The Darkness

by Matt Brennan

  I stared at him and didn’t believe what I was seeing. “Yeah Doc, I remember you. I made precautions. You won’t be able to control my biosphere controls again.”

  He stood up straighter and adjusted his suit and then he looked at me, “Yes, we assumed you would make alterations. I feel you should know they were all very impressed with the speed of your return. It took them quite by surprise. But once we intercepted your friend Zack’s scrambled communication, we thought your little meeting would be the perfect opportunity to talk.”

  I froze. “What message?”

  Doctor Sanderson sat in the chair facing me. “Mr. Whitney, I told you these men are very accomplished. I was speaking of the message you asked him to send Ellie, telling her you wished to meet her here at this time. We, of course, couldn’t allow that message to get through.”

  I was visibly shaken by his statement.

  Ellie didn’t know I was alive.

  Doctor Sanderson stood up and strode over to the other arm chair that faced mine and sat down. He rested his chin on his thumb, extended both of his index fingers up to his cheeks and covered his mouth with his other crossed fingers. “Mr. Whitney, because of your excursion this afternoon, we’ve been forced to shut down all satellite communication... Globally.”

  I jumped to my feet. “That’s impossible!”

  Doctor Sanderson barely moved. “I assure you it most assuredly is. It’s bad enough that Zack knows of your survival, but we can’t let that intelligence get into the wrong hands.”

  I began pacing. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How was something like that even remotely possible? How could one organization shut down all satellite communication? I mean, no one even controlled them anymore, so it couldn’t be possible to block everyone’s access, this guy had to have been lying—right?

  But then again, no one was there, and that in itself was impossible.

  Poor Zack, all he had these days was the Nexus. And Ellie, oh my god, Ellie was all alone. All alone and thinking I’m dead.

  I thought of my mom, and in a panic, said, “Doc, you’re saying the reason no one is here, is because you’re denying them access?”

  Doctor Sanderson crossed his legs and brought his hands together in front of him in the typical church-and-steeple grasp. I’ve seen these kinds of gestures before. The doc clearly has never been to the Nexus or gamed before. The neuro-reader is picking up impulses he doesn’t even know he’s giving and he has no idea how to control them.

  “I’m afraid so. We recognize the potential for worldwide catastrophic mental health collapse, but your actions have left us little choice.”

  “Doc, you can’t just shut everyone out! I mean, the Nexus isn’t on just one machine, it’s all over the planet.”

  Doctor Sanderson nodded. “This is very true, we do not control what happens in the Nexus. As you can see, everything is still here exactly as it was. But we do control the satellite communication network. And we can shut those off to whomever we want.”

  “We are talking about the best hackers in the world Doc. How long do you really think you’ll be able to keep them out?”

  He didn’t even hesitate. “Forever.”

  I laughed, totally fake, but he didn’t know that. “Doc, I’m shocked half the people aren’t back already!”

  He stood slowly. “You don’t understand. We have shut off the satellites. Only the one you are currently using is functioning at the moment.”

  I stared at him blankly. “That’s impossible.”

  He walked to a mirror on the wall and adjusted his tie. “Well, did you think it would be possible for us to take control of your biosphere before yesterday?”

  I marched over to him, so I could look him straight in the eye. “That was different, I gave up access to you. Now that I think of it, it was pretty stupid, but I did it nonetheless. I just followed the UNN protocols when I built my macro. But that doesn’t even matter! You can’t shut them down because you need the satellites, just like the rest of us.”

  He turned and smiled at me. “Well, that is not entirely accurate. We have a network of low altitude, solar-powered drones that we can continue to use for our communication needs. Their frequency is classified and quite impossible for someone like yourself to duplicate, I’m sorry to say. They told me it had something to do with you not having the hardware necessary to build the descrambler or process power to make the necessary calculations, I forget. And you’re a confirmed genius! If you weren’t able to do it, it most likely can’t be done. Unless, I was told to ask, you have a military-grade server in your biosphere? So, are you prepared to listen to us now?”

  I hated his smugness. “Doc, I’m three seconds away from leaving.”

  He turned and walked back to his chair and sat. “Please, feel free to do so. But know this, if you take that action, you will never speak to any of your friends ever again, and they themselves will all be isolated and alone, forever. Fortunately, for most of them, forever won’t be that long. Total isolation has a way of making one—how do I put this nicely—a little mad. We are social creatures after all. Just remember your recent experience in the dark.”

  The reality of what he told me filled me with horror. I think of Zack all alone, how long would it take him to give up. A year? A month? A week?

  “What do you want from me?”

  He crossed his legs again and puts his hands back in the church and steeple position. “I told you already. We want your blood.”

  I sat down on the couch. “Doc, I’m in Vancouver and you’re in San Francisco? Can’t you see the inherent flaw with your request?”

  He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “We have a boat en route. It should reach the harbor in Vancouver in eleven days—if the weather holds out and the tides cooperate. Once you’re onboard, the boat will automatically depart and navigate you here. From Vancouver, as you are precious cargo, the return trip will take a bit longer. I’d say somewhere in the two week range.”

  I was blown away that he actually thought that this plan was even remotely possible. “Doc, this is crazy. There is no way I can walk that far, I’ve lived in a bubble my entire life! So, A, I’m not strong enough, and B, I don’t have the kind of food stores to make it that far, and C, I have no weapons of any kind.”

  He sat back, resting his hands on the armrests. “Well, the boat has all the equipment you’ll need. We’ve seen to that.”

  “Doc, don’t you get it? It’s an impossible journey just getting to the boat, nevermind lasting two weeks at sea!”

  “The ship has enough fuel to return to San Francisco and enough food stores to circumvent the globe three times over. You’ll be just fine.”

  “How did you even get it here? Who’s driving it... Casper the ghost?”

  He placed his hands back in the church-and-steeple position again. “Piloting.”

  “What?”

  “One pilots a boat, one doesn’t drive a boat.”

  I looked at Doctor Sanderson incredulously. “Really?”

  Doctor Sanderson rolled his eyes. “Sorry, the boat is piloted remotely using the solar-powered drone system we have in place. Once you’re onboard, we will be able to track your progress and provide you with air protection. The drones double as an air fighting force.”

  I was both frustrated and terrified. And worse, I was running out of arguments.

  “Doc, the only reason I know that I’m in Vancouver is that’s what my parents told me. I have never been further than just beyond the entrance to our mine. I have no skills to survive out there. Besides, how will I go to the bathroom? I can’t very well wear a biosuit for three weeks!”

  Doctor Sanderson looked very serious. “Why would you need a biosuit?”

  I was taken off guard by that remark. “Of course I’ll need a biosuit! I’ll die without one.”

  Doctor Sanderson calmly said, “Now, if I were walking outside, I would need a biosuit. As I have no antibodies to fight off the melding. But you h
ave no such issue.”

  Panicked, I stood up. “You expect me to go outside without a biosuit?”

  Doctor Sanderson stood too. “Why not? I’ve read your medical records, you’ve had all the necessary inoculations. In fact, you’ve had substantially more than most. Your mother had them all on hand, so she could continue her work. Why, you’ve even been inoculated for smallpox.”

  I was totally freaking out now and I backed away. “No way! Doc, outside is dangerous! People who go out there die! Period!”

  Doctor Sanderson slowly walked with me as I backed away towards the door. “Everyone but you it would seem.”

  I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “But how can you be sure I won’t get sick again?”

  Doctor Sanderson looked down at his shoes. “I can’t be a hundred percent certain you understand, but I do know you had enough antibodies in your body to fight off The Darkness once already, which according to all we know about medical science is completely impossible. The fact that you are standing here talking to me is proof enough. But as I’ve said, there’s no way I can be one hundred percent certain. Not without running a series of tests, which are just not possible from a distance. But I will say, you wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t survive exposure.”

  I turned away. “I don’t know what to do.”

  He reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t feel his hand, but I did see it and I couldn’t deny its comfort, “You have twelve hours to decide. In twelve hours we will cut your satellite access and at that point there will be no turning back. Go get some sleep. Think it over. But not too long.”

  With that he disappeared and so did the Nexus.

  I can’t believe it, they booted me out. How did they even find me? I thought. Well, I was the only one there. I supposed that narrowed down the search code a bit.

  I took off my goggles and sat in a stupor in my chair.

  What had I done?

  How long could everyone survive without the Nexus? I might have been able to go a year without it, maybe two. But I had my mom for my first seven years giving me kisses and hugs. I had two geniuses who designed my biosphere so I’d have enough work to keep me busy and, more importantly, enough food to keep me alive. Zack had nothing.

  Oh my god, what have I done?

  Suddenly it hit me. Twelve hours. That was plenty of time.

  I could go outside without the biosuit. If I got The Darkness, then I’d just have to log back on and they’d see I’m not who they think I am. Maybe then they’d give everyone the satellites back.

  But what would I do if I didn’t get sick?

  Could I really do that? The thought filled me with both anxiety and dread. Sweat formed on my brow and my heart fell in my stomach. I didn’t have a mirror but I’m quite certain all the color was drained from my face.

  Holy crap.

  * * *

  I snap awake.

  The moment I had to decide to go outside was terrifying for me. On the off nights where I didn’t dream about zombie-like half dead Darkness victims biting me, I dreamed about that. It’s hard to tell which was worse.

  But now that I’m awake, all I can think about is Lyssa and how I ruined everything.

  I feel so awful that I hurt her. I would rather cut off my own hand rather than hurt her, but I did and I don’t know how to fix it. I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from kissing her.

  But even if I could, I know I never would.

  Finally, I sit up and stare off into the distance. It’s the first time I’ve been in absolute darkness in the tunnel. Usually I have a candle or something. But right now, the blackness is so dense, I can feel it breathing all around me.

  But then I notice something. About thirty feet down the tunnel there is a pale light. It almost looks blue. I quietly get up and start walking towards it. It’s weird, there is barely any light, but compared to the absolute blackness in the other direction, there’s just enough light for me to see where I’m going.

  When I get right under the light, I see a ladder of metal rungs cemented in place. I don’t know why, but I’m curious about the light, so I start climbing. It’s so beautiful, I just have to see what’s causing it.

  When I get to the top, I see I’m looking out of a storm drain and the blue light is coming from the moon. It’s totally full and absolutely gorgeous. I never knew the full moon would be like this. I can see everything. The trees, the bushes, the snow, some broken down cars... And five men sitting around a campfire.

  “Jacques, I’m not complaining, eh, but what’s with this kid? Why we runnin’ all over da place, lookin’ for him, eh?”

  “Philippe, don’t you worry about that, eh. You let me worry about the why, eh?”

  “I know it ain’t my place, eh, but we been out two weeks now. We ain’t never looked this hard before, eh?”

  “Just do what I tell you and you’ll be fine, eh?”

  Another man spoke, “He’s got a point Jacques. We been looking everywhere, eh? I don’t think this kid, he is out here.”

  Jacques stands up and ferociously grabs the last man to speak and drags him up to his feet and punches him in the face. Then he stands over the man on the ground. “Whoa, I was just sayin’ it’s been weeks, but okay, eh? You win. We keeps lookin’, eh?”

  Jacques says, “Listen, this here ain’t no democracy, eh? None of this is, eh? Back home, the commander, he’s the law eh? But here, it’s me. If I say we look for the kid, we look. When I think we stop, we stop. Okay, eh?”

  Philippe says, “Jeez, I was just wonderin’ why he was important is all, eh? No need to get all riled, eh.”

  Jacques spins and kicks the man in the leg. “Because I say, is all you get! Besides, we know where he’s goin’, we’ll catch him sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time, eh?”

  I slowly and silently climb down the ladder and hurry back to Lyssa. I realize we need to move... And now. We’ll walk for a couple of hundred feet before we turn on the lights. We need to move silently. I don’t know who those men are, but whoever they are, they’re looking for me and that makes me want to run. I have to somehow wake Lyssa without making a lot of noise, which is not a sure thing, since I’ve never woken her up before.

  I get down to the bottom and turn back to Lyssa, and I can’t see a single thing. My eyes adjusted to the light topside so now I can’t see anything at all.

  Which sucks.

  I drop to my hands and knees and crawl towards Lyssa. When my hand hits the sled, I whisper frantically, “Lyssa! Lyssa, you have to get up! Lyssa!”

  But she doesn’t budge.

  So I reach out and shake her a little and again whisper, “Lyssa!”

  She turns and starts to speak loudly, so I clamp my hand over her mouth and she starts to struggle, audibly with me. I whisper, “Quiet! Those men are right above us!”

  She instantly stops struggling and nods.

  I let go and we gather everything that we can find in the dark and put it back in the sled. I know we’re most likely going to leave something behind, but we just can’t risk the light. If they see us, we’re doomed. We have two .22 rifles and they looked like they all had automatic rifles and pistols.

  We decide to pick up the sled, because the wheels have been known to squeak. Both our eyes have adjusted to the dark, so we can see pretty well in the low light; especially while we are walking in the moonlight coming through the storm drain in front of us.

  We carefully shuffle past the ladder and I gesture to Lyssa that they are right up there. She nods. As we waddle past, we can clearly hear the men laughing and joking. We keep moving down the tunnel for about a hundred yards and then finally place the sled down gently and start rolling, much faster than earlier.

  After an hour, I ask her to stop.

  I stand up, and she spins., saying, “Holy crap! That was too close.”

  “It’s me. They are after me.”

  Lyssa looks at me in disbelief, “You really do have a mess
iah complex don’t you?”

  “You don’t get it, they said they were looking for me! And what’s worse, they said they know where I’m going!”

  “They said that?”

  I nod.

  “Okay, then we have to be extremely careful from here on out. They are camping. So we keep going all night. We don’t stop till we hit the bay. If we hurry, we can probably be there by tomorrow. That’s assuming we don’t hit any more obstacles.”

  “What day is it?”

  “Well, that’s a little tough to say, I kind of relied on other people to keep calendars. But as far as I know, it’s the twenty-fifth of January. Why?”

  “I don’t think the boat is scheduled to arrive till sometime on the twenty-seventh.”

  “You mean it’s not already there?”

  I shake my head, “No. It was on autopilot en route from San Francisco.”

  “Well, what if it sinks?”

  I drop to the floor and lean against the sled. “Then we’re screwed.”

  “I have to tell you something... You see those numbers on the wall over there?”

  We are stopped near a drain so the light is clearly revealing some painted numbers on the wall. I nod.

  “Well, those are coordinates of some sort. Based on those numbers we are about eighteen miles from the city. That means those bastards are also that close. They can probably make it in half a day if they leave the men on foot behind, or make them run alongside them. If that boat isn’t there when we get there, we’re dead.”

  “Well, let’s hope you’re really bad at keeping track of a calendar,” I say.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  We ride all night. And of course, like a child, because I was on the back, I fell asleep. I just couldn’t help it. I was just sitting there. I had no job. There was nothing to look at; the tunnel was nearly completely dark. It was bound to happen.

  With the cold air blowing on my face as we slowly roll down the tunnel, I dream of the first time I stepped out of the airlock and felt fresh air on my skin.

  ***

  I stood in front of the airlock for what felt like an eternity. I was wearing every warm article of clothing I could find in my closet (so, you know, practically nothing) because I just figured it was going to be freezing outside.