Untold Deception

by William Staikos

  When they got near us, the men on the other side of the door shouting, “Over there! Get them!”

  There were loud metallic noises of the walls being dented. There were flashes of red light as bodies were being ripped apart. The Abundans outside weren’t targeting them accurately but used their aura randomly in a broad sweep. Some were even hitting each other damaging themselves. Upon closer inspection, I saw that none of their eyes were open.

  “What the hell is going on here?!” I yelled at the doctor.

  When the download was complete, he took his black square out and typed quickly on his keyboard. I moved closer to him. He turned and smiled at me. It was a smile that could make the devil shiver.

  “Something wonderful.”

  He put the black square in his pocket and muttered to himself, then moved up the ladder. I stepped forward to stop him but was punched hard in the stomach by Cassiella. My back was slammed against the wall.

  I heard the doctor climb up the ladder and the hatch closed behind him. Cassiella’s eyes had gone dim. She wasn’t the same. She seemed hollow. Tras held off Craw. Several aura spikes emanated from Craw and pierced through Tras. He must have gotten stabbed four times in the chest. He used his white aura and held Craw down. I did the same with Cassiella.

  “What’s going on!” I shouted at her.

  Tras coughed up blood as he pinned Craw. There was a screech coming from the back of Craw and Cassiella’s neck.

  “The insects, they have the insects burrowed in their neck!” Tras managed to say with blood running out of his mouth.

  We both kept Craw and Cassiella pinned. “Take it out of him Tras, quickly!” I shouted.

  Tras flipped over Craw, overtaking his red aura. Tras moved his hand to puncture the back of Craw’s neck. Tras squeezed, and the insect squealed in death. He pulled out the mangled insect, but the pincers clung. Craw’s spinal cord was attached to the insect when he yanked back. Tras took a step back from the grotesque sight. Craw’s body twitched on the floor.

  I screamed in agony as I watched Craw die before me. During the havoc, the door was dented by the Abundans outside. All the men were being overtaken. No! This isn’t the way it was supposed to happen. I saw Cassiella’s face flash with the intervals of red light in the room. The light in her eyes appeared for a short period.

  “Salan, I guess I can’t keep my promise,” said Cassiella.

  The hatch was just behind her. I was infuriated and heartbroken all at once. The siren still whaled. I thought it was a nightmare and that any second, I’d wake up with her in bed again.

  Cassiella touched my cheek. “Don’t cry. It’s OK because I got to have you. I got to live with you. I just wish I had more time.”

  Her blue aura started to overtake mine. The door sounded like a metallic drum now with the Abundans trying to get in. I kissed her for the last time. There was a loud screech from the back of her neck. She pushed herself off me. She was past the point of help.

  “KILL ME!” She screamed.

  I stabbed her in the heart; my face was soaked in her blood. Cassiella was gone. The Abundans banging on the door outside broke through. The red alert continued wailing. I glanced up at the cameras. Besides the insect-controlled Abundans, it was just lab coats and limbs. All the walls that were once white were now red. I tried to scream, but nothing came out.

  Crawling on the floor, I saw Cassiella’s corpse. I was speechless. There was a cough from the corner. It was Tras, barely standing. When the door broke down, he started killing as many hostile Abundans as possible. I stood up and helped. The last one was Jefora; she got him right in the gut.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  I cut her down like the rest. Once there were no more Abundans, Tras leaned against the wall. His knees buckled, forcing him to sit down. Moving towards him, I took a knee.

  “Tras. Tras stay alive.”

  He had seven open wounds on his chest and was coughing up blood. I used my aura to stop the bleeding as much as I could.

  “Don’t bother Salan,” muttered Tras.

  “Shut up! I’m not losing you too!” I screamed.

  “You can’t save me.”

  I attempted to carry him.

  Tras patted my back, “Put me down.”

  “No, I’m not giving up.”

  There was so much blood the room had a metallic scent. Tras smiled at me.

  “It’s rude not to listen to a man’s last words asshole,” he whispered.

  I put him back down against the wall. My partner, my friend, my whole squad; gone in one night. He wheezed whenever he exhaled, and now blood filled his mouth.

  “You have to live on for all of us.”

  “How can I?”

  “There will always be men like the ones in this facility. Prevent it from happening to others.”

  Tras let out a deep sigh, and I hugged him. When I let go the light extinguish from his eyes. I did not say a word. Everyone responsible for this will pay. Peering up, I started hitting the hatch at the top of the ladder. I dented it outwards once. Hitting it, again and again, on the third try, the hatch flew open. I ascended into the sunlight, moving out of the world's biggest coffin. At the top, nobody was around. No pathway was there, just a small metal hatch broken off. I took a deep breath. I thought the air would be sweet, but it tasted bitter. I had no idea where I was. Around me, were tall black trees that seemed to scrape the sky. Every plant was black, even the grass. There was a small light from the sun that just made it through the black leaves. I noticed that my chest was severely lacerated from Cassiella. My thoughts went to something more important. Where was that doctor? I wanted to kill him.

  “WHERE ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU!!” I screamed into the black abyss.

  My left hand extended out and ripped down some of the trees. I calmed down after destroying the environment and put my hand over my face. A whole facility underground, and only a small metal hatch to mark what happened here. I couldn’t smell the doctor’s scent or know which direction he went by footprints. When I calmed down I noticed something important. There were three sets of footprints near the hatch, and then they disappeared.

  This was the only trail. Where did it go? I took out Mr. Finch’s knife and started walking past the trail. Once in the forest I sliced deep into the tree trunks. This allowed me to retrace my steps. I walked in that direction for a full hour until I heard three voices. They all wore lab coats. All of them crowded around a fire. I listened from the top of a branch.

  “So, the doctor betrayed us. We can still navigate our way back and start a new life,” one of the men said.

  “I’m glad to be able to get back home to my family,” responded another scientist.

  “At least the pay is good. It’s hard to find a job nowadays,” said another.

  I jumped off the branch; my black aura surrounded me.

  “Don’t worry; they’ll never know you were here.”

  They all stood up and ran.

  ‘I’m sorry Mom, this is where I break my promise. I can’t let these men escape. Not after what they did.’

  After their bodies stopped twitching, I inspected their white overcoats. They had nothing. However, their shoes were odd. There was a glowing yellow light at the heel. Turning the shoe over, it had two circles. This was how they disguised their trail. There was a switch I flipped it and pressed down the shoe. It made a small mechanical sound. The ground had no footprints. This must be a precaution the facility used. There must have been a storage room for this back at the hatch.

  I retraced my steps back to the hatch. When I got back, I decided to go back down to get more materials for my journey to civilization. The red alert and lights were turned off. Someone must have been here while I was gone. I glanced at the screens, ignoring my squad members bodies. One screen showed a person hastily grabbing food from the cafeteria. The white suit was a dead giveaway. It was the Leader. He must have come back for a supply run. He was putting food into a sack and ran down th
e corridors. He was running right towards me. This must be the only exit.

  He ran through the doorway and stopped once he saw me.

  “Hello Leader, remember me?” I asked.

  13- Paradise Lost

  “Revenge, the sweetest morsel to the mouth that ever was cooked in hell.”

  ― Walter Scott

  I grabbed him with my aura and slammed him down to the ground.

  “Please, I don’t want to die!” said the Leader sarcastically. He smiled, “Is this what you expected me to say?”

  “Why did you do it?”

  “Life is a cruel place. In this world, you can either be the hammer or the anvil. I chose hammer.”

  Using my aura, I decided to enact my revenge. I twisted his one leg 180 degrees, and he laughed. Then I crushed his other leg; he laughed again. I snapped his arms backward, then paused. I was surprised that his laughter still echoed throughout the room.

  “Any last words?” I said through my teeth.

  “I die as a man with no regrets,” chuckled the Leader.

  He was not allowed to live. He would never leave this facility. I created a spear with my aura and pierced through his head. I spat on his corpse. My tears weren’t for my mother’s promise. My tears weren’t for my comrades. I wept like a child as a walked through the red facility. That was the day I killed the devil himself. I cried for what can happen in this world when people just follow orders.

  I picked up the bag of food the Leader collected. A bright red apple fell out. I kicked it aside. Eventually, I made it to my room and picked up my arm, then stuffed it into the bag. I couldn't reattach my arm because I crushed the socket. Repairing the arm was out of the question. Along with that, I packed the flute, knife, the note, and tooth necklace.

  Walking back to the doctor’s area my mind raced. Why did he do this? There were some medical supplies in the drawers. I took the bandages and alcohol. Then, I took off my shirt and poured it all over my wounds. I checked the drawers in the doctor’s room and saw a tape recorder. It was marked with ‘Happy New Year, Salan and Tras.’

  I tucked it away to listen to later. Continuing to walk around, I found the equipment room through the ‘Authorized Personnel’ doorway. There was a multitude of weapons from swords, to bows and arrows. I took a katana and put it on my back; it had a black blade like my outfit. Then I armed my other boot with a black knife; the other was Mr. Finch’s. The throwing knives would be useful for hunting, so I them into my pockets.

  Quickly, I tore off some clothing with a knife, tying it around my head. If there’s one thing that’s consistent, the Felis are treated differently. Concealing myself would be a priority.

  I checked the bag; there was my crushed arm, three jugs of water, and plenty of canned food. With rationing skills, this would last me a week at least. Packing too much would make it hard to carry. I tied the bag up to ensure nothing fell out.

  That should give me enough time to figure out where I am. Another room nearby was full of lab coats and boots. Another had a bunch of computers and offices. I walked back to the communication room and searched the body of the Leader. Inside his coat pocket, he had a blood-stained journal. There were dates from when he started to the day he finished. Each day had a log entry. I tucked it away, knowing that it would be useful to prove what happened here.

  Before I left, I turned around. Kneeling near Cassiella, there was one clean feather that was left on the floor. I picked it up and tucked into the sack.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered to my squad.

  I made my way up the ladder and glanced around. The sun was going down now, and I had to decide to sleep down there or move forward. It would have been smarter to make camp in the facility, but every part of that place made me sick. I didn’t bother to bury my comrades. I couldn’t bear to pick up the pieces that remained. It was all too much. Going up the ladder, I pondered on what to do.

  This place needs to be a landmark, just in case I take a dangerous path. Quickly, I cut through all the tall trees around me, making a big clearing. Now I would be able to find my way back. Next, I created aura extended legs to survey the landscape. All the plants were colored black. There were no signs of color other than the sky, an oddly shaped mountain, and the sun. It was a vast sea of black. Where am I? My mind thought of Seraculus for some reason. Then another thought occurred to me; a distant conversation from school replayed in my head.

  “...I come from Atral, otherwise known as the Black Forest. Almost everything is black: the leaves, the wood, the plants. That’s my Minyades side. Travelers have entered it, and some never come out. It’s a tough place to navigate...” echoed Seraculus in my mind.

  I must be in Atral. Makes sense why they would put the facility here. If it's hard to maneuver, it would be hard to find. That little metal hatch in a sea of black was like a needle in a haystack. They even had boots to mask their trail. They were smart; I’ll give them that.

  Descending to the ground, I had no idea where to go. The footprints from the scientists pointed towards the mountain. If they were heading in that direction, there had to be civilization. I started tracing through all the cuts I made in the trees. I wanted to cry. I wanted to be held and told everything was going to be alright. Again, I was alone. Tears streamed down my face, but I just kept clinging to the bag.

  My left arm grew tired. So, I hobo-carried the sack using my robotic arm as a substitute for a stick. By the time I made it back to the scientists’ corpse, the sun had set. If it weren’t for my night vision, I would have been blind. The Black Forest came to life at night. I couldn’t see any creatures, but I could hear them. Some sounded like owls, others like bats. A few noises were utterly unfamiliar. The forest gave the sounds of an entity that was unforgiving. Being alone was horrible, my mind couldn’t think of anything positive.

  I had grown tired so decided to make camp for the night. I ripped tree branches down, grinding them into twigs with my aura to make timber. I created a black hand and used the other hand to create friction. Within 10 seconds, I had a big bonfire. The light from the fire was vast, but due to the black leaves, the light didn’t have range. Even with light, there was darkness. Hopefully, this would be enough to scare away predators. The unnerving noises continued for three hours. I couldn’t sleep, especially after what just happened. Flashes of my squad screaming. The memory of Cassiella’s warmth made me happy, but the memory turned to anger. I took out the white feather; the anger changed to tears.

  “Why me?!” I shouted into the abyss of black trees. “Why me,” I uttered under my breath.

  I shook my head and jittered, muttering to myself. Sometimes I made noises that made me question my sanity. I had finally done it. I became the monster they wanted me to become. Feeling empty, hollow, and numb with regret; I asked myself, What could I have done differently?

  I remembered the files he downloaded. Why didn’t he walk out? He asked us to kill all the other scientists. What was his motive? What will he do with such power? He had gained total mind control. If that fell into the wrong hands. My body shivered. I felt that this wasn’t over. Why didn’t he implant the insects into Tras and I? My mind raced for answers. If he took it for himself, then he could do two things; create an army of soldiers or sell it. Either way, the doctor and those insects must be destroyed. No person should have such power. That reminded me of the tape, so I took it out, let out a deep breath and pressed play.

  “This is a recording for Tras and Salan. That is assuming you are still alive. This wasn’t necessary for me to do but I had some extra time so, why not? I implanted the Ovium insects into all the others except for you and Tras. Shade Abundans cells react differently to insects, and I didn’t have enough time. When an insect is born, it latches onto the parent, not for protection but to take over the parent’s body. The colored auras of a higher class took longer, but I still managed to create some insects for everyone. I knew that Craw and Cassiella would be sufficient enough; knocking them out during the P.S.O.
treatment and implanting the insects was easy. They didn’t suspect anything as it’s not uncommon to pass out from the pain. The insects burrowed into their neck making it hard to see; the black clothing made it easier. When the alarm went off, I played an audio signal that mimicked a predator. The speaker at the back of their neck set them off to become hostile. By the time you hear this, I’ll be long gone. I’m going to make good use of these insects so don’t worry. For now, I’ll be spending quality time with my family. It’s going to be nice to have an early retirement. Have a Happy New Year!”

  The recording stopped there. I tucked it away, and gritted my teeth if I can’t sleep I should move. Standing up, I did what my mother had instructed me. My emotions couldn’t get the better of me.

  I built up the fire; maybe someone would be able to see it. The fire was so big, that I couldn't do anything but wait. I needed to rest up. My chest was still scabbing over, and my legs ached. My head hurt from the impact of Cassiella hitting me against the wall. Along with that, my aura was growing dim. I pulled out a water jug from the bag and drank some. Along with that, I had some of the canned beef soup over the fire. Not having a spoon, I drank it out of the can. That night I managed to get some sleep.

  When I woke up, everything seemed peaceful, the daylight pierced through the trees. My mother and squad were there.

  “Good to see you kitty cat,” said Cassiella.

  “Still a cry-baby I see,” said Tras.

  “Always causing trouble black cat,” said Craw.

  My mother moved in front of them. She wore a black dress. She touched the top of my head, “I am so proud of you. You are a righteous man. You are a great Felis. And as a righteous person, you can fall many times and still get back up. Stay strong son; you are not a monster.”