by Kyle West
I tensed at his use of the word “Voice” – it was too evocative of the Radaskim. And what he said before directly referenced the Voice. Did these people – this Community, as Elias called it – worship Askala?
“Where are my friends?”
“They are safe, I assure you. You cannot be reunited with them yet.” Elias fixed his gaze on me more intensely. “How did you come upon Bunker 84?”
At this point, I couldn’t see how any lie would serve me, so I offered him a version of the truth.
“I am part of a group of survivors,” I said. “We are a recon team looking for a place to shelter for the winter. We thought no one would be in here. According to our records, this place went offline fifteen years ago.”
“I did my job well, then.”
“We came here because we knew Bunker 84 was large. We need the space to accommodate everyone for the winter.” I sighed. “I guess that’s the least of my concerns now.”
“How many do you have?” Elias asked.
I paused. “Over a thousand.”
Elias blinked just once – a small sign of his surprise. He had not expected that, clearly.
“One thousand.” He paused, as if considering. “What group? The Raiders?”
So Elias did know at least something about the Outside. I would have to be careful about what I told him; information was power, and I did not want to give him too much of it, as he was already in a powerful position. Giving just enough to satisfy his curiosity forced me to walk a tightrope – balancing between too much and too little.
“Yes,” I said. “Raiders are with us, among others. Things have changed in the Wasteland. The Blights are starting to take over everything.” I paused. “You do know about those, right?”
Elias nodded. His eyes were more knowing than I would have thought. The glimmer of a smile came at hearing this news.
“The time is coming, then,” Elias said. “One day, all of the world will be united under the rule of the Voice.” He nodded his head, almost as if in a prayerful bow.
“Wait,” I said. “This is good news to you?”
Elias nodded. “Of course. She only seeks unity for humanity – for all life. War, starvation, disease – they shall all end once we surrender to her will. As I have. Yes, it was a struggle, at first. But in time, she made me see the truth. And she gave me the strength to carry out that truth.”
“Are you talking about...Askala?”
Elias’s face paled at the mention of that name. “Do not say it. It is a holy word, not to be used by unbelievers. Do not test me on this; at the next infraction, I cannot promise any measure of control on my part.”
I had been warned. He would kill me if I said “Askala” again.
A long silence passed. Elias seemed to be weighing his next step and awaiting my response. Perhaps my silence surprised him.
“How did you survive the journey north?” Elias asked. “Are more camped nearby?”
I shook my head. “As I said, my group is merely a recon team. We thought Bunker 84 was abandoned. Ashton – the older man with us – tried contacting this Bunker several times before arriving.”
“Ah,” Elias said. “Yes, I remember him.”
“Why didn’t you answer those calls?”
Elias said nothing for a moment. He was probably deciding what to tell me. Like me, he recognized that information was valuable.
“We knew you were arriving,” Elias said. “And we planned accordingly. You were armed, and we had no idea of the threat you posed. Forgive me, but we do not take any potential threat to the sanctity of the Community lightly.”
“I understand that,” I said. “However, we are not a threat. I actually used to live in Bunker 108, along with one of our team members here. Our survival group comes from many different backgrounds.”
“108 is gone, then,” Elias said. “Once again, she is right.”
“Do you...communicate?”
I did not want to get any more explicit than that. I didn’t want to test Elias’s earlier threat.
Elias smiled. I guessed he was going to keep that secret to himself.
“The Bunkers will all fall, until there is but one.” Elias motioned around the room. “Bunker 84, as it was once called, now known as the Community. And there are no other Bunkers left. We are all that remains. She informed me that Bunkers 76 and 88 has been offline now for several months, which means that we are the last one left. The time has come for the Ascension. The Day of the Five has arrived.”
“The Day of the Five?”
Elias said nothing for a moment, merely standing and staring at me with those dark eyes.
“Two days ago, Askala informed me that five would come into the Bunker. At this sign, we were to begin the Ascension.”
Five. There were supposed to be five of us originally, but with the addition of Grudge, we were six. Did Elias know that?
“Do you have all five of us down here?”
Elias nodded. “Yes. And since the prophecy has been fulfilled, we can begin the Ascension soon.”
So he did think there were only five of us. Which meant...
...one of us might have gotten away.
Before I could betray any emotion with the realization, I decided to keep Elias talking.
“What happened here?” I asked. “How did the Community form?”
“We were marked by the Voice. By her will we rose and took command of this Bunker.”
“A rebellion,” I said.
Not just a rebellion, but a rebellion orchestrated by the Voice herself. How was this possible? If Elias, or any others under his command, were infected with the xenovirus, then it couldn’t be the Howler strain. It couldn’t be any strain we knew about. This rebellion would have happened fifteen years ago.
“No, it was not a rebellion.” Elias said. “We call the day of our awakening the Realization.”
“So, you realized the Bunker’s fall?”
Elias gave a single nod in answer, his eyes shining. I could tell he enjoyed talking about this. Maybe if I could keep this up he might become more accommodating in telling me where the others were.
“I was sixteen when Bunker 84 fell,” Elias said. “At the time, it was run by a man named Charles Lawson. He was a cruel man, so the atmosphere was ripe for rebellion – so much so that a sixteen-year-old could spark the Realization: that we all dwell in darkness until we accept the truth. Our humanity is repugnant and dark. We must aspire to a higher calling – and that higher calling is aiding the Voice in driving the darkness out of humanity. After the Ascension, we will become new creations – we will become one with the Voice, free from darkness, and share in her glory in ruling the Earth.”
I would have thought Elias completely insane, except that the Voice were real. There were two Xenominds on Earth – both were godlike in power and abilities: Askala of the Radaskim, and the Wanderer of the Elekai. Could Elias really be in communication with Askala, the Voice of the Radaskim?
“You said you were the Voice of the Community,” I said. “What does that mean?”
“There is only one Voice, and she speaks through me. I speak the truth from the Great Beyond. I don’t know why I was chosen. I dream and prophesy about the Community and its purpose in the world. I foretold the Bunker’s fall. I foretold the Prophecy of the Five. And I foretold the Ascension, the time where we would all leave this Bunker behind to inherit the Earth. Those who are faithful to the Voice and her commands will inherit her glory and live as gods above – but only if we obey, only if we die to ourselves.”
“What does this Voice say to you?”
“You are skeptical?”
I shook my head. “No, far from it.”
“You tread dangerous ground,” Elias said. “You speak of the nature of the Voice herself. This is not something I would speak of with an Outsider – only with a select few within the Community itself.”
“But it is a she.”
I wanted to be sure of at least that much.
Elias nodded. “We always call her ‘she’. But she cannot be known, except by those who know the Voice of the Community.”
“So, the way to her is through you.”
Elias nodded. “She and I are the same. If you know me, you know her. You could say...I am her son.”
Askala had a child, apparently. Either that or this guy was completely out of his mind. Or both. His pronouncement left me speechless. I didn’t know how to safely respond. Instead, I let Elias talk.
“Those who follow me became marked with the Voice’s holy purpose. Again, it is easier for women – indeed, no man has ever been able to free himself from his own darkness. I have come to guess, over the years, that the Voice only allows one man to shepherd her flock. I cannot say why. Whatever the reason, over many months the Community battled in this Bunker. It was bloody. Three separate groups controlled different sections, but in the end, the Community was victorious. We held the fusion reactor and most of the food supply, so it was only a matter of time. And we were empowered with holy fervor that drove the rest to annihilation. And since the Realization, we have learned and grown together, preparing our minds and hearts for the Ascension.”
“For when you leave the Bunker.”
“Yes,” Elias said. “I have seen visions of the new world. In my dreams, I have seen a colossal flying beast, upon which flies a man.”
I tried not to show my surprise at what Elias had just said, but it was hard. He seemed to sense my reaction.
“This man is our savior. And our destruction. He will destroy the world, and chaos will overrun us all. From the dust and ashes shall rise the New Humanity – a humanity free from darkness. They will dwell in peace with her.”
“Is that man you?”
Elias said nothing, neither confirming nor denying this.
“You ask advanced questions – questions even my own disciples do not ask. You have seen much of this world, that is clear. The Voice has yet to fully reveal her purpose, so I can only show you the truth I know. Truth is like a seed – if you plant and nurture her, she will grow and bear fruit for all to enjoy. It takes but one storm, one tempest, to sweep that seed away before it takes root. But once the truth takes firm root, she grows into a mighty tree that not even the strongest storm can topple.”
I didn’t understand why Elias was telling this parable. And I didn’t understand why he was so convinced that Askala was truth. She wanted to kill us all, to conquer the Earth. All she cared about was unlocking the Secrets of Creation, which would allow the Radaskim to control the universe – if even that was true. Earth was just one of thousands of stepping stones the Radaskim would take in their goal to conquer the universe.
But how to explain this to Elias? Any effort would be pointless. If Askala controlled him, as I thought, then there was no way he would believe me. He would think I was the crazy one.
I had to try, though. I had no other options.
“There are two of these Voices,” I said. “There is the one you follow, and there is another. They are eternally at war, these two. In fact, it is called the Eternal War, and it has been going on for millennia upon millennia.”
Elias nodded. “Yes. She has told me some of what you speak – but I am wary, Alex. You have knowledge that even I do not know.”
“What I’m trying to say is...” I paused, trying to make sure I wasn’t going too far. “She might not be the answer you seek. This Voice is only trying to conquer the world and couldn’t care less about us. It’s all about them.”
I felt my words were lost on Elias, and that came as little surprise. He only smiled, shaking his head.
“No. You have it wrong. Askala is saving the world. I, too, fought this truth. Things went much better – much better – once I accepted it.”
“She is saving the world by destroying it.”
“Yes!” Elias said. “Ragnarok was aptly named. In Norse mythology, Ragnarok was the day the gods had their reckoning, where the world was destroyed in fire and smoke. So it has come to pass on Earth. We had become arrogant, with our towers, our entertainment, our riches. It sickened those above. We were made low, but from the ashes will rise the New Humanity – one joined in purpose with the Voice from the Great Beyond.”
“That...is one way to look at it,” I said.
Elias nodded. “With Askala is her son, Chaos. The spread of his wings and his children’s will blot out the sky. He is less like a bird and more like a reptile, yet both of those things at one time. His scales are pink and glow in the sunlight like some unknown gem. He has a long neck and tail, and glowing white eyes.”
Elias looked at me, wondering at my response. I saw no harm in telling him about what he had dreamed – the only question I had was how he could even know about these things, unless he had seen them at some point.
“I have seen that one,” I said. “There are many like him, only smaller.”
“The End is near, then,” Elias said. “You have given me everything I need to know. The Ascension must begin immediately.”
I hoped Elias did not plan on starting any bloodshed. But when you were dealing with a madman, they played by their own rules and no amount of logic or reason could dissuade them from their aims. History was rife with examples of men killing others all because they believed themselves to be Chosen Ones.
“I will agree with you on one point,” I said. “The end is coming.”
Elias stared at me coolly. Finally, he held out a large hand. Regrettably, I had to take it. The hand was cold.
“I believe we have much to learn from each other,” Elias said.
Elias let go of my hand, and began walking away. He kept his head faced toward me.
“Come. I want you to meet the Community.”
Chapter 13
Elias led me from the chamber we had been standing in into a dark tunnel. I paused at the threshold as Elias walked on. He did not turn back; he merely walked deeper into the tunnel, illuminated only by pale bulbs casting everything with a sickly yellow light. About fifty feet distant, Elias half-turned, a shadow within shadows. I noticed, then, decade-old dried blood caked onto both sides of the walls. It was as if that blood had been painted. Tell-tales splatters hinted at some sort of struggle, long ago. A struggle the Community had not cared to clean up after.
There was little else to do but step forward, following after Elias. At my approach, he turned and continued to walk.
I tried to ignore the blood, which had likely come from the “Realization” Elias had spoken of fifteen years ago. Why they’d decided to leave it there, I had no idea. I decided not to ask about it, instead walking quickly down the tunnel until I caught up with Elias. We walked shoulder-to-shoulder for a few moments before he broke the silence.
“We number thirty-eight right now,” he said. “Including children.”
“Children?”
“You shall see.”
The thought that this man had children was horrifying in and of itself.
We had come to the end of the tunnel, which opened up into a large chamber. It was another recreation room, only larger, filled with about fifteen women. Three sat on a couch in the center of the room – two took up another couch, while the rest stood, all facing the door, as if they had been waiting for Elias. Or, perhaps, me.
I scanned the faces, but I saw that Elias had told the truth: there were no men, not even among the children.
I had no idea what to do in that moment. I only stood there next to Elias, unmoving.
“This is the Community,” he said. “The Chosen of the New World. When the time comes we will leave the darkness behind and strike into the light. The world will be remade once more into a land of green and warmth. The cold and gray shall pass away; a new era shall dawn – the rebirth of humanity begins here.”
All of the women stared at with vacuous eyes. Except for one.
She stood in a far corner by herself. Her blue eyes burned with extreme hatred, even as the others look flat and lifeless.
It was an anger she didn’t bother to mask – the kind of hatred that could only be nursed by years of pain and resentment. She was perhaps twenty-five years old and had long, unkempt brown hair.
Elias, however, did not heed the woman with the burning blue eyes.
“How much longer?” one of the women asked confidently. She was tall, with blonde hair, and was perhaps thirty-five years old. She sat on the couch between two other women. I instantly pegged her as a leader. “Are these the Outsiders you prophesied about?”
Elias said nothing for a moment, then slowly nodded. “Yes, my dear Lyn – the Outsiders have come. The End draws near.”
Instantly, the room broke into excited – and perhaps frightened – whispers. The woman who had been staring angrily at Elias now looked shocked. Her eyes fell to the floor. I had no idea why she grabbed my attention so much. Maybe I was looking for anyone who could come over to my side. I needed any ally I could get. I had no weapon to defend myself with – nothing but my bare hands. Running was my only option, but how far would I get? Bunker 84 was the home of everyone here, and I wasn’t familiar with it. I would be running blind.
I was outnumbered. All I had were the words in my mouth. Any challenge to Elias’s authority would probably lead to my getting killed. But his talking about prophecy and dreams – these sounded like abilities that could be imparted by the xenovirus. After all, I had dreamed things about the Wanderer because of the Elekai virus inside of me.
And with Elias’s apparent connection with Askala – was it possible that he was my counterpart?
I decided to find out once and for all.
“Elias – have you ever been in a Blight before?”
Elias frowned, and appeared puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“A Blight,” I said. “Maybe you have never heard them called that name before, but they are outside. They are areas of land that have been taken over by xenofungus. Sometimes, the virus that creates this fungus can infect people and morph them into something else entirely. Sometimes its violent, but other times, the virus can make someone possess abilities they didn’t have before. Like communicating with the Voice.”
