It was about the size of a van, with smooth edges and a strange, wavy pattern that seemed to come from the very material it was made of. It was death-black with a large opening for a door, easily walked through, impossible to shut.

They came in numbers, trying to figure this thing out. Finally, when they had done all they could from the outside of this strange object, their natural and inborn curiosity took over.

They boarded it.

And thus, they doomed the world.

Inside, they discovered amazing technologies the likes of which had never been seen. However it was indecipherable, and thus useless.

But they found something inside that set off their other natural instinct. Greed. It resembled the rocks they adored so much, the ones they mined and wore and stole, except it was bigger. Much bigger.

They decided to take the crystal from this place, and they did. They kept it in a container and under careful watch, but one worker managed to relieve them of this burden.

He ran with it in the night. He went far away, escaping the eyes that poked and prodded. After many failed negotiations, he finally found a man that would buy the crystal from him.

This man kept his newly acquired prize in his home. He was a man of much wealth and power. But all his money couldn’t buy his health, which declined terribly within a few months. Not only did he grow sick, but everyone around him fell ill as well. There were many miscarriages within a short time among his family and friends. One day, not long before he died, this man received news of the death of the worker who had sold him his precious crystal.

So, he disposed of the crystal, believing it had caused his sickness. Not trusting anyone, he personally threw it into a nearby reservoir.

Months after this man had died, people in the area began to grow sick as well. It seemed to be some sort of cancer, and it spread to everyone and anyone.

Death became rampant. They searched for a cure, they found none.

People died in the streets and in schools and in homes. After a time there were so many bodies, they were simply left where they fell.

In time, the illness spread to the entire world. It’s population fell and fell and fell. The sickness knew no prejudice. It killed men and women, plants and animals, it even killed other viruses and diseases.

There was no escape. The world was dying.

And, in the final hours, a man approached the long-forgotten craft in the middle of the field. He was dying as well, and he had made a long journey. He collapsed to the ground when he reached it, and reached out to touch it. He was the last survivor of this dead world, the only living thing left.

And with the last of his energy, he looked into the skies and saw the descent of thousands upon thousands of crafts, coming to this dead planet to claim it their own.

And it is said, that with his last breath, the last ever to be breathed, he whispered…

“Ant trap…it was…an ant trap…”