I don't have one of those yet unfortunately, writing a massive post explaining all this is one of my goals, but it's also extremely intimidating. Let me try to explain right here real quick.

A Horror is what we'd call a Creepypasta: someone who kills others in large amounts through mundane or supernatural methods. But there's more to them in this au. In this au, a Horror is someone who has been pushed over an edge mentally, physically and emotionally, and was transformed (born is the term they use) into a Horror. The term 'post-human' is used for those who used to be human - post-demon is another, less used term.

A Horror is biologically inclined to kill, especially to kill humans. The majority hate humans and have no issues killing them. This is because their births as Horrors were based on trauma to their minds and bodies, human evil pushing them to a point of spontaneous evolution. Horrors are faster, and stronger, than humans, with quicker reflexes, however a newborn Horror needs time to develop these traits. They also heal faster than humans. A broken bone takes a day or two; a paper cut heals in seconds. None of this means death is impossible, however, it just makes it more painful on the Horror.

The First Wave was the spontaneous birth of several thousand Horrors. These Horrors killed any around them at the time of their birth, then went on murderous rampages all over the country. Their attacks soon ceased to be random and became targeted: politicians, televangelists, celebrities, news reporters, anyone that killing would cause chaos, they went after. They possibly also went after places like airports, power plants and factories. They also attacked any groups of helpers, from EMTs and doctors to overseas aid. There was no rhyme or motive behind these brutal sprees, they just wanted to hurt as many people as possible. The country initially thought it was some kind of virus, with reports coming in comparing the Horrors to zombies, vampires and other supernatural beings. In the process, demons, a separate race supposedly created by the god Zalgo, were exposed to humanity.

Under the brutal attacks, the country buckled. No response from civilians or the military stopped the Horrors, and as humans were pushed over the edge by the chaos, they too became Horrors. Eventually the country fell completely, society crumbling. Refugees that attempted to cross the borders were turned away or killed, all countries fearing what they didn't understand, especially as Horrors attempted to join the exodus and kill more people.

Two years later, it happened again, a Second Wave. Smaller than the first, this Wave seemed more coordinated, and restless. They attacked outposts and the Camps that existed to train and teach refugees and children how to fight Horrors and survive in this new, unpredictable world. At the same time as the Horrors, monsters, ranging from supernatural creatures like black shucks to things straight out of Silent Hill. Humans called them Beasts, and left them alone unless they attacked.

Three years later, as a government began pulling itself together from the ashes, an 18yo Horror called Jeff Woods appeared. Jeff, having spent the last five years held prisoner by humans, saw something that no other Horror did. He saw potential... A purpose. With the help of the demon surgeon Eyeless Jack, Jeff used his cunning and intelligence to gather the Horrors under his command. Under his influence, he turned the Horrors from individual killers into an army, with the goal of waging war on humanity. And they did. For another five years, the Horrors War raged. Jeff the Killer went from nobody to nightmare, the most feared criminal in the human territories, and his generals were just as notorious. It was only after the implementation of the Three Days Law, which enforced public execution of any known Horror three days after capture, that the War ended. The Horrors fell into chaos, the army broke apart, and many were captured and executed. They were ripped limb from limb, then either impaled on a stake, or hung by the neck on a gallows, and left to die, all in front of cameras and an audience.

It's been twenty years since the First Wave. No Horrors have been born in five years. No Horror has been caught and executed in eight. The country and its faulty government are slowly piecing itself back together. Currently the country only exists on the east coast. Everything to the west are wildlands, fought over by Mad Max style warlords. Other countries are opening up to this new world. While travel is banned, exports and imports are opening again, allowing things many survivors thought they'd never see again. PTSD is a common illness. Many have died from starvation, disease, and human malice. It's estimated a third of the country's original population are dead.

And in the middle of this fallen world, Jeff finds a new Horror, a vet tech called Briar Gillespie. He takes her as his apprentice. Soon, other Horrors find them - Eyeless Jack, Jeff's old right hand man and lover; Laughing Jack, the sadistic Victorian floating doll; and Ben, a digital ghost unleashed into the world via the internet. Together, they become a family, a polyamorous relationship that holds strong against all odds. And there are lots of them. The government has their own Horrors, some very familiar faces. And worse is the Tall Man, the Slenderman, the eldritch nightmare who claims to be the god of Horrors, who sends his Proxies out into the world to kill and collect and investigate for his own purposes...

This is just the tip of the iceberg, too.

I really, really need to improve this blog's tags so people can find stuff easily. Maybe I should make that my goal next week.

EDIT: for a quick cast of characters, see this.

EDIT EDIT: wanna join the Discord server! Here you go!

EDITx3: want to see my other blogs? Here you go

ANOTHER EDIT: Ya like death note? Here's my Horrors au inspired crossover blog: @burai-note-au