Violet Eyed Apocalypse Prologue

Death.

It's a funny word. It could mean bliss. It could mean sorrow. It could mean peace. It could mean chaos. But you don't know what it actually means, until you witness it for yourself. Until you live through it to know these emotions.

Some people may understand it. Some may grow to despise it. But death also means life. And life means breathing, memories, family, friends, love. And all of it proves existence; survival, who you have become. Your true being. But sometimes life can get the better of us. And that's when life, itself, becomes death.

June 25, 2013

Jonah sat on the old tire swing, pushing it lightly with his legs.

He remembered back, six years ago, when he was only a child, the tender age of seven. His father had climbed a ladder up to the big maple tree, tying a thick rope around the broad branch that stretched away from the bulky trunk, securing a large tire to the other end of the twine. And Jonah had sat swinging on the tire. It was his comfort area. He went there to nurse his painful experiences.

"Jonah!" Anna, Jonah's ten year-old sister called. "Momma wants you to feed the chickens!"

Jonah sighed. Running the family farm was tiring, and very recently became part Jonah's responsibility. His father had fallen from a tractor and it incised his leg rather direly. He was taken to the hospital immediately and his leg was amputated. He was also announced paralyzed from the waist down. He was never to walk again.

Jonah slid from the tire swing, grabbing a small, wooden bucket and filling it with the chicken feed. As he rounded the side of the barn to the chicken pen, he heard the distinctive high-pitched cry of a cat. He spun around; laying eyes on a tiny kitten perched on a rusted crate. It was small, the size of Jonah's hand. It had white fur splashed with orange stripes slicing through the creamy white. But it was its eyes that were odd about it, what captured Jonah's attention. Purple. It had round, gold-flecked purple eyes. Jonah was mesmerized by them.

"Here, Kitty," he called in a light voice, attempting not to scare the unique kitten away. He held out his hand, rubbing his fingers together, trying to attract the cat.

The kitten stared at his hand for a moment, and then lunged, sinking its tiny fangs into Jonah's wrist. Jonah cried out, flinging the kitten away, watching as it crawled underneath the barn. He gingerly fingered the cut that was now spurting blood.

A tingling feeling invaded his body, causing numbness to seep through his veins. He tried to take a step, but stumbled and fell to the ground. His throat stung and he used the side of the barn, pulling himself up. He clung to it, and he felt angry, hating the kitten. The hate pooled at the core of his body and he slammed his fist against the barn, a gaping hole forming. He screamed out in pain as his gums burned, and he touched them, feeling his teeth, now dripping with blood and at a sharp point, almost as sharp as the kittens had been.

"Jonah, didn't you hear me? Stop playing around and get to feeding the hens already," Anna said, picking the fallen bucket off the ground.

Jonah turned around slowly, a depraved smile appearing on his face. He approached her leisurely, taking confident steps. Anna blinked, staring at his face.

"Jonah, what's wrong with your eyes?" she stuttered, backpedaling; matching Jonah's deliberate pace. Jonah only answered with a malicious grin. Anna eventually backed into the barn, pressing her body against it.

"Jonah, go away. Leave me alone!"

But Jonah grabbed her arm, pinning her down, clamping his teeth into her soft flesh, ripping a mouthful off. Anna let out a scream that died down after a moment. And Jonah stepped away, blood streaming from his mouth, letting Anna's cold, motionless body crumple to the ground. But she wasn't dead; she was far from it, because several second later, she stood. The both of them were thirsty for blood and hungry for flesh. And they sluggishly walked towards the house, where their mother and father awaited them.

And the children's eyes; they were round and gold-flecked.

And purple.