You broke through the thicket, leaving behind the moans of a city in flames. With tears in your eyes and everything you could carry on your back, you scurried away and fled from a civilization turned to ash. The thorny foliage nipped at your clothing, the numerous pricks on your skin a reminder that this was no dream: you were in the solace of a forest, alone.
The world hadn't fallen apart overnight, but it had certainly collapsed quickly. At first, there were only rumors and hearsay: talks of bizarre disappearances and strange behavior across the rural countryside. Various counties in New Hampshire reported an eerie vacancy in church attendance, while paranoid neighbors and hermits reported that their more social acquaintances were gathering in secretive, cult-like ceremonies.
By the time that the populace's eyes were finally opened, it was far too late. In hindsight, they should have realized it far sooner. How could one simply turn away from reports of old widows showing up thirty years younger at public communities, or pictures of giant pentagrams engraved onto the roofs of skyscrapers?
Willful ignorance or not, you supposed it would have mattered little. Not when a million portals opened all across the globe and spewed a demonic legion straight out of the degenerate mind of a basement dweller. From the swirling gates stepped forth the armies of hell, as terrifying as they were beautiful.
In the name of the Demon Lord, the monster girls invaded your world, yet it was not death that they had in mind for humanity but something far more nefarious.
When the monster girls -or 'mamono' as they called themselves- appeared, the first thing they did was to force themselves upon the first man they saw. Women who got in the way, be they concerned mothers or outraged girlfriends, were fast subdued and made to join the carousel of pleasure. In the throes of ecstasy, they surrendered their souls and joined the decadent legion, becoming mamono themselves.
The chaos was controlled at first. Martial law was declared and the National Guard was activated, but the wild monster girls were kept at bay by humanity's finest fighting forces. It was all too late, after they had committed most of their fighting force, that the United States realized they were only fighting the vanguard of the Demon Lord's main forces.
When the true legion of demons arrived, everything collapsed. From dragon girls that could crush tanks, to horrifying eye monsters that could disintegrate matter with their gaze alone. Cities were scoured clean as girls were converted and men claimed as prizes, to be taken to the netherworld beyond the portals: Pandemonium.
Those who survived to be free were the fortunate few; girls who sheltered away, or men who resisted the siren's call or lived close to the outskirts: men like you.
Your frantic escape came to an end as amidst the forestry you caught the glimpse of a shiny set of double set of steel doors. Relief filled your being, whilst the crumpled map in your hands wrinkled further. It had been a long shot, but the worn instructive pointing you to an old FEMA shelter had proven worth it.
As you finally came to the doors, your legs failed you as the heat of adrenaline drained from your body. Rivulets poured freely from your cheeks as you collapsed, sobbing. Now, amidst the prospect of safety, you took the moment to mourn those you had abandoned for the sake of your own survival. The thought haunted you, piercing through the fear of the unknown...
...Your friends and your family: would you ever see them again?
The minute of silence passed. Slowly, you stood up, resolute and grim-faced through the dry tear tracks on your cheeks. The mamono had taken your peaceful life from you, but you wouldn't let them take your soul. You owed that much to everyone who had fallen. For your sake- No, for the sake of humanity... You had to survive.
Your footsteps crunched on the grass as you approached the shelter gates. Overgrowth had partially encroached the walls, speaking of the veritable age of the cold war-era emergency bunker. Your palms slid against the smooth surface of the shelter, looking for an opening or any play in the large vault doors.
Initially frustrated, you rapped your gloved knuckles against the shelter entrance, knocking as you shouted. "Hello! Is anyone there? Can you let me in?"