Chapter: Sixteen.
Forty years had passed and the world had changed dramatically. I felt useless and plagued with questions. I had scenarios constantly running in my head. I had seen the past, and seen the present. Still though, I felt lost. Imagine living today as if you had been asleep for most of your mature life and one day awoken. I felt more than lost. I felt tortured and tormented as I questioned why this had happened to me. I'm nothing different or anything special. I suppose I wanted to see and that was my curse. Because once you see, you can't unsee. Once you know, you can't claim to not know. I had been robbed of reason and the more I learned, the less I wanted to know. I had to accept my burden. Lets face it; I couldn't function in society and had nothing in common with anyone. Everyone I knew or loved was either distant or gone.
One afternoon, I decided to take a walk uptown, unable to remain confined in the house filled with painful memories. Walking around town I became aware of buildings with security cameras that were posted every-which-way one could look. Inside businesses and retail shops I saw what looked like metal detectors that greeted everyone when entering an establishment. This intrigued me, as a patron entered a place of business I decided to scope things out. Upon entering, a voice came over a speaker system and an image displayed on the monitor next to the detector. This monitor was manned by a New Order military officer, and depicted a person's photo, name, age, date of birth, along with other specifics that were illegible from where I was. I decided to continue walking and saw more military-style people everywhere attempting to enforce the New Order regulations. Seeing this my mind flashed to stories I had heard concerning people disappearing in multitudes, never again to be seen; the concentration camps.
Grabbing a spot on a nearby vacant bench, I continued to observe life. A man with a white aura casually walking down the street, minding his own business caught my eye. It wasn't so much him, but the car approaching him. The car maintained its stalking approach coming to a speedy halt. Next, I witnessed four men dressed in military fatigues exit the vehicle and approach John Q. Citizen. The sight made me slightly nervous and I felt I should turn my keester and walk away.
However, couldn't. I saw two men from the New Order begin to restrain the pedestrian, holding one arm each. As the third military guy approached, he was clutching what I assumed to be a scanner that he moved in a circular motion slightly above the man's hand, presuming to be scanning the pedestrian for his chip. The stranger began begging to be released as the guy with the scanner said something to the other military officer. The officer with the scanner retrieved a long, oblique object from out of his belt and approached the man being restrained. He then held it up like one would a flashlight, aiming it between the man's eyes. The military officer pressed a button on the back of the device as the man began to violently shake. Seconds later, the pedestrian's body became limp and he collapsed onto the ground below. Watching in disbelief, the two officers bent down and grabbed the body, then drug it to the rear of the vehicle and placed him into the back. Bugging out, this must have showed on my face, since one of the military men directed his attention to me. I'm sure I was wearing a redneck-at-an-opera kind of expression. The officer made his approach as I calmly stood up off the bench and turned to walk away.
"Name and serial number," I heard, as I nervously turned to face him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see anything," I replied with a charming grin, trying to mask my fear. As I looked at his face, his eyes felt cold as if he was hypnotized. He mindlessly stared for a few brief seconds, said nothing then turned to walk away. I stood motionless for a brief moment, trying to catch my breath. I tried to digest what had just taken place. After taking a couple deep breaths, I decided it was time to head home. En route, I could not begin to understand the significance of what I had witnessed. My mind raced through the scenario over and over again like the annoyance of a pesky fly. Should I have helped the man? What was that about? I tried to convince myself that there was a valid reason for that man to receive that treatment. I mean, they couldn't just do that, right?
Minutes later I arrived home and called Dallas, relaying to him what I had just witnessed. Following the call was an awkward silence as I heard a pause in the line.
"Well, Fisher, the New Order is now in full swing. This is what we had foreseen and have known for sometime would take place. They are taking any and everyone that refuses the chip for absolutely no reason, and are collecting more and more with each passing day."
"How is that possible?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"The time of the end is near, Brother. We will soon have to deal with the same fate, I'm afraid." Part of me was unable to accept his message as we closed our conversation and I placed the phone back on the receiver. Pacing around the house, I tried to think of ways to stop the Order, to rebel if you will. I then realized that the world was now much different and government was much bigger than I. Not to mention those under its spell. Definition of spell: thinking they are thinking but only thinking what they have been programmed to think. The only solution I could think of was: wormhole!
This night I was more than extra restless. I was pacing tracks into the carpet of my Mother's abandoned house when I saw the wormhole appear. I had previously spoken with each of my immediate family members and had explained that I may leave again. They expressed that they understood. Blazing-Barbie-dolls, they wanted to come along. Stepping outside, I walked toward the wormhole and felt instantly relieved. Looking to my left, in doubt, in fear, I witnessed a military car approaching, with cherries and berries blazing. As I walked toward the sphere I heard a monotone voice over a speaker say,
"Stop and assist. You have broken curfew regulations." About twenty or thirty feet shy of the wormhole, the vehicle gained momentum and was now hot on my trail. I turned and saw men pile out of the SUV and begin to run toward me, each holding that same looking weapon I had seen earlier. Breaking out my old soccer skills, I took off running. In fear of my life I took off as fast and as hard as I could. Seconds later, when I turned to look back one final time, they were gaining on me. Sweat beginning to build, my adrenaline pumped and I turned back around and from a few feet out, leapt toward the sphere. I felt the pulling sensation, but it wasn't gravity or the absence of gravity. One of the military men had jumped and in midair managed to grab hold of my leg. Halfway inside the sphere I had with nothing to grab or hold. In a fight or flight attempt to free myself, I turned over to my side and jerked my leg. Looking back, I saw the man who had hold of my leg lose his grip. Having pulled off my shoe, he fell backwards to the ground as I quickly shuffled into the wormhole. Thankful to be safe, I realized the wormhole had changed. It appeared to not be moving as fast as usual and the spirits seemed less abundant. I felt as light as air and laid horizontally. I pushed forward with my legs and began the glide while looking around mysteriously. Usually I could see things as if they were occurring in the future. I now couldn't. I saw only events from the past. Looking toward the end of the tunnel for the first time, I saw the end. This time all I saw was an empty field. It was large in size and beautiful. I continued to glide toward the field until I arrived at the end. Once there, I stepped out and gasped for air as I fell hard to the ground. I then stood up and dusted myself off. Around me were beautifully natural scenes. The sun was setting on the horizon with mountains in the distance, and I could see nothing but a large field with green grass and flourishing trees. Just as I heard someone call out my name and tried to focus on where the voice had originated. I turned around to see Order approaching. Boy was I glad to see her. She appeared to be gliding over the field to me. Seconds later, standing in front of me,
"Fisher, this is the battleground in which we will stand together to battle the Dark Siders. It is called the Valley of Megiddo."
"Why me? I mean, why did you do this to me?" I asked out of frustration.
"I was just a no
rmal kid. I'm now estranged from the modern world, and am a borderline freak." Order reached out and grabbed hold of my hand. I felt an intense rush of energy surge through my veins, forcing me to close my eyes only to open them to see that the field that was empty was now full. It contained billions of people. It was the war I had seen earlier, briefly. It was as if it was on pause as we walked inconspicuously around. In the midst of the battle, I saw a definite segregation pertaining to the opposing sides.
"So this is it?" I asked with amazement.
"This will be our destiny, Fisher. You and I will be on the left, fighting for the Light Workers. On the right are the Dark Siders." I looked and could see people as far as one could see. I saw the Light Worker's side lighting up the night and the Dark Sider's side, ruthless, venomous. Their eyes glowing piercing red as I continued to observe the Dark Side. I turned to look at Order as she smiled, then reached out with her arm as I extended my hand.
"It's time to go," she said.
"We will meet again soon enough." As we locked hands with one another, I felt another intense rush of energy forcing my eyes to close. Upon opening them seconds later I found myself alone inside the tunnel. Like before, the tunnel was shorter, and I realized it was beginning to accelerate. As I looked toward the entrance, the end, my beginning, I saw myself hooked up to machines, but I was somewhere I had never seen before. I stretched out my arms, became weightless and started to glide. Soon after I arrived at the entrance that registered in my mind as unfamiliar. Outside I gasped for air and landed hard but safely into my body. Regaining my senses, I curiously looked around the room and saw nothing familiar. I was confined to a white room and strapped to a bed. A doctor wearing a white lab coat entered and walked toward me. I saw him reach into his lab coat pocket and retrieve a pen. He then walked towards a desk that ran parallel to the wall, grabbed a clipboard and continued his approach. Stopping just shy of the bed, he shined a light into each of my eyes while writing things down. Then he turned and spoke into a camera that was angled in a fixed position overhead. Seconds later, the Doctor began asking a series of questions until I had to interject.
"What year is this?" I asked.
"2070," the Doctor said, staring with a look of disbelief. I raised my head and realized that another ten years had passed. I looked around the room but saw nothing more than a desk and a bed, with myself strapped down. I jumped with my talent out of the room and realized I was in a facility that housed millions of people - the concentration camps. Each person wore the same attire: a white jump suit with assigned numbers on the back. Then I heard a voice speaking in a monotone say,
"You have the right for your life and freedoms. All you have to do is concede." It repeated the same words over and over. My eyes drawn to a grouping of what must have been thousands of people assembled in a line, appearing to be waiting for something? I curiously looked ahead to the front and saw two rooms. Focusing on the rooms, I saw a distinct division. One of the rooms contained an abundance of food and other attractive things, like people having fun with drinks and laughter. I then jumped to look at the other room and saw nothing more than a metal table with tan leather straps dangling to the ground and some sort of machine. After a moment of analyzing, I realized it was some form of high-tech laser. I decided to watch the person at the front of the line. The man next up mindlessly walked over to another man sitting at a table positioned in between the two rooms who was holding what I believed to be a chip gun.
"Do you have a change of heart," the man at the desk asked. The prisoner, with the appearance of void of emotion and lifeless, looked at the man at the desk and replied,
"No." As two guards standing off to the side approached the prisoner, grabbed him, and forcefully escorted him to the room on the left. Seconds later the guards began strapping him down to a table. Positioned on his back, I witnessed a single tear stream down the prisoner's face and fall to the floor. After securely strapping the man down, the two military men turned to exit the room. What happened next had me baffled. I watched as the machine's laser sliced through the man's neck, instantly decapitating him as the head fell to the floor below. 'A modern-day guillotine,' I mused. What I found strange about the whole ordeal was the fact that there was no blood. The laser was accurate and fast, and seemed to sear both sides of the incision with heat as it sliced. Unable to turn away, I watched as a fog-like mist filled the room to the point of my being able to see anything further. Within seconds the mist that had filled the room dissipated. I looked inside the room and saw nothing more than the table bearing restraints and the machine. The body had disappeared and I assumed that it had disintegrated in the mist.
"Are you hungry?" the Doctor asked. Snapping out of my daze, I was back at the room.
"Yes, that would be great." I replied with a grin. The doctor turned to exit the room, and I began to thoroughly explore my new home, now a prisoner. Moments later, the doctor returned with some sort of tube clutched in his hand. He started to twist off the cap and slowly raised the tube to my mouth as he squeezed the contents. Uncertain, I was a bit troubled at the thought in the act. However, surprisingly it tasted magnificent! It tasted just like roast with potatoes, my favorite. New to me, it resembled toothpaste as far as consistency, but felt exotic. I tried chewing at first, but it was not a solid base.
"How did you know that was my favorite?" I asked.
"The taste is triggered by your sense memory. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better." The Doctor began to loosen the straps that had tied my hands and legs, and then helped me stand up. My body felt stiff and movements were rigid and painful. I felt pain surge with each attempted step. With a little guidance from the doc, I propped myself upright, leaning on my forearm against the wall. I saw him bringing in a pair of crutches as he opened the door of the room. I grabbed them as he allowed me to hobble out of the room on crutches, entering into the unknown. Of which, I was greeted with a wall of intense energy and visualized thousands of people sitting and waiting. In shock, kids were imprisoned in the same manner and wandered the halls calling out their loved ones' names. Guards patrolled, passing every few seconds to scan the prisoners. As I looked, saw tiny earpieces fitted into each patrolling guard's right ear, which you could see them listening to for commands. The windowless camp was dark, cold and inconceivable to me. My head began to throb from the constant voice on the speaker system that repeated the same inducing words. Scanning the lifeless faces, I felt drawn to a kid looking up at me. I figured I could use some company and hobbled over next to him and took a seat.
"What is this place?" I whispered,
"What? Are you kidding? Have you been living in a bubble double?" the kid asked by barely moving his lips. I looked around to get a better picture of the misery and torment these people must have experienced. I could see and feel it by looking into their eyes.
"Yes, actually." I replied softly.
"This is a New Order camp. One of thousands all over the world." He shook his head in sorrow.
"What do you mean? I thought everyone had a choice?" I asked ignorantly.
"Yeah, at first we did. But now what does it look like? The Order has taken complete control of everything and forces people to live certain ways. If you don't . . . you simply disappear to reappear here."
"How did this happen?" I asked in disbelief.
"Well, a few years back, millions of people, the ones who didn't accept the chip, mysteriously vanished. I mean they disappeared into thin air. It was madness! Inexplicable right? Well, imagine, millions of people, some driving in their cars, others shopping, walking, sleeping, working, whatever-whatever, vanishing, all at the same time, all over the world. Well, when this happened it made the Order furious. Mainly, because the people that had vanished called themselves the spiritual/religious ones or whatever, and all had refused the chip. Then, as you can see, the Order went on a rampage." Th
e kid said as he held up his arms, chained hands and all.
"What do you think?" I asked while looking around.
"Well, I never really bought into all that religious crapola. With all the politicians hiding behind the bible, a collective thought process has never been my shot of heroin. Looking back at the so-called religious ones back in the day, with their power-hungry will to impose their beliefs on others; I just can't get behind that. Growing up, everyone hears the precepts: turn the other cheek and love thy neighbor as thyself. The deposition, however, is limited. Anyways, I hear that if you don't receive the chip you can still get into heaven or whatever. I mean, dude, you didn't see all of them vanish. I did. How can you explain that?"
"So you're telling me, the people who mysteriously vanished claimed this was the beginning of the end and that was why they had refused the chip?" As I said this I remembered Dallas saying the same thing not so long ago. The kid nodded his head in agreement.
"So what do you think?" I asked again.
"I don't really know man. It's all crazy. I don't think we were ever supposed to know."
"I see," I replied.
"So, how were you captured?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.
"Well, gnaw on this. So, the New Order collected most of us after filtering some chemical into the public water system that made everyone sick with the virus. Within days the virus mutated, allowing it to become airborne and endangering any and everyone. Oh, the virus attacked the cerebral cortex, causing excruciating pain unless you had the antidote. Which, only the chip people could get it, and quite easily I might add. If you didn't have the chip, you were in such pain that you would want to turn yourself in to get the vaccine. The pain man, I can't even explain. My family . . . " seeing his eyes wander as his emotions turned to pain, fighting back tears.
I sat back absorbing what I had just learned. I questioned things like why this had happened in the first place and what my role was. I mean, I never really lived that uprightly or did deeds to fulfill my destiny of eternal life. Growing up, we all hear of the biblical stories, which seem expired in time. The religious ones' 'selective morality' seem to fall short for society's standards. They come across at times as: simply superior, arrogant, narrow minded, bigoted, cynical, hypocritical, delusional, drunken, and some, let's face it, odd. Had they been right? Had my perception of how most act and live filtered into my arbitrary judgment? Strictly judging by the expressions on people's faces, hope was all one had. Hope was more than reality had in store. The hope, which I feel has been lost, misrepresented.
*
Voice:
"To deny the truth, one most know the truth. Truth alone seems to be a fondled ever-elusive question mark. I just see possibility far more frightening than impossibility."
*
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