Days Beyond Reach.
Chapter 1.
Author's Note:
A new story! It's another apocalypse theme, but this time, it's not zombie related and will be much shorter than my other story, AttackOnZombies. Please enjoy, and please review!
For the first time in thirty years, the air brushed up against his skin.
The cryochamber's door screeched open, and W.I.N.N.I.E.'s voice activated itself. A light static overlapped her robotic tone.
"Warning: Energy levels at 5%. Initiating rebirth sequence. Please stand by."
The chamber lifted itself up, revealing the naked body of a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. His face was no different than it had been thirty years ago. A needle reached out from one of the side compartments in the chamber, positioning itself near his stomach. W.I.N.N.I.E. began once more.
"This unit will now inject an anti-stasis formula into your body. Warning: Side effects to prolonged cryogenetic sleep may include nausea, dizzyness, mild amnesiatic symptoms, heart fluttering, and/or vomiting."
The needle injected itself into the man's side, and quickly removed itself. Instantly, his eyes opened, and he fell forward out of the chamber, grasping his stomach. With gasps, he sat on the floor in a panic. He clutched his throat with his other hand - even the air burned.
He threw up.
Aside from his gasps and hisses, no noise seemed to fill the room. A hologram of a young lady appeared from the chamber.
"Hello, Marco. This unit is installed to warn you to drink plenty of water upon exiting the chamber."
He looked around at the familiar room. With a pause, he sighed. "Yeah...I remember."
Rising to his feet, Marco moved towards his fridge. The light was off inside, indicating that the drinks had not been kept refrigerated. Still, the water was drinkable. Grabbing a bottle, he stood in front of the hologram.
"Hello, uh...Winnie," he began. "Can you tell me what year it is?"
The hologram tilted its head. "The date is June 14th, 2074."
He rubbed his head. "Thank you...um...status report?"
"This unit has been running on a self-installed generator for fifteen weeks. The generator to the fallout shelter has been off. The electricity has run out."
Massaging his temples, Marco nodded. "Right. How's the environment?"
Winnie paused. "Calculating."
Marco waited patiently. After nearly ten seconds, Winnie responded.
"The radiation levels are at 0.00%. Forecast is cloudy."
"Other survivors detected?"
"Calculating."
"Sure."
"...None detected. You are alone within a ten mile radius, Mr. Bodt. Is there anything else this unit may assist you with, while reminding you that its charge maintains itself at 3%?"
I am alone, thought Marco. He shook his head at Winnie. "N-no...sign off. Power down."
Winnie nodded. "Goodbye, Marco Bodt."
With a click, she powered down. Marco walked around the pitch black shelter in search of a light. Finding only a small flashlight, he clicked it on and searched for anything that could aid him in the outside world. A pair of clothes and a crossbow met his eyes, and he equipped them both. He found his exit, and stared at it dully. The power wasn't on - this meant the door would not be opened any time soon.
"H-hey, Winnie?"
The machine was off. Approaching it, he powered it back on.
"Hello. This is W.I.N.N.I.E., your very own cryogenetic-"
"Yes, yes. Can you please open the door to the shelter?"
Winnie seemed hurt by the interruption, although she wasn't, because she was an AI. "Transferring charge to shelter. You have thirty seconds before loss of power."
Marco nodded, and ran towards the controls. The room lit itself up with a dying, dim red light. With a push of the button, the door opened, and the entire shelter shut off once it was finished.
Marco cautiously stepped out into the light, and took time for his eyes to adjust. Removing his hand from his forehead, he whistled.
"Wow...Earth, you've gone downhill, my friend…"
The fence he had once built himself had been rotted, and his home was in moss-coated shambles. Everything was a lot greener than he remembered. Of course, he'd been in a cryogenic chamber for thirty years, and in the shelter for thirty-five.
The grass reached up to his knees in some parts, though in many places, it had stopped growing at a certain point. Walking through it, he decided to go back through his household to reach the street.
Everything was dusty but, for the most part, in tact. The house had settled here and there. A picture of his family and himself laid flat on a desk. He looked at it for a few moments in reflection, brushed his hair back, and stepped outside, drinking more water from his bottle.
As far as he could see, the entire neighborhood seemed somewhat undisturbed, though old and abandoned. He remembered old video games and movies, and wondered if there were really no more survivors out there. There was never really just one person left, right?
Passing an overgrown garden, he suddenly recalled his hunger. "Oh, God…"
He dug into tomatoes and strawberries raw, along with a few random peppers here and there. The flavors all contrasted sharply, but it had been a very long time since he'd eaten, and even longer since he'd had uncanned foods.
His eyes scanned upwards. The city he lived near was visible. Birds flew around it, and several of the once proud skyscrapers were falling apart, leaning sideways and broken in half.
Standing up, he grabbed more tomatoes. "Alright, city. Let's see what you have in store for me."
The city was dark and disturbing. Old cars littered the streets. Telephone poles and streetlights were flung about as if a giant monster had crashed through. Honestly, Marco had a hard time recalling why he even went into the chamber. It wasn't nuclear war. It wasn't really even war. Something blue...a blue light? What was it?
A crackling of leaves caused him to jump. Turning sharply around, a doe caught his attention. She watched him curiously, as if she knew what he was but didn't at the same time. He didn't move, and she moved wistfully beside him, contemplating his character. Waiting until she moved out of immediate sight, Marco hid behind one of the decomposing cars, watching her distantly.
He looked at his crossbow, and up at her. "Alright. Meat. Sorry, beautiful."
Raising the weapon, Marco noticed another crackling of leaves causing her to become alert. He muttered underneath his breath, and waited for her to relax.
"Easy...that's it...stay right there…"
He closed one eye to check his aim and-
"HEY!"
Jumping, he misfired terribly. The doe took off, and Marco growled. He turned around, looking for the source of the voice which, under other circumstances, he'd have been elated to hear.
"Who's there?!"
A figure in a very different set of armor came out from behind a parking garage's column. He (or she, though the voice was masculine) approached him and removed their helmet. It was a male around his age who, despite the world looking the way it did, managed to have very punk and stylish hair. His helmet, unlike Marco's, resembled a motorcycle helmet crossed with a Star Wars "Imperial Trooper". Marcos was more for protection from radiation.
"Are you insane?!" the other boy asked. "What are you doing out this late?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!"
Marco looked around. "I'd estimate around...five?"
"YES. Do you have a death wish or something?!"
"A death wish?"
He raised an eyebrow at the slender, tall man. What was he going on about?
"Hello? After five, the indoctrinated…"
He trailed off. A scream that didn't sound human emerged from far down the street. The boy looked at Marco.
"That was your deer. Come on. We've got to go."
"Wait, what are you going on about?"
He growled at Marco. "Do you want to die or not?!"
"N-no?"
"Then fucking follow me! I've got a motorbike. Get on behind me and I'll take you somewhere safe, idiot!"
Marco was not okay with the language, but followed him regardless. That scream, if it was from a deer, was abnormal and terrified. He sure as hell wasn't taking any chances.
The boy put on his helmet once more and dragged Marco out of the city. In the outskirts, there was a motorcycle, though it was very old and contained parts of several different machines. Marco stared at it for a moment, trying not to chuckle. The other boy looked at him.
"She's a beauty, isn't she? My old man fixed her up."
"Oh, uh...yeah. Beautiful, I guess."
Marco got on behind him. Starting the engine up, the boy sped out of town so alarmingly fast that the freckled boy had to hold on tight to his waist. Once they were out of town, the guy became much more talkative.
"You seem lost. Do you have amnesia?"
"I don't believe so. I know who I am. I know my way around. I can identify different types of tomatoes."
"That's grand. So why the hell are you acting like you've never seen an Endo?"
"Endo?"
"Indoctrinated. God, there you go again."
Marco shrugged. "Because...I havent?"
"You must be one lucky son of a bitch, then. Name's Jean Kirschstein, by the way. Just in case you were curious."
"Oh, of course. Marco Bodt."
Marco found it particularly strange that he had a French first name and a German surname, but an American accent. Still, he said nothing of it and was grateful to be getting out of the supposedly dangerous city.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Home. My parents run this town by the oil rig...it's the finest around, though whatever rock you lived under might have been a bit better."
"For your information, I didn't live under a rock. I was sheltered."
"Oh, I believe that. Real shame, parents not letting their kids see the world. Even if it is harsh."
"What? No, I mean, I was in a...shelter…"
Jean hadn't heard; Marco looked up. A massive oil rig was getting close, surrounded by armed forces of some kind. They wore uniforms similar to Jean's - all black, padded - but no helmets. Their weapons were particularly unusual, as they emitted a blue light of some sort.
"Jean?" Marco asked. "What are those guns?"
"Guns? Oh, you must mean what the soldiers have. It's called a Marauder's Laser. They shoot with the same stuff the Endo's use. Of course, you haven't been subjected to them, so…"
"Same stuff? So, like...what's it do?"
"I'll show you later. For now, we've got to get in there. It's way past curfew and my parents will murder me. Especially when they see I haven't brought back more than a few rabbits and a confused guy."
Jean flew through the gates, which were shut soon after he entered, and parked in a garage near the center of the town. Marco removed his mask, and looked around. The people were ugly, Marco thought, then felt bad. He hadn't seen such a population, before, however.
No one wore makeup. Most of the men and women didn't shave, and they had the most peculiar, old-timey hairstyles. Marco looked at Jean's hair, which was shaved except for a portion of the top, which sort of resembled a mohawk but... not quite.
"Welcome home," Jean grinned. "Something the matter?"
"No it's just...people look different here."
Jean tilted his head. "You mean...we look dirty or something? The oil would explain-"
"No I mean...where I come from...girls used to have darker eyes and guys didn't typically carry a beard…"
"They get dark eyes here, too, if they're sleep deprived. Also, most people don't want to keep a knife around just to shave off hair that grows back."
Marco chuckled, though Jean had missed the point about girls and makeup. "Some people back home would call this heaven."
A fat woman and a tall man ran over to Jean, and he stood tall for them. They asked him about his findings in the city and scolded him for being out too late. He introduced Marco, and their expressions fell. The father spoke up first.
"J-Jean...we can't handle that many more survivors. There's a food shortage as there is…"
"I know, Dad, but, he was alone and...I think he's ill. He doesn't even know about the Endos."
Marco shrugged, overhearing them. "It's true. I've got no idea what an Endo is."
Mrs. Kirschstein got the opposite impression. "I think he'd make a lovely addition. Jean's always so lonely, maybe he needed a friend."
"He's only lonely because his lady friend rejected hi-"
"Shut up, Dad!" Jean growled. "That's got nothing to do with anything. Look, can he stay, or not?!"
Mr. Kirschstein sighed, examining Marco. "Fine. For a few days, he can stay here. In the mean time, we'll have to re-educate him on the Endos, and whatever else he seems lost on."
Marco wouldn't come out about the shelter just yet. Something told him they wouldn't react well until he proved himself worthy of being a citizen.
"So, the cities are for the indoctrinated? They live there, and during the sunset hours through sunrise, they dominate?"
"Absolutely. You do not want to be caught by an Endo, either. If one sees you, you're basically dead unless you've got a motorbike. My dad builds them out of his shop, but they're costly little bastards."
"Oh…" Marco frowned. "I figured money would be abolished…"
"Money?" Jean asked. "What are you…?"
"Like, currency? How do you buy things?"
Jean tilted his head. "I might understand what you're asking. We trade for either deeds or rare items. I only got one 'cuz I'm his kid. Now, let's show you how to use a Marauder's Laser."
"Right."
The two boys stood side by side. Jean studied Marco's face for a little bit before speaking again. "You're very light."
"What?"
"I mean, you're like...white. Like a cloud. But with freckles."
"Oh. I mean...I haven't really been out in the sun."
"Jesus, are you secretly a princess or something?!"
"No, I just…"
Jean raised an eyebrow. "Very well. You'll get lots of exposure out here. Now then, the weapons."
He picked up a gun and moved towards a ladder. "We can't fire these in town, so, the targets are all set up outside."
They climbed the wall surrounding the town and looked out. The stars were so numerous. Marco didn't recall ever seeing so many.
Jean pointed to a target. "Okay. Watch."
He placed his finger on the trigger and held it down. After two seconds of an eerie buzzing noise, the weapon fired a constant stream of blue at the target. It blew up on impact, and each fragment of the object - as well as the ground beneath it - burned to a crisp. Marco's eyes widened and he covered his mouth.
The blue light.
"Marc? You alright?" Jean asked, feeling friendly enough to drop the 'o' at the end of his name. Marco took a step back.
"N-not the…"
He tripped and started to fall over the edge. Jean threw the gun to the side and ran to him, grabbing his hand and pulling him back up.
"H-hey!" Jean yelled. "Be careful!"
Marco fell to his knees. Jean kneeled beside him.
"I don't understand. What's wrong? Does it frighten you or something, princess?"
"I...I've seen that light…"
He gulped.
"I saw it demolish entire cities…"
"Nonsense!" Jean laughed. "The cities haven't been tampered with in my lifetime."
"This wasn't in your lifetime, Kirschstein," Marco stated. "This was...thirty-five years ago…"
Jean looked at him, and then laughed. "BAH! You're not that old, dude!"
"I lived in a shelter and was in a state of cryogenic stasis for the past thirty years," Marco informed. Jean stood back.
"Um...cryo...what?"
"If you don't understand, I'll show you tomorrow!" he barked. "But that weapon...why would we harness it?!"
"Calm down, Marco…" Jean stated. "I...Maybe you should talk to my dad."
"Maybe I should!" Marco yelled. "How old is he?!"
"He's in his fifties. He saw the end of the human world himself, though he won't talk to anyone about it."
Marco gritted his teeth. "Then that settles it! I have to talk to hi-"
"Not tonight," Jean whispered. "Please. Just...tell him tomorrow."
Marco took a moment to look at Jean.
"Because if you make a wrong move, he'll kick you out."
With a sigh, he nodded. "Alright. Tomorrow."
"Good...so...let's get you a place to stay. Maybe you can bunk with me..."
Author's Note.
So, thoughts?