The Children of New Earth

by Ehtasham, Talha

  “So?” Seth asked. “How was it!?”

  “Traumatizing,” Cora answered.

  “I won’t lie,” Lynn said. “It was pretty awesome.”

  “Anyone else find it ironic that I’m the only one that died?” Isaac asked facetiously, sitting up on his bed.

  “Better you than any of us,” I said. “We don’t get a second chance out there in the real world.”

  “That felt like days. How were we only in there for a couple hours?” I asked.

  “It always feels super long the first few times,” Keli replied. “But after some practice it becomes a routine.”

  “What’s the record on this thing?” Aaron asked.

  “The fastest anyone’s gotten to the beach is thirty two seconds” Amelia replied, glancing at Seth.

  “What?! How?” Aaron exclaimed.

  “It’s not hard,” Seth answered with a grin. “As soon as it starts I just pick up an auto rifle and shoot my way through the forest.”

  “But it’s so far away.”

  “Well, we forgot to tell you this before but the more rounds you complete the larger the island gets and the further you have to run to get to the beach. At round one it's just a few hundred feet to that beautiful view. At round seven it's a couple miles.”

  “Thanks, Seth. So helpful,” Rachel said.

  “Oh, it’s a terrifying experience and I don’t recommend it to anyone,” he said nonchalantly. “But it’s efficient if you’re that kind of player.”

  “I wanna try it again, friends,” Aaron said.

  “I’ll join you,” Lynn added.

  The rest of us opted out, leaving the VRC as the two laid back for another game. Isaac headed back to the room for a nap and Rachel went to practice with her Orb in one of the training rooms. Cora and I went to the main laboratory with Mark. This routine continued for a few days, and life seemed relatively normal again. The only exception was the lack of Parents. Besides Father Cameron, all residents of this Sanctuary were Neogens. This came with a certain level of freedom, as well as a developing sense of responsibility.

  Chapter 13

  Father Cameron himself wasn’t seen too often. According to Michael, he was always in his study, poring over old books and other literature. Some of them were already stored in the Sanctuary as part of a small library, built when the base was first established many years ago. But most were collected on missions to find supplies, at Cameron’s request. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but I wasn’t one to question learning for learning’s sake.

  I was hoping to talk to him about what he knew regarding the current state of things, as well as his plans for the future. We weren’t going to change the world just sitting underground, and I didn’t like just waiting for him to decide on something. Unfortunately, getting a meeting with him proved more difficult than I’d thought. He apparently saved his appearances for welcoming newcomers. One day, I approached Michael and Micah while they were training to ask if they could get him to see me. I felt we’d become acquainted well enough for me to ask this small favor.

  “Surely he does something other than read all the time,” I said to the twins.

  “Well, he sleeps of course,” Michael said, slashing at a training dummy with a wooden sword.

  “And eats,” Micah added as she completed a handstand.

  “He was happy enough to see us when we first got here.”

  “That was different,” Michael said. “You’re the first people to come to this Sanctuary in years.”

  “Doesn’t that tell you something about the world?”

  “The world is gone,” Micah said, standing back on her feet.

  “Then what’s your plan?” I asked. “Stay here forever?”

  “We could,” Michael answered. “We’ve got solar panels, food and water recyclers, and a diverse male and female population.”

  “It’s not elegant but it would work,” Micah concurred.

  “Well I’m sorry if I don’t agree.”

  “That’s perfectly alright,” Michael said, putting down his practice sword. “Many people here don’t. But they’re loyal to our father, and he just wants to play it safe for now.”

  “It can get kinda cramped down here though,” Micah said, completing a flip. “Why don’t you join me and Raphael on a supply run, get your mind off things.”

  I was feeling a little annoyed at the time, but I agreed.

  “You kids have fun now,” Michael said. “I’ll keep an eye out when I can.”

  I headed back to our room to get ready. I considered asking any of the others if they wanted to come along, but none of them were there. I grabbed my pack, cloak, and Void Knife, but as I turned towards the door, something strange caught my attention. I knew the floor was made of tile, so I was quite surprised to see a patch of gray metal just beside my bed. However, after blinking twice, it was gone. I shook it off as some trick of the light, and went to meet Micah.

  The exit to the Sanctuary was a short walk through a sewer and a simple climb out of a hatch onto the beach, much closer to town than the trap door we encountered about a week ago. The moment my head emerged, I was hit by a rush of warm, fresh air. Stepping onto the sand, I stretched my arms out and closed my eyes. It felt good to be outside again. At the end of the sandy expanse, we stepped onto a long, winding road. As we walked, I could see the blue ocean past the veil of trees on either side of us.

  “What’s the Demon population like?” I asked. “I feel like we’re in the middle of nowhere, do they ever become a problem?”

  “Well, until recently, we used the supplies stored in the Sanctuary so Demons weren’t really an issue,” Micah explained. “But we started running out so we had to start scavenging.”

  “There weren't any complications at first, but they’re getting more aggressive,” Raphael added. “We almost lost a couple Neogens last month in a really bad Siren attack.”

  “Yeah, we’ve seen the same behavior,” I said. “Still not sure why.”

  “A lot of infected people are shut off in the buildings,” Micah said. “But luckily nothing worse has made its way to our little patch of heaven.”

  “Have you ever thought about, you know, taking care of the Hollows?” I asked.

  “You mean killing them?” Raphael clarified.

  “I guess, yeah. They were people once just like you and me. I don’t know, in a way I feel bad for them.”

  “It’d be too dangerous to clear them all out,” Micah answered. “They’re confined for now, and it’s not like they have somewhere to be.”

  When we finally made it to town, something in the atmosphere changed, and I felt it best to remain as quiet as I could. The others probably shared this sentiment, as they began using hand signals to communicate. Micah turned to Raphael, made a “C” with her thumb and index finger, and shook it back and forth, as if she was holding a small bottle. Raphael gave a little salute and ran off. Micah then looked to me and motioned to follow her. We cautiously navigated through this maze of a town. It was full of small shops and restaurants, much less modern than those I’d seen in the cities. However, it was different in that there were no smashed cars, no rubble, no bodies; no sign that this place had been ravaged by a war. I found this odd, but not totally unreasonable given its secluded location.

  Micah finally stopped in front of what seemed like a hardware store. She took out a gun and signaled for me to stay outside. She took a quick look around the area and decided it was OK to talk out loud.

  “I know what we need, just gonna grab some stuff and get out,” she whispered, then looked over my shoulder. “Can you search these cars? Pick up anything that might be useful.”

  “You sure?” I protested her decision as quietly as I could. “What if there’s a Swarm, or worse?!”

  “You can stop time, right? If anything comes you’ll have all the time in the world to come warn me,” she answered.

  “I can’t actually stop time- “ I started, but she was already in the
store, leaving me alone in the dead quiet of this ghost town.

  She was gone for what felt like hours. I scanned my surroundings constantly, waiting for some inevitable attack. The silence should’ve been calming but it was actually quite unsettling. I walked up to the nearest car; it was a dark blue with one door on either side. The windows were shattered and the tires ripped to shreds. The side door opened with a low creak, and little pieces of glass broke off onto the pavement. I sat down on the seat and began to search. The box between the seats had a few loose papers, nothing of interest. Another compartment in front of the seat contained a first aid kit, which I stuffed into my pack, along with a couple batteries I found under the seat.

  The next few cars were devoid of anything useful. I wandered the area, trying to stay within the vicinity of the store Micah was in. It was then that something on the ground caught my attention. It was a family photo with a man, a woman, and a little girl. As I picked it up, I could almost hear their voices. Their conversations, their banter, their laughter. I shut my eyes and the voices grew louder. But my trance was distracted when Micah finally returned.

  “Hey, find anything?”

  I opened my eyes and blinked, inhaling sharply as I did so. “What? Y-yeah a couple things.”

  “Alright, let’s go meet Raphael.”

  I hesitated a moment before placing the photo on the windshield of a nearby car, feeling it would be disrespectful to just leave it on the ground. I then followed Micah to our next destination. As we walked, the wind got quieter and the sky grew darker. But what really frightened me was what I saw after we turned at the next intersection.

  There, in the middle of the street, sat a skinny, shivering, human-like thing. I only knew what it was by the sound of its weeping. I turned nervously to Micah, afraid that she had been affected by its toxin. But she calmly signaled me to stay quiet and motioned for us to move onto the sidewalk.

  We slowly walked alongside the buildings, moving around the Siren, hoping it wouldn't sense our presence. Micah had her gun at the ready, but I knew it would take more than a few bullets to stop the Demon. Still, it brought some degree of comfort.

  We were almost past the Siren when it suddenly stopped crying and looked up. We quickly ducked behind a nearby car and held our breath. I heard sniffing, followed by a muffled growl. I peeked over the car door and saw its black eyes and disfigured face through the grimy windows. Just then, I could’ve sworn the Demon turned its head to look straight at me. I dared not move, and stared back into those lifeless eyes completely paralyzed. However, much to my relief, it put its head back down, and once again began to weep.

  Micah and I cautiously stood up and continued onward. We made it past the Siren, and I let out a sigh of relief when we turned the next corner. My heart was still racing, but Micah seemed totally unfazed. Granted, this was only my second Siren, and the first one had nearly killed me.

  I took a minute to compose myself while Micah impatiently kept watch. We arrived at the pharmacy a few minutes later, where Raphael was waiting for us.

  “Got the pills,” he said quietly.

  “Got the parts,” Micah replied.

  “Got the…other stuff.” I added.

  Then Micah abruptly looked to her right and began to whisper. “What’s up?…yeah we got it…no it’s fine just a Siren…yeah…wait you need that now?…is it finished?…alright then, see you in a bit.”

  I knew what her power was, but it was still a bit odd watching her use it. In her mind, Michael was standing right next to her, but Raphael and I couldn’t see or hear him. Regardless, from what Micah said, it seemed like there was one more thing we had to collect.

  “They need a radio,” she informed us.

  “You’re telling me that, in your entire military base, there isn’t a single working radio?” I asked skeptically.

  “It’s a long story that this is neither the time nor place for,” Raphael said. “Let’s just get it over with.”

  This radio they were looking for was on the other side of town. Advancing further, we heard more and more unsettling noises; growling, moaning, scratching, and thumping coming from the houses and stores around us. I was very uneasy about the whole situation, but Micah urged me to stay quiet and keep moving. Apparently, no one came to this part of town often, but if they had to, they would get in and out safely so long as they were quiet.

  Micah and Raphael finally stopped at an electronics store. From the outside, I could see that there were countless empty shelves and papers scattered over the floor. The back area wasn’t as well lit, but I saw the shadows move ever so slightly.

  I glanced at Micah and Raphael, and their expressions told me she saw it too. It wasn’t an expression of fear, but rather annoyance and frustration. After thinking for a minute, Micah pulled me aside.

  “Alright look, we don’t know what’s in there, and we need that radio,” she whispered. “I need you to use your power.”

  “Um, are you sure?” I tried to express some degree of apprehension. “I don’t really know what it looks like.”

  “It’s a radio,” she replied bluntly. “A box with a metal rod. Check the storage behind the counter, there should only be one or two left.”

  “Can’t we just kill whatever’s in there?”

  “I don’t want to risk a potentially noisy fight if I don’t have to.”

  I had recently been trying to fight against my instinct to play it safe. Taking risks got people killed, but it also got things done. Just about every threat I’d come across since the Sanctuary, I’d either run from or let someone else deal with. But in this moment I decided to stop running and face my fears. Motivating myself by giving this speech in my head, I nodded to Micah and Raphael, who smiled and wished me luck. I approached the entrance of the store, relaxing my body and taking a deep breath. As I exhaled, feeling the wind slow to a near halt. The sounds of the Hollows could no longer be heard, and the shifting shadows became stationary. Then, I stepped through the doorway.

  The sun illuminated only main area of the store. All the shelves and racks were empty, someone had clearly taken everything of use. I suspected it was the Neogens from Sanctuary, in need of these devices for whatever they were building. I arrived at the back of the store, where the light of the sun could not reach. I turned on my flashlight and jumped over the counter. There were several sets of shelves facing towards me and one more on the far wall, at the very back of the store. I looked down the first aisle and saw nothing of interest. The second was the same.

  However, upon arriving at the third aisle, I jumped back in surprise. There stood a motionless Hollow, slowly turning its head, its lifeless eyes looking right at me. In my startled state, I used my power out of instinct, forgetting that it was already active. Only after this happened did I realize what I’d really done.

  The creature froze. I had actually stopped time altogether. I was incredibly proud of myself for doing so, but equally embarrassed that it was in response to a harmless Hollow.

  Satisfied that I was now completely out of danger, I began to search the shelves, which mostly held old wires and rusty tools. Finally, I checked the back shelf and was able to find two dusty old radios. They both looked exactly how Micah had described them: boxes with metal rods. I stuffed them in my backpack and leaped back over the counter. I then hesitated a moment, it didn’t sit right with me, just leaving the Hollow alone like that.

  I unsheathed my knife and approached the creature. I looked at his face; emotionless, yet hinting at a subtle sadness. Having virtually all the time in the world, I developed a newfound clarity. This used to be a person, just like me. He had friends, a family, hopes and dreams. But by some stroke of bad luck, he fell victim to a terrible virus and wasn’t able to get the cure in time. Now his whole life had been reduced to a pointless existence. I didn’t know what happened after death. I suppose no one did. But even a chance at salvation was better than this.

  Having decided to put further philosophical question
s on hold, I swiftly stabbed him in the head, wincing slightly as I did so. As the blade tore the skin, my vision turned blurry and a purple image flashed before me. I made the mistake of shutting my eyes, and that’s when I saw her again, the Queen. This time we weren’t on a stormy mountain, but rather in the middle of a desert. I could only see her body as a silhouette against the bright sun, but she was clearly making that same beckoning motion. I quickly opened my eyes again and saw that the Hollow had collapsed, his dark red blood slowly pooling at my feet.

  Shaking off what I’d just seen, I stepped out of the store and met Micah and Raphael outside. They were standing there just as I’d left them.

  “That was quick,” Raphael said. “You were only in there for a few seconds.”

  “I could’ve been in there for hours and you’d never know.”

  “Got me there. Any trouble?”

  “Just a Hollow. He’s not longer with us.”

  “Great,” Micah said. “And did you get the radio?”

  “Not only did I get it, I got another one of it.”

  “Perfect. Now, let’s head back,” Micah replied cheerfully.

  We walked back towards the beach, moving as quietly as we could and trying our hardest to ignore the Hollows lurking about in the buildings around us. But it turned out those weren’t the ones we needed to worry about. As we turned at the next road, we found ourselves facing a huge crowd of them meandering about the street. After standing there for a moment, Micah stepped forward.

  “Well? Let’s go then.”

  Most of them didn’t even stop to look, or even notice we were there. Very few looked as they had when they were alive - or rather, more traditionally conscious. Since they hadn’t been given nourishment, nor did they have the mental capacity to seek their own, the Hollows’ bodies were frail and weak. Their eyes were droopy and unfocused, their gaits slow and staggered. I felt an urge to put an end to their misery, not out of fear but out of pity. But I knew Micah, in her rush, would have none of it. I considered stopping time, but I was still a little dizzy from my earlier use, and decided it’d have to wait.