Simulation Game

by E M G Wixley

  Felicity propped her head on her hand and gazed at the vast, impenetrable metal doors. She was tired of the endless debating which had gone on between the two men since they arrived. Her attention was taken up by the expanse of the concrete floor. It appeared to be rising and falling. She also noticed a trembling beneath her feet.

  She straightened and gazed up and saw both men had stopped speaking, frozen and listening intensely. A flash of unease crossed Jonah’s eyes, and he clutched hold of her arm. The room of people silenced in the disquieting atmosphere.

  “Get under the table!” Jonah shouted. Everyone fell to the floor and scrambled under tables or under door frames anywhere for immediate protection. The earth throbbed, and a thundering, grinding, cracking explosion of sound beat them into the ground. Concrete hammered down from the ceiling, and they heard boulders rolling and crashing down the mountain. Rocks exploded in all directions their weight compressing the bones of the fleeing. Fractures appeared and spread in the entrance wall. It split into pieces. Sharp shrieks and cries filled the air as the blocks collapsed.

  “I’m scared,” Felicity screamed.

  “Cover your mouth and nose with your top,” Jonah said wrapping his arms around her crouching body and pulling her into the well of his belly. A thick hot and howling whirlwind of dust spun around the space singeing the flesh of all in its wake.

  The destruction subsided. A deep silence descended except for whining and moaning from injured human workers. Felicity blinked her eyes and peered out through the gaping hole. The sky was burning red, and the land was blanketed in a dense pitch fog. Blasted by a freezing gale, she retreated back behind Jonah.

  “We should get away from here before it starts again,” Irvin said. “I’m going to make a dash for the door – get further underground.”

  “Wait it’s chaos down there too,” Jonah said. “Some of the passages have collapsed.”

  “I can hear something,” Felicity added. “Drumming.”

  They listened hard to approaching voices. The sound grew louder and more hostile in nature. Holding their breath, they stared in the direction of the noise. Dark shapes pushed their way through the jet clouds.

  “This is worsening by the minute – I’m out of here,” Irvin said, and before anyone could stop him, stooping low, he ran to a small door at the back of the room.

  Felicity scrambled on all fours to get a better look and in the distance saw insubstantial shapes. Slowly the figures became visible, marching at speed.

  “Stay there,” Jonah instructed Felicity as he scrambled to his feet.

  Masked people spilt into the remains of the building, covered from head to foot in layers of clothing and rags. No part of their skin was bare. In their gloved hands, they carried long knives and guns.

  Felicity saw all the alien hybrid cyborgs standing facing forwards with the same intense expressions. They appeared to be in internal communication. Messages travelled around the group. Jonah was listening hard. “Wait until their purpose is clear,” he muttered.

  The outsiders trampled over the ruins. Weaving around the tables laughing and calling out to each other, lifting their masks to eat and drink.

  Felicity could sense they were standing close.

  “What’s your purpose here?” Jonah inquired.

  “We know what you’re hiding,” a voice rasped. “We’re here to occupy – to take your place.”

  “You can take whatever food and drink we have, but after that, I advise you to leave,” Jonah said sternly. He could sense the rage in the connected minds.

  “What do we have here?” Felicity’s arm was pulled. She twisted her head and stared up into the malevolent, inhuman face. Behind the visor, a cobweb of veins covered the whites of his eyes, and the corners of his mouth had crisp white scabs formed from the froth gurgling from between his lips. “What a pretty thing to keep me warm.”

  Felicity pulled back resting on her haunches. He started to kick her with his steel-capped boots. The attack abruptly ceased and glancing up ready to escape she saw her assailant rise off the floor. Jonah faced the outlaw. His eyes burnt with intense rage which pierced into the man’s brain. The body trembled uncontrollably and was thrown against the remains of the boulder wall. He landed with a thud and the cracking of bones. The cyborgs turned to each other and grimaced.

  Felicity rose and in the stunned silence gawped at the smear of blood left by the man’s body sliding to the floor. Drunk on desperation the outlaws decided not to run and instead, raised their blades and peppered everything with bullets. When this failed, they charged into the arms of hell.

  Felicity was thrown to the floor as the frenzied fight ensued. She covered her face with her hands and squeezed her eyes shut. The air filled with crashing and banging, roaring, wailing and shrieks of pain. She tasted blood in her mouth and heard limbs being torn and bones breaking.

  When peace resumed, she clawed her way through the dust and out from under the broken table. Standing she faced the red carpet of the dead, of twisted and ripped apart bodies.

  Running

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Boulet’s ricocheted in the room on the other side of the door. Irvin clambered down metal stairs without knowing where he was going. At the bottom, he blundered through falling masonry. Above he heard shouting, banging and metal clashing. Jumping over any obstacles he ran at full pelt, minute after minute. His feet pounded the shaking ground, and his eyes focused ahead as the light flickered. He assumed he was in a utility tunnel but cared little about his final destination as long as it led away from the chaos. The passage sloped down steeply almost causing him to stumble. It spiralled deeper and deeper.

  The sounds from above receded and the ground stilled. Irvin stopped to catch his breath and couldn’t believe he’d survived. He was thinking of ways of disguising his fear from the others but then realised it had gone or was never there. It wasn’t the horror of dying which had caused him to run but a desire to survive and choose his end.

  Sprinting on his mind raced as blood pumped into his brain. I want to charge towards death, he thought. Not wait for it to come to me. My life was chaotic in the rigid, rule-based safe society. Perhaps amongst the havoc and ruins, I will find my way even for just a day. He was relieved and hopeful despite not knowing where he was heading.

  A metal barrier blocked his way, and his heart dropped at the thought of having to retrace his route back. He glanced up at the camera hoping the face recognition was still working. To his relief, the door slid open.

  Straight away he spotted Elley her blonde almost white hair shining beneath a spotlight. She lay curled up in the fetal position encircled by shards of glass. Irvin stamped the dust from his boots and with his fingers brushed the concrete from his hair. He walked closer, bent double, breathed hard and then fell onto his knees. He reached out and shook her by the shoulder.

  “Go away,” she moaned. “I’m not interested in anything going on. I want to be left alone.”

  “I’ve decided something. I don’t want to be a part of all this murder and death.” He said the first thing which came into his head not knowing how to respond. “We could go forward by choosing to live in the in-between. To not stand out but not hide. As we journey, we will inhabit and move through the gaps and cracks. When we reach a safe place, we’ll burst out like flowers pushing through concrete, water splitting the ice and lava rising from the torn flesh of the Earth. Until then we will hide in the spaces between things and move unnoticed like a ghost.”

  “What are you talking about?” she said sounding a little interested.

  “We’ve both been deceived, and it’s time to take charge,” he said. “Let's resist, be stubborn. We should keep a grip of our destiny, climb and not slip.” Irvin grinned broadly.

  Elley roused herself, raised her eyelids and twisted up onto her knees. Irvin looked into her doll-like face. “We should head south, to the equator.”

  “The earth has burst open and is spewing out poison gas,
the sky is cold and grey, and water has poured onto the land,” Elley replied. “You wouldn’t last five minutes.”

  “I’m not ready to abandon Earth,” Irvin said realising for the first time what he truly wanted for the short time left. “Holly could still be alive and need my help. I won’t leave unprepared. We will take masks, supplies and weapons.”

  “You’re mad – go with them on the spaceship. The clock is ticking.”

  “I would love to experience one last carefree night in the pub,” he uttered dreamily. “When it all blinks out and the curtain drops, we might see the truth behind the scenes. Anyway, the clocks always ticking, it’s a linear thing part of the Game.”

  “In a few days all you see, and experience will vanish – you will be nowhere,” Elley said as her flawless brow creased with growing anger. “Go Irvin – just go.”

  “You’re not. According to dad, you haven’t even attempted to persuade them to change their minds.”

  “They won’t take me or any of us,” she said glancing around at the other inhabitants of the space. “I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I have also made a decision.”

  “Something always survives an extinction event and who knows what will remain after the show.” Irvin saw a look of sad resignation in her eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t care less about being nothing I just want to feel freedom again, even if it is only for a few days.”

  “I suppose I must come with you,” she said sighing as a tear trickled down her cheek. “Someone will need to keep you safe.”

  “Now,” he said lifting her cold hand into his and helping her to his feet. They smiled at each other.

  “What about the others, Felicity, Jonah and dad?”

  “They will stay together and be safe. We can travel with peace of mind, and if I find Holly in time, perhaps we’ll race back and take our place in the escape.” Irvin shook away his stiffness. “Come on we will have to run before order is re-established and people come looking for us.”

  As they turned to leave Irvin came face to face with a group of people. “Who are they?” he said turning back to Elley.

  “They’re coming too – we’re connected – these are all the taken who were arrested and imprisoned. We will protect you.”

  Together they rushed back through the tunnel. When they came to the entrance hall and dining room, they found it empty except for the dead. They gathered masks, supplies and weapons from the barbarians and walked out into the darkness.

  Popping Bubbles

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Dante lay on his bed holding a pile of old photos up to his face. He gazed dreamily and guiltily at a heron standing on a fallen branch by a river. Above was a blue sky dotted with cirrus clouds. He remembered the heat of that summers day and how happy he was when on that rare occasion he’d taken a break from his all-consuming work. It was the only holiday he could recall actually being present with his children. His trips to the rocky throne on Dartmoor had mostly been with Josie before the children were born. He placed the picture at the bottom of the pile and studied the next one.

  It was a meadow, on a cloudless day. Josie was squatting in the long grass blowing bubbles for Irvin to pop. Elley was making a daisy chain, and Felicity was eating honeycomb. A year later his oldest daughter would have vanished. Everything in the picture was transitory. The bubbles in the air would remain perfect, the flowers wouldn’t die, or the sky darkens, and they as a family would stay in that moment of happiness. Time had stopped – the clock had stopped. Perhaps there’s a way I can stop the countdown, he considered. Keep everyone from harm.

  Dante was shaken from his restful ponderings by a sad moaning, followed by a low rumbling which mingled together with the sound of rocks grinding. The room shook, and a sulphurous stink rose from the floor. External cries of distress, distraught voices rising in panic, stampeding footsteps and amongst it all internal words gushed into his mind, take cover, defend yourselves and stay calm. This quake will be over in a matter of minutes. We’re under attack. Let them come to you – allow them to reveal they're true intentions before you strike.

  His quiet breathing deepened as his body shifted into vigilance. I’m in my room, he shouted to a voice which sounded like Craig’s.

  Take cover, and someone will come to you, the man responded.

  He stared up at the ceiling and saw a crack spread like burrowing roots. A stone sized piece of concrete dropped onto his forehead, and his mouth and nose were smothered in dust. Before his brittle and fragile bones would have broken under the blow but when he reached up to check his head, he discovered his skin was unmarked. The previously experienced sensations of pain were replaced with a thrill and excitement running down his back. His whole body was rejuvenated, his heart pumped vigorously, power surged through the hidden wiring, and his brain was switched on with information all ordered and accessible.

  As furniture shifted back and forth, he leapt from his bed. As he headed for the door a filing cabinet, heavy with a lifetime of his collected knowledge rocked and tipped threatening to crush him under its weight. He thrust his left arm in the air and pushed it easily back against the wall. The raging ceased. Dante took a few paces over to a small basin, scooped water into his hands and wiped the grime from his face.

  They’ve gone. Curious Dante tuned into the chattering voices. Irvin and the cyborgs have left the facility. Should we send out a search party?”

  Hearing this news was beyond painful for Dante. He couldn’t bear the thought of his family being torn apart at a time when he was able to make amends to prove he was a better man. His fragility and cowardice had gone but for what purpose, if he couldn’t save the ones he loved. He searched the information in his mind and found Irvin and Elley negotiating their way around a lava field three miles away. I’m going to get them, he called back to whoever was listening.

  Dante picked his computer off the floor and lay it on the bed. He lifted the lid and tapped in the code. All that appeared was a message: Three Days Left.

  Craig burst through the door with a glad smile on his lips. “You’re still with us then?”

  “You know in my current state it will be impossible to crush me to death.”

  “Glad to hear it. Come with me we need to check the viability of the craft and hold a meeting on our next steps.”

  “Craig, I must warn you,” he said in an urgent tone. “There are only three days left. We must get Irvin and the others and leave immediately.”

  “We’re not ready yet – It will take at least another week to prepare everything.”

  “Any communications from the outside world?” Dante inquired.

  “No, it’s gone quiet. The last we heard was death on a grand scale.”

  “It’s already hopeless we must leave first thing tomorrow. That will give us tonight to prepare.”

  “Impossible.”

  “I don’t want to hear that,” Dante shouted and shoved Craig out of the room. “Unless we can all search and find a way to stop the clock.” He roared standing fierce under the door frame.

  “It’s a natural disaster,” Craig regarded Dante with a curious expression. “This could be its dying cries for all we know. It might all be over other than the cleanup. Yes, there is a danger of further raids but three days? That’s much too soon.”

  “Just take my word for it. There are unimaginable forces behind all this, and they’re counting down to final destruction. Now let me past, so I can go and get my son.”

  “I can’t allow you to go – your actions are driven by fear and anger. You need to be checked over by the doctors.”

  “If you don’t believe me check with our alien hosts – they know all about this and have been watching every move. Although I don’t think they care that much about what happens to us hybrids or humans.”

  “We don’t have direct contact,” Craig shouted. “We were all compelled to design and create the machine with all the coordinates to our home planet. That is all.”

&nbs
p; “I need to get my son.” Without thinking, Dante raised his fist and smashed the side of the man’s head. Craig didn’t waver.

  Dante saw a peculiar expression cross Craig's eyes as though he was listening to instructions. He watched his colleague take something from his pocket. Black ink shot up through Dante’s spine and spread out finally branching into his brain and consuming his mind in pitch darkness.

  The White Heart

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Felicity seated herself on an upright chair next to her father’s bed in the serene, whitewashed medical room which had survived the Earth’s rage without a scratch. She shook her father awake. He lifted his lids and raised his hand in a feeble gesture of greeting towards Jonah who was standing at the end of the bed. He pressed his daughter’s hand without looking at her. Instead, he focussed on Jonah.

  “What did they tell you?” he said in a grumpy voice. “He pressed a switch, so the back of the bed moved into an upright position. He sat straight seemingly alert.

  “They said you had problems adjusting to the new situation,” Jonah replied as he consciously placed a barrier between his conscious mind and all the disembodied voices.

  “I hit him – Craig.” Dante sniffed and wiped his nose as tears formed in his eyes. “He wouldn’t listen to me, and all my pent-up emotions erupted. I expect they told you about Irvin and Elley.” He sobbed gently. “You both might as well leave I’m in a morbid frame of mind and whatever they’ve given me is making me groggy.”

  “They’re about to hold a meeting which we are all supposed to attend.”

  “I’m not moving. What’s the point there are three days left – less than that now.” He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand unable to look his daughter in the eyes. “Irvin just wanted to grab something familiar. I had time to get him and bring him back, but Craig did his best to prevent me. The idea of starting afresh somewhere new is unappealing without all my family. It’s hard enough not having your mother at my side. I’m paying a heavy price for my mistakes.”