The Dark Materials

by Amanda Churi

  “Children were being raised to think badly of the Proxez, and so, if he could destroy children, he would destroy all further revolutions. He enacted his law, and just like that, all children were rounded up and taken to his headquarters. He decided to mold them into his own warriors; those who would not submit were killed, and the survivors became one of three things: an Elite, a Haxor, or a Bot—a new race of human in which males are infertile, senses are heightened, and because of many other alterations to the brain, they stand by the Proxez no matter what. They will kill for them with the flick of a switch. Bots are integrated back into society at thirteen years of age, and at times, people are taken from the streets and converted into Bots as well. Those who are not Bots are classified as Players—the last ones to retain their own minds.”

  “That’s why there were no kids roaming the streets,” Griffin inferred.

  “Yes,” Kaitlyn agreed. “You will never see anyone under thirteen.”

  “So, if males are being made infertile so that no humans can naturally be born, and natural births are punishable by death, how are humans supposed to continue as a race?” Mabel asked.

  “…Only male Bots are infertile,” Virgil elaborated. “They are the average, but manipulated, person. The Haxors are not, and neither is the family of the Lord, who lives in his palace. Many women have been taken throughout the past five years, and to be put bluntly, they’re breeding factories. The Haxors impregnate them, and almost as soon as they give birth, unless the child has very strong genes that set it apart from the rest, the child is taken, converted into a Bot, and raised there until thirteen, while the women are knocked up ASAP, and the process continues to repeat. Many women die from the immense strain and mistreatment of their bodies, but when one does, they simply pull another off of the street.”

  “Thus why we have a limited amount of time,” Kaitlyn said. “Revolutions have come and gone throughout the years, but with the new variable of Bots being added to the equation, we have a narrow window of time to defeat the Proxez. If it does not happen soon, the Bots will overtake the Players, and that itself would mark the end of the human race.”

  There were several nods of agreement throughout the room regarding Kaitlyn’s statement. The three of us were frozen, undisguised terror flocking our eyes. I wanted to redeem myself for what I had done, yes, and I would fight… But I doubted we could win. Azuré wanted the world to be destroyed and reborn, no matter how she had to do it; the world would survive if the Proxez got what they wanted, but it would drag on in misery for everyone who lived for the rest of time.

  “Do you really think victory is possible?” I mumbled under my breath, not caring how pessimistic I sounded.

  All eyes settled on me. Virgil looked ready to fly across the table and slug me on the spot. “Of course,” he responded tightly. “Even if all we can do within the time frame is give the Encryption more time, then that itself is still a victory in my eyes. Why? Do you doubt our capabilities?”

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t, but… This is crazy… We hardly escaped fighting not even a thousand fruitcakes, and compared to what you all are standing up to, our war seemed pathetic. I just… Don’t see how you can fight.”

  “Well, you are fighting with us?” Justus answered unsurely.

  “Yes, but that’s because I need to,” I reasoned. “And I don’t care if I die in the end… It’s a small price to pay for everything that I’ve done.”

  “Eero…” Mabel said, frowning as she leaned towards me and rested a hand on my shoulder. “We are all at fault for what happened here, not just you! Stop putting all of this guilt on yourself!”

  “It’s hard not to!” I retorted, facing Mabel with wide eyes. “This world is terrible! No one deserves to live like this!”

  For some reason, Mabel smiled; from the corner of my eye, I noticed my other allies do the same. I resituated myself so that I was sitting correctly in my seat, dumbfounded as to why all of them suddenly looked so happy. “What?”

  “That’s why we’re fighting,” Seek reasoned. “No one should live in the world that we do, and we are willing to give everything to even have a chance at changing it, going so far as to sacrifice our own lives.”

  “If I am going to die, I would prefer my name to be known,” Virgil said, his voice clear and strong. “I want to be remembered as someone who had the guts to stand up for what was right. Even if we lose, I can fall with my head high, knowing in my heart that I gave this world a chance.”

  “…Wait, I have another question,” Griffin cut in once more. “Kaitlyn, you said Hell and Heaven are no more, correct?”

  “Affirmative.”

  He shook his head, incredulous. “But… That thing that attacked Laelia, Typo, you said he was made by the Devil himself?”

  Kaitlyn stared at him for a moment, lowering her eyes as her mouth twisted in discomfort. “You know, Griffin, sometimes, it’s best for people to not look into things too much…”

  “Laelia is my best friend!” he exclaimed, leaning forward and slamming his hand against the table. “She could very well die! Excuse me for wanting to properly understand just what happened to her!”

  “Judging by what we have heard about you,” Seek countered, coming to Kaitlyn’s defense, “I think it’s best for you to not have the whole story; we don’t want you acting on impulse.”

  Griffin raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  “How do you possibly know so much about us?” I asked, trying to remember if we had a discreet narrator lurking in the background at all times. “There is no way a story over hundreds of years old has retained so much detail.”

  Seek and Kaitlyn exchanged an unsure glance, contemplating on an appropriate response. “Not yet…” Kaitlyn told us, breaking her gaze with Seek. “Learning too much too fast is not wise.”

  “What the heck?!” I snapped. “This is about us! We have a right to know! We have a right to know everything!”

  “Nutrition has arrived!”

  The still semi-unknown voice guided my attention away from our caretakers. The heavy doors closed almost as soon as she entered the premises of the meeting room. Embry held a tower of plates in both hands, the platters never tilting to her lithe movements. Acting like a waitress, she skipped around the perimeter of the table, setting a plate in front of each of us. She paused next to me, smiling. “Seems I made my entrance just in time!” she chirped, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes. “Fighting is not a commendable thing, especially amongst friends.”

  Internally, I rolled my eyes. Couldn’t Justus have created a slightly more realistic robot? No human was ever this optimistic, even in good times.

  “This doesn’t look half bad!” Mabel announced, the sight of real food heightening her spirits. It was a thick, medium-sized slab of meat cooked to well done. Even with me not being the biggest fan of meat since I rarely ate it due to the shortage of food, I had to admit, it smelled godly.

  Mabel picked up a fork, ready to dig in, but not before Embry’s metal hand smacked Mabel’s. Mabel squealed, immediately dropping her utensil and pulling her hand back. “Hey!”

  “Not yet,” Embry said evenly, oblivious to Mabel’s agitation.

  She turned her genuine eyes to Justus, who had not dug in either. Seek and Kaitlyn were the same way, their hands folded patiently in their laps, while Virgil reached down beside his seat, placing an empty chalice next to his plate, along with a large canteen. His red eyes were shining with temptation, and with a firm hand he removed the lid, tilting the canteen and allowing a thick, red, sharply scented liquid to fill his cup.

  My muscles tensed as soon as the scent hit my nose. Blood.

  Without thinking, the question in my head left my mouth. “So, I figure vampires exist too?”

  He chuckled as he raised the chalice, swishing the potent juice within its confinements. “No, no, nothing like that. This is just a lovely supplement to my unique diet, is all.” On that note, he pressed the glass to his
lips, consuming the fluid in one large swallow before heftily slamming the cup back on the table. He exhaled in satisfaction, proceeding to fill his chalice once more.

  “Justus?” Embry prompted, trying to refocus our strayed attention. “What is your recommendation?”

  Justus scratched his eyebrow. “Hm… Give me one for Griffin and use one on Eero; I don’t want to risk it with Mabel for obvious reasons.”

  Embry gave a respectful nod towards her successor. She brought her hands to her chest, looking down as she pressed her palms into her metal frame which caved in as though she was made of putty. A soft beep came from Embry’s stomach as a pulse of purple light rippled across her chest, her stomach parting in two as the hinges on her torso flew open.

  An ocean of chilled mist was released from Embry’s infrastructure, screens, turning gears, wires, and sparking chips all working as one to keep her unique body functioning. Three syringes nested in brackets were revealed through the clearing mist, Embry hesitantly reaching inside of her stomach and pulling out two tubes. The flaps of her stomach closed instantaneously, Embry raising both syringes up towards the light to double check the substance within. A thick, sticky, orange entity resembling marmalade was trapped in the barrel, small bubbles rising from the depths and rotating back to the bottom as though there was a current within.

  Justus raised his hand, and without looking, Embry threw one towards him. It landed firmly in his palm, Justus lowering the medication and lightly pushing down on the plunger, watching a small drop gather at the tip of the needle.

  Before I could entirely process what was happening, Embry firmly grabbed my shoulder, sinking the needle into my upper arm with a hollow thunk. I grunted in surprise, as did Griffin when Justus mirrored Embry’s movements. I tried to squirm away from her, but her inhuman strength made escape impossible.

  Gradually, she began to apply pressure to the plunger, injecting the unknown medication. I bit my lip, my body involuntarily jolting in place as I felt the effects take place almost immediately. A rush of heat began to pollute my bloodstream, traveling throughout my body at the speed of light and banishing the chills that held me captive since my arrival.

  “W-what is that?” I asked through a choppy breath, staring at the syringe as the last of the liquid became a part of me.

  “You wondered how we were able to withstand the cold so well,” Kaitlyn reminded us. “Our medical personnel invented that several years ago to aid us in our endeavors. It fortifies our resistance to the cold so that we can withstand far lower temperatures than the average person. It’s much easier to fight and be stealthy when you don’t have to carry several pounds of clothes on your back.”

  “And I didn’t get one because…?” Mabel asked, a bit shaken by what she saw.

  “You’re the Receiver,” Seek replied. “You resist cold naturally with the fire in your veins; I’m not sure if upping your threshold would be the best idea.”

  “And now, since that hath been finished,” Embry stated, making her way back towards her creator, “indulge, everyone!”

  “About time…!” Mabel exclaimed under her breath. Unable to wait any longer, she sunk her fork into the hunk of meat, tearing off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth. I watched her, amused when her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “This is wonderful!” she cried, shoveling another piece in before she even downed the first.

  Everyone, except Embry, began to consume their rations as though they had never eaten in their lives. I held back, uncomfortably staring down at my plate. It smelled delicious and it looked it too, but something subconsciously held me back.

  “You alright, Eero?” Mabel quickly asked me, releasing a large belch afterward.

  “You’ll never have the manners of a lady, will you?” Griffin joked as soon as he finished swallowing his mouthful.

  “Hey!” Mabel barked, nearly gagging on her food. “We had this discussion already! I was raised to be a warrior—not some elegant duchess!”

  “That’s good, because you could never pass as one!”

  Mabel gave him the finger, resuming her meal once more.

  “Ah, come on, Eero!” Virgil insisted, taking another swig of blood. “Dive in, would you?”

  I groaned, looking back down at my plate. Hesitantly, I grabbed my fork, puncturing the fillet and pulling off a piece of meat, carefully placing it in my mouth. I quickly began to loosen up, the sensation of meat driving my taste buds off the wall and giving my body a much-needed burst of strength. Despite my superstitions, it actually tasted magnificent, and before I could control myself, Mabel and I became partners in crime, shoving food into our mouths as fast as we could.

  “Ey, look at them go!” Justus cheered, laughter filling the air. I could hardly swallow fast enough to support my chewing. It had been so long since I had a good meal; I almost wanted to cry.

  In fact, I was.

  The laughter began to die away, my rate of consumption continuing to soar as tears broke from my eyes. Many looked towards me, confused. My heart was beating faster and faster, reaching a dangerous rate as I ditched my fork, grabbing the meat with my hands, tearing it apart and swallowing pieces whole.

  “Eero?” Mabel asked, putting her fork down and shaking my shoulder. “Hey, you ok?”

  I growled when she touched me, lurching to the side as I shoved the last piece on my plate into my mouth. My stomach became inflamed; it almost felt like I had been poisoned, but I didn’t want to stop eating—I physically couldn’t. Whipping my head in Mabel’s direction, I snatched her plate out from under her, yanking it towards me and proceeding to down my second helping faster than the first.

  “Hey!” Mabel protested, smacking the back of my head angrily. “That’s mine! Give it back!” She reached for her platter, and blinded by hunger, I snapped my teeth at her, narrowly missing her hand.

  “Oh, shit!” Kaitlyn screamed, standing up and turning to Seek. “I forgot!”

  “Forgot what?!” Mabel raged, continuing to try and steal her plate back, my snarl becoming louder with each failed attempt.

  “Virgil!” Seek cried. “Chalice! Now!”

  Virgil shoved the chalice in Seek’s direction, blood overflowing the rim and spilling across the table.

  “I’ve got him!” Kaitlyn announced, running over behind me just as I swallowed Mabel’s last piece. She flung her hands around my throat, a surprised burst of air shooting from my mouth as she threw my head back, squeezing my windpipe with crushing force.

  “What’s going on?!” Mabel shrieked. “What are you doing?!”

  “Just shut up and help me!” Kaitlyn ordered.

  Led by confusion, Mabel joined Kaitlyn, holding down my thrashing shoulders as Kaitlyn continued to restrict my air supply. Seek snatched the chalice from Virgil, holding it above my head before turning it upside down, allowing a waterfall of blood to coat my face and run into my mouth.

  As though I had taken a shot of ice, the blood almost immediately extinguished the uncontrollable urge to feed burning in my stomach. Kaitlyn released me; I gasped in relief, my heart frantic and lungs rapidly contracting to make up for lost oxygen. Shaking like a dog, I shifted my worried eyes to the three girls looming above, hardly able to understand what had overcome me.

  “Guess meal cubes and blood are going to have to be his diet until we figure out something else,” Kaitlyn mumbled.

  “Uh… Why?” Griffin asked. “He had meat plenty of times in the past, and that never happened. What changed?”

  Kaitlyn’s eyes fell flat. “I’m guessing that you guys didn’t rely on feeding on humans in the past, huh?”

  “OH MY GOD!” Mabel screamed, scrambling away from me the moment their words rang clear in her ears. She fell to her knees, openly allowing herself to regurgitate everything she just ate. If I had not been so winded from nearly choking to death, I definitely would have done the same. It was so cold—it made sense that nothing could grow unless it was in a controlled environment; in this world, cannibalism wa
s the only reliable food source left.

  “Well, there’s your answer as to why there is no one over the age of forty left either,” Kaitlyn huffed under her breath, catching a glimpse of Griffin’s paling face as his stomach contemplated whether or not to hurl as well.

  I did not speak; I felt weak everywhere, especially in my heart. Seek looked down at me. “I’m sorry…” she said lightly. “But with human flesh being a preferred food source of your kind, and you having so little control, I don’t think it would be wise to give you any more for the time being.”

  I didn’t answer her; simply, I was in utter shock. I averted my eyes from Seek, looking at Mabel instead, who was finally beginning to calm down.

  Was that second lightning strike all it really took? With energy stronger than the last now filling my body and fueling my demons, how much further would it go…? How many more would awaken and try to consume me—and how many would continue to succeed in getting through, each time for them being easier than the last?

  …Was becoming a living, breathing demon now my fate…?

  Eighteen

  Fire and Fury

  It would be a long road to recovery—a road that never seemed to stop twisting and turning for her in particular. She once stood so close to redemption that she could taste it on her tongue, before at once, everything was taken away. No matter how far she fell, she always managed to rise back up—but not this time, one final blow sending her to her knees and leaving her for dead.

  The room was so bland that it pained her brain. She rested on a small bed, a gentle, rhythmic beep tickling her ears. A hologram lingered next to her, projecting her vitals that hovered at dangerously low levels.

  She was bombarded by nurses, doctors, geneticists, and scientists for the past day, who treated her like a pin cushion. She didn’t interact with them; they simply came and went, the past twenty-four hours being the longest frame of time she had ever endured. Thoughts of Sybil, where her little child could be and what was happening to her, plagued her endlessly, along with the tempting urge to fall asleep. She could not, though; her hands were cuffed to the iron bars on the sides of her bed, and a small metal plate was attached to each of her eyelids, only allowing her to blink. If her eyes were closed for more than five seconds, they would be yanked right back open.