Everything was in grey, black, and white as if everything was living dead. Unlike Earth where certain colors are absorbed, and others refracted like the sky of Earth being refracted of blue, the shortest wavelength on this planet ever color must be absorbed, which leaves only black and grey,” I said.
Annabelle reached down and plucked a strange-looking flower from the ash-colored ground; a plume of black soot filled the air. The flower was black with a spherical center with eight points jutting out. Suddenly, the flower exploded, and the razor-sharp points shot through the air and embedded into her oxygen rebreather.
I screamed, “Annabelle! Your suit!”
The hiss of the oxygen escaping her tank scared me even though I had just met her. The hissing stopped; her eyes jutted open.
“I don’t need your help put me down!”
“The air must be breathable; we should be able to venture farther from the ship if we have to then,”
In all the chaos, we had not noticed a gurgling sound coming from the ship. Toni kneeled and dragged his fingers through the dirt, pulling his fingers to his face and examined the liquid.
“It is our fuel, look at the tank it’s basically gone, THAT ROCK IS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE GAS TANK WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO DO,”
“Guys, they may have sent us here to doom us, banish us, keep us from the fight, we will not be beat , we will find fuel or a ship, we will return to earth ,and we will defeat the crooked President and restore order and peace throughout the world most of all we will make him pay agonizingly for sending us to die , now let’s explore this planet. Who’s with me?”
“LET’S GO”
“What a stupid speech, don’t act like you give some rousing, heroic speech. Most of us are merely following you because it is, the only option. Leave the ship or die,” said James.
“There is no better motivation then mutual hatred and despise for everyone, I am in no matter what I got all of your backs,” Said James.”
We all grabbed our handcrafted blades pointed them in the middle and with clash raised them to the sky, and we knew we were united until the end.”
We had started to walk again when the ground was losing and shifted with each step, which sent up clouds of dust and debris. I took one more step, and the entire ground gave away. I slipped under the earth, and I felt cold hard earth surround me, the ground pressed on my back and chest as if trying to squash me while it dragged me down at the same time, deeper and deeper. I slipped into the foreign dirt up to my neck as I felt it start to seep into my ears. I screamed and screamed.
I felt arms around James and me and Toni we’re pulling me up once I was free, I had to pull the black sand out of my ears and everywhere else. “We’re going to have to be careful moving on. There are pockets of ground that aren’t solid.
Toni shouted, “I have an idea in World War II, a battle was fought in Anzio, Italy that pushed the Americans into the countryside where a mind field laid. One of the officers chucked rocks to see where it was safe to step; if they landed safely, it was ok to walk on them, and it blew up; they would have been dead to care. Let us do it until we get out of this valley, at least.”
I fell back to the rear, and Toni took point. The others fell in the middle. I grabbed a piece of rubble from the ship, and I passed it to Annabel who passed it to James all the way down the line to Toni, he threw it, and it landed and immediately started to sink, I passed another piece and Toni threw it, and this time it landed flat and Toni took a step forward . We grabbed another piece of rubble, and assembly lined it down until we had created an entire pathway through the valley of darkness. Step. Step. Step one at a time, we all hopped over the last metal chunk.
“Guys, I’m tired we need to take a break, maybe camp for the night,” said Annabel. I looked around at everyone’s faces, and everyone looked exhausted and beat.
“I think you’re right, we need rest,” I said. Wssssshhhhwhhsh, a wind picked up instead of a cool breeze wind cut deep into our skin, like a thousand razor blades digging into your skin all at once. “Ahhh holy crap! Dammit! “Raymond screamed and ran forward.”
He stumbled and fell into a hole like structured; it was a small cave. I said, “we can crawl inside and keep out of the razor wind.”
The cave was cramped and crowded as we all pushed close together to get inside.
Plink Plink plink, I heard a slow dripping of water hitting the floor; it was almost black dark purple. “Bro you think that’s safe to drink I’m thirsty,” asked James.
“Maybe we should test somehow first,” said Toni
James scooted over and stuck his tongue out close to the ceiling, and the water rolled down his tongue.
He fell sideways over and slumped to the floor.
“JAMES! what the hell, no!” I screamed
“Bahahaha, its fine, dude. I’m joking,” James laughed his deep bellied laugh.
“Man, that’s not funny we thought you died,” said Toni
“Guys, let’s get some sleep,” I said as I lay down.
I felt the cold stone floor under my back when I drifted off to sleep.
I awoke with a jolt when I thought I heard whispers, alas, it was my dreams. I looked down, and I saw Annabel lying on my chest. The thin light accentuating the lines of her beautiful face, I wrapped my arms around her and fell back asleep.
“Who are they”
“Where did they come from.”
“What are we going to do with them?”
I heard the whispers again, and my eyes popped open, and I glanced around the room.
I made eye contact with James
“Uh, catalyst,” James said.
I felt someone’s hot breathe on me, and realized, strange men and women, surrounded us with glowing orange eyes that shone through the darkness.
Chapter Two
James reached down and slid his hands over one another; He used his ring to cut open his palm, he forged a bloody dagger.
I reached up and touched the foreign woman’s forehead and sent enough spider venom, which caused her to pass out and put her into temporary paralysis. Her hands seized, and fingers froze until she fell to the floor.
“Everyone wakes up; we’re being invaded,” I said. Ray, Toni, and Annabelle jutted awake.
Annabelle dragged her sword across the nearest man’s arm, rich dark blood dripped to the ground and covered the blade.
Another orange-eyed man flung his wrist, which sent shards or slivers sailing through the air; one lodged itself deep into my forehead.
“Catalyst!” Ray screamed as he slid his hand and used his powers to turn the sliver kinetic energy to potential energy, and they fell to the floor.
James launched at the third man with his dagger and dug the blade deep into his skin, then the blood hardened further and shattered. The villain pulled chemical energy from James’s body and blasted it back into him as thermal energy. James’s arm burned, bubbled, and bled as he was thrown through the air and slammed against the wall.
Toni jumped up on to the third man’s back and drew his handcrafted sword across his throat, barely drawing blood.
“ENOUGH EVERYONE DROP OR I WILL KILL YOUR FRIEND; I WANT ANSWERS WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU.”
The lady woke up and put her hands up; she started to shoot sand from her hands. I grabbed her throat.
“If you like living, I would stop the sand show.”
She fell to her knees, and we brought the other two over, tying all three of them together with rope from the ship.
“What are your names, what is your story? Why did you attack us?” I asked the one I presumed to be the leader.
“We come from Earth like you. We were banished long ago. They feared us and cast us out from the earth. The President of the United States said we were a threat to national security. I am Sandstorm, the tall Hispanic one with black hair and glasses is Sir Sliver. Sliver can touch certain items and weaken the bonds which leave shards or slivers that he can then shoot from his hands.
Annabelle looked skeptical of the new orange-eyed woman.
“How long have you been here and how many of you are there, plus if you want us to trust you, maybe you should tell us your real name?”
The lady looked at her with a straight dead stare. “My name is Agatha; we don’t know how long we’ve been here, time passes weird here we were exiled in 2105 what year is it now?”
James, Toni, and I looked at each other before responding. I looked at her, knowing she would be surprised,
“We left January 12th, 2125, which means you guys have been here for twenty years.”
Before she could respond Toni motioned for me to come over, he cupped a hand around his lips and whispered into my ear “I know we got off on the wrong foot, I don’t trust these people, and you should not either. They will double-cross you if they get what they want to remember. There is no loyalty among thieves. If it comes down to it, I will kill them; if it comes down to them or us, I’ll save any of us first.”
I looked over at Annabelle, who was sitting in the corner on a rock, focused on writing feverishly into a notebook.
“What are you working on? So intently?”
She looked almost annoyed. I’d asked, “I figured it would be a good idea to document our journey, plus it’s like my journal, a journey journal.”
I started to respond when Sliver jumped up suddenly, “Wait what’s happened in the years we have been gone, I noticed on your suits it says NAC what is that?
I sat down next to Annabelle, and she rested her head on my shoulders. James, Toni, and Ray all sat down on the far side of the cave, and Agatha, Silver, and Thermal all sat down opposite of them; Thermal held Agatha’s hand and used her chemical energy to create a weak thermal field which heated the cave and provided warmth.
“The United Nations held a summit to solve the world's problems they established a Union City to solve all the world’s major problems, poor economies, homeless, crime.
It started with Europe; they combined communism and capitalism, democracy, and socialism. They created a centralized European government. Which spread the wealth, they employed the jobless and homeless to build homes they used the newfound wealth and knowledge to irrigate the deserts with seawater, fixed healthcare, criminals were sent to prison at sea until they could be rehabilitated. Threats were either killed or exiled to the Outland. It was so successful that each continent created a coalition that led to success. They claimed we have the lowest crime, no homeless, no poverty, and cheapest energy by using solar power, cleanest cities, and environments.”
“Don’t forget to mention how much bullshit that is, they lead the ignorant and kill or banish anyone who opposes them. Spend millions on propaganda. Nothing they said is true.”
Annabelle stood up and whispered, “Hold on catalyst listen, do you hear that?” Sssssssssssssssssssss. I heard a high-pitched sound as if melting in a hot skillet.
“All hell!! We have to get out of here, or that stuff will eat your face all; we’re going to have to get back to camp,” shouted Sliver.
I saw Tiny pieces of pebbles fall from the ceiling; black ink colored liquid pushed through the walls and melted anything it touched. When it hit the floor, it splashed up, and a few drops hit the side of my face below my eye, I felt the liquid melt through my flesh and muscle down to the bone before it stopped. I started to scream, “AHHHHH LETS GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE. “
James, Toni, and Ray scrambled to get out of the door. Agatha, Sliver, and Thermal were almost out the door when turned toward the back wall that was melting, Agatha thrust her wrist shooting sand at the ooze and completely covered it. Thermal grabbed her hand, and she stopped producing sand. He started to blast the sand with heat hot enough to turn it to glass. Annabelle stood up and started to run out the door. Her foot caught a divot, and she fell to the ground, she screamed.
“What is that stuff, it’s similar to lava it is black oozing acid?” Asked Toni.
Silver looked at him, running his hands through his beard.
“That is exactly it, it comes from deep under the planet's crust, in the outskirts of our camp it burst forth from the ground in geysers and will disintegrate anything it touches. We do not know what causes it; we have made use of it though, it heats our homes, and our camp is near the geysers because it keeps the beast and monsters out…”
Toni and I exchanged glances with James and Annabelle. None of us was sure what to make of these statements.
“Beast and monsters? What do you mean, what kind of beast and monsters?”
Thermal looked at me; the planet is filled with them, that’s why we haven’t been able to leave in all this time we have not been able to explore that much farther than our camp. We live of plants and lava lizards from the foot of the volcano, past the outer lands of our camp is where many monsters live, they are more like demons. Killing anything they touch; they say one of them has the power to rip the soul from your body. We have tried many times to pass the valley every time we lose a great many lives; there are not many of us left.”
I looked over at Toni and James before I spoke as if we were reading each other’s minds.
“Yes, before you did not have us brothers in blood and soon to be battle, we have powers, and yes, the battles will be difficult the harder the struggle, the greater it feels when you persevere, the longer and tougher the battle the greater our victory will feel. I say we go to your camp get your people and go to this wasteland fight the demons and then combine the working parts of both our ships and then figure out how to create fuel and go home and kill the tyrannous President. Who is with me? “ I screamed with a rallying cry.
“Enough with the speeches man,” said Toni
“You hate them now; I bet you will come around.”
We packed what was left of our things, The cave and most of our stuff had been destroyed we still had several of Toni and Ray's handcrafted blades, a canteen that James had filled with the purple water, and bandages that Annabelle and I had crafted out of the cloth from the seats. The eight of us set out toward the camp. Agatha in the lead and Toni and Ray took up the flank. Toni had insisted on being in the rear because he had been in the military plus part of his powers knows military tactic of all time, so I choose not to argue.
We must have walked for miles and miles; I felt the bottoms of my spacesuit boots getting worn out.
“Guys, we’re almost there. We’re going to go up ahead and signal them.” Said Agatha.
We watched as Agatha shot sand straight up into the air, in a single column a foot across. Thermal blasted it with his hands, which turned it to a glass cylinder, and Silver blasted it with slivers, which made it shatter and sent millions a piece of shattered glass everywhere.
An unfamiliar voice said,
“Sandstorm, Thermal, and sliver approaching!”
Agatha stepped forward and spoke.
“We have found new people. They have been banished – like us; they are going to help us get passed the demons and get home.”
We stepped forward, and I saw an incredible wall; it stood at least 11 feet tall. It was made entirely of foreign bones and trees. One at a time, we stepped into a bone archway. It was made from a giant alien animal rib cage. After we stepped inside, I saw how bad off everyone was. People lied on the ground too weak to move. The planet had weakened them, mentally and physically, most of them malnourished. Annabelle and I climbed a spiraling tower, a
nd we were able to see miles away. Every direction we looked all we saw were human Skeletons.
Annabelle sat down to write in her book, James and Ray walked upstairs to say goodnight and Agatha showed them which part of the fort they could sleep in.
“So, are you going to be ready for tomorrow? It’s going to be dangerous, and it’s different for us. We have powers. All you are going to have a sword, Annabelle.” I said.
She set down her pen and book, and she walked over to me and looked into my eyes.
“I will be alright I can take care of myself plus I have you guys, I mean often I will probably be saving you guys. You know what I mean, though.” Annabelle said.
I glanced down at her beautiful face. My eyes lit up when I stared at her, and I said.
“Goodnight Annabelle gets some rest you will need it for tomorrow.”
I lay down on a bunch of wadded up shirts and gazed up at the foreign sky. I started to fall asleep when I heard a burning sound, and I saw smoke fills the air, I felt my eardrums ring when a man began to scream in the distance his voice shaking and filled with fear
“HE'S GOT ME. PLEASE HELP ME HE’S KILLING ME.”
I could only hear silence and then a thunderous roar echoing into the silence of the night.
Chapter Three
I awoke when I felt the warm sun heat up my face. I saw the bright morning lights peering over the walls of the fort. I lay on my back for a minute longer then went to check on Annabelle and the others. I heard the slow rhythmic breathing of Annabelle. For a moment, I looked upon her because, for a minute, she was peaceful and safe. Which I didn’t think would happen for a long time
I heard Footsteps upon the stairs. The bone steps creaked one after another. I looked up, and I saw James standing in the doorway; his large build filling almost the entire frame, He walked over and sat next to me. At first, he looked over the fort before he spoke. He turned and looked into my eyes. When he spoke, his voice was shaky and filled with concern as deep as always. “Catalyst I remember years ago when I was working on a job site, my friend Charlie fell off the scaffolding and together with my friend George we caught him. We saved his life, and I never felt like a better person. We are supposedly Villains; sometimes, we do good things.”
Journey to a darker world Page 2
