Dusk of Defiance (The Era of Ensemble Book 1) (6 page)

Luke swayed from side to side in his seat as the tram moved. It made him feel incredibly sleepy. He shook his head and gave himself a slap on the face to keep him awake and alert. To his right was a not so comfortable bench identical in design to the one he was sitting on, except the padding had been gnawed off. The glass in the window across from him was shattered, stained with trickles of blood that had congealed into a small pool at the bottom of the window. As Luke continued to glance around the tram he saw torn bits of clothing piled up in the corner of the tram like a nest for a rodent,
a human sized rodent.
There were cracks in the glass where the man had fired off rounds. A large splatter of blood clung to a panel by a door, it dripped down slowly like someone had thrown a can of paint at the panel.

The tram entered a tunnel and the lights
inside became brighter. Luke shifted in his chewed seat, he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t want to move to another bench with someone’s blood for company. He glanced out of the window, nothing but blackness surrounded the tram in the tunnel. A door slammed behind him as the tram turned with the tracks. Luke jumped from his seat and took cover behind it. He heard nothing, only the tram’s low hum. The door crashed again, he ducked at the sound.
I can't live like this, jumping at every noise.
He rose to his feet, and walked cautiously to where he heard the emissions of noise. One of the emergency exit doors had its lock broken and a bar which had held it in place had snapped. The door crashed against the side of the tram again. Luke checked his vicinity for something to block the door. He noticed the pile of torn clothes in the corner and edged towards them. As he moved closer he could smell the stench of urine and faeces, Luke gagged, but he carried on. He pinched at the clothes, but only picked up a small piece of clothing. He stopped for a brief moment, and then used a firm grip and picked up a handful. As he walked to the banging door, a piece of clothing fell from his grip, and a strip of faeces splattered against the floor, Luke didn’t notice what he had dropped until he stepped in it. He shoved the clothing into the gap between the door and the wall. The door still crashed into the panel, but the sound was muffled. Luke hoped his efforts in attempting to silence the door had not been made in vain. He didn't want to attract those things. He didn't want his head to be ripped off, or his limp body to be carried away to their lair. He didn't want to be feasted on by those creatures. He had to protect himself at all costs, and he had to get to his sister.

Luke, annoyed with the faeces stuck on the sole of his boot, made his way back to the bench he had been sitting on before. He sat down in a huff,
and checked his boot. “Great.” He whispered to himself.
At least I can’t smell any worse.

The tram exited the tunnel,
and the lights inside switched into a different, less intense mode. Luke looked out of the window. It was dark, as dark as it was before Luke restored power.
Maybe the power wasn’t restored to the whole of the ship.
He quickly disregarded that thought as the tram approached light. It was a station. He saw about five people standing below a light. They all had objects in their hands. One had a wrench, another had a pipe, and one even had a door handle. They took turns jumping, and swinging their weapons at the light. Each one shrieked as they failed to hit the light bulb, it was just a little bit too high for their reach. Most of them ignored the tram as it drove past, one looked over and met Luke’s gaze. He didn’t know what to do,
should I duck? Stay still and hope that the thing hasn't seen me?
Before he could decide one of the other creatures had jumped and smashed its wrench into the light, it caused a flurry of sparks and glass, reminding Luke of a firework display that he had taken Megan to watch once when she was young. The monster that had met Luke’s gaze had turned back to dance atop the glass.
Do they even feel pain?
He continued to watch despite the growing distance between them. The creatures were destroying the source of light.
Is this what Maxwell meant by his comments that they wouldn't like it?
Luke shuddered,
why would the creatures abhor the light?
He struggled to make sense of his surroundings.
I wish I'd stayed safe in my cryogenic chamber. Safe, frozen and asleep. Well away from those creatures...
But then he remembered Megan. He had awoken too late to help Elizabeth,
but will I be too late to help my sister?
A nightmarish picture entered Luke's mind of a woman's body wrapped in flowing dancing ribbons, being carried by a horde of violent, enraged beasts. They held the body aloft like a victor’s trophy. The ribbons soaked and stained with blood. They ripped at the woman's flesh and danced on her bones. Luke shuddered once more as his mind’s eye tried to follow the woman's face.
Can I see my sister in the dead woman's eyes?

The lights shone brightly again as the tram entered another tunnel. Luke relaxed, as best he could, in his seat, but not for long. The tunnel was short, and he bolted up to look out of the windows again. Only the backup lights shone on the platform outside of the tram. The
vehicle slowed. Luke’s hands began to shake.
Why's the tram stopping?
Has one of those things pressed the button?
He grew more nervous as he saw feral people throwing objects at the tram. One hit the window Luke was looking through, and he jumped backwards. He had never seen so many inhuman savages in one place before.
Maybe they're attracted to the screeching of the brakes... Or maybe the headlights of the tram had aggravated them, or they can feel the vibrations of the tram and know that I'm aboard.

Luke sat with his hand to his head thinking of something he could do. He prayed that they would go away, to leave him alone, to ignore him. He suddenly stopped in his thought.
What good is praying going to do? Others must have prayed before me. Others must have asked for answers from the heavens above... But what else can I do?
The bangs on the glass stopped. He hesitantly glanced out of the windows. The things were sprinting, shrieking, and throwing objects, but not at the tram. Luke shifted in his seat to try and get a glimpse of what they were chasing. A woman ran with a child on her back. The child was a little girl, with a teddy bear clutched in her arms. The woman glanced behind herself. The creatures were gaining on her. One of the soulless people had barely any clothes on, its bare feet slapped against the dark metal flooring, its arms swung violently through the air, it even smacked the tram as it glided past it, grazing the skin off its knuckles, but it didn’t flinch.
Did it even notice it just scraped its hand?

The tram hadn’t reached the platform yet. It drove past the mob of monstrous people as they raised their fists in rage and made horrifying inhuman noises. Luke could see the woman more clearly now, she was breathing heavily and struggling to keep
the little girl on her back. Tears rolled down from her green eyes and onto her cheeks. The girl slipped slightly and her mother shrugged her back into place. The tram was parallel to the fleeing females. The little girl turned her head to the tram, her eyes met Luke’s. Her pupils grew larger. Water brimmed at the little girl's eyes. She was ready to cry again, almost as if she was scared of Luke more than the pursuing ruthless beings. He sat stunned. He didn’t know what to do.
Should I help? But what can I do?
Before he could come to a conclusion the mother led her daughter away from the tram, and down into a pitch black corridor. The things gave chase into the blackness, and once again Luke was alone.

Luke bolted upright. He'd nearly fallen asleep. He slapped himself in the face in the hope it would keep him awake, but it was futile. He needed sleep, and soon. He picked up his bag and rummaged th
rough the contents until he found the drink of water Maxwell had provided. He took a couple of mouthfuls and placed the bottle back into his backpack. He needed to ration his supplies carefully. He didn’t know when he’d get more food and water.

Luke turned to look out of the window again. He needed something to concentrate on to keep him from sleeping. All of the
main lights had been smashed here too. Only the lights from the tram and the dimly lit backup lights remained. As the tram moved past station after station Luke saw hundreds of different cannibalistic savages. Some turned away from what they were doing and began to chase the tram. Others threw objects at it. Something hit the window next to Luke and left a large splatter of blood. The tram was much too fast for the things to chase, after a few seconds they were out of sight.

At
another station, shivers went through Luke’s spine as he saw four abominations. They were huddled together around something. One raised its head, its face scratched in many places and blood covered its lips and chin. The thing had something between its teeth. It raised itself higher which allowed Luke to spot the long, blood dripping liver that the monster pulled at with its teeth. Luke gagged as another one of the things snarled and snatched the other end of the liver. The pair fought over it as if it was a game of tug-o’-war. They only stopped when another abomination bit down in the middle of the organ, blood splattered against all four of them, and then they jumped back in to finish the rest of the half eaten human.

Luke shifted nervously. Something wasn’t right. He glanced out of the window again. He couldn’t see anything just the dimly lit, shallow glow of the, backup lights as he passed them, and then he realised. The tram was slowing down again, only this tim
e, it was stopping. He stood up and placed his backpack on his back. A squeal from the breaks echoed through the tunnel.
This can’t be good.

“
There are multiple blockages ahead.” The familiar female computerised announcer sounded out of the speaker system. “Would passengers please exit the tram when it comes to a complete stop, and then make your way to the next station where another tram will be waiting for you. We’re deeply sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

Luke could feel his heartbeat increase, but it felt like time had slowed down. He shifted his body weight slightly. He was crouched, in a position
where he was ready to pounce. The doors of the tram hadn’t opened yet, but it had stopped. He double checked he had his backpack and his revolver.

A deep breath left his lungs
. The doors slid apart opening fully. He bolted out of the tram. He could hear movement, footsteps, shrieks, growls and screams. Luke hurdled an overturned bench, and headed for the first door he could see. The vicious noises of the creatures were all around him. He felt surrounded. He failed to see any of the bloodthirsty demons, as he glanced around. All he could see was an abandoned station, with demolished benches and smashed advertising columns. Through the shattered glass was an advertisement for a show premiering at the theatre. The object which caused the glass to smash was in the middle of one of the performer’s faces. Luke carried on towards the door, there were a few steps which led up to it and he stumbled slightly as he rushed up them. He stopped as he crashed into the door. It didn’t open. Luke furiously pressed the touchpad at the side of the door, but nothing happened. He glanced around, the sounds were getting louder. The creatures were getting closer. It would be seconds rather than minutes before they were upon him. He thumped with an angered fist at the door release pad. Luke anxiously took short breaths, as adrenalin pumped wildly throughout his body. His muscles twitched. The sounds were nearly upon him. There wasn't much time. His head jerked right and left. His senses heightened. His heart raced. They were close. He continued to press the touchpad, harder and more frequently, until it finally opened. Luke rushed in and the doors slammed shut behind him. He sighed relieved, but his eyes widened as the doors began to open again. He looked for the touchpad to close the door, but before he could locate it, the door had thumped shut once again. It continued to open and close. Stuck in a loop. He must have damaged the touchpad.

Luke slowly backed away from the door.
With any luck those demented beings will get crushed in the door, splattered between the dark metal…
I can only hope.
He turned around, the walls were painted white, but words and sentences were scratched all along the corridor. The floor was white, with missing tiles every few steps. There were overturned wheelchairs, smashed test tubes and vials, syringes and empty blood transfusion packs scattered across the floor. Luke activated the light on his wrist device to help him to watch his step.

The science department wasn’t a part of the ship Luke had visited frequently. He’d occasionally come to see Elizabeth if she’d been working late, but he never liked to
if it could be avoided. There was something about the people. They looked down at him, ignored him if they could, like he didn’t belong there. He remembered making a remark to Elizabeth about it, the strangeness of the scientists, too busy to look up from their work. She had taunted him, 'Do they look down on you, or do you look up at them?'. Elizabeth had an uncanny way of making him question his own thinking. But there was one person in this section Luke knew he would never feel comfortable beside.
How did Elizabeth work with him?
The head scientist. The one with a sneer permanently on his lips. Luke had only spoken to him once or twice. The man's attitude was severely dismissive, as if Luke's very presence was an annoyance. Elizabeth had shrugged, as if even she admitted that this time Luke was right. The head scientist was immaculate. The man's hair was always slicked back, lying flat to his skin. He was clean shaven to the point that the bristles on his chin would probably refuse to appear. And his name was.... Luke felt uneasy in the pit of his stomach...
Elizabeth called him Max... Why didn't I recognise Maxwell? Why did I struggle to remember him?
It was Max who would always keep Elizabeth beyond her working hours as they finished their various projects. It was Max who never gave her a break. Luke had cursed him for that.
But why have I only seen you a few times before? Why did Elizabeth keep us apart? Was she protecting me from him?
Luke hadn't trusted Max then,
so should I trust him now?
Luke thought about their recent encounter.
Did he not recognise me before when we met earlier? He was unkempt, had stubble and let his hair fall naturally. I'm the life partner of Elizabeth... Or I was. Perhaps Maxwell only ever thought of work. I wasn't anything to Maxwell... Maybe that's why he didn't recognise or acknowledge me? He's only speaking to me now because he needs me.

Maxwell quickly departed from Luke’s thoughts as he heard a noise from a room down the corridor. He couldn’t be sure but it sounded like someone speaking. He was too far away and it just sounded like a mumble, but it was definitely a person. Luke walked down the corridor, and stepped over the missing tiles. He looked down as he walked past them. They seemed like bottomless holes in the dark. Luke felt the crunch of glass beneath his feet. He stood still. All he could hear was the continuous mumble from the room ahead.

The door didn’t open when Luke approached. He checked for a way to open the door, but he found nothing, no handle, no touchpad, nothing. Then he remembered. He needed a pass. He looked up above and saw the glass that protected a sensor inside. His wrist device didn’t have the clearance for the science department.

Luke had momentarily considered staying clear of the room and carrying on towards the next tram station, but he needed to know who was in the room.
Are they sane? Can I help them?
He needed hope for his sister’s sanity...
and my own
. He turned away from the door and began to search the ground.
How hard could it be to find a wrist device with clearance?
He had travelled past many bodies just lying around, half eaten, with their wrist devices still intact.

It wasn’t long before Luke found a trail of blood. He’d only taken a right turn as he walked down the corridor. The trail of blood led him into an opening. The room had no door, water dripped from the ceiling, and the walls were scarred with burns. A fire had definitely left its mark on this room. Luke saw the end of a leg which stuck out behind a bench. He placed a hand on the grip of his revolver and moved slowly towards the leg. As he approached the limb, he rediscovered the trail of blood. He peeked around the bench and saw no body, just a leg and a
pool of blood which circled around the group of seats ahead. He continued to follow the trail. It seemed to circle around the whole room. He began to think he wouldn’t find anything, but then he glimpsed sight of the body. The torso was intact, with two arms still present. The same couldn’t be said for the other limbs though, but Luke didn’t need them, he just needed the device attached to this unfortunate person’s wrist.

Luke tapped the torso with his foot. He couldn’t be sure whether it was still somehow alive.
It won’t surprise me if it is alive with everything else that's happening aboard the Defiance.
The body didn’t respond to his kick. It just lay on the floor in a pool of its own blood. Luke knelt down and lifted one of the arms up. As he slowly brought the arm up, he felt it rise higher than it should. It wasn’t attached to the socket. He checked the arm for the wrist device.
At least that's still present.

The arm missed fingers on its hand. Only a finger and a thumb remained, the others presumably chewed off. The wrist device flashed with errors,
but it should still work
. He made his way back to the locked door. He waved the disfigured arm at the sensor and the door slid open. The mumble became clearer as the entrance opened. It sounded more human. It was a male voice, and he spoke in English. Luke entered.

The room felt brighter, but only because of the partially white walls and floors. Luke knew they were once all white, but smears and stains had left their mark. There were sinks scattered around the edges of the room, and an emergency eye wash station in the corner. Broken glass from beakers and tubes provided a sparkle as Luke walked further into the room and towards a lone man.

“I didn’t mean to. How can it be my fault?” The man spoke in one of the corners of the room. He faced the wall and he was stroking his hand along it.

“
Hello?” Luke announced his presence, but the man didn’t hear him, or he ignored him. “Excuse me sir?” Luke still didn’t receive a response.

“
You told me to do it? How can you be mad at me?” The man squeezed his fingers into a fist. “No! Don’t lie to me. That’s wrong and you know it.” The man punched the wall. Luke heard a snap and a clang from the man’s bone on the metal. If the man had broken his hand he hadn't realised. “Do you think I enjoy hitting you!” The man screamed at the wall and continued with a flurry of punches. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” The man fell to his knees and began to weep.

“
Are you alright?” Luke asked as he stepped closer to him.

The deranged man slowly turned around. His face covered in scratches, his dark shaggy hair was bald in places, his left eye was intensely bloodshot and his right eye was nowhere to be seen.
“I did not send for you.” The man announced. “Yes I don’t like him either.” The man nodded as he turned back to the wall. “It’s his smell, his clothes, his pretty little face.”

That was the first time Luke had ever been called
‘pretty’. His guts told him it was a bizarre compliment, totally out of place and inappropriate.
Is the man talking to himself, me, the wall or all three of us?
Luke didn't want to dwell on this thought. The one eyed man reminded him of Lance. Lance could drift in and out of sanity too.
Perhaps this man is stricken with the same type of infliction?
Perhaps he has moments where his thoughts are clear and his sanity returns?
Luke did not step any further. He tried to relax his stance and he repeated, “Are you alright? Do you need any help?”

The man turned back to Luke.
“You can’t just wander around you know.” He turned away from him and back to the wall. “No. No, I won’t have it either.” The man was in a deep conversation with the wall, or more likely himself. “Excuse me… I’m sorry I’m afraid I don’t know your name.” He didn’t wait for Luke to answer. “Can you come here? I’d like to see that limb you’re holding. I believe it belongs to a friend of mine.”

Luke cautiously
walked over to the man and held out the arm in his hand. The one eyed man took it from him gently and inspected it carefully before he spoke again.

“
Oh, my mistake, it doesn’t belong to my friend. No. It belongs to my son.” The man looked up from the severed arm and straight at Luke. “Such a shame he wouldn’t listen to the wise one, but laws are laws and I had to kill him. Such a shame.”

“
You killed your son?” Luke asked, though his tone suggested he didn’t sound surprised.

“
Yes, he deserted us you see. Deserters are punished with death. I killed him, but killers are also punished.” The man felt for his right eye. “An eye for an eye.” The man laughed, but quickly stopped. “Now your reward.”

“
My reward?” Luke inquired confused. “What have I done to garner a reward?”

“
Well you’re one of the few who possess a pure mind, and that would make a magnificent sacrifice to the wise one.” The man turned to the wall. “Ah you agree.” The man smiled. “So it’s settled. You’ll be the first sacrifice of the day. You must be ecstatic.”

“
I won’t be a sacrifice. I’m going to leave, and if you follow me I will kill you.” Luke threatened as he placed his hand on the grip of his revolver.

“
You do not make threats in front of the wise one.” The one eyed man shouted. He picked up a syringe from a worktop and leapt at Luke. The pair bundled to the floor. Luke grabbed the man’s arm as he attempted to stab Luke with the syringe.

Luke’s revolver was still in its holster, he attempted to grab it but he had to block a punch from the insane man.
“I will shoot you if you don’t get off me.” He shouted at the man.

“
Another threat is that? Oh that’s not good. The wise one will banish you to the underworld of the torment and suffering.” The one eyed man laughed again. He wildly swung his arm and he broke free of Luke’s grip. The syringe was pointed at Luke and the man swung it down towards his eye. But in the few moments before it made contact a bang echoed throughout the room, and the man fell backwards. The syringe looped into the air and smashed as it crashed upon the floor beside Luke.

Smoke rose from the barrel of Luke’s revolver. The one eyed man lay dead at the foot of the wall. Luke panted for breath. He had never killed anyone before. I
had to do it though, it was in self-defence.
He raised himself to his feet. His hands shook as it battled with the aftermath. The physical effort it had taken to manoeuvre in the cramped space and release the trigger was impacting him now. The nervous quakes transported to his legs and they felt like jelly. He held onto the edge of the laboratory worktop.
I've killed someone...
Maybe I am going to hell now, but I'll gladly go, if I know Megan is safe.

Luke's trembles eased as he thought about protecting his sister.
Does this room hold some of the answers I need to find her? Why have I been drawn to the insane mumblings of a mad man locked in a room? A man who had no remorse of killing his own son.
Luke studied his surroundings.