The Children of New Earth (13 page)

We spent the next few hours in silence, searching for shelter. When night fell at last, none of us had the spirit to keep going, so we took refuge in the nearest building we could find. Sleep eluded us all, but Rachel offered to take first watch so the rest of could at least put our minds at ease.

Around midnight, we began to hear unsettling sounds in the distance. It seemed the Demons were becoming more aggressive, inconveniently timed with the attack of the anarchists. I found myself doubting that a few young Neogens could ever play a part in shaping the future of this planet. I did not abandon hope, but I will admit my convictions did falter. Cora began to hum a song so as to distract from the Demons’ screeching. It was different from what she had sung before, but it had the same, sleep-inducing effect.

Chapter 9

I awoke the next morning to the sound of water droplets meeting the wet ground. The petrichor told us that it had rained for a short while the night before. It did well to wash away all but the woes of yesterday. It was as if the heavens themselves mourned the passing of our comrade.

“We need to go back to the anarchist camp,” Cora said.

Aaron and Rachel agreed. Lynn, however, was not so eager.

“Why? Even if we find out where they are, how are the five of us gonna do anything about it?” she argued.

“Six!” Mark added.

“Do you even have weapons Mark? What can you do besides
inform
them to death?”

“We can gather intel, learn more about them,” Aaron said. “Then take that information to someone who will help us.”

“And who will?! Our Sanctuary is gone, yours is gone, and there is no one else we can go to!” Lynn was speaking the harsh truth that we had avoided for so long.

“So, what? We’re just lost in this Hell, alone? Forever?” Aaron argued.

“My parents will know what to do.” Cora insisted. “If we find the anarchists, we find them.”

“It’s better than sitting here doing nothing,” I agreed.

Lynn was understandably upset, but agreed to this proposal. I wondered if her grief felt as mine did for my parents. Perhaps she too was struggling with her emotions, trying to feel sad after the initial shock wore off. Perhaps she too was confused about why she felt an artificial sorrow. It would explain the anger that had seemingly overtaken her personality. I decided I would ask her, but now was most certainly not the right time.

It took us about an hour to return to the anarchist Sanctuary, through a different route this time. Locust Walk was now nothing more than a pile of ash and rocks, and it was a difficult sight to bear. Instead, we followed the street that ran alongside the courtyard, eventually arriving at the gate on our right. Rachel was the first to step through, the rest of us followed once she signaled that it was safe. Our initial sight was a large tree, wilting in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by dying grass and overgrown weeds. A path ran along the edge of the courtyard, with doorways leading to various sections of the surrounding building, most of which was in ruins. But at least the odor from yesterday was gone, and the smell of dew wafted through the air.

“OK, let’s split up and have a look around,” Aaron said.

Rachel agreed. “Aaron you come with me, Lynn you go with Thran and Cora.”

“Are you sure that’s safe?” I was hesitant. “Cora and I aren’t as well-trained in combat.”

“Aaron and I have experience scavenging together. We’ll do a quick sweep and meet up with you guys.”

I reluctantly agreed.

“I’d rather just go alone,” Lynn wasn’t looking at us. “I don’t need anyone slowing me down.”

“Fair enough. Mark, you go with our scientists so they’re not stumbling around in the dark.”

We all went our separate ways. Cora, Mark, and I took the western tip of the quadrangle. We walked past a pile of rubble, and found a stable-looking entrance. The old, wooden door opened into a dark stairwell. The stench was overwhelming, and the air was thick some kind of yellow dust.

“Ugh, that is disgusting,” Cora said, covering her face with her sleeve.

“I detect organic material in the air,” Mark said. “I’d recommend caution; these particles are interfering with my sensors, there could be something dangerous here.”

“Worse than what we’ve already seen?” I asked skeptically. I think we’ll be OK.”

We continued on up the stairs, which creaked and released more dust with each step. We figured it was safe to use a light, which Mark provided. Upon reaching the first floor, we saw two hallways leading in either direction. The right hallway was much longer, presumably leading all the way through the building that surrounded the yard. Streams of sunlight shone through the cavities where the building had been demolished by the Titan. The left was much shorter, leading to only three rooms and relatively intact. We decided to clear this side first, then make our way around the other hallway.

The first room was empty, save some broken furniture and papers scattered all over the floor. None of them were of much use, they just had cryptic numbers scribbled all over them. In the second room, Cora found some ammunition and a gun, which we decided she should have, given that my power can help me escape danger more easily. There were also several cans of food and a pair of shoes, which we proceeded to collect and move on. The last door was closed, and when I tried to open it I found that it was locked as well. I glanced at Cora, who simply shrugged.

“I don’t have anything that can break that open, should we just leave it?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t feel right leaving this room unchecked. We need everything we can get.”

“Alright, how about you use your special door-breaking power and we’ll carry on.”

I smiled, then remembered using my power while I was falling through the floor back at the hospital. If gravity had a different effect on me, perhaps the laws of force did as well.

“Stand back,” I warned. ”I’m gonna try something.”

“I know,” she said, already standing outside the hallway.

I slowed time by a relatively steep ratio and took a few breaths, flexing my right leg. Then, with one last inhale, I kicked the door with full force which, to be completely honest, wasn’t too impressive. The door nearly shattered, breaking off the hinges and landing with a thud on the floor. Time flowed normally again as I stepped over the door into the room and turned to see Cora and Mark standing in doorway.

“How did that even work?!” she was baffled.

“I believe his power allows him to act at a relatively normal speed regardless of how slow he is perceiving the world. His time flow ratio allowed the force of his collision with the door to be compounded, as he was applying the same energy over a much shorter period of time,” Mark explained.

“Yeah, something like that,” I groaned as rubbed my sore leg. “But I won’t be trying that again anytime soon.”

This room was slightly different than the last. Two beds were positioned on opposite sides of the room, next to matching desks that looked like they were falling apart. In the center of the room, between the beds, was a huge pile of clothing, taking up almost half the room. We rummaged through this pile, seeking anything of use. We had only begun our search when the pile began to move. We jumped back and Cora readied her gun.

The clothes shifted and we saw a humanoid figure rise up from the ground. Mark aimed his light, and we saw a young man, no older than us, kneeling there in the middle of the room. He had a youthful face, and black, disheveled hair. He was wearing a black shirt with the sleeves ripped at the elbow and tattered blue jeans.

“Um, who are you?” I asked nervously.

He raised his hand over his face to shield himself from the light, and Mark responded by dimming it.

“I-I’m Isaac,” the boy responded. “I don’t-I don’t remember where I am.” His eyes were half closed, and he spoke in a groggy voice.

“You’re in Philadelphia,” I answered. “Your Sanctuary was attacked.”

“Does the word ‘anarchist’ mean anything to you?” Cora asked. I wondered why she didn’t just read his mind, and figured perhaps his amnesia was making it harder to do so.

“I remember a group of these raiders attacking my home,” he said, starting to remember. “But they’re gone now…”

His voice trailed off, as if he was trying to remember something. He pondered for a moment before getting a worried look on his face.

“We need to get out of here,” he warned. “The air…it’s not safe.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Those things, the Hollows, they got sick from the air.”

“Neogens are immune, Isaac.”

“Are there Hollows here?” Cora asked.

“They’re in the rooms. In all these hallways,” he said solemnly. “And I’m not even sure I’m immune. It’s been sometime since my last vaccination.”

“Why would you need a vaccination?”

He hesitated. “I’d feel a lot better talking on the way out.”

Agreeing with his proposal, we walked out of the room. Just as we were all back in the hallway, we heard a low rumble. Creaks and cracks came from the stairwell, and after a few seconds we heard a crash, followed by a cloud of dust that erupted from where the stairs used to be.

“Of course that would happen,” I said, exasperated.

“It’s fine, we can go through this hall until we reach the next staircase,” Cora suggested.

Isaac took a step back. “No, you go without me, I’m not risking going through
that
.”

“Do you see this robot?” I said, pointing at Mark. “He’ll warn us at the first hint of danger, so nothing can surprise us.”

“Besides, you’re a Neogen, right?” Cora asked. “Don’t you have a power?”

He looked down, and shook his head. “I don’t have any special abilities, and as far as I know I’m the only Neogen like that. That’s why I don’t know if I’m immune to the virus. That’s why I get vaccinated with the Parents.”

I felt truly sorry for him, and could empathize with his fear. If I didn’t have my power I would almost never feel safe. Cora must’ve thought the same thing because she activated her shield and handed her gun to Isaac.

“You’re going to be just fine,” she said.

He was only slightly reassured, but hesitantly agreed in the end. We walked back past the stairwell, taking care not to cause more damage or risk falling through the floor. As we advanced through the next hallway, I began to feel light-headed. Maybe it was the specks of dust that I was inhaling, or maybe I was just tired. I glanced at Cora, whose eyes were drooping slightly, and I worried she was suffering from the same affliction. Isaac, on the other hand, looked relatively normal. It was uncertain how long he had survived here but it must’ve been at least a few days. Speculation became difficult as my vision got foggy, and it became harder to breath.

Gradually, I heard moaning and scratching coming from all the rooms in the hallway. I tried to ignore it, but noticed that Isaac’s hands were shaking. I prayed he wouldn’t accidentally shoot one of us.

We were halfway down the hall when the moaning got louder. Cora looked exhausted and I felt the same way. Mark was floating next to a door, trying to get a reading.

“Are those…Hollows?” I asked in a whisper.

“People. They were once people like you and me. But now they’re these mindless creatures. I’m starting to remember…” Isaac spoke quietly.

“I cannot get a reading,” Mark said, sounding worried. “Audibly, yes, there is something behind these doors. But I detect no living beings.”

The scratching and crying was maddening. Hollows weren’t known to be violent, but the noises they made were quite discomforting. I was so tired, but I forced myself to move faster. Fresh air was all I needed. One breath of fresh air and it would all be over.

Just as we reached the next set of stairs, I heard the familiar sound of a creaking door. And then another, followed by a few more. I assumed they’d been attracted to our footsteps, and had begun wandering into the hallway. I saw dark figures appear in front of us as well.

“Just…ignore them,” I said between breaths. “They wo…won’t hurt you.”

We shoved slowly past the wandering Hollows, trying not to look at their blank, withered faces. I kept my head down as we walked and attempted to block out the sound of their dull moaning. After what seemed like hours in this claustrophobic nightmare, we finally reached the stairwell. Fortunately, the air wasn’t as dense here, and we rushed to the ground floor. Isaac swung open the door, and the slammed it shut once we were all out. I took in a huge breath of air, and felt my heartbeat normalize. Reinvigorated by the natural atmosphere, I turned to see if the others were alright. We took a few minutes to relax and catch our breath.

A noise from inside distracted us, and I turned to see a Hollow push through the door and meander out in the sunlight. His skin was gray and covered in scratches, and his lifeless eyes remained fixed on the ground. Isaac, startled by the Hollow’s sudden appearance, fired his gun into the creature’s chest. It staggered, but did not fall. Then, a final gunshot to the head finally put the Hollow down, but it did not come from Isaac’s gun. We looked out towards the grass to see the others approaching with Aaron in front, weapon drawn.

“Mindless as they may be, they’re drawn to certain stimuli,” Cora said.

The sound of more stumbling footsteps from the stairwell caused us to instinctively move away from the door.

“We shouldn’t leave them like this,” I said.

“I agree,” Aaron said, raising his gun. “Back away from the door. Let’s put these things out of their misery.”

We had just stepped behind the others when the gunshots erupted. I saw the creatures fall, one by one, in a storm of bullets and a peculiar flurry of white metal that I could only assume was Rachel’ Quantum Orb. After a minute of this bloody display, the door slowly swung shut again. Aaron and Lynn lowered their guns, and Rachel retrieved her Orb.

“Who’s the new guy?” Aaron asked.

“This is Isaac, he hates anarchists, and he’s a Neogen with no power.”

“Good, great, and sorry to hear it, friend,” Aaron replied.

“Are you sure?” Rachel asked skeptically. “Maybe it’s just something you haven’t discovered yet.”