HUMANITY: A Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Novel

by Edward Brody

  “She’s still breathing,” Walter said and held an ear against Tristyn’s nose. There were lacerations on Tristyn’s neck and arms, but nothing that looked more serious than a surface wound.

  “Scraggs has a pulse,” Mich added as he attended to the unconscious techy. A bit of blood was dripping out of Scraggs mouth, perhaps from biting his lip or tongue during the impact, but otherwise the rest of his body had made it through unscathed.

  “We need to get them some water,” Water said.

  Mich pulled himself up and turned around, surveying the surroundings for help or anything that might be of aid for his two unconscious friends, but his search ended before it began when a heavy wind beat down on his face, and he saw small ship landing dangerously close– the same starship that had brought the Zatyr down.

  “Oh shit!” Mich said as he turned around and reached for Tristyn.

  “It’s useless,” Walter cried. “You can’t get away while carrying her too. If you’re going to run, go ahead and run solo.”

  Mich’s head was spinning, and his hands were shaking. It was all happening too fast. He was still roughed up from the sudden crash in the ship, and now he was facing someone who may very well put a blaster shot to his face.

  He reached for Tristyn’s holster, grabbing her pistol from her belt, then fumbled it in his hands. “How do you use this thing?” Mich asked.

  “There’s a safety on its side. Slide it, but take your finger off the trigger before you do.”

  While Mich searched for the safety button, the door to the small starship hissed, and Tamor stepped outside. Mich spun around and pointed his weapon erratically, still not having found the safety, but hoping that aiming the weapon itself might garnish some fear in the attacker.

  “Walter St. James… I should have known you were behind all this,” the Keeper growled.

  When Mich realized that it was Tamor, a lump formed in his throat. His mind flashed back to the fight that he witnessed between him and the other strange, robed Keeper. He and the others would be killed if that man was after them. There was no way they would survive.

  “Walter has nothing to do with the Queen!” Mich reasoned.

  Tamor continued to march forward and reached for the large sword on his back as he approached. “I have no more patience for human nonsense. I’ll take matters in to my own hands for all the damage you’ve caused!”

  “Tamor Landry,” a voice bellowed out from afar, causing all parties to turn their head. Stryker was limping towards them, blood dripping down the crevice between his eyes and to his nose. He held a slender, copper sword in one hand, and his opposite arm was sagging. “It’s nice to be of your acquaintance.”

  “Stryker…” Tamor whispered as he stopped in his tracks. “You’re part of this as well?”

  “Well…” Stryker clenched his teeth and darted his eyes. “Not really. But I’d suggest you put that ridiculous sword away before you hurt yourself.”

  Tamor growled and changed directions, running towards Stryker with bolts of electricity beginning to surge around his sword.

  Stryker stopped moving as Tamor stormed forward. “Tamor, just relax and let us explain. If you fight me, things won’t end in your favor.”

  Tamor ignored Stryker’s remarks and continued to close the gap between them. The human Keeper sighed and gritted his teeth. His limp arm suddenly started emanating a blue hue, and energy began to flow freely into his sword. His bad arm eased back to life, and he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with both hands to block the first heavy blow that was brought down over his head.

  The two locked their crackling swords, and Tamor stared into Stryker’s eyes. “I heard you like to kill Keepers,” Tamor snarled.

  “Only the kind with bounties,” Stryker grinned through blood.

  Tamor’s eyes panned to the tattoos on Stryker’s arms and neck. “For the bounties or the koridiam?”

  “Koridiam’s a big bonus, but–“

  Stryker was cutoff as Tamor reached his sword back and swung it towards his head. Stryker ducked, just missing the blow and countering with a swing of his own. Tamor was barely able to bring his massive sword around to block the lightning-fast strike then took a step back to reassess his opponent.

  “I’m much faster than you, Tamor,” Stryker declared as he lashed out again, nearly causing Tamor to lose balance in order to dodge the blow. “Stop now, and get back on your ship before you die.”

  Tamor’s face was set in stone.

  As the two Keepers fought, Mich dropped the defunct blaster and reached for sword that he still had stowed behind his back.

  “What are you doing?” Walter asked.

  Mich sat down beside his friends and closed it eyes, holding his sword in his hands the same manner that he had practiced with Stryker. “Someone needs to stop them before they kill each other.”

  Walter tried to laugh, but it came out more as a cough. “What you need to do is stay out of their way. Going anywhere near those two will get yourself killed. Stryker knows what he’s doing.”

  Mich ignored the older man’s suggestion and began searching for the flame inside of him. Copper slamming against copper and energy sparking against energy rang out in the distance, causing a sense of fear and urgency to overcome him. Focusing was difficult with the noise, but Mich thought back to his training with Vishi. The fighting was a danger to him, but it was not yet a direct threat.

  Blackness slowly crept over him, and a small globe of energy appeared in front of his eyes.

  Stryker quick stepped forward, swiping his sword rapidly, and Tamor could only block in response. Again, Stryker lunged out, and immediately after his blow was blocked, he crouched and knock down the larger Keeper with a quick leg sweep. Ready to end the bout, Stryker whirled his sword upwards and then plunged it down at Tamor’s leveled body.

  Tamor rolled out of the way, missing the death strike by a split second, then scurried to his feet. He had heard stories of Striker’s strength, but he thought they were exaggerated. How could a human, a petty and misguided species, learn to harness his life force to such a degree? It seemed so improbable that one would ever rise to become a Keeper, but his speed and fighting abilities were far beyond anything he could have imagined.

  Stryker panted and leaned over, hand on his knee. “I’m exhausted. You see now that you can’t beat me, right? Let’s talk.”

  Tamor’s jaw tensed, and the dragon tattoo on the side of his face began to glow. He rushed towards Stryker with a growl and increased intensity.

  Nearby, Tristyn started to stir into consciousness, and Walter was helping her assimilate. “Thank goodness you’re alive,” Walter sighed.

  “Scraggs!” she yelped when she saw his limp body.

  “He’s unconscious, but he should be okay.”

  Stryer huffed right before a blow crashed down, and when he blocked it with his sword, he felt a bolt pain shoot through his broken arm. He had infused his battered body with a large amount of his life force, but Tamor’s power coupled with the size of his sword was rattling. Each time he blocked a blow, he felt it; the energy might have stabilized him, but it didn’t block the pain. He needed to end the fight before the agony overwhelmed him.

  As Tamor hacked again and again with his sword, the koridiam patterns on Stryker’s body began to glow. He could feel energy surging out of him in every direction, and when Tamor swung a heavy blow once more, he was gone.

  Tamor turned, looking for the vanished prey, but he was nowhere to be found. Again, he turned back to the opposite direction, but this time he cried out as pain shot across his back.

  Stryker moved with impossible speed, so fast that when Tamor turned, he was able to move in the opposite direction before his eyes could find him. He slashed his sword down Tamor’s back, and when he turned again, he moved and slashed in the opposite direction, forming a large bloody “X”. Again and again, he slashed at Tamor’s body, punishing him for wrecking his ship, punishing him for forcing him to fig
ht, and punishing him for making him leverage his koridiam to kill him.

  Tamor wailed and fell to his knees when the blade cut through his hamstrings, dropping his sword in the process. His body was covered with lashes, and his head hung loosely, preparing to meet his maker.

  “How naïve was I?” he thought to himself. He had never seen a Keeper with so much power, and to think that it was a human–a human who was also sending him to the grave.

  Stryker rounded so that he was in front of Tamor and lifted his chin with the point of his blade. “I suppose your koridiam will be payment enough for the ships you wrecked. I’ve never been a big fan of face tattoos though. It’s a bit off-putting.” He lifted his blade and aligned it with the nape of Tamor’s neck. “Anything to say for yourself?”

  Tamor coughed blood but spoke no words.

  “Hmph,” Stryker said with a shrug right before he brought his sword down.

  “Nooo!” Came an unexpected voice, and the moment before the copper met Tamor’s flesh, a crackling blade lunged out and intercepted the blow.

  Stryker’s eyes grew wide. “Mich?”

  Mich’s hands were glowing blue, and the energy was flowing freely through his blade. “Don’t kill him,” Mich panted. “He saved my life.”

  “What? He wants to kill us…” Stryker threatened.

  “Because he doesn’t understand. He thinks we caused this mess.” Stryker’s face remained set. “Please, I owe it to him. He’s practically dead already. He can’t do any more harm.”

  Stryker gritted his teeth and paused for a moment before yanking back his sword. “I don’t usually listen to others, but I’ve gotta say I’m impressed. It took me a lot longer to learn how to channel my energy into a blade.” He kicked his foot out against Tamor’s shoulder, causing him to fall into a heap of dirt. “I guess this beast can be your early graduation gift.”

  The energy radiating from Stryker’s body rapidly faded, and he fell down to a knee, dropping his sword and clutching his ribs with his good arm. Mich jumped to his side. “Are you okay?”

  Stryker winced. “I’ll live, but I’m pretty beat up. Activating so much koridiam drained me, and my arm is fucked. I won’t make it down the mines like this, much less fight Snake. We’ll need to regroup and come back another day.”

  “If we leave now, we can’t come back,” Walter called out. “He won’t stay in the mines forever, and once he sees the crashed Zatyr, he’ll move forward with his plans–or worse, he might just kill the Queen.”

  Mich looked at his battered friends, and he was the only one who was still standing. “I’ll go…” he proclaimed. “I’ll stop Stryker. I can channel my energy now. Maybe if–“

  “All power, no aim,” Stryker interrupted. “Remember what we talked about? Snake is a stone-cold killer. You’ve learned a lot, but you still haven’t learned how to fight.”

  “And what do you think he’ll do the moment he sees you alone?” Walter asked. “He doesn’t know you. You can’t just waltz in and expect him to let his guard down.”

  “I’ll go,” Tristyn groaned and pushed herself up on her knees. “My brother died for this. I’m not letting his death be in vain.”

  “Trist…” Walter lamented. “I can’t lose you too.”

  Tristyn placed her hand on Walter’s shoulder and smiled. “I won’t be able live with myself if I don’t try. Hang in there until I get back. We need to get that leg fixed up.”

  Walter swallowed and tilted misty eyes to the ground before giving a slight nod.

  Stryker rolled his eyes and sighed. “Look, Walter is right. Stryker’s got a lightning fast pistol draw, and he knows how to fight hand-to-hand. This is the first time Mich has channeled his energy into a blade and that was only for a moment. It’s too risky for you two to go in there alone.”

  “No…” Tamor creaked, sitting his bloodied body up the best he could. “He has a chance.”

  Mich threw the gruesome character a questioning glance, and the others glared at him with contempt.

  He motioned with a shaky hand for Mich to step closer and spoke with a trembling voice. “It was odd to see a human manipulate his life force, but the fact that there is also another proves to me that I was wrong about the potential of your species. I thought I was guarding the Queen, when in reality I was working against my own goals. Please take this as a thank you for saving my life.” He motioned towards the side of his face, then extended his hand.

  “Your tattoo?” Mich asked.

  “Take it. Please save the Queen.”

  “But I thought you had to kill a Keeper to take their tattoo?”

  Stryker coughed and grimaced before he spoke. “It’s can be done, but probably never has, since only a dead Keeper would give up his koridiam.”

  Tamor motioned his hand again, and Mich approached nervously. Even though the large man was covered in his own blood, he had seen enough inhuman things in the last few weeks that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Keeper just jumped up and went at everyone again. Seeing his giant sword sitting a few meters away gave him some form of comfort.

  When Mich’s hand was in reaching distance, Tamor grabbed him by the wrist and pulled his palm to the side of his face. “Now channel your energy into your hand, and feel the koridiam beneath your palms. Then pull everything back at once.”

  Mich turned his head towards Stryker, and Stryker gave a slight nod. Mich closed his eyes and focused the same that he had done numerous times before. He fell into a dark void and willed an entity of energy in front of his eyes. But this time it came stronger, wilder, and slid into view with little resistance. He instinctively tried to blink from the brightness of it all but quickly adjusted. He pushed the energy towards his hands as Tamor instructed, and when he did, his hand felt so powerful that he thought he could crush the fallen soldier’s skull with a squeeze of his fingers if he wanted. Then he willed the energy back into him, and he could feel the koridiam seeping through his pores like a strange, illicit drug.

  He inhaled deeply and pulled his hand back, gripping his fists tight as the sensation of koridiam creeped up his arm, passing his shoulder, through his neck, and then finally towards the side of his face. His cheek burned in the area that the image of the dragon settled, and when he opened his eyes, he felt powerful.

  His heart was pounding.

  “Wow,” Mich said. “I feel incredible.”

  “That’s your energy waiting to leap out of you. Focus some of your life force towards the tattoo when you’re ready for it to be amplified,” Stryker explained.

  Mich dipped his head in understanding and turned back towards Tamor. “Thank you…” he said. “I’ll return this to you after we’ve saved the Queen. And if I die… You know where to find my body.”

  Tamor’s splattered eyebrows wrinkled. He wasn’t expecting the gift to be returned or that someone would offer to do such a thing. He sat in silence as he continued to try to understand the human’s ways.

  Tristyn stood and sauntered to Mich. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  Mich nodded and returned his sword to his back.

  They both said a quick goodbye to the others, possibility their final goodbye, and headed for the mines.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  When they arrived to the entrance of the mine, Mich tasted bile when they caught sight of the two dead guards, with fly-like creatures swarming them.

  “Looks like Snake is here, alright,” Tristyn said. She lifted the neck of her cotton undershirt and pulled it up so it was over her nose and advised Mich to do the same.

  “I don’t have an undershirt.”

  Tristyn shrugged and continued to pass through the entrance to the dusty mines. Mich wished he had an undershirt as soon as they entered.

  They continued down several floors until they reached the main of the mine, and Mich felt like he had been brought back to the poor quarter of Rashada, only 100 times worse. The sight of the decrepit humans, working silently, resolved to breathe in the h
armful air made his heart ache. If there was any doubt in his mind as to why the rebels were fighting before, now he knew. Had he not met the rebels, he too might be condemned to that place.

  The workers ignored the pair as they continued into the mines, and each time they passed a dead overseer, they knew that they were headed in the right direction. Tristyn had been to the mines several times and figured that Snake would be using the control room as the most logical hiding place. There weren’t many other habitable areas in the unground cesspool.

  When they arrived in front the control room, Tristyn turned to Mich. “I’ll do all the talking. I don’t suppose we’re going to be able to lie our way into this, so just stay calm and look for an opening to kill Snake. Whatever you do, don’t say something to set him off. He’s a loose cannon.”

  “Kill him? I thought we’d just subdue him and get out with Lena and the Queen.”

  Tristyn lowered the undershirt from her nose and stared Mich directly into the eyes. “Mich, listen to me. Snake carries blasters. He’s ruthless. If he’s still alive when we try to leave, he’ll kill us without question. If you don’t kill Snake, we’ll die.”

  Mich’s heart was leaping out of his chest, and he felt like he was going to piss himself. He had never killed anyone, and wasn’t sure how he felt about doing that now–even if the victim was hell-bent on killing him first. From what he heard, Snake wasn’t really a bad guy. He wanted a better life for humans but was just going about achieving it the wrong way. Maybe if he could talk to him–

  “Mich… Are you listening to me? You must kill Snake,” Tristyn interrupted his thoughts.

  Mich nodded slightly. Maybe she was right... Earl was dead, and almost everyone else he knew in his strange, new world had almost died, including himself. If he hesitated to kill Snake, his friends would die and so would many others. The people he knew from Earth was gone, but he was given a second chance. He didn’t want to lose everyone again.