[ featured on @beyondsol and @undiscoveredbooks, a youngblood awards 2018 winner ]
In a world divided in two and dominated by lies and truths beyond one's imagination, will peace ever prevail?
The impending war between Solars and Darks threatens the...
I am the last person to slip through the door. Gently pulling it shut, I glance around my surroundings. The interior is bare and pristine, personified by the darkness that hangs over the rooms like a dark cloud. Painted along the walls are a shade of white free from dust and dirt of any kind and a dinning table reveals no scatter, along with zero traces of marks.
"This guy is creepy." Kirk whispers from in front of me and I have to nod in agreement. Everything about this place read as unlived in and yet, someone was living here. Someone ate breakfast here, changed here and did his experiments and lab research here. The ghost-like vibe was something that I didn't quite expect.
"Alright, his labs are on the second floor. So Kirk and Martha, the two of you stand guard while Edward and I-"
"Edward?" A soft, familiar voice rings out gently from nearby. Clutching at my chest to absorb the effect the voice has on me- a sudden surge of blood that pounds through my body, I turn towards the voice.
Legs dangling high above the ground and eyes so round with fear, Teddy has a neglected impression as he grabs the sides of his chair tightly, pams squeezing around the edges.
"Teddy" My voice comes out as a whimper, straining against the emotions that toy with my heart, "It's me."
"This isn't good." Martha interrupts our conversation, a stern gaze locking onto my eyes and her tone waterlogged with impatience.
"Can this wait? This is your brother that we're talking to, too." I hiss back, a scowl biting along the curves of my face.
"I don't mean it like thay. If Teddy's here, that means that he's here, too." Martha replies softly and suddenly, the colour seeps its way out my my skin.
My father. The person who created me is in this same house, breathing the same air that circulates throughout the structure.
The person I was misled to believe was a soldier who died in the line of fire.
"Well, then how do we get through?" I question, doing another take of the house's interior and realising that there is no way Martha and I can make it upstairs without drawing attention.
"He went out for a while. He's not here." From the sidelines, Teddy hopes down from the seat and carefully makes his way towards me. His eyes glimmer with tears as he reaches me and he throws his arms around my legs, "I missed you."
And I missed him, too. Except we're slowly losing seconds and we need to make our way to his lab now.
"W- we'll talk later, okay?" Lowering myself so that I'm staring right into his eyes, I force a smile onto my face, "It won't be long. I missed you, too."
Releasing his hold, Teddy nods, ambling back to his original position on the oversized chair.
"So we're back to our original plan- Ellie and Kirk guard the door and if you notice anything, just holler. Edward and I will be upstairs." The feeling of gloom that drapes along the walls slowly start to transfer right under my skin as I follow Martha's lead, tracing towards the end of the house and up a spiral staircase. With each step, the fear coils around my lungs tighter and tighter until all the oxygen has been compressed.
The second floor opens up to one large room. Here, the indication of an inhabitant becomes more distinct- stacked along installed shelves and panels are weapons of every kind and variety, ranging from handguns to grenades enclosed in a safe casing. Tables line the middle of the room with plans and sketches of weapons I have never even came across in my life lie scattered along the dusty wood, made cluttered by the pencils and tools that allign the markings along the table.
"This is crazy," I breathe as the strangest sensation to touch everything and understand everything that worked in this room washed over me.
"He never lets anyone near this place. I only knew about it because I snooped around when he was out before." Martha comments.
"So where's the plans that allow for a faster rate of neutralisation?" I ask. Martha nods over to the side of the room where a slim panel of glass comes down against the floor, forming a box structure with the walls. Along the glass panel lies a dashboard with multiple buttons and a series of levers.
"We'll have to go in there. When I was snooping about, I noticed some plans about a reverse effect on either one of us that can be triggered by excess radiation. It breaks down the concentration of specialised cells that controls the energy and terminates it." Martha explains, pacing towards the dashboard and scanning the buttons on it.
"D- doesn't termination mean definite death? For both of us?" The words crumble along my tongue and as selfish as I know I sound, the desire to live burns wildly inside me.
"No. It'll only bring about termination of specific cells. The cells are caused by whatever he implanted in us and because it was separately injected, it won't affect our main systems that will remain untouched."
"Termination of the cells will cause neutralisation?" I ask, hating the panicky stance that I am developing.
"In the most basic terms, yes. Our cells will become so weak, they will cancel out each other. The cells that are stronger, that can't be cancelled out will remain in the person who will be the only weapon left." Martha gently pushes against a button and the room parted by the glass comes to life- lights overhead flicker and the hum of energy buzzes.
"What about Teddy?" At this, Martha turns to give me a tentative glance.
"I don't know, Edward."
"Even after we do this, we can't just eliminate him! He's a child, Martha."
"I know that. Do you think that I don't know that?" Martha's eyes effulge a fire of irritation as she shoves her hands by the side of her hips, her lips trembling into a thin line of impatience.
"I- it's not just that, Martha. We need to get rid of this entire place, too. Do you see the amount of research he has? Even if both of us and Teddy are eliminated, he has the research to recreate something like us again." I sift through the large volume of sheets that splay across the table, eyes darting along the endless ocean of words and study.
"Fair enough. We'll burn it down after we get out of here." Martha raises her hands by the side of her head in a way that exudes her defeat but I'm not done yet.
"And Teddy? Atlanta will continue to be torn apart if he lives and there's no other mode of reversing the process."
"Edward," Martha coaxes and suddenly, her voice is soft and thick with sorrow, "We can think about this later, after we burn this house down. For now, we need to focus on the neutralisation."
That's when we both hear it. A loud shout from downstairs and what I think are heavy items thudding against the ground, a yell of surprise and a muted bang.
The fear that springs onto Martha's face is nothing like I have ever seen before. Her lips that have been twisted to form a narrow curve of annoyance now slide into a tense line and her eyes brim with terror, a terror that fills me, too. One that causes my entire body to shudder, one that makes my muscles convulse with icy cold dread.
As the reality of how much time we have left hits me, I summon enough courage to say the words. "We need to get this thing started. Now!"
Word Count: 1310 Words
A/N: Okay, so I'm hoping to finish this book by today. Here's to drunken wishes lol.
Feedback is encouraged and appreciated! (:
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