I have often wondered if a story needs a 'hero' (anti or otherwise). I've come up with countless ideas I never put to paper for various reasons, some of them lacking heroes. Usually my idea of the world I write about usually portrays 'anti-villains' more than anything else, those who would commit acts that send them straight to the greatest depths of hell, if it would create a Heaven for the people of this world.
One such idea was:
'Vampire Blood' infects a person, and turns them into a vampire in 3 days. If they die before the 3 days end, the blood reanimates their corpse as a 'Remnant', a mindless monster with most of the instincts, and all of the powers and weaknesses of a Vampire, but with no conscious thought or control, so rather than becoming a Vampire, they become what could be called a Zombie.
The British government, who have always known of the existence of the 'supernaturals', and aid in keeping them below the public's eye, took vampire blood, and combine it with a developed deadly virus that kills it's victims before the vampire blood kicks in, but after they have already had a chance to 'infiltrate' (willingly or otherwise) key areas.
After several successful tests, they decide it's time for a live trial of this 'bio-weapon'. Secretly injecting two British soldiers, they 'arrange' for the soldiers to be captured an unknown, large terrorist group. While captured, the soldiers die from the virus, and as the terrorists, confused, dump the bodies that night, when the dead soldiers transform and go on a rampage throughout the compound. They also infect those they killed, spouting more Remnants, soon leaving only a few Terrorists left, hiding and fleeing for their lives.
The presence of Remnants triggers an instinct in all vampires in the surrounding area, who rush in on the area, intending to kill everyone there so as to protect the secrecy of the supernaturals (this instinct is why we mere mortals know nothing of their existence. The british government was able to project the locations of the original tests in such a way the vampires didn't detect them).
And then you have several highly trained British troops, watching everything happen, ready to rush in and exterminate everyone there if needed, and ready to snipe and remove anyone who manages to escape.
So here, you have Terrorists who want to survive when they can't, Undead Remnants who only want to kill every non-remnant they see, Vampires who want to kill every non-vampire they see, and British soldiers who will kill anything and anyone who tries to get out. Where are the heroes? Nowhere.
The story would follow a character from each 'camp' (except the mindless Remnants, because their thoughts will be "kill eat kill eat kill kill kill"), trying to do what they need to do. A British sniper, cold hearted to the core and extremely patriotic. A Terrorist who is perhaps the most honourable and respectable of all of them, and a Vampire bent on killing them all and enjoying himself, relishing in the slaughter.
So, my question is, could this idea work as a story? Or do we 'need' the hero?
