Notes

"The grand palace on Anubon was built in the style of a castle because it looked cool, but that has proven to be useful. It is easy to forget after abandoning Earth so many thousands of years ago why castles of old were built they way they were, but the fact that they were designed to deal with invasions turns out to really come in handy when you're being overrun with the undead. Mages took turns acting as turrets, throwing fireballs down on the hordes of undead piling up against the front gate. At this point the building was at capacity, people were packed into it almost shoulder to shoulder and it had gotten to the point where they were forced to start turning down survivors seeking refuge. It never got any easier watching someone be torn apart after you deny them entry, but at this point our responsibility is for the 3,000 people we have inside our walls. As their king, I intend to make sure at least somebody survives this. We just lost radio contact with the last known group of survivors we had contact with, we might be all that's left now. I don't know how much longer we can last ourselves, the remains of undead we've killed are slowly piling into a ramp over the walls and 6 undead managed to make it through today alone. Will anyone even be there to find this message? I home so..."

King Amos scrolled through his own logs stored within his implants out of boredom. That entry was from two weeks ago, a fact that surprised Amos as it had felt like an eternity ago. Only 450 of those 3,000 remain now, the palace got overrun and they had to retreat to the emergency bunker. Most didn't make it to the bunker in time, it filled up fast and there came a point where they were forced to close the door. The banging of people trying desperately to get in didn't even last a full hour. At this point though, some were beginning to think that the people left outside were the lucky ones. Food rations ran out 4 days ago, and now Amos has some more difficult decisions to make. He knew something everyone else did not, and it was time to decide if it was worth the risk of revealing.

Weak from hunger, Amos stands on a box in front of the 450 survivors. "Everyone, I have gathered you all here today to tell you that I have not been entirely honest with you. Once I tell you the truth, I believe you will understand why I kept it to myself. My father was a paranoid man, that is why he built this bunker. Even this was not enough for him though, as he worked in secret with a lab to get his hands on cryopods. Capable of putting a person in stasis for thousands of years or more, as long as the power remains on." The audience started talking among each other and a few shouted accusations at Amos of withholding vital information for no good reason. "The problem is:" he shouted, silencing the audience, "my father only built 25 of them." The room fell into an eerie silence as everyone began to realize what that means. Amos continues: "I have randomly picked 12 men and 13 women who can choose to freeze themselves if they wish. I have sent out messages to all of your implants telling you if you are one of them. If you are on the list, you may give up your cryopod to anyone of your choice if you wish. Note that the cryopods don't guarantee survival, chances are nobody is coming for us but we simply have no other options." Hundreds of disappointed sighs can be heard as hundreds of people look at their new message only to learn that they are not on the list.