stupid people there were bound to be stupid people on both sides. Some Haunts believed their new form to be superior to humans, there were support groups that turned into cults, and some of those who couldnât cope simply gave in to their baser instincts and became the monsters they feared.
It was only a matter of time before the match was lit and the violence escalated. The worst stories made the news.
By September, everyone was demanding something be done to protect the American people, and being an election year meant those demands were answered promptly.
We had lockdowns in cities. Curfews meant Haunts were kept indoors during the night and since they couldnât go out in the day they were basically prisoners in their own homes.
In the end, the fear intensified until there was no other choice but to remove them from the general population. Laws were passed requiring Haunts be registered and surrendered to their closest clinic.
The Outer Banks in North Carolina was chosen because it was a pleasant community surrounded by water and easy to regulate. Due to the Hauntâs weakened constitution, they wouldnât be able to swim anywhere. Eminent domain was invoked to take possession of the entire region. The bridges were guarded, and all fuel was seized making escape by boat or vehicle nearly impossible. The President instituted a nationwide mandate compelling prison inmates to donate blood to keep up the inventory levels. I guess the idea was that things might calm down if voters werenât constantly reminded the problem still existed.
The government made it sound like we were doing them a favor by forcing them to live at a vacation destination for their protection. But really, it was just a fancy prison. An internment camp. We knew it, and they knew it. They even adopted the tourist term OBX, but now it made it sound like a supermax prison.
Testing continued on the infected humans, sometimes with grave results. It didnât exactly encourage Haunts to come to OBX. A number of them were kept hidden by their loved ones, while others fled their homes and hid wherever they could, often resorting to draining small animals and pets, and sometimes people.
These rogues became despised. A
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