I remember the moment the sun disappeared for good. My little brother and I were on our way home from school, walking into neighborhoods we rarely entered but knew would get us back quicker than our normal route. David had run ahead of me, skipping through fields of wild daisies scattered behind the old mine that had been shut down for years. Light from the sun was illuminating his fiery golden hair, cut a bit too short and all the precious freckles covering his entire face and cascading down his body. But then the lights went out along with his own.
It was like that moment when you were younger and your mother shut off the lights after she read you a short story before bed—the feeling of utter loneliness and sheer fright that all the monsters hiding in your closet would come to life and eat you for dinner. But then you got to fall asleep. And before you knew it, you’d be awakening to the sun shining through the windows, bringing the joy and gladness of a new day.
This time, those fears never disappeared with a morning sunrise; they consumed most, turning everyone around me into hateful creatures, capable of no good deeds.
That was the last time I felt the warmth of the sun and saw the brightness in David's green eyes. Now all that spans my tiny one room shack is darkness. Darkness flows into every crevasse, allowing no light to beat the evilness.
I’ve been on my own ever since we went dark. Mom, Dad, and David all turned Hateful as well as the rest of the country from what I can tell. I’ve lost track of how many days it’s been since I last saw the light shimmering in their beautiful eyes, probably around a thousand or so.
I went from having close friends and family to having no one at all. It’s better this way now, I think; there’s no one around to bash my head in with a rock or spit in my face as I pass by, searching for a scrap of food. Sometimes I believe turning Hateful is the only way to live with this darkness and all the frightening aspects that accompany it. But then I manage to scout out hope—a flicker of a light bulb, a genuine smile from a passerby who hasn’t turned, a tiny green weed sprouting through the boards of my tiny shack.
The walk into town to search for food is a brutal, never ending path of dodging those who want me dead. The Hateful hide in alleyways, shops, gas stations, and anywhere else they’d think those who were still living would happen to stop by. It’s a miracle I’ve lasted this long, considering I’ve been avoiding violence like the plague since before I can remember but now it’s all I can think about. All I can focus on. All I know. 
Stumbling into the major grocery store in our town, I brace myself for one of them to spiral towards me, but surprisingly the entire store is deserted. Silence spans the rows and rows of stocked supplies. If this place was a free zone, free from the Hatful, then why are there so many items left on the shelves? Unloading my empty duffle bags from the backpack draped over my shoulders, I begin filling one with supplies, leaving my other bags by a register.
I walk down every aisle, throwing in random items as I go, not paying any attention to what I’m grabbing. Something felt off about this place. You'd think it’d be crawling with the Hateful, yet it’s as empty as my old house; once filled with happiness and excitement now a place for rats to inhabit and turn into a dump. As I round the corner by a sign that used to announce where freshly baked bread laid, a loud creak pulls my attention towards the double doors I had just entered.
I slam my body against the back of an aisle, hoping I wasn’t seen. This is it, I realize. This is where they will take my life. Next to a dingy, paint peeling, fresh bread sign. I never thought this was where I would end up dying, I mean I love bread and all, but really? In a grocery store?
Short breaths escape my lungs as my sweaty palms clench onto an unopened package of chocolate chip granola bars. I scan my surroundings; the deli is directly in front of where I stand frozen with fear while numerous aisles separate me from the other available hideaway—an employee's only door. Anything’s better than standing out in the open but which one will supply me with a better cover? I doubt there’s an exit back into the darkness from the deli but it is closer than the employee’s only mystery door. Behind that door could be my safe exit or else it could hold nothing but a dead end, leaving me like a sitting duck.
Items slamming onto the ground pulls me from my debate; they’re getting closer, it’s now or never. I take off running towards the employee’s only door, dropping the granola bars underneath the freshly baked bread sign. My short breaths grow even shorter as I scramble for oxygen. If they don’t kill me this run might. I suppose I should have listened to my gym teacher when he told me to actually run instead of walk during the mile.
“ATTENTION GEORGIA KENT!” A speaker booms before I can make it to the door. I drop to my knees, taking cover behind another aisle. I never knew they can talk! How do they know my name? I’m ready for this dream to be over already. I want the sun back. “WE WILL NEED YOU TO COME OUT NOW. THE BUS LEAVES IN FIVE MINUTES WITH OR WITHOUT YOU AND WE HIGHLY URGE YOU TO BE ON IT.”
Lugging my duffle filled halfway with random foods, I march towards the front of the store fully intended on getting to the bottom of this whole ordeal. How can they expect me to get on a bus without any answers? How did they even manage to get a bus to run? Standing in front of the glass doors are two older men dressed in camouflage jumpsuits—Army for sure. “Look,” I begin, staring the shorter, white haired one in the eye. “I don’t know who you are or how you found me but I’m not getting on any bus without some answers.”
The shorter one takes a step towards me then stops, runs a hand through his short white hair and chuckles to himself before saying, “They said you’d be one to ask a whole slew of questions. All we know is that the bus will take you to a safe place where others like you are waiting for the sun to come back. So if you're tired of being alone you should come now.” He points outside at a running yellow school bus, moving back towards his partner who has yet to do anything but stand silently.
“How did you know where to find me then? Or how about how you knew my name, that’s a pretty simple question.” I countered, taking another few steps towards my mysterious saviors. “You were in the book,” the one who hasn’t moved since entering the grocery store tells me in a monotone voice. “So make up your mind because we don’t have all day.”
As I blink, both men have spun on their heels and have marched out of the store and onto the bus leaving me utterly alone. Not wasting any more time being alone I sprint after them, passing broken checkout registers and empty claw games. The outside air is cold against my barren face, chilling me to my core but as I reach the bus the doors swing open, allowing heat to rush over me like the rays from the sun used to do on a nice summer day. “Glad you made the right decision,” whitey said to me as I passed by, looking for an open seat among rows and rows of teens.
“Here,” a girl no younger than me pointed out. She was sitting alone all the way in the back, staring into the blackness. Her reflection in the window showed a freckled face, sporting glasses that were taped together in the middle. Light poured from her blue eyes, illuminating her little corner of the world.
The bus driver hit the gas as if we were under attack, swerving to the right with so much force it sent me flying into the back door. “Yeah, he does that.” The girl laughed, helping me up off the floor and onto our shared seat, “I’m Ellie.”
“Georgia,” smiling, I outstretched my hand hoping to already have one friend as we entered the unknown together. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”
“Not a clue. They found me in my house. I was so scared to not get on that I took off towards the bus, forgetting to ask who they even were. And the scarier thing is that the bus was completely empty too.” Ellie offered, trusting me as if we’ve known each other for years. Her red hair shook as she explained where she was when the lights went out but rather than calling those who had turned, the Hateful, she referred to them as the Shadows. “Why do you call them that?” I interrupted. “Who? The Shadows?” I nod. “Oh, I heard dumb and dumber up there in the army getup call them that and I don't have a word for them so I stole it. It makes sense though, doesn’t it?” The Shadows—I suppose it does have a certain ring to it and besides, the Hateful just seems wrong.
Soon the bus makes another hard turn, rolling to a stop in front of what looks like an old government building of sorts. When up close I see it has one main entrance, bolted shut, three floors decorated with windows every few feet apart and a flagpole missing its flag, surrounded by a dead patch of grass. Inside the double doors actual light floods through the sterile white hallways, burning my eyes which have adjusted to the dark months ago.
“Please make your way to the check in. Everything will be explained once you have gone through the decontamination process.” A lady dressed in a white lab coat while holding onto a bright purple clip board directed, motioning towards two tables set up in front of a large grey door lacking windows.
Ellie poked my back from behind whispering rapidly, “What’s with the decontamination? I thought it was a brain thing? Dude, I can’t do needles.” Her hands flew around while she talked, tossing her red hair in dramatic flips around her tiny body. “I’m sure it’s just like a shower or something,” I tried to reassure her. “We probably reek. I don’t even remember the last time I showered. And my hair is a literal grease ball.” Her bright eyes darted to the brown mop on top of my head braided back to keep the nastiness away.
“Next,” called the worker, locking eyes with me, drawing me towards him. As I approached the table, his green eyes wavered behind me at Ellie. I can’t help but hope the decontamination was only a shower for her sake; I can’t stand when others suffer. “Name,” he inquired. Looking at the duffle I still had strapped to my back, containing the food I stole. “Georgia Kent.” I said, folding my arms into my chest.
The man waves me on without so much as a thank you, only a check in his large book filled with an abundance of random names and addresses. Walking past the two tables, a sudden chill runs up my spine while the large door slowly opens to another sterile white room. There are two examination tables, one already claimed by a tanned skin boy dressed in nice dress pants and a black button up shirt. Tubes connect his lifeless body to dozens of machines, beeping in second intervals while doctors scramble to jot down their findings.
A doctor grabs my hand, rubber glove grazing my fair dirty skin, and begins to lead me to the opposite facing table, but I turn ready to sprint back into the room I had just exited only to be met by a locked door with no hope to opening. More doctors file into the decontamination room, marching towards me with outstretched hands. Before I can protest, I’m lifted off the ground and carried to the cold metal slab. More hands engulf me, reaching everywhere, poking sharp pains everywhere on my body especially where no pokes should ever venture.
Everywhere I turn I’m met with a new unsupportive face, cloaked with a mask and protective eye wear, throwing questions at me like wildfire, ranging from “when’s my birthday” to “how many people have I murdered”. Eventually I shut my eyes and will for this torture to come to an end.
When I wake up, I am no longer in the room I had been decontaminated inside but rather a large room filled with about a hundred bunk beds. Other teens are snoring around me, completely oblivious to our current reality. I scan the beds in search of my only friend but see no fiery red hair; most of the beds are empty but those who are here have a sense of familiarity.
“Georgia!” Someone screams to my right. I spin around and see red darting towards me, like a flash of lightning shooting through the midnight sky. Soon, my body plummets into the concrete floor as high pitched giggles vibrate through the spacious, well lit room.
“Ellie, I thought you didn’t make it through.” I confess, pushing the petite girl off my rib cage. Taking in a big gulp of air, I see others begin to wake up. “No, I did!” She laughs, “but I don’t remember what they did to me.”
“Me either, I passed out once they started poking me with things.”
“Oh my goodness,” her face falls as she pulls a strand of hair away from the others and sticks it into her mouth before chewing, scanning her body for evidence of prodding. “I didn’t know they used needles. Why aren’t there any marks or anything?! There should be holes.” Ellie was right; from the amount of times I was poked I should have tiny freckle marks covering my arms and probably everywhere else yet my skin remains as clear as the Atlantic.
“I kno—” I begin to say but my voice is drowned out by thunderous marching just outside, separating us from what sounds like an army of elephants. Rusty hinges squeak open as a mass of young teens stroll inside the bunk room. Most go straight to a particular bunk as if they have obtained ownership years prior, while others linger around the door with no set direction. Ellie and I remain cemented to the floor, side by side, taking in the scene unfolding before us; there are so many of us left, more than I ever would have thought. But why are there only teens here? Where are all the adults and children?
Once everyone settles, the only ones moving about the bunks were those who remained confused, like Ellie and I, and then the lights switch off, leaving us in total darkness. My eyes adjust to the sense of familiarity when a man calls out from the rusty door, “Lights out, ya goons.” I stand in the same place I had when they first entered, perplexed by the society that had been only miles from my hideaway all along. “That means go to sleep, newbs.” Another man informs us. I scurry back to the same bottom bunk that was mine when I notice someone already laying underneath the sheets.
“Excuse me,” I announce softly, afraid to wake up the mysterious thief. “I think you’re in the wrong bed.” Limbs sway underneath the sea of light blue, showing a full head of deep brown hair hidden previously by the waves, now facing the earthy tones of my pillow case. As he spins around, wrapping himself nicely with the sheets, I’m met with stunning hazel eyes complemented by blemish free tanned skin. “Excuse me,” he coughed, mimicking my tone. “But you are very wrong. You see, I’ve been sleeping in this here bed for two months now so I know exactly which one I am in.” When he spoke I was sure he came straight out of a clothing store magazine; his muscles contracted and relaxed so effortlessly, it’s a miracle the Shadows hadn’t killed him out of jealousy because I would have if I was a guy who lacked abs.
“Are you sure about that?” I inquired, knowing he was one hundred percent incorrect. He stared into my eyes, as if intimidating me would scare me into letting him sleep in the bed I had woken up in an hour ago. “Yes.” He deadpanned. The glimmer in his hazel eyes was unlike any shine I have seen before. If I was lucky enough to find a man who would look at me with the perfect sense of crazy matched with the beauty of this thief’s eyes, I would never let him go.
I fell to the cold cement, reaching underneath the bed for the bag I woke up with in my arms. “Well then why do you have a bag full of women's clothing?” When I pulled it out, his eyes grew wide and he sprang up moving away like a coward.
At breakfast the next morning I see the same tanned boy who had tried to deceive me. He is dressed the same as everyone else—a black t-shirt and jeans which rested too low for his long legs. I hadn’t realized I was staring from my place across the cafeteria until Ellie nudges my arm, bringing me back to our conversation. “I said, did you receive a time for a follow up examination?” She asked, slurping from the cream colored mug that contained her pure black coffee. I took a bite from the tasteless oatmeal rotting away in the bowl before me, “Oh, no. Why? When’s yours?” Ellie gasped, moving her hands around as she spoke. “In a week. I thought we all had to get one.”
Being the strong one was always something I had to do, especially when David found our old golden retriever dead in the basement. He cried for days, unable to think of anything besides the way our dog would run up to him after school and tackle him to the floor, while I stayed rock solid. If he saw me show my emotions then he would never get over losing his best friend. Ellie needs a strong friend now. She will not break down in here; I won’t let her.
“We probably do, don’t worry. I’ll get called the da—” Ellie gradually stops paying attention until I’m interrupted by a new face sitting across from us.
“I think we got off to a bad start last night,” Tanned boy said, outstretching his hand for me to shake. The c***iness radiated off from him, poisoning any young impressionable teen within five feet. I glance sideways, catching Ellie with her mouth hanging wide open, drool pooling inside ready to spill at any moment. “Did we?” I ask, pushing her jaw closed and looking back at the boyish man.
“Yes, it was completely my fault.” He withdrew his hand, realizing I wasn’t planning on making any physical contact. I took another painful bite of my oatmeal before pushing the bowl to the side and folding my hands on the table, saying, “I’m glad we’re on the same page. And since you’ve been here for awhile will you please be a dear and tell me why there are lights in this compound and nowhere else.”
“Only if you tell me your name and how many people you’ve killed.” He smirks, mimicking my position on the table, leaning forward until our noses are an inch or two away. The lights in his eyes dance around, darting from side to side, taking in every inch of my face as if he’s trying to memorize where every non existing freckle lay. For the second he spent staring at my lips, all I hoped for was for him to make the inch between us disappear, by any means necessary. “Sorry, that’s confidential.” I back away from him, already craving the close proximity he supplied. “Then why we have light is too.” And as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared across the cafeteria.
A few tables around Ellie and I whispered in hushed tones, stealing quick glances at me and more glances towards the direction my new acquaintance had paraded. “You know Daniel?” A young girl with brown pigtails wondered, twisting her back to face us. “Not really,” I answered, running my hands through my brown curls that had finally been washed. “Why?”
“He never talks to anyone. How’d you get him to come up to you?” She swayed from side to side, chewing on the corners of her fingernails. “Oh, trust me. That’s not something you want, Hun.” Why did he choose me to speak with? Anyone else in this facility would be a fine choice. “You’re lucky,” She said. “He’s been here the longest and no one can get him to say nothing. Not even the doctors.”
If this place has been running for two months why aren’t more people here? Word of mouth spreads fast, even during this darkness. I heard stories of refugees up north and out west sooner than I had been transported here.
Bells sound, alerting everyone it’s time for the day to officially begin with morning free time. Ellie and I follow the groups of giggling teens through the sterile halls and back into the bunk room. She runs off to her bed as I hang back by the door, looking through the crowd for Daniel. I needed to find out more about this place and he was the only one who’s been around to see it all. Everyone makes it inside before I can spot him and just as I’m going to look in the hallway for his familiar brown hair, the door squeaks shut and locks from the outside. Feeling like an animal imprisoned in it’s cage, I frantically scan the beds.
My breathing quickens as I sprint towards the back of the huge room. The imminent freak out inside my head settles once I see those hazel eyes. “My names Georgia and I haven't killed anyone,” I explain. “Please give me some answers.” My mom always told me to never appear desperate to those who have what you need because they’ll use that weakness against you but for now, desperation is all I have.
“Whoa there speed racer, catch your breath and then we can talk.” He laughs, motioning for me to take a seat on his matching blue sheeted bed. The smirk plastered across his face conveyed what my mother warned me about although there was a hint of excitement buried deep. I’m not going to get straight answers from this guy without a catch, “Just tell me what this place is, and I’ll leave you alone.”
Daniel lowers his bushy eyebrows and stares through squinted eyes as he fiddles with the necklace laced between this fingers that lay folded in his lap. “What if I don’t want to be left alone?” He quietly says, placing the golden necklace into his pocket before meeting my eyes. “Then I’ll annoy the crap out of you, sound good?”
He nods, “Well to start you off with something you can actually grasp. This place ain’t what they told you at decontamination. It’s not a government operation either. They only dressed up in them Army clothes to get you to trust em.”
“Huh, but why are you the only one who’s been here for two months then?” Daniel lowers his eyes and moves farther away from me on his small twin bed, even though he was already practically hanging off. “Everyone else lost all of their light.”
I reach out and grab ahold of his clammy hand sprawled out on the bed; he’s not going to be alone ever again, I promise myself.
For the rest of the week, Ellie and I watch as others are taken out of the bunks and brought back in. Each time a new teen is brought back they always seem a bit more broken than when they left. And each time we blow it off, thinking nothing of it except that they’re just tired from follow up tests. Daniel has begun to make a daily appearance in our lives, always checking in to make sure we’re doing okay. He has even brought it upon himself to sit with us every meal, taunting the other girls who want so desperately for him to sit with them instead. He doesn’t say much when Ellie is around but when it’s just us I can’t get him to shut up; he wails on and on about his life before and all the people he’s met here, giving no indication as to what he meant when he told me everyone else had lost their light.
When I lay my head onto the rock solid pillow for bed the night before Ellie is scheduled for her follow up I fall asleep as fast as I used to when I was a child. Dreams come and go until one that has repeatedly surfaced comes back again to torture me.
The water inside the recognizable colorful, graffiti sprawled pool is filled halfway as David splashes around, no older than five. Bright blue skies reach out in every direction, no cloud in sight, while I sit in a foldable lawn chair reading some irrelevant celebrity gossip magazine.
Just as I flip the page to the newest scandal involving the British royal family, my vision goes black as well as the sky. “Georgia,” David screams but all I can see is utter blackness. No deep dimple he gets when he smiles or the pearly white baby teeth he’s struggling to lose before the first grade. “The water,” he coughs, splashing to stay afloat. “It’s getting too high.” My limp body slams into a puddle of water on top of tall grass, failing to move an inch closer to the screaming child. Bubbles pop into the air until no sounds of fight are evident. Soon the sun reappears, showing David's body floating face down in the water. “Hey!” I scream, struggling to make my way to the pool. “David, wake up! You’re okay!” Water sprays out from each side as I dive in, swimming towards my brother. As I flip him around, his body remains lifeless in my arms. “It’s ok. Just wake up David. Breathe. Come back. Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to m—”
“GEORGIA!” My eyes flash open. I’m back in the bunk room, surrounded by strenuous lights and harsh stares. Daniel looms over me, holding onto my shoulders tightly with his calloused hands. “You’re okay,” he soothes, holding my trembling self as he rocks me back into a calm state. “It was all just a dream.” But it wasn’t only a dream. I’ve actually lost David to the darkness, and he’s not coming back.
By the time I get ahold of myself all my spectators have scattered, leaving Daniel and I alone in my bunk. I push him away and stare into my palms. How could I let myself be so vulnerable in front of those who look to me for strength?
“Look at me, Georgia.” He commands, taking my hand in his. I dare to meet his soft eyes with my own, seeing my own frightening reflection--knotted hair spiraling out of control, wide eyes exposed by fear and defenseless slumber, and the gentle protection shared by both of us radiating off to each and every other teen trapped in the compound. “I don’t know how horrifying your dream was and I don’t need to. Just know that you can’t run from your demons, you can only invite them to dance. Do ya understand?” I nod and pull Daniel in for a hug, having no clue what his advice was vaguely about.
Ellie isn’t at breakfast and if I’ve learned anything about that red head it’s that she never misses a meal. “Did you see Ellie this morning?” I ask Daniel and when he shakes his head I begin to ask other tables. Ending up with dead ends sends my heart into a panic. It’s not like her to not tell anyone when she’s doing something. Well we haven’t been separated since decontamination so maybe it is normal, heck I’ve only known this girl for a week but it seems like I’ve known her my entire life.
“Think Georgia,” Daniel coaxed. “Did she mention anything to you about today.” I rack my brain, searching for anything that could tie into her sudden disappearance when I realize that with all the fuss my nightmare made I forgot about her follow up appointment. Daniel's eyes bulge from their sockets when I inform him about her examination. He throws both hands into his hair, messing up it’s perfection beyond easy repair, whispering curse word after curse word to himself. “Okay, this is bad. This is really bad. S***, why didn’t you tell me about this?!” Anger spills from his enchanting eyes. “If it was so important,” I articulate, poking my index finger into his solid chest. “Why have you been keeping secrets from us, from me, about this place?”
“It was for your own good.” He settles, calming down for a moment before I can see the plans coming together in his mind. “We have to get her out of there before it’s too late. All of us have to get out now before they steal our light for good.”
“Yeah. Again still not fully understanding anything you’re saying.” I confess as Daniel stands up, leaving his untouched plate on the table and sneaking us out until we’re in the halls, out of earshot from anyone. “Okay I’m about to tell you everything I know but not because I think you’re ready, it’s just for your own good,” Daniel emphasizes. “The so called doctors who decontaminated you were testing your strength. The strength of light you could provide if you were to be harvested. That’s where everyone goes when they get a follow up. It’s continual testing to extract the light from innocent eyes and transplant it into the Shadows to resurrect them. Essentially rendering them innocent like us. And then they suck all the light from you, you just die, you don’t turn into a Shadow because there was never any hatred there in the first place. But come on, you’ll have to process this later. We have to find Ellie before it’s too late.” He grabs my right hand, tugging me down the halls.
Moving stealthily through the lit hallways, Daniel takes the lead, already knowing the path to get to the testing rooms. One wrong turn leads us into a hall that illuminates red light, locked doors line both sides, forcing us into a dead end. Before we can reenter the previous hall a guard empties from one a door to my right. Daniel throws me against the wall and is on top of me within seconds, feeling my body with his trembling hands. His pink lips graze mine, moving swiftly and with purpose, sending fireworks bursting throughout my body as the guard finally takes notice. “Hey, you two love birds. Find a different hallway or I’ll shoot you dead in this one and your blood with match the light already glowing here, making the cleanup so much easier.”
Daniels warmth disappears too quickly and I open my eyes to find him moving towards the guard, picking up momentum as he walks. I want so desperately for him to come back and kiss me again, but within one clean move, Daniel has the guard on the ground and proceeds to steal the gun draped in his weapons belt. “Let’s go,” he says, grabbing my hand like nothing had happened.
He holds the gun with one hand, pointing it at anyone who so much as looks at us for too long but thankfully never fires until we reach Ellie. The door separating us from her is bolted shut, all I can see is my friend hooked up to dozens of machines. Some have tubes implanted into her skin by needles, draining blood or pumping things inside her while others suck the life right from her marvelous blue eyes, freed from her broken glasses.
“No!” I screech. Tears pour from my eyes as I try desperately try to punch my way into her gloomy cage. Daniel drags me away by my waist. I fight him just as hard as I did the door until he drops me on the opposite side of the hall, across from the barrier separating me from Ellie. “Stop, Georgia! I have an idea, but you need to hold my gun and protect Ellie from the outside. Can you do that?” Daniel wonders, extending his gun to me. I grab onto it, its weight sending it towards the earth. He disappears down the hall, leaving me just as alone as I was in my tiny shack on the outskirts of town, completely hidden from those who wanted me dead. Except now, I have nowhere to hide. Those who want me dead have all the power to kill me and that power is only one door away.
Only a flickering exit sign accompanies me as I wait for Daniel. I point the gun, which I have no idea how to work, straight in front of me, moving it towards each side ever so slightly when the wind whispers in certain directions. Footsteps echo from halls away, picking up speed as the sounds grow louder and more steadily. My crawling skin moves the gun towards where the footsteps seem to be the closest and as soon as I bring myself to focus my aim, Daniel comes barreling down the hall, waving his arms frantically. “Go! Run, get out of the way!” He shouts at me, a dozen guards running after him. Frozen with fear, I remain sprawled out in front of Ellie’s room only to be hoisted up and forced into a sprint when Daniel realizes I’m too stunned to do anything.
We take off running until he pulls me into a janitor's closet, allowing the guards to fly past us. “Give it a minute,” Daniel tells me, pulling me closer to him as we stand cramped together, the gun clamped tightly in my right hand, resting by my side. At first I thought he meant wait it out in here for the guards to pass for a minute but as those sixty seconds expire and we reenter the hall, all the lights go dark. “I cut the power,” he confesses. “Let's go get Ellie and get the heck out of here.”
As we push open the doors leading into where Ellie is being held, deafening screams pierce through the compound. “They must have been holding them here.” I turn to see Daniel looking into the halls, eyebrows pulled together. “Them who?”
“The Shadows. We need to go. Now.” He begins to yank all the tubes from Ellie's lifeless body before throwing her over his shoulder and grabbing ahold of my hand. Daniel makes no move to grab hold of the gun so I keep it pointed in front of us, shaking but still matched with determination.
We make it to the decontamination room just as an army of Shadows breaks through our only freeing exit back into the darkness. If I don't use the gun to fend them off, we’ll all perish. And Daniel is the only one out of the two of us who can carry Ellie to safety. There’s no reason for all three of us to die here. “Get Ellie somewhere safe, Daniel. I’ll keep them occupied.”
“Georgia, that’s suicide. Just come with us!” Daniel cries, trying to pull me back towards the heart of the compound. “We won’t all make it. Go already!!” With one final push, I get the two of them to leave.
I stare into the blackened eyes of all of those who turned into their true forms; rampant hateful beings who choose evil every time. Dozens file into the spacious room filled with examination tables and equipment, trapping me in a perfect circle. “What are you waiting for?!” I provoke, allowing tears to flow freely past my cheeks and down my neck. The first Shadow, dressed in a lousy pullover sweater reading, I Swim to Achieve Greatness, begins to move toward me and I fire my gun. Darkness spills from him, fueling the others with rage and hostility. More come propelling towards me, only to end up sprawled out on the pure white floor like their friend.
As I fire the last bullet in my gun, an entire cloud of utter evil floats above the fallen Shadows. The remaining gawk up at it, probably wishing they empowered the darkness of the perished. Dozens more enter the newly found grave sight, only wanting to rip my limbs to shreds like the others.
Familiar dark brown hair catches my eye as I spin around, looking for an escape plan but finding nothing. “Mom?” I whisper, sauntering closer to a group of the Shadows. The woman turns to face me, her creamy skin and single freckle on the tip of her nose showing she was once my mother but the hateful look in the woman's eyes illustrates she is no longer the person who she once was. Having nowhere to run, I have to face this. Face her. I have to dance with the Shadows.
I throw the gun to the floor, it’s emptiness having no use, and let it bounce before settling, giving myself a second to prepare for what’s about to happen. As if a light flips on in all of their minds, alerting them to my defeated surrender, they rush towards me, engulfing my innocence with their darkness. Although I couldn’t defeat the Shadows completely, at least I managed to kill a few before one final dance with the creature who was formerly the woman who raised me to be everything she wasn’t. Dying, I give my last innocent smile to the unkind, hate suffocating world, praying my friends would find a way to salvage what’s left of our once fascinating planet.