Chapter 1- “Belonging to a different time”
I woke with a jolt, my heart beating against my ribcage like it would burst, and I was sweating profusely. I felt relieved that it had just been a dream. I had had the same nightmare for three days now. It starts with me in a dark, locked room and ends with me being hit by a Kreon and taken to a lab to be experimented upon. I know that if I were not lucky, this nightmare would have been true.
I got up from my cold bed and walked over to the bathroom. Automatically, the lights turned on and a mirror materialized in the middle of the room. I washed my face with the cold water and looked at my reflection. My eyes were full of horror, even now, that dream scares me. My black hair stuck to my pale face, making me look like a white sheet with black stripes on them. Overall, I was a mess.
A clock ominously ringing in the distance woke me from my trance. I looked at the digital clock on the wall, 5am. Under it was the date- 13 July 2099. It was my birthday. It was also the same day when the alien race, Kreon, attacked planet Earth. That was 16 years ago and I happened to be born on the very day. Of course, if I were not lucky, I would not have survived.
I slowly retreated to my bed and lied down. If my parents were still alive, then they might have wished me right now. Someone was snoring very loudly and I found it hard to sleep. I looked over at the other beds beside me, whose occupants were my friends. Haley was sleeping soundly, with her hands folded on her chest and her brown hair tied to a neat bun. She always slept in a peaceful and elegant manner, as if she had just climbed into bed. Wanda was tangled in her bed sheets, her short blonde hair matted on her face and her arms and legs were intertwined in quite an uncomfortable position. Natoe was facing the other way so I could not see his face. It was Leon, who was snoring so loudly. I sighed, what is the use of going to sleep now, we would all have to work an hour later anyway. Work, just the word tires me, but I am happy. At least I am not on display at the local zoo in the city.
I lay in my bed and wondered about various things in my mind. I wondered about the war, the now-almost-extinct humans, and the Kreons who almost destroyed everything. If only we won, I thought but I knew that that would have been impossible. The alien race, Kreon, was too advanced for us and they won the war in a matter of weeks. Now, humans are almost extinct and the ones that are left are either consumed by Kreons, kept in zoos for public display or are kept in laboratories for breeding so that we don’t completely die out. I was one of the few lucky ones. The Kreons who took me were kind vegetarians (thank God) and only keep few humans to do work for them. The work involves us working in an automated farm and all we have to do is ensure that everything is in good working order.
Sixteen years. I’m sixteen years old, I thought, Sweet sixteen like the ancients used to say.
Of course, now, there’s no sweet sixteen. There’s nothing sweet about aging for that matter. The more you age, the more you are at risk for being eaten by Kreons who love their humans big and fleshy.
I wonder if they’ll eat us if they could actually understand us. Even though they are an advanced alien race, Kreons don’t know any of the hundred languages of humans. I heard that Kreons slaughter humans because they believe that it keeps the balance of the universe. They even have a specific day for that, Sacrificial Day. Every year, on that day, thousands of humans around the world are sacrificed for the benefit of the universe. As if not sacrificing us would be the end of the galaxy or something. I mean would they have liked it if we dominated the world again and sacrificed them for a stupid belief? We humans have feelings too you know!
I shudder when I think about the other humans being tortured just because they’re living. Sometimes, perhaps it’s better to die than to see your loved ones, or your fellow human for that matter, taken away right before your eyes.
I tried not to dwell on that thought as I shut my eyes to get back to sleep.
