This is an original story that uses characters owned by Stephenie Meyer in her Twilight Saga series. Blah blah blah, customary disclaimer obligation. Lord knows if these were my characters, Bella wouldn't even be in the picture.

Well, I just watched the last installment of the Twilight series a few days ago, which I have to say I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Now I'm gay and I enjoy me some good old drama, and Twilight (no matter the haters) has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. I know enough lore to get by on a story and that's what I have here today. Again, forgive me for lack of fanfic glossary knowledge, I've never done this before and still new to all this. Not to mention my aversion to social interaction only makes things worse. But anyways, onto the synopsis!

A war between vampires and werewolves has decimated the human population, and continues to rage throughout every corner of the planet. One vampire traverses the continent with his brothers in search of their family. A werewolf leads his pack south to find a new home. When these two groups meet, they find themselves key into the outcome of the war. Jacob and Edward slash pairing. There will be other m/m pairings in this, involving pairs that I haven't often seen. I might do small spin-offs on those, but other wise, this Jakeward all the way.

Just a final warning, this is a violent and graphic story. There will be blood, profanity, rape, torture, you name it. Thus is the unfortunate reality of war. Thanks for reading this—it's called an author's note right(?)—and please enjoy.

"Fuck." Emmett, crude and vulgar as usual. Unfortunately for Edward, he couldn't think of a more apt expression to describe the scene before them. They've stumbled across massacres before, some with staggering body counts and horrific images that would never fade away. But this was beyond anything they've seen.

Strewn about the street were dozens of corpses, mutilated to the point where gender and age were no longer discernible. Limbs were severed, heads were missing, and abdomens torn open with about as much subtlety as a Jack the Ripper victim. Dried streams of blood had long trickled into the sewage drains, painting the concrete in striated patterns of black. As if the visual horror wasn't enough, there was also the godawful stench that saturated the surrounding air. Death, decay, and the stinging bite of ammonia.

Both of them continued further into the neighborhood, eyes scanning every corner and opening for whatever may have cause this. But the entire street was quiet. The only sounds he could hear were crickets and the distant pang of thunder. A storm was coming and that didn't bode well for them.

Emmett stumbled over the body of a young woman whose left arm had been ripped off at the elbow. "Who the hell would do this?"

"I don't know," Edward replied. This slaughter had all the markings of feral wolf. Yet the calculated and flashy setup could have easily been the work of a vampire. Edward ran a hand through is hair, knowing full well that none of it mattered. These people were dead and nothing would bring them back. Emmett was still examining the bodies when Edward tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's go." Emmett looked at the woman's body one more time before nodding, and they pressed on. By the time they had entered a more deserted stretch of a highway, Edward heard his older brother's familiar boots clacking behind him.

Jasper popped up, hands empty and face stricken with hunger.

"Nothing?" Edward asked. It was a stupid question, but it was almost a habit for him to ask. Anything that could give him a semblance of normality was better than thinking about the apocalypse every minute of the day.

"We have a choice between a rotting deer carcass or a moldy raccoon. I would prefer neither." One of the few things he learned during the past year was how his brothers handled themselves during the end of the world. Jasper took on a very wry sense of humor that bordered on disturbing, while Emmett acted more stupid than usual.

"We need to keep going," Edward said as he moved past Jasper.

But Jasper put a firm hand on his arm, a shaky but clear message. "If I don't get some rest, I will kill whatever living thing crosses our path. Give me time to gain my sanity."

His threat gave Edward pause. Facing of with a famished vampire was almost as bad as fighting a newborn. Add the fact that it was Jasper, someone who could kill pretty much anything that came his way, all Edward could do was relent. He nodded before walking away from the massacre, "But we are not resting anywhere near here."

"I went through an empty house a few miles ahead." The highway they used was blissfully devoid of carnage. There were a few stray cars abandoned in each lane, their engines and interiors long harvested of their parts, but other than that, this granted him a brief moment of peace that he hadn't felt in a long time. Ever since the war hit, reality seemed to have frozen in place. The sounds of humans vanished within a month, leaving behind an unholy silence that no one could ever comprehend.

"Man, when I see Rosie I am going to..." Emmett muttered his inappropriate remark aloud and Jasper stopped in his tracks. Edward closed his eyes before smacking the back of Emmett's head.

"What the fuck man!" Hunger could do a lot of things to one's mind, but he thought Emmett would at least save some brain cells to keep his memory intact. Then again, this was Emmett.

Edward passed a worried glance at Jasper, who still kept quiet. Emmett's eyes widened and suddenly he realized what he said.

"Oh fuck. Jazz, I didn't—"

Jasper ignored him and quickened his pace, forcing both brothers to keep up. "I don't want to talk about it."

Edward locked eyes with his younger brother and mouthed for him to keep quiet. Jasper's hunger was clearly gone, now replaced with an agonized expression teetering between rage and torture. Edward didn't dare look into his thoughts.

"Jazz—" Emmett started again. Edward sighed and decided to stay out of this.

"I said I don't want to talk about it."

"I didn't mean anything, I was just—" Jasper stopped and confronted Emmett face to face.

"Then give me the courtesy of not hearing you defend yourself."

"Dude, will you calm down. She's still alive—"

"For the love of God, just shut the hell up!" Jasper lunged at Emmett and shoved him hard enough that he flew a good ten feet. In a split second, he was back up and snarling like a cornered predator. Edward immediately stepped between them, wishing for once that he had Jasper's power so he could calm this impending explosion.

"The world is dead, our family is split up, not to mention we have no idea where to look for them. We won't get anywhere if you two can't stop fighting every five minutes."

Both Jasper and Emmett stared off, neither side seeming to back down. But to Edward's relief, Emmett raised his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry."

Jasper just huffed and started walking away. Edward followed, while Emmett tailed at a languid pace.

Like he had hoped, the rest of their walk was in stony but comfortable silence. By the time they reached the house Jasper had spoken of, dusk had already descended. Coming with it were the first signs of the storm. The overcast sky had turned to a sinister shade of gray, and a light drizzle began to blanket the forest. He was grateful that they at least had shelter to use for the night. There was a paved gravel road that ran along the forest grounds, but first thing that caught his eyes was the mailbox planted just at the start of that path. It was conspicuous among the rest of the scenery.

The name on the side was Reynolds. Finger-painted, misshapen, and yellow as a sunflower. Two small handprints punctuated both ends. Even though his brothers were already headed towards the house, Edward felt himself fixated on the thing. On how small the handprints were. He barely noticed Jasper walking up beside him.

"They're probably dead Ed," Jasper said with tired nonchalance.

"That makes me feel so much better."

"I'm just sayin', if you were human, would you really want to be alive today?"

"I'd rather be alive now than dead earlier. Discounting the fact that I'm dead already." Edward didn't mean it as a joke, but it came out that way and Jasper couldn't seem to help himself. He chuckled before waving Edward off and heading back to the house. After taking a final glance at the mailbox, Edward did the same.

Well, it wasn't so much a house as it was a high-end cabin. Made from what was likely the surrounding cedar, it was three stories and quite luxurious for something in the middle of the forest. The place reminded him of the Cullen household, and that brought up memories both heartwarming and painful.

Jasper immediately secluded himself to the upper floor, while Emmett plopped down on a sofa in the large living room. Once he was inside, Edward decided that he had nothing better to do, so he wandered about the home and simply studied everything he could.

From the various pictures scattered across the walls and mantels, it was clearly a family of four. The parents, a teenage daughter, and a young son. They were clearly affluent, just a few of the backdrops ranged from the cool summits of mountain resorts, to more sun-soaked tropics. Edward found himself focused particularly on one, where the family was simply laying on the front porch of this very home. A part of him wanted to know if they survived, but another understood the reality. This family was just one of millions that perished.

He traipsed into the kitchen, not surprised when it carried a particularly foul smell. Mold and plenty of things that were sour. Most of the odors came from the fridge or pantries. If there were any positives he could have during this, it was the fact that vampires didn't need food to sustain themselves. If he were a human that came here looking for food, his morale would have sunken to a depressing if not suicidal level.

He peeked back inside the living room and saw Emmett playing solitaire with the pack of cards he had taken during a quick scavenging trip through Seattle. His mind was filled with an assortment of thoughts; some were of Rosalie and Jasper and others about the Volturi. But most of them clearly carried one theme, bitterness.

Edward knew he had to talk to one of his brothers to initiate the apology process. Since Jasper was in need of more help whether he wanted to admit it or not, Edward decided to head upstairs first. Jasper was in a room that obviously belonged to the son, a blue tinged area filled with toys, stuffed animals, and countless video games. Jasper was lying on the small bed, simply staring at the ceiling above.

"Why can't you two just leave me alone?"

Edward didn't answer, he walked forward and took at seat at the edge of the mattress. "She's still alive, you know that right?"

"It doesn't matter if she is or not. They have her, and I'm never gonna see her again." It hurt. It hurt to see one of the strongest people he had ever known so defeated and empty. The Volturi flashed in Edward's thoughts, the cause of all this. Suddenly his sorrow morphed into hatred. They took Alice in exchange for all their lives and used her gift to ensure that nothing could stop them. And they all had those sadistic smiles on their faces.

"We can't do this without you," Edward said with a somber sigh. "Alice wouldn't forgive you if you give up now."

Jasper scoffed. "That's a low blow."

"I'd rather have you angry at me than not with us at all." Jasper fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with Edward's presence. But luckily, he seemed to ease into a more relaxed mood. He sat up, then gently patted Edward's back.

"Relax, I'm not going anywhere. That idiot wouldn't make it past Oregon without scuffling with something furry."

Edward laughed, actually they both did. It felt...weird. Weird, but good. He coughed to regain some of his composure. "You should talk to him."

"Yeah. I can feel his guilt from here." Jasper slid off the mattress and dusted himself off before heading downstairs. Edward took Jasper's spot on the bed, lying down in the same supine position, crossing his feet at the ankles. He took the time to study the room, everything inside was so innocent and untouched that it was oddly a refreshing place to be in. But still, the idea that this child was the likely meal of some sick monster, for a moment he was grateful he never required sleep. Edward lied down noticed a nearby teddy bear that was lying serenely on the pillow. It was clearly worn, it's fur having turned into a matty texture that was washed too many times. It was even missing an eye. But for just a moment, he could see a young boy loving it with all his heart.

Every time he saw things like these, he asked himself why he was given a chance to continue while so many couldn't. And yet the answer was never clear or if it was, it never satisfied him.

Immortality had always been a curse in his family's eyes. Something as precious as life, now frozen in place for all eternity. Not even the cruelest man deserved such a fate. The three of them had to live in a world with literally nothing left to enjoy and yet they pressed forward, to find Carlisle, Esme, and Rose. Wherever they were.