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authorsheilaparrett · 5 years

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armageddon WIP chapt1

Brown eyes stared lazily ahead of the classroom. Oval in shape they were as rich and moist as melting caramel. Burgundy red hair curled around thin brows and framed a girl’s face elegantly, the curls spilling over her shoulders. Dates and names of events were written on the white board ahead in black ink, as the short cubby Professor droned on about the history of the world. A world crumbling and struggling to survive. Much history was lost before the Armageddon. Now the Human population struggled to survive in an overrun planet.

The continent the Human population occupied was once part of American. Some of the land had broken away from the main continent, making it much smaller than it once was. This was the last settlement of their kind, that they knew of. In Central City most of the Humans congregated. The city was massive and stretched high into the sky and was wrapped by a large wall with high security. Technology was advanced as drones and flying cars polluted the air. Some buildings that remained slightly smaller than those impending around them weren’t buildings at all, but rather giant air filters. The farm lands outside the wall were mostly occupied by drones and machinery, with a few Human engineers to maintain them. The city was divided up into eight different factions, all maintaining the area of expertise that they excelled in to help the city grow, all the while staying cooped up in their safe little cage.

The Professor held his hand to his ear, his thick fingers curling around the earlobe. His bald head glistened in the fading light as his eyes unfocused. Several sets of eyes from the class watched him as he listened to whomever was speaking to him. He nodded his head and muttered something before putting his tablet on the desk and surveying the class. Some fellow kids leaned forward, one knocking a pencil onto the floor.

“I know it’s pretty rare these days to see a new face, but I wanted to let you all know we will be having a new student join our class tomorrow. I ask that you all please be nice to him and go out of your way to help him around the city.” He lifted his pad once more, as if to carry on with the lesson at hand.

Several students raised their hands immediately, however, one blonde a few desks away spoke up without waiting to be called. “Professor, where is this guy coming from? I mean, people don’t just drop out of the sky.” She laughed at her own joke, some others smiling along with her while others agreed aloud.

The Professor fixed his glasses, his eyes reflecting the fact he couldn’t care less to answer the question before they rested on the girl with burgundy hair. His eyes darted to the red head, who blinked in surprise. “Tia, let’s discuss the possibilities of human encampments in the Dark Continent then, shall we?”

The blonde’s cold gaze glanced in her direction before speaking up once more. “Surely there really aren’t any Human villages left out there. Like, that’s not possible. Our troops go out to explore and they never come back. Whatever’s out there leaves no witnesses,” She sat back with a sense of pride and arrogance before glancing once more toward Tia. “Anyone who wants to study the Dark Continent has a death wish,”

Ignoring her fellow classmate Tia leaned forward, her arms folded on her desk. “Professor, is what you’re saying true? This transfer student is coming from the Dark Continent?” With the real question in the air, the class grew heavy as they waited for an answer.

He leaned back, trying to find a proper answer to the question. Giving in to honesty, he signed and fixed his glasses. “That’s how it sounds. I’ll be receiving his file by the end of day, but tomorrow I’m sure we can learn a great deal from him. The Government has their hands full of the matter. He is the first survivor to come back in a long a time, there’s much we can learn from him. It gives our nation hope for any other survivors. I’m sure the search parties may end up starting again,”

“It would be nice if we could see what’s out there,” Tia agreed, a glimmer of hope in those bronze irises.

“Yea, but like, it’s the Dark Continent. We’re not even sure if it’s a continent. Our technology can’t see what’s out there,” The blonde was dissatisfied.

“Chloe, do you feel smart by stating the obvious?” Tia challenged, giving the girl a sharp look. The blonde, Chloe, opened her mouth to snap back, a look of anger in her eyes.

A soft voice, almost shaky spoke up from the back. A boy with large glasses and curly black hair. “His picture was just released,”

Instantly everyone in the class pulled out their tablets to look up the most recent media news. In the mist of all the chatter and exited gossip Tia leaned back and gazed out the window. She was studying to travel out there one day, a small program that’s funding was diminishing. This would surely bring the program the spot light it needed, and in a few short trimesters she could leave this city. A swell of anticipation grew inside her and the corner of her lip curved upward. Her father wouldn’t be able to control her now.

Thinking back, it was at the start of summer vacation. Life was peaceful enough, being the daughter of the man. Quiet literally, the man. He was large with broad shoulders, a thick beard and hard eyes. Your first glance at him you would think he was the head body guard, but no, he was the President himself. With a strong First Lady they dictated the world. Tia’s mother had died when she was young, and her step mother never once looked at her more than twice. She was a tall woman with a lot of plastic surgery done behind closed doors. She had the curves of a sex icon and long, straight brown hair. Tia remembered it like it was yesterday, one of the only times the women looked at her let alone spoke to her. It was over dinner late one night, her father was sitting on the other end of the table with her kid brother talking about what it meant to rule when a butler approached them. He gave the First Lady several envelopes, which she opened in silence and scanned. Tia watched her briefly as she chewed her salad.

“Darling, stop talking now.” The First Lady instructed before turning towards Tia. Tia hesitated, glancing at her father who now regarded his wife curiously. Her brother focused on his food; his big eyes aware of the sudden tension. “Tia,” She said, fixating her eyes on the younger female.

“Ma’am,” Tia responded, lowering her fork.

“You’ll be eighteen within the year. It’s time we start taking steps to securing your future. We will be holding a tournament for your hand in marriage by the end of summer. I trust you will accept this and do your due diligence in producing an heir,”

Tia swallowed. She lowered her gaze, hesitated, and met the dark gaze of her father. She turned back to her step mother and nodded. “Of course, Milady.”

The older woman nodded once and returned to the letters, continuing the conversation to her husband. Tia felt the room grow cold. She drifted away from their conversation, wanting to run away.

The end of the day came without delay and as Tia ambled to her locker she listened to the buzz of her classmates. News spread like wild fire. The rumors circulating around her brought her curiosity to the max. She leaned against the cold metal and pulled out her own tablet. The young man that showed up on the headline news was tall with dark hair. He was smiling to something off camera as he was getting out of a limo. The video played silently as flashes brightened the screen every few seconds as no doubt hundreds of cameras struggled to capture his image. Where he was located seemed to be windy, as the thin black strands on his head danced around; there was a curious brightness to his eyes, like he was seeing the world for the first time. His smile was honest and peaceful, the air about him seemed to glow with anticipation. Tia chewed on her bottom lip; something about him was too proper for being lost in the woods his whole life. Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought all together and went on her way home.

Out in the streets people scurried about. Hundreds of people, some walking, some driving. The city life was loud and humming. The vehicles drove in the air overhead, the pulses of air beaming down onto the streets below. Walking on the ground was dangerous, you always had to fight the draft, it had become a fad to keep your hair tucked away in a skin-tight cap. They came out with all sorts of colors, and some even reflected the world around. Tia put hers on just enough to keep her hair from flying around her face, with the curls still hanging around her shoulders. Several her classmates laughed at her originally, but it didn’t take long for a few to follow suit. Not everyone could afford the spray that fixed your hair instantly.

Outside Tia found herself walking towards a familiar destination. With no real home to go back to, she spent a lot of her time reading in one of the only parks left in the city. No Human ever explored the small patch of trees any more, it was only a matter of time before they were removed. Trash usually found its way to the grass where small robots would silently come along and pick them up. Walking past a lone metallic bench she put her bag down next to the tree and sat back against the trunk. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, imaging what the world must have been like a thousand years ago.

An amused voice broke her moment of silence. “I’ve been here a total of four days, and you’re the first Human I’ve come across who’s different.”

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around. “Who said that?” A hand entered her line of vision and she snapped away from it with a start. Looking up she met the face of the man the whole city was currently roaring about.

Grinning from ear to ear his eyes were hardly even open as he sat back up in the tree. “My name is Leo, short of Leonardo. Who might you be?”

Tia put a hand on her chest and breathed deeply, staring in bewilderment. Sounding out of breath she responded, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be confined by the Government or something? Being escorted around by a security guard…?”

His smile didn’t seem to faulter in the slightest. “Oh, yea. They were done questioning me, I don’t really remember much you see I was attacked and that’s the last thing I really remember. I did have a few guys walking around with me, but I found it overbearing and had to escape. Luckily for me I happened across this little paradise. No one seems to try and find me here,”

Eyeing him suspiciously Tia sat upright, her fingers tapping against her black strap on her wrist. The device for communication was turned off during school hours and she had yet to even turn it back on. Wasn’t really anyone she would call anyway. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair, pulling off the cap.

“You shouldn’t scare people like that,”

“I am sorry,” He said earnestly before sliding down out of the tree to sit next to her. She eyed him, her hair spilling over her shoulder. He seemed to be caught off guard, his eyes watching the sun reflecting through her strands.

“What is that? If you don’t mind? Everyone seems to wear one, I like yours. It’s just black, it compliments your hair.”

“You can lay off the compliments,” She said curtly. “It’s just a cap. You put it over your head to keep her hair from being sucked into the sky. The last thing you want is it to be ripped off with your scalp. Your hair isn’t long enough to need one, but it’s kinda become a thing where everyone wears one anyway.” Something about what he said clicked. “What do you mean ‘Humans’ anyway? Aren’t you one?”

That caught him off guard. His smile faltered and he quickly laughed nervously. “Well duh, but ya know. I’ve never really known one, for as long as I can remember anyway. And why wouldn’t I compliment someone as beautiful as yourself? I’ve seen a lot of people here and you-,” She reached forward, holding her hand just an inch away from his mouth. He seemed to freeze as she stared into his eyes.

“Whatever you’re going to say you can forget it.” She was cold now, her eyes dark. “I don’t need to hear it. I don’t know what game you’re playing at, but you can stop with the nice boy routine as well. I don’t care for fake people, do you understand?”

Whatever was going through his head was going a million miles an hour. He gently reached up, placing his long fingers around her wrist before pulling her hand away from his face. Without a smile to his expression he nodded twice, deliberately. As if he couldn’t even see her anymore. “I do understand, you have my apologizes. I swear. I don’t know how to act around everyone here. The more I smile and be polite, the more people seem to like. But I can see now how some might see it as being fake,” A flicker of his mouth indicated he wanted to assure her but kept his smile in check as he held her gaze. She tilted her head and retreated her hand.

“I study animal behavior, so I know a thing or two about how people react. I know you’re being sincere right now, and I do appreciate it.” She reached out her hand with a soft smile of her own. “My name is Tia, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Leo.”

He reached out as well, with a big grin plastered across his expression. “I’ve recently learned this greeting!” Enthusiastically he shook her hand with glee. Tia laughed and rolled to her side. The clouds overhead casted a shadow down on them and Leo’s gaze ripped to the sky, something about him suddenly on edge. Only mildly catching the change Tia leaned back and pressed her lips together, before deciding to go ahead and ask.

“So, I’m sure everyone has already brought this up, but what was it like?”

His gaze flickered back to her. “I don’t remember,” His answer seemed to puzzle her before he shook his head. “I was attacked, I know that much. I don’t know by what, but when I came to, I had no memory of who I was or where I’d come from.” He held out a small locket. “This is my only indication,” Tia reached forward and looked it over.

“Leonardo,” She read the inscription on the back before opening it to find an image of a baby inside. “Is this you? It’s black and white, oh wow. That’s retro,”

“I assume it’s me,” He tilted his head, his eyes exploring her face. “What is, ‘retro’?”

Being caught off guard Tia abruptly realized how close they were and leaned back, scratching at her arm. “Just a phrase, to describe something old but cool. So, but you must have some memories between coming to and being rescued. What were the plants like? Was the air breathable? Did you see any animals? What about insects? It’s spring time, they used to sing day and night trying to attract a mate. Did you hear anything?”

The line of questions seemed to catch him off guard, but he only watched her with a pleasant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You said you study animal behavior, does that mean you wish to restore the balance?”

She hesitated, expecting answers and not questions. “Well, of course. I’ve read up on what I can on how life used to be a thousand years ago. I want to see all those different forms of life again, so many species became extinct. I always loved the idea of seeing a tiger. The ‘King of the Jungle’ is what they were renowned for,” Leaning back she let her mind take her back to the books and videos she worshipped. “I would love to see what’s out there, to see if there’s anything we can do to bring back life to this destroyed world.” Excitement and longing reflected in her irises. “And to see if there’s anything new,” His hand on his chin he opened his mouth to speak, but a look of dejection crossed her expression. “Unfortunately,” She continued. “The Government Exploration Program is being defunded. They’re shutting it down. I’ll never be able to leave here, and on my eighteen birthday they get to tell me what I get to do for the rest of my life and who I am to marry,”

News to him he jerked slightly, his eyes wide. “What? What do you mean?”

“The G.E.P. is the only escape out of the system. You get to be an ‘object’ to the Government and get to be excluded from the responsibilities of being a ‘citizen’ here. But… with them doing away with the G.E.P. no one is safe… Once I turn eighteen and I graduate from school I’ll be forced to take a test... Depending on my highest score out of the eight categories I’ll be relocated to work in that District for the rest of my life. Once you’re there they have a celebration and ceremony where people with similar interests get ‘Matched’.”

“You changed your word choice there; you were explaining the situation in first person but when you brought up being ‘Matched’ you went to third person.”

She shrugged, suddenly uninterested with the conversation. “Slip of the tongue. Well, I suppose it’s getting late. I have studying to do, so I best be off.” She stood up and dusted off her pants. She reached down and picked up her bag, her red curls falling around her face. “You should probably head home yourself, don’t want to be caught after curfew.”

His shoulders slumped and he dropped his head before standing up swiftly himself. “Yes, I suppose you are right. I imagine I’ve given those men a fright with my disappearance,”

Amused at his word choice she smiled and reached out her hand. He took it and they shook hands once more. “It was nice meeting you, Leonardo. I’ll see you at school tomorrow,”

Like a child on Christmas morning his eyes lit up. “You will?!”

She laughed. “We’re in the same class,” Waving behind her she jogged off toward her home. He watched her go, a longing in his eyes. A black creature with a large head popped out of the collar of his shirt, a smile plastered to its face as it had no lips to cover its sharp teeth. Two beady green eyes watched her go before looking up to the face of the man it was riding on.

“Your Majesty, your heart has been racing all this time. You cannot tell me you found that Human interesting, she’s disgusting. And she smells,”

“Silence Malone. A week eating our food and she’ll smell no different than us. I’ve decided. She will be the one,” He turned and put his hands in his pockets, his tall form casting an even longer, darker shadow with the last rays of the sun stretching over the land. “I must have her before she is to be ‘matched’,” The creature in his collar shivered and tucked itself away.

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