Perfect Future

Chapter 1

Why do people always look forward to the future? I don't understand it. The future is a horrible place. Is it because you don't know what the future will hold? Yes, I suppose that's it. What if I told you that in the future, everything is perfect. You have the perfect house, the perfect family, the perfect life. No one dies except for old age, and there is no violence whatsoever.

But along with all this, there are no different people. You are a mindless, thoughtless, robot programmed to be happy. All the time. Everyone looks the same. Everyone thinks the same. Everyone is the same. Still sound perfect to you?

But even though you may think that the city you live in is all there is, there are people out there. People who survived the Perfection, people who achieved the impossible. They are out there, and they want to help these unfortunate 'people'. They are out there, and they want in. I am the narrator, and it is my duty to tell you this tale.

"ShaLi? ShaLi? I... I can't see..." ShaLi heard ChaBo's panicked voice and tried to answer her. But... She couldn't. ChaBo's voice grew higher, shriller. "ShaLi?! C'mon, Sha... It's not funny. Are you still there? Oh gods, did you leave me? Give me a sign, Sha!" No matter how hard she tried, ShaLi couldn't talk. So this is how you play, Silar, she thought. One who can't see, and one who can't speak.

ShaLi felt the feeling slowly returning to her body. She sat up, and took off her blindfold. Taking in her surroundings, she deducted that they had been dumped unceremoniously into an abandoned house and left there. She stood up unsteadily, and started looking for ChaBo. She followed the sounds of her panicked cries upstairs, into the first bedroom on the left.

ChaBo must've heard her, because she started to wail. "Please don't hurt me! I can't see! I don't have any food!" ShaLi advanced slowly, and untied ChaBo's blindfold. "What was that? Was that my blindfold? Oh gods, I still can't see!" ChaBo sat up suddenly, and grasped the air around her. "Wait... ShaLi? Is that you? Can you hear me? Oh gods, are you deaf? Tap my head if you can hear me."

ShaLi gingerly stepped forward, and slowly, deliberately, smacked ChaBo upside the head. ChaBo winced. "Okay, ShaLi. It's definitely you. So... you're not deaf, you can see, you can move around all right... you can't talk! Oh gods, he took your voice?!" ChaBo waited for an answer, then snorted. "Oh right. You can't talk. Well, that's peachy. Where are we?" More silence. ChaBo sighed. "This is going to take some getting used to. Do you remember Morse code from when we were younger?"

ShaLi tapped out Yes. ChaBo exhaled. "Good. So we can still communicate. That's one thing Silar didn't think of. In his face!" ShaLi clapped, but then stopped. Wait. Did you hear that? ChaBo went quiet for a second, then nodded. ShaLi tapped vigorously. Stay here. Do not move. I am going to check it out.

ShaLi eased herself downstairs, where two guys, about her age, were laying down, blindfolded, just as she had been moments earlier. Let's see, she thought. To wake them up, or not? I'm pretty sure they've made a deal with Silar as well, so what the heck. She walked over to them, and kicked one of the lumps. It didn't move. She stepped over to the other one, and kicked him, harder.

He leapt up suddenly, but being blindfolded, he couldn't hit her. She dodged nimbly out of the way, watching him carefully. His mouth was moving at a furious rate, yet no sound came out. He tore off his blindfold and glanced around wildly. When he spotted her, his expression softened. He walked over to her, and they seemed to have a mutual understanding.

He began waving his hands, seemingly random at first, and then ShaLi realized that he was using sign language. She tried to follow him. My name is Wyatt. This is my friend JoVan. I do not know why he has not woken up. I am worried. I do not suppose you have made a deal with Silar as well? ShaLi clapped her hands, softly, hoping he knew Morse code.