Darkness (15 page)

“Where are you taking me?”

She didn’t respond. Her long dress hid her feet and gave her the ghostly appearance of gliding.

She reached a set of metal steps. As she started up, the only sounds were our footsteps – my heavy boots, thunderous in the close confines of the hallway, and the patter of her bare feet.

We reached the top of the stairs, entering what appeared to be a small rec room. The space was dark and obviously hadn’t been kept up. Fifteen years for dust to collect. Fifteen years for furniture to disintegrate.

Fifteen years for people to go crazy.

The girl quickly snuffed out the candle with two fingers, giving way to the interior fluorescent lights that shined weakly. They cast a sickly blue along the walls, the worn furniture. From the shadows of a corner stepped the man – the same one who had attacked us above. From instinct, my bound hands went to my side, finding nothing.

“Untie him,” the man said.

The woman rushed to obey. Within seconds, the rough rope had fallen to the floor. I rubbed my wrists, trying to work feeling back into them. The woman scooped up the rope and began to coil it for reuse later.

The man stood in the center of the room. He wore a dark denim coat with dark pants, and by the light I could see his features a little more clearly. He was surprisingly young – perhaps in his early thirties. Everything about him was dark – his clothing, his eyes, his hair, long and to his shoulders but still surprisingly kempt. He also had a beard, but it was short and trimmed. He was tall and fit and carried an aura of command. There was nothing cruel about his features – from appearance, he looked like a good person – stately, even. But I knew that this was not the case because of how he had attacked us earlier. It was his eyes that got to me most. Empty. Hollow. It was like staring into twin abysses.

I felt as if I were looking into the eyes of a man with no soul, or at least, a man who had buried his soul so deeply that the only thing left was...I didn’t know. What I did know was that he gave off a creepy, infectious vibe.

Then it hit me. Looking at him was like staring into
their
eyes.

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” the man said. “You may return to your duties.”

As Elizabeth left the room, the man’s eyes turned on me. His gaze was piercing and seemed to see into my core. I didn’t falter, but met his stare head-on. A younger version of me might have looked away, but I had seen too much to be intimidated by this man.

“Forgive the confinement, Alex,” the man said. “We have never had Outsiders visit, but we take the safety and integrity of the Community very seriously.”

“The Community? And how do you know my name?”

“We
are the Community,” the man said, gesturing around the empty room. He gave a small smile, in realization that we were the only ones here. “And I heard one of your friends speak your name.” The man paused. “We of the Community are close in heart and purpose. Whatever threatens that heart and purpose is darkness. Anything that stands in the way of the Ascension is darkness – the rebirth of the New Humanity upon the face of the world.” He paused to look at me closer. “I am Elias Greene, Voice and Prophet.”

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.