In Search of Truth

by Costanza, Christopher

  I came upon a small ditch so I laid down and covered myself with brush and some tree branches to keep warm. My breathing began to return to normal but now the cold of the night was setting in. I was wearing a heavy jacket and warm pants but it wasn’t helping as much as I’d hoped. The brush I covered myself with didn’t seem to be much help either. As I lay there trying my best not to shiver I became angry with myself. I felt like such an idiot, my wild dreams of searching for knowledge had only gained me two things; the title of a murderer and a seemingly deadly situation. I could only wish tomorrow would bring better results.

  Even though I was angry, I still saw a glimmer of hope. I had to ask myself why the soldiers were so upset about me being in the woods. Why were they reaching for their guns? Is it because they knew if I kept going I would eventually come upon something I wasn’t supposed to? All I did know is that my gut instincts told me they wouldn’t have let me live, so maybe I wasn’t a murdered after all. Maybe I was just defending myself from evil. My mind raced with so many different worries and ideas, making it very difficult to sleep.

  I awoke to the sounds of multiple trucks and people yelling. The instant my eyes opened I was frozen in fear as I knew what those sounds meant. The bodies had been discovered and I was now being hunted. I slowly crawled out of the ditch and tried to get a view of the area. I could no longer see the truck I had crashed in the woods but I did see three more go by carrying more soldiers than usual. There was no question; they were on a search. This meant I had to get moving but it also meant if I made it to another settlement I would automatically be under suspicion since I’d just arrived. Really, in these times it would be quite obvious I was the only one who could have done it since no one travels the roads. Regardless of the situation, I had to cover as much ground as possible before their search widened.

  All I could do is continue to walk, making sure to always keep the road in sight. My breathing seemed to be a lot better after a nights rest; I could almost describe it as normal. This encouraged me to pick up the pace as I would need to eat the little food I had very soon. If I didn’t hit a town by the next day I would be out of water as well, which would most certainly seal my fate to die alone in this forest.

  Somehow I was able to walk the entire day without seeing anymore trucks or soldiers. I could only assume they were back at my settlement questioning everyone, which of course would lead them to find out I was missing. I could only hope my reclusive ways have put me out of everyone’s thoughts and that maybe my absence would go totally unnoticed. This didn’t at all mean I could relax, it only inspired more hope of my success.

  After many hours my greatest fear had started to become a reality; once again it is approaching nightfall and I have yet to find any signs of a settlement. It was only heightened when I came upon a splitting of the road and I stood there realizing one way could lead to my survival and another to death. It seemed as though everything had been a disaster so far due to my choices, so I was afraid this new one could only make things worse. Then I noticed the road splitting off to the left was covered in tire tracks and the other way looked as though it had never been used. It was the first positive occurrence since the beginning of my journey.

  After another hour or so I spotted smoke, most likely coming from fires around people’s homes. This also meant I had to be much more cautious. I’m sure the people of this town were already aware the soldiers were looking for someone and a new face would be the obvious suspect. This meant I couldn’t go stand in line for food and water; it meant that I would have to find another way. I continued to make my way towards the smoke, meanwhile trying to plan my next move. I assumed their food distribution building would be just like the one in my town; easy to break into if someone dared to do so.

  When I approached the town I didn’t see what I had expected… Instead of something that looked like a warzone it looked to be rebuilt and prosperous. There was a gate on the road in being guarded by eight soldiers. I could tell they had electricity and as usual they all looked plump and healthy. A few of them even looked like they were well into their forties which is supposed to be impossible. As I was watching a truck approached and one of the soldiers simply hit a button and the gates opened. Not only did they have electricity but they were using it in a way that the government teaches us is a waste. Things like this aren’t supposed to exist, just as no one in their forties or fifties should be walking around in perfect health. This sight had to be proof that my ideas were correct, that the fragments of books I found weren’t lying at all. This was proof that everyone was being deceived. At the same time it made me realize just how much danger I was in. The fact that I had witnessed this must automatically mean I would have to be killed on sight. I had to further investigate.

  The entrance was nothing more than a small building and a gate; I could easily sneak into the town through the forest. I just had to adopt a new way of thinking; if I let my guard down for a moment and allow myself to be spotted I’ll most likely be killed or in the very least imprisoned indefinitely. Though I highly doubt they’d go through the trouble of keeping a prisoner alive in these times; I had to assume I would die if I made even one mistake. This also told me that it was the type of place that might contain a building full of books and the history of our civilization. It would only take courage to move forward and find it.

  As I approached the town I could see that their conditions vastly differed from those at my settlement. I even began to notice the air wasn’t as thick and I could see further than normal. That’s when I noticed the giant machines positioned every hundred feet or so. They were shaking and making a noise like a car running; I had to investigate. There was no one around so I carefully made my way over to the machine. As soon as I was within a few feet of it I started to feel dizzy… The air was different, it even tasted and smelled different. Or really what I mean is a complete lack of taste and smell; almost as if it were clean.

  That’s when it hit me… these giant machines that littered the town were somehow cleaning the air. That’s why the same soldiers never stayed in my town for more than a week or two; they didn’t want to get sick like all of us. It’s why they all looked healthy, even though many of them were much older than I was. This realization struck a fear within me the likes of which I’ve never felt, I had stumbled onto the truth and it was worse than I had imagined. I quietly made my way back to the woods to stay out of sight and think about my next move. Just at that very moment, the ground began to shake and with it came a noise I had never heard before. That’s when I saw something come up over the tree line and shoot up into the sky. It was a gigantic machine the size of twenty trucks and it was flying through the air just as described by the stories of our ancestors.

  It was all true, every story I’d heard and every book fragment I’ve been able to find were all real. We were all being deceived. I couldn’t help but think if they would do this to the people, then I could definitely believe the government somehow caused the events that ended “the good times”. Maybe that machine was taking people to a safe zone. I had to find out by any means necessary and I think I knew how.

  I was still feeling dizzy for some reason, I could only assume my own fear was to blame. I had to shake it off and make my way further into town. As I did just that I started to notice that there was so activity at all. Just rows of homes and apartments that were empty and lifeless, but not like in my town. Everything looked like it had been recently used. Something wasn’t right, I had the feeling that people would be coming back around soon.

  I continued to make my way through the town when I finally spotted something. There was a large building with hundreds of soldiers all around it. I could see they were all eating and laughing, there was even someone singing to entertain them. I hadn’t heard anyone sing since my mother died. Then I realized it wasn’t actually a person singing, it was coming from some type of machine. Then another one of the flying machines came up from the behind the building and took off into the sky. I
was so confused and angry. What was going on here? Why are they all happy, as if nothing was wrong with the world? Where is this food coming from? There wasn’t supposed to be anything like this left in the world. I had to get answers; I had to know exactly what was going on here and why those machines were taking off into the sky.

  All of a sudden a strange sound rang out across the town and all the soldiers began heading in different directions. I even saw many of them throw out half eaten food and water as if it was nothing to worry about. Many of them were starting to come in my direction and I think I knew why… They were going back to their homes and this was my chance to get some answers.

  I went around back of one of the houses and broke in through the back door. My plan was to hide, take one of the soldiers hostage and force him to tell me what I wanted to know. It was at the point now where I knew any actions I took would be just. Something had to be done about this and I had to get proof to show the rest of the world. I found a closet to hide in and just waited. It seemed like an eternity, my hands were shaking and I was covered in sweat even though I was cold at the same time. I had to relax and not allow my fear to lead to more bad decisions and mistakes; I had to do this just right.

  Eventually I heard voices and then the front door opened. My heart sank when I heard one of the guards say “come on in I still have some coffee left, I don’t drink as much as you do Mark”. I got even more nervous because once again my plans didn’t even come close to what I had imagined. Then to my surprise the other soldier responded “ Shit man I can’t. I’m on the next ship back to Academia, I’ll have as much coffee as I want when I get home.” The other soldier laughed and said “you lucky bastard, I can’t wait to get off this shit planet and back to my family. I’m here another whole week and I have a few days duty back in that shit town. I guess I’ll see you when I see you.”

  What did he mean by “get off this planet”? and what the hell is Academia. Then it hit me. The stories of the government finding a way to save humanity were true, they just didn’t save everyone. The stories of machines that could fly to other planets came racing back into my mind. They must all be living on another planet. They destroyed this one and then left the helpless behind to suffer. Of course this was only an idea but from they just said I wasn’t too far off. Time to get answers.

  I heard the front door close so I cracked open the closet to try and get a look around. I could see the soldier sitting down and taking his shoes off. I took out my knife and quietly made my way towards him. As I stood behind him I had an almost uncontrollable urge to cut his throat. I was so angry and confused that I was shaking even worse than before. I gained control of myself, put my hand over his mouth and my frighteningly large hunting knife to his neck. He elbowed me in the stomach but I was so caught up in the moment I barely noticed. He started to yell so I slammed the handle of the knife down onto his head and knocked him out.

  Yet again, things were going so differently than I had imagined. This guy isn’t going to just quietly tell me what I want. I found some rope in another closet and tied him up. I ripped one of the sleeves off his jacket and shoved it in his mouth to keep him quiet. Now I just had to wait until he woke up and I would get my answers. I had already decided I would torture him if need be, the stakes were this high and in my mind their deceit warranted any actions on my part… No matter how terrible.

  While I waited for him to come to I started to look around the house. There were all these strange things I’d never seen before. Remnants of food I didn’t recognize and liquids in bottles that were strange colors. Right then my stomach growled so I helped myself to something called chips. I couldn’t believe how delicious they were, I’d never tasted anything like them. Then I tried one of the strange liquids and it almost made me choke. It had this strange bubbling effect and even burned my throat a little but it was delicious. It actually made me forget the rage I was feeling, but only for a moment.

  I heard a groan come from the other room so I went back in to find him conscious. He looked afraid, he had the same fear and desperation I had come to recognize so well in the eyes of everyone back home. I have to admit, it gave me pleasure. I stood there and stared at him, trying to think what my first question should be. He started trying to talk and I told him to shut up. I had so many questions running through my mind it was almost impossible to figure out where to start.

  The only problem was in order for him to talk I’d have to take the sleeve I stuffed in his mouth out which means he could yell and it would all be over. The only thing I could think of was to threaten him. I leaned in close, put my knife to his throat and said “I know what’s going on here, and you’re going to tell me everything I want to know. Otherwise I’m going to kill you, and I promise it will be extremely painful”. He looked at me and a tear rolled down his face, it almost made me regret what I was doing. I then said “I’m going to take that out of your mouth so you can talk, but if you yell I swear I will kill you. I don’t want to hurt you, I just want answers”. In reality I had already realized that after I got my answers I’d have no choice but to kill him. I couldn’t take the risk.

  He looked at me and nodded so I slowly removed the sleeve from his mouth while still holding the knife at his throat. He choked a little, coughed afew times and said “look man I’ll tell you anything you want just don’t kill please, they make us do this, if we don’t lie to all of you they’d kill us… please believe me, we’re just slaves, at least you’re free”. I paused for a moment and said “free?... You mean free to be hungry, weak, and sick? Free to live alone in the dark?.. You all look happy, if you were anything like us you would never smile and laugh the way you do… Just stop talking unless you’re answering my questions”.

  He seemed to understand his predicament and said “You don’t have to ask any questions, I know exactly what you want and I’ll tell you everything”. Over the next hour I was told a story that was so much more fantastic than anything I had ever imagined. The bits and pieces I had read in books was nothing compared to the story this man told me. I was nothing short of stunned, in fact I couldn’t make myself speak even if I wanted to. We just sat there and stared at each other for a long time. All I could do was let it sink in and make sense in my mind. The evil I thought I had uncovered was a beautiful dream in comparison to the truth.

  He told me that hundreds of years ago the world was home to billions of people, hundreds of countries, and millions of towns just like this one. There were wars and famine but the majority of people were healthy and happy. Just as the stories I’ve heard of the good times claimed. He then went on to explain that it was the government and a small group of powerful men who caused the destruction of the planet. They were the ones who supplied the world with the black liquid called oil and made it so everyone had electricity. He said it was all a scam, that the government and these men long knew about a clean free, energy source; the sun. He said they knew that what they were doing was poisoning the environment and that they did it on purpose to hoard wealth and build Academia.

  They felt there were too many people on the planet and apparently they hated anyone with different colors of skin other than white. They used the money made off the inhabitants of the earth to make a floating city in space so they could start civilization again. They wanted to make sure only certain people joined this new society and one of the most important things was that everyone had to have white skin. He went on to say that their history dictates the military had to kill millions of people who tried to get on the ships heading to Academia. That when the people found out they revolted and that’s why there are barely any people left. The government killed them by the millions and he even said the people of Academia refer to it as “independence day” because they separated themselves from all the people they felt were a lower class of human than they were.

  He went on for quite some time but I had stopped listening. It was all so much to take in and almost impossible to believe but I had to ask myself why he would li
e. There was no reason for him to lie. I could see the fear in his eyes, the fear of death, which I know is something that would make me tell the truth. At the same time I couldn’t contemplate how people could do this to the whole world. How could people be so evil? How could men purposely ruin an entire planet so they could live in space, it made no sense to me but I guess it didn’t have to.

  He then explained that their plan is to colonize a nearby planet and start a new society exactly as they see fit. That all the soldiers only have two choices; do as they say and monitor the earth or be sent back permanently. He said that if they put in twenty years they were allowed to become part of lower working class on Academia. Apparently the main purpose of the soldier’s presence on earth was to make sure we never advanced to a point where we could reach Academia and attempt to take revenge.

  I missed a lot of what he said just from the shock of it all and getting lost in my own thoughts but I had heard enough. The books and old stories were all true, except it was only part of the story. As horrible as I had thought the answers would be I never could have imagined something like this. Even though I knew everything he said was true, I still couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that all those people could look down at Earth knowing what they had done and still go on living. Apparently I was just naïve to the evil of humans.

  I sat down across from him and just stared off into the distance… He said “Please just let me go, I won’t tell anyone I saw you or that this happened. I just want to get home to my family. I didn’t do this to you, they did!”. Even though I wanted to let him go because I knew he was just surviving and protecting his family, I couldn’t. A rage like I had never felt before washed over me. I grabbed him by the hair and began hitting him as hard as I could. The only reason I stopped was because of the pain in my hand. Before I could even rationalize my next move I had put my knife into his neck. I had never seen so much blood and I started to feel dizzy again… My eyes closed and I felt the knife fall out my hand.