Dark Genesis (Shadow and Shine Book 1)

by Danial Hooper

  Mickey knew this was coming. Why stand up against someone like this? What battle could actually be won? None. It was better to look out into the city and move on from his mistakes. Just because Harry wouldn’t let it go didn’t mean Mickey couldn’t. The city was broken and tattered but not dead. Harry could talk until he was blue in the face. Heck he would try, but that didn’t mean Mickey couldn’t grow from this. Harry might be speaking the truth now, but it didn’t have to be true tomorrow. Mickey smiled a little as Harry continued berating him.

  “Tomorrow is a new day,” Mickey said.

  -

  A woman’s cries drew Asher and Ben back to the street. It was loud, raspy, and difficult to identify exactly where it came from. Asher believed the woman was hiding in The Commodore, a low income housing establishment on the other side of the road. Ben, however, had a different theory, “I heard the same thing as you, and the woman was headed north, probably shacking up in the barbecue restaurant. She set off the motion sensor lights next door when she was running by.”

  Next door was an old apartment called ‘The Commodore’ with an outdoor light shining brightly through the fog. Which was out of place in a city with no power. Whatever was powering The Commodore was not a normal energy source, and as far as Asher could see up and down the cloudy street, it was the only building with power. It was better to investigate both, but there was something different about The Commodore than the barbecue spot.

  Ash replied, “You’re right. Let’s go to The Commodore first and then head up to the city.”

  “I got the ‘Smiling Pigs’ and you take the apartment.”

  “No, we stick together and work our way north. We set out to kill them together, remember? But if we can protect someone in the process, we do that too.” Asher hopefully could appeal to the slightest sliver of righteousness in his brother. It had always been a battle to get Ben to change his mind about anything, especially when it involved following someone else’s direction and especially when it came from Asher.

  Ben looked back at him with confused annoyance and said, “I’m not here to be someone’s hero. That ship sailed when Lucy died. If you want to go into the crusty hotel, fine, but I’ll meet up with you at the barbecue joint. Besides, if you’re right, it’s not like you can’t take out five or six of them on your own, and if I’m right, we hunt more efficiently along the way.”

  “What if we’re only strong together? Are you willing to risk it? How about this; Commodore first, then you decide where we go from there?”

  “No deal, Asher. No deal. I can’t trust you. Remember? So I guess we will just have to test our skills away from each other and cut the cord for a bit.”

  There was no sense in saying anything else. Asher wanted to argue about the chances of this being a trap. How convenient for there to be only one light on in the whole city? Were the others smart enough to try to separate them by tricking them? Asher didn’t know. He didn’t want to gamble though. There could be more to it, but Asher decided to stop thinking and start listening: heartbeats, steps, still figures stalking. He didn’t say anymore and walked into the building. Ben made up his mind. They would catch up soon.

  The outdoor light shined into the main level and up the stairs to the second floor. It was a wide stairwell in the middle of the level half illuminated by the outside light and the other half from a single working light on the second floor. Asher was following the breadcrumbs. His broken shovel was weightless, and his body was ready. He expected the trap to begin at any moment.

  Only there was nothing.

  Was he wrong? Did he follow breadcrumbs leading to an empty hallway? No. There was someone up here, hiding. They were crying for help only moments ago. Anyone who had been able to survive thus far would be skilled at hiding. Crying for help was an emotional reaction which likely settled into a regret. Now they were trying to undo the damage.

  The light flickered above room 204. The breadcrumbs were leading him here. Subtle shadows danced on the other side of the door. A long creak echoed through the halls as Asher walked closer. He didn’t want to scare anyone, so he said, “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m not one of them. I can fight them. I can beat them. I’m, I’m different. I know you’re afraid, but if you let me in, I can protect you.” He took another step toward the room. “Miss, I heard your cry for help. I’m here. I’m going to open the door.”

  Asher could hear the woman sigh from the other side as the doorknob turned. The door opened revealing her wrinkled face and bleached blonde hair. There was a warmness behind her smile though. It was the kind of smile that made you smile back.

  The breeze rushed up the stairs. Her attention diverted down the hall as the power began to fade out again. She whispered, “They’re coming. We have to hide.” Asher agreed. He wasn’t confident in his ability to fight off the wolves and keep this woman safe. It was not worth the risk, especially without Ben.

  He followed the woman into the room and locked the door behind him. The room was darker than the streets. There was no fog or moonlight. In seconds he heard the first of the wolves come into the building and up the stairs. They were coming.

  -

  The plan was simple: Edie could reset the power and use the Grand American’s master key that could unlock any room in the building. They would sneak to the closest room to the kitchen, the office for the Events Coordinator, and lock the door. Jenna’s stomach kept growling, but Edie didn’t care and said they couldn’t eat until tomorrow.

  The second you start walking up those stairs, Toppy is going to wake up.

  He couldn’t wake up because he was dead. It didn’t matter though, if anyone chased her she would be caught. Maybe it would be safer if she stayed down here for the rest of the night. Edie could hide, Jenna could not. She was too clumsy and frightened.

  “What do you think?” Edie’s question broke through Jenna’s focus.

  “About?” she asked. Edie never stopped talking, she couldn’t be made at Jenna if she stopped listening.

  “About leaving now? I know you’re scared, but the black-eyed people will come back to take the bodies, which means we won’t be alone much longer. You’re not in the position to run, you know?” Edie raised her eyebrows at Jenna’s cast, as if Jenna didn’t know she was basically a cripple. “Plus, there are no water bottles down here, and I’m thirsty.”

  She’s right. They’re coming back. She’ll let you die if she has to, but she’s your only hope.

  Toppy’s body covered half of the basement floor. It was as wide as he was tall, and even dead, his body emitted heat. He would haunt Jenna for the rest of her life, but he was dead.

  “Hey girl, it’s time.” Edie tapped her foot with impatience.

  She was right, and if the roles were reversed Jenna would be acting the same. How often did she tap her toes like that to Robert? She needed to quit distracting herself and start doing what needed to be done, and that meant it was time to go.

  Edie started up the steps and said, “Listen, if you follow my lead and hide when I hide, you’ll be fine. One thing I noticed about them last night, they’re kind of spazzy. They run around like they lost their keys and are late to work, so they’re in too big of a rush to stop and look in the closet. Have you ever been so angry that you can’t even think straight? All you really think about is being angry, and you almost forget what you were angry about in the first place, right? That’s them.”

  Jenna stared at Edie’s heals to avoid looking any further up the stairwell. It was better to pay attention to each step and make sure she didn’t fall down the stairs. Her legs were shaky and the cast felt ten pounds heavier.

  “Shh… do you hear that?” Edie held Jenna back from taking another step. Her shoulders rose and fell with quiet breathing. She crouched low; Jenna tried to do the same, but almost fell over. “I think… I think there are two or three coming. Jenna, you need to do exactly what I say, and you’ll be okay. When I say ‘go,’ we’re going to run up the steps, and you’re goin
g to slide into the all black oven. All black. All black. It's huge. Don’t get in the black one with stainless steel trim. You can’t fit in it. All black, got it? I’m going to climb in the drawer and wait for them to pass.”

  You’re going to burn to death in the oven. Do you really want to go in there?

  “Wait, no. The oven? I can’t. I can’t do that. What if I get stuck, or they find me?” All of the possible scenarios ran through her mind. “Don’t, don’t make me do that, please. I can’t.”

  Edie didn’t look back. Jenna hated being ignored so much that she wanted to scream. The oven? Seriously? The oven? Edie knew what she was telling Jenna sounded horrible, but she didn’t care.

  Edie said, “If you don’t move, you’re going to die, and I am going to let it happen. I will help you get in the oven. It’s the only place you can fit. They are looking for the bodies, not us. Let them find the bodies.”

  They walked to the oven as a loud noise came from the dining room. Edie remained calm and opened the door with expert silence. “Go. Now,” she said as she pointed into the blank hole.

  Despite her judgement, despite her fear, despite her very being begging to not go, Jenna eased her legs in and backed the rest of her body into the oven.

  -

  A small part of Greg enjoyed watching someone of Mickey’s former social status become the black sheep. This New World had no patience for people who paused under duress. Daily survival rates hovered around one percent. The only hope was to make decisions quickly or possess the good fortune of being around others who did. Mickey may not be so lucky next time.

  The New World also had no patience for people with bad timing. If you were a normal person being chased up the stairs by the blank-faces, leading them up to an unprotected group, the door would end up locked, especially if Greg was on the other side. He would not, and did not, want to be the hero. He would not put himself in danger for another person. It might sound heartless, maybe even evil, but the rules of the New World did not measure between right and wrong. There was only alive and dead.

  So, yes, Greg would admit to his Old World wrongdoing of blocking other survivors from gaining access to the roof last night. They were too loud and were clearly being chased by the blank-faces. To open the door for them would have exposed his group to an undue risk. He was not proud of it, but he would do it again when the time came. Their cries could haunt his dreams. Their blood could be on his hands, but it was better to have bad dreams and dirty hands than be killed.

  This made Harry’s aggression towards Mickey so much more ironic. The elder acted like he was a hero, but in reality, he was either oblivious or in denial. He shared the guilt equally with Greg. Involuntary manslaughter is still manslaughter.

  Mickey had the trump card over the old drunkard. His cowardice and slow thinking prevented him from making any impact on last night’s survival. Presently, Mickey clenched his jaw and suffered through the bullying without reaction. He was too embarrassed to defend himself. The New World silenced the Old World’s prince.

  The damage done by the blank-faced woman last night had settled into a tightness and inflammation on Greg’s nose. Each breath he took brought about an urge to sneeze. Each sneeze opened wounds further. It would take weeks before the fluid in his face would drain out to return to its normal size, unless an infection came; then he would be in significant trouble. The New World would not feature a quick trip to the urgent care or emergency room. Greg would need to find a pharmacy and antibiotics.

  Greg stared out to the soft clouds hovering over the city. Something like snow trickled down over the city. This was more productive than his former practice of staring at a wall. He was able to gather his thoughts more efficiently than before. The New World brought about new revelations. First, medicine would be extremely valuable, and disease would be a notable threat every day. Next, a pharmacy would be well protected from any potential intruder; making them ideal safe houses. Finally, a neighborhood drug store would have other necessary pieces of survival equipment: batteries, small amounts of canned goods, water, and potentially a gun. The New World offered no trophies, but it would punish those who were prepared less dramatically than those who were not.

  Harry motioned for Greg to come over to his end of the roof. He had taken a break from badgering Mickey and settled on wanting quality time with a new target. As Greg approached, he said, “Greg, my boy, chat with me for a minute. We’re safe for tonight. That blockade idea was genius.” He patted Greg on the back. “What did you do for a living?”

  Small talk? The man wanted to chit-chat about the Old World and get to know one another? Were they going to become friends after this? Would Harry try to fight and protect Greg if it meant a risk to his life? Was he the same guy who stood at the top of a roof ready to kill himself until he saw the world lit aflame by the blank-faces? Was he the same guy who was too focused on his survival that he indirectly murdered several others?

  Being honest would have no place in the New World, “I was in the Master’s program at the U. Biochemistry. Second year in the program. Trying to get an internship. All my focus was spent on my future, which makes no difference, wouldn’t you say?”

  “I would, I would. You seem like a good guy, and you’re smart. Really smart. We need to figure out a place to go, somewhere safe and with weapons. We need something to protect ourselves, maybe even fight back. There’s a gun shop about four blocks down the road. Those freaks hit the city so fast there was never any looting, so there are enough guns and ammo to last for a good while. After that, well, I am hoping you have some ideas.”

  If radio reports revolved around the city being on fire and failed to mention blank-faced lunatics, then the government was covering tracks, which meant no one could leave Salt Lake City.

  “We will need to be careful and consider our options. There will be other survivors out here too, and they are going to need us. Like those women you saw yesterday, remember?” Harry agreed as Greg continued, “Weapons will make a difference, and so will numbers. And shelter to hold those numbers. Today we search for the women and deal with immediate needs. So tomorrow, we search for survivors in the direction of the gun store. Between the three of us, we can get everything we need. I’ll look for a safe house and food, you explore the gun shop, and we can send Mickey out on a simple objective. Then, we spend the night in the safe house and plan out our next step.”

  Harry replied, “He’s not reliable, but I think we can work it out.”

  They would try to get some rest for the remainder of the night and go their separate ways in the morning to complete tasks, but first, Greg wanted to focus on sleep.

  It swept over him as he rested his head on the paved roof and closed his eyes.

  -

  Jenna was shaking in the dark space of the oven. It was too hard to concentrate when her body was shivering inside of a death trap. The zipper on her jacket made a little rattling noise every so often matching the trembling of her lips, but she stayed silent. Her eyes were streaming tears, but she would not make a sound. The smell of burnt meat and toast soaked into her hair and made want to puke, but she was going to hold it down.

  This is worse than Toppy.

  No. Nothing was worse than him. Well, maybe living in the basement with him would be worse, but at least in the oven she could control her chances of survival: stay quiet, stay alive, just like Edie said.

  The first dark figure entered into the kitchen. A pudgy man stood at the open door leading to the basement. His nose pointed like a hound dog as two more figures came beside him. They were thinner than the first man, maybe teenage boys following their dad.

  Except they are teenage boys looking to kill people. They might even have your scent.

  The three figures disappeared down the stairs. If Jenna was going to make a run for it, now would be the time. It wasn’t the best idea, but being stuck in an oven was enough to drive someone crazy. Maybe she wouldn’t run, just open the door and let some air in. The venti
lation was starting to make her feel like she was too big for the oven, like it was shrinking around her. The dream didn’t say anything about an oven. The dream was all about Toppy and him dying, but the girl never said if Jenna was going to make it, did she? If Jenna got out now, would she live? Maybe. Anything was better than being stuck in an oven. It would be better to take a chance and be able to breath.

  Go ahead and run on that cast. You’ll be fine.

  Running wasn’t an option, but she needed to do something, anything, to get out of there. She pushed softly against the door. She would ease herself out and hide somewhere close. Edie was full of crap; Jenna could fit in a cabinet. She would make herself fit. She didn’t know where to go, but she was unwilling to stay where she was.

  The first figure came through the doorway walking backwards. Jenna pulled back, letting the door make a low thump as it closed. The pudgy man turned, searching frantically for the source of the sound. He sprinted at her, stopping inches from the oven, giving her the view of his bulky stomach down to his knees. His entire body panted as he looked around for his next victim. He was turning in circles taking deep breaths. Jenna’s only hope was for the oven to be drowning out her scent. The other two turned back to the basement door.

  The figure stopped his heavy breathing and ran back into the basement stairwell. Soon, coming back with a body hanging over each shoulder. He was carrying two people like they were weightless. Then the two boys came into view. Between them hung the massive body of Toppy. It looked like they were moving a couch with Toppy’s fat stomach swaying where the cushions would be. Hopefully there was a little bit of life left in Toppy before they did awful things to him.

  Jenna wasn’t going to move until those people were miles away. She wouldn’t test the limits. One close call was enough.

  -

  Asher looked through the peephole into the hallway wasting no time with introducing himself to the woman. He could hear the wolves coming, which deserved his full attention. The time for pleasantries could come when she was safe.