[ STAGE THREE : THE SUMMARY ]

WORD COUNT : 434 

THEME : DEATH AS A MYSTERY, DEATH AS A NEW BEGINNING

SUMMARY :

50.24% of the world's population is male — after 168 hours only 1.24% remains. 

The male species is dying. Quickly. Large cities are left as tombs and survivors cling together in rural pockets. Young Martin has seen what the virus can do as it wiped out every father, uncle, brother, and son in his small hometown, White Pine. A black X on front doors means infected or dead lay inside. Fearing that the virus is borrowed within him, ready to take his life at any given moment, Martin leaves.

He embarks on a journey through the locked-down towns of America's heartland, where black X's are abundant, searching for a better place in the famed 'Safe Zone', up north. He dodges surviving groups of women and the others. There is something wrong with them ... the others. The last men.

Keeping off roads and traveling through the thick of the woods is his only hope. With a radio for attempting communication and a backpack of few supplies, Martin feels he really can make it to the Safe Zone, until he fatally kills a man.

And the world turns to hell.

A fundamentalist militia of ruthless survivors called, Red Hand, interprets the plague as the Lord's work. The group hunts down and captures Martin and it is later revealed that the man he killed was a son of Red Hand's leader, Sister Mary. The Lord speaks to Sister Mary and it is said that Martin must remain with them, forcing him to convert to a Red Hand. Promptly after the start of his stay people become sick and it's not just men.

Soon female members of Red Hand are ill and Martin makes his escape. The virus has evolved, becoming smarter, not limiting itself to one sex and keeping its host alive longer — but why? The thoughts consume him, except he starts telling himself things ... things like, there's no point anymore. You're probably about to die any second now.

Yet, death is never granted.

Walking aimlessly in the mountains, clutching the precious radio that has been dead for weeks, suddenly crackles to life with a transmission :

"If you can hear this, the virus has been declared highly contagious and fatal in 100% of its victims. If you think you have been exposed quarantine yourself for forty-eight hours. Survivors, if we do not deal with the infected bodies, we risk a host of other diseases. Burn their bodies. I repeat, burn their bodies. Safe Zone, is still a go. We need anyone with medical training or combat experience. There are survi—"

Static.

"Repeat, there are survivors." 

A/N : 

HEY READERS! Do you like the summary and sound of this evolving story, The Last He? If so, and you want to start reading the first few chapters, then in the comments below leave this message, "I pledge my loyalty to you in the Herculean" by leaving that message you send me to the next stage in the Cryptic's contest! xx