Section 1

The world is losing more and more color by the day. Machines are being built to cover the sun with the darkness and emptiness of our ending universe. All I have to supply light is my flashlight, nearing its death, in which I will join the darkness in the battle against the world. The color black is invading like an army of soldiers ready for battle against the helpless and impotent United States. Now, the previously free and successful U.S.A. is a prison for the poor.
It is currently the year 3176. Soon after I was born, my parents, my older brother, and I were kidnapped from our home in Netherlands, and taken to the United States. We were forced to work on a wheat farm for five years, before my parents, who both had some knowledge in engineering, so they were kidnapped, and forced to work on a machine that would block the sun’s light, and plunge our world in darkness.

Section 2

My name is Aleida, and I am pretty sure that I am turning thirteen sometime soon. My nineteen year old brother Louis and I live in the remains of a burned down hut, and have no light supply besides a small pocket flashlight that belonged to our father. When I get sad, he tells stories that my mom heard from many ancestors, and told him when he was young:
Hundreds of years ago, there lived a world in which there were handheld computers that could do anything you asked them to. There were structures thousands of feet tall that withstood infinite storms, and other types of harsh weather. Every kid was educated, and many adults continued to learn in colleges and other schools. Nearly everyone lived in a big house, and had a more than plentiful amount of food to eat. The world was full of amazing people, and brilliant people. Life was – amazing.
Neither Louis nor me know why the world became so terrible. But at this point, that doesn’t really matter. Our survival is all that matters now.
All the natural foods that are left in abandoned fields have been destroyed by many different kinds of bugs and other animals. Plants need sunlight to survive, and our gathering of food from a couple of weeks ago is disappearing rapidly. Everyone is sad. No longer can we look into the sun’s rays for positive feelings of empathy and compassion. Life is alone, no matter how many people I am surrounded by.
Darkness squeezes my heart and soul like a machine. Nothing can change the course of the world now. It will be like an everlasting river, flowing to the realms of darkness, and oblivion.

“Aleida, are there any more berries left?” shouted Louis across the field, as I dug around the prickly blackberry bush for any sign of the sweet, juicy berries.
“I don’t even think that these are edible,” I muttered, chuckling to myself.
“What!” screamed Louis, “I spent all yesterday gathering all of the berries from that bush!”
“Where are they?” I asked, jumping up in fright. This could possibly be all of the berries that we have, in which case we have a slim chance of eating within the next couple of days.
“Here,” Louis mumbled, holding up a potato sack with purple stains all over the bottom.
All of the berries in the sack were identical to the berries I just picked off the bush. All of our food is disappearing, like the spirits want us to just give up and die. Aren’t we just going to die anyways? Throughout my whole life, I have had the constant fear of death. Back on the wheat farm with my parents, I would cover myself with itchy, sharp, and smelly straw, to ensure that I was protected from the thought of death.
The worst thing that could happen at this point would be for us to give up. The whole world is falling apart, piece-by-piece, and day-by-day. The world does not have the courage that Louis and I have. Sometimes, I even doubt Louis cares about ever finding mom and dad at all.
“Aleida, can we just go to sleep? I can’t imagine that you are not tired,” yawned Louis, sitting down on the dirt.
“I don’t think that I can live another minute without food. I’m about ready to eat the berries.”
Louis jumped in front of me, and grabbed the bag of berries. “You’ll die much faster eating one of those than you will not eating at all.”
“Sorry, I- just feel like I’m losing my mind right now.”
“I am too,” he spoke compassionately. We gazed at the dark sky empty of the shining stars it used to be filled with. Louis gives me hope, and always reminds me that everything will be okay. “No matter how empty the sky is, my heart will always be filled with the hope and determination you have.” I looked at him, and smiled. Louis is all I need for me to feel brave and confident.

Section 3

I woke up the next morning in a white room. I was surrounded my odd machines, and people in suits. It smelled fresh and clean, like no other good smell I have smelled before. I felt—comfortable and happy. I tried to call for Louis. It was like my voice didn’t even work at all. All that managed to come out of my mouth was a weird croaking noise like a frog.
I looked all around, and saw nothing but people looking just like me. Everyone was tied to a wooden board with ropes, and was struggling to get out. I tried to move my head, and find Louis. An electric shock ran through my neck like a hot droplet of water. I glanced down at my bare feet, and one of them turned black, and smoke was rising from my foot. It hurt so much that I could no longer feel my body. A teenage boy across the room mouthed the words, ‘Help me,’ and I immediately knew who it was. I shook my body violently, trying to go and give Louis a hug, and to untie him from his death, and the ropes let more and more electric shocks run through my body. More croaking noises replaced my attempted screams, and Louis mouthed for me to stop.
I was trapped, and I could not move. I was really angry. I squirmed around so much that I fell unconscious. You do not want to know where I woke up.

Section 4

There were people dressed in the same black robes I inspected on myself. I rose off the floor I was unconscious on, and looked around at the people working in the large, cold, illuminated room. The light was blinding, from the lack of light my eyes have experienced for most of my life. I looked around the blindingly bright room for Louis. I looked for his poufy hair, and his deep dimples.
I saw a girl about my age, carrying a gray piece of metal across the room. She dropped it on the floor, and I ran over to help her. I tried to talk, and ask her what her name is. The croaking noises sounded weirder than ever. She pointed to a whiteboard on the wall. I ran over to it and scribbled a couple of words:
Hi, my name is Aleida, what is your name?
She wiped the whiteboard clean, and wrote:
Marie. I am thirteen. How old are you?
I wrote: I am twelve. Do you know why we can’t talk? She paused. Her beautiful blonde, wavy hair and icy blue eyes looked right at me for the first time. Her hand shook as she wrote:
We had our voice boxes removed, so that we can’t scream or talk, or plan an escape. We were all kidnapped, and taken to work for a group of terrorists blocking the sun, and ending the world.
Now, I felt like I had no control. My voice, that I might have used a little too often in the past, is gone. I wasn’t going to give up. I am going to escape, with Marie, and Louis. I wrote:
We will escape together, to find my parents, and I am assuming your parents as well. Have you seen a boy, about twenty years old, with light brown poufy hair, brown eyes, and deep dimples? I am not leaving here without my brother, Louis.
Marie’s eyes widened. She all of a sudden looked really scared, and worried. Her shaky hand uncapped the marker, and wrote:
Boys ages fifteen and over were taken to live in the coal mines, to burn coal on all of the world’s remaining natural resources---
She dropped the marker, and started to cry. I hugged her tight, and tried to whisper words of encouragement. I couldn’t. She wiped away her tears, and wrote:
They kill the people who don’t work.
With that, I picked up Marie’s dropped metal piece, and ran over to some big structure that people were working on.
I often get really scared, but I never cry. But, right now, I am crying. I’m not scared, I just feel like I am nothing.