Day 261

 Day 261

We found it. An hour ago. We found the weapon that the Professor told us would finally stop the Apocalypse, his greatest creation. 

We often wondered why he couldn’t just tell us what it was, as that would make our search easier. We understand now. Everyone does.

The child sat in the corner, his legs pulled tight to his chest, shaking with cold and fear. As far as we knew, he’d been alone since the whole disaster began. It was a miracle he’d survived. Children were a rare sight these days. The aliens knew that our advantage lay in the fact that we could multiply faster than they could, so a disease that targeted children and pregnant women was devastating. Just like that, they’d built a stronghold, a blemish our planet might never recover from.

“He’s just a kid,” Jamie muttered next to me, his rifle casually slung over his shoulder. All our old weapons were useless against the aliens, that race of energy beings. We still carried them, though, to defend ourselves against anything else that roamed and wanted us dead.

“The Professor should be happy,” I replied, not wanting to let my friend know how wrong I thought this was. 

“All right!” Devon’s voice brought us snapping to attention, standing up straight. The kid flinched. “We’re moving out! The Professor will know what to do. Sammy, you help the kid. Make sure he gets there in one piece.”

I nodded, saluting.

The little boy shrank away from me as I approached him. It wasn’t surprising. We’d essentially kidnapped him, even if it was to save his life.

"It's all right," I told him, keeping my voice low and reassuring. "I won't hurt you. We just want to get you somewhere safe."

“Where?” He stared up at me, eyes huge in his thin face.

“We move around.” I nudged his side, prompting him to move over. “Gotta stay one step ahead, you know?”

The boy nodded, relaxing just a little.

“What’s your name?” I asked quietly. “Mine’s Sammy.”

“I’m Damen.”

“That’s a strong name.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m strong.”

It was sad, how quickly he’d grown up. When I was his age, all I worried about was catching bugs and staying up past bedtime. War has so many casualties that no one even remembers. Youth is a big one.

“We should head out,” I told him, getting to my feet. “It’s safer for us to be with the others.”

He nodded and followed me.

“How did you find me?” He asked after silently keeping up with my much longer steps for long enough that I stopped checking to see if he was next to me.

“We have ways. Basically, we tapped into the vermin communication systems. We’ve been interfering in every disturbance and investigating any reports of children.”

“So there are other kids like me?”

For a moment, I hesitated, wanting to shield him from at least a little of the darkness in the world. But it was foolish. He’d find out, and not telling him the truth now would make it harder later.

“No. They were all infected by the time we got there.”

“Why not me?”

“Hopefully we can answer that.”

He fell silent, keeping his head down. “How did you hack their comms? The old reports said they were encrypted, protected by some cyber bug.”

“They were, until the Professor  cracked the encryption. Some of the guys joke that he slayed the bug.”

It took such a long time for him to reply, I glanced at him. He’d stopped, staring. There was something like horror on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, turning around.

“You’re with the Professor?” He asked. 

“How do you think we knew to look for you?”

The terror on his face scared me. “Does he know you found me?”

“We radioed in the moment we confirmed it was you.”

Resolve slowly replaced his terror, bringing colour back to his face. “Then I’ve got no choice. Sammy, I’m going to need your help. Otherwise everyone is going to die.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Professor is not human, and he’s definitely not helping you. He’s the reason those creatures gained a foothold at all. He’s also the one who created the virus.”

Now he had me staring at him. “No, that can’t be true. The Professor lost his wife and child to the disease, he’s been the leader of our organization since the war was lost.”

“And how much have you rebels done? Killed a few aliens, here and there, barely enough to make a difference. Moved around, under the guise of hiding? Why do you think the Professor wants me so bad? I know what he is.”

“How?”

“Children can see through their cloaking for some reason. That’s why the virus targets them. Adults can’t see that their world was already quietly taken over long before the guns came along.”

“But what does this have to do with you? Why not let the virus take you and be done with it?”

“I’m immune. They did their testing on me, before the virus was strong enough. I got antibodies, so now I can’t die from it. He needs to kill me so I can’t tell what I know.”

I thought it over for a long while. Even if I didn’t know who this kid really was, I kinda believed him. Enough to speak to the Professor about it, anyway.

“All right kid,” I finally replied, “you hide in the rubbish here. I’m gonna go talk to the Professor, see how much is true. If it is, I’ll kill him right there, no matter the consequences. If it’s not, I’ll come back with guards and bring you in. If you aren’t waiting here when I come back, I’ll hunt you down and kill you myself.”

He nodded. I longed for the day when threatening a child would get me arrested. Times were different now.

My rifle slung over my shoulder, I strode into our hideaway, nodding to the guards. 

“Where’s the kid?” Jamie asked.

“Around. I need to talk to the Professor.”

“Sammy, he’s not seeing anyone. Especially not you. Something about a betrayal. I’m sorry, but I have to arrest you.”

I stared at him, unable to believe my ears. We’d been closer than brothers since the apocalypse started. “What do you mean?”

“Either you come quietly for me, or you will be forcefully taken by the crew. Orders. From the Professor himself. I don’t know how he knows.”

Silent and wary, I handed Jamie my gun, feeling like I was cutting off an arm. This couldn’t be happening.

Devon stood in the centre of the mess hall, arms crossed.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll beg for forgiveness,” Jamie whispered behind me, but I ignored him.

“Sam.” Devon’s voice was harsh, harsher than he’d ever spoken to me. “Are you aware of the accusations?”

“No, Dev.”

My brother was tearing himself apart. I could tell from his eyes that he was beating himself up over this. “Where is the boy, Sam? What have you done with him?”

I paled. Somehow, the Professor knew what Damen had said to me. He had to know. “He’s safe. But he can’t come here.”

“Why not, Sam? Where is he?”

“The Professor wants to kill him. The kid is immune to the virus.”

“All the Professor wants to do is study him. If that kid has the cure for the disease, we could win the war.”

I stared at my brother. He rarely disagreed with me, at least not on anything important. 

“The Professor is one of them, Dev. He’s an alien, and the kid knows it.” A small part of me wondered when I’d accepted what Damen said as truth. It didn’t matter. I believed him.

“Listen to yourself, Sam,” Devon was getting angry. The conflict that had been barely hidden was gone, replaced with fury. “He saved both our lives. How can you say that?”

“It’s true. You have to believe me, Dev.”

My brother shook his head. “You’re crazy Sam. Somehow, the kid got to you. This is for your own good.”

Jamie pulled a pair of restraining tablets from his pocket, warming them in his hand.

I didn’t even think. All I knew was that I had to get away or I was a dead man. Senses honed in the decade of war lent me speed and strength. 

I pushed Dev to the floor, knocking him out with a swift, hard punch. Behind me, the others were scrambling for their guns. But it was too late. I was free. I was out of stun range....

A sharp, jarring pain sent me to my knees. I was out of stun range, true. But as a traitor, they were authorized to use lethal force. And the lethal rounds went twice as far as the stun rounds did before they lost their charge.

Hot, wet blood ran through my fingers as I desperately clutched at the wound. Trying to hold the flood in my body. I lay on my side in the rubble, breath coming in short, sharp gasps. Devon leaned over me, shouting at someone, shouting something. But it was too late. The world was disappearing into a flood of darkness at the edges of my vision. And then there was nothing.