March 8, 2032
Destroyed Denver, Old Colorado
His eyes opened slowly and a clear, night sky came in to his sight.
Where was he?
He groaned as he got up to his feet. White wisps of smoke rose from a brown leather jacket that was held over his back. He looked around and noticed that there was destruction all around him. Small mountains of rubble and shattered glass surrounded him. There were smashed cars with their broken headlight eyes staring at him. It seemed to him that he was in a small suburban area which stretched further away into the city. He could see jagged skyscrapers on the skyline in the distance. There was a destroyed signboard nearby which said: Denver.
He moaned softly as he slowly rose to his feet. He felt sore, as if he hadn't moved in ages.
There were no marks or injuries on his body. He felt no pain either. He realized he was naked and quickly covered himself with the jacket. He looked around with a mixture of shock and confusion.
What happened here?Why am I here? He thought to himself. Why aren't there any people around? He realized that his surroundings had been destroyed for a long time.
But more importantly, who am I? He tried to remember who he was or where he had come from but his memories were blurred. He could remember his name though. Michael Loveday, he thought. What a fancy last name that was. He tried to use that name as a base to remember something but his mind was a mess. His thoughts seemed to be in vertigo as if he had been on a rollercoaster many times. Rollercoasters. He remembered that. He remembered general things but that was it.
He looked down the eerily dark street littered with broken streetlights and scary looking trees. The place is deserted, he thought as he made his way slowly ahead. It did not ease his anxiety at all. There was a reason why the city was destroyed. And something told him that whatever it was, he wouldn't like it…
It's getting dark, Elena thought to herself. She had gone to fetch herbs that she grew in an unharmed greenhouse behind an abandoned, broken-down house. She needed them to make medicines and it had taken her longer than usual. She looked up at the moon and quickened her pace. She had to hurry. She held a long hunting rifle that had belonged to her dad. Although the respawner- who was one of the many immortals capable of coming back to life with a red lightning strike whenever they were killed- was trapped in this zone, there many other dangers that prowled in the city. The respawners were merciless killers that had either left humanity extinct whichever area they inhabited or under severe oppression. No one knew how they did it. It was unexplained. And whoever had tried to unearth the mystery hadn't survived for long.
Elena spotted her reflection in a nearby dusty mirror. I'm getting thinner, I need to eat. She had said that to herself a million times but never done it. She was very conscious about her looks and body but could never do anything about it. That was the life of a healer. Too busy looking after others to look after yourself, an ironic thought that she found funny.
She hated her bony arms and her pale, thin face. She had tried various hairstyles to make her face look better but it never worked so she just let her straight, black hair grow long for now. She hated makeup too and couldn't understand how girls obsessed over it especially considering how things were now in the world. Plus, it took so long and it made her feel fake. She was fine with her slender figure, however, which had toned with her walking all the time. But she had to eat better to maintain it. She would become a walking zombie if she ate so little.
Suddenly, there was a blue flash of lightning in the sky. It appeared a few hundred meters away towards her right. Her eyes widened in shock and her heart thumped as loud as the thunder that had just sounded.
Impossible.
The respawner in this area had been trapped for a long time now.
But wait, the lightning had been blue. She knew the lightning was normally red for whenever a respawner spawned. She had seen it for herself, though it had been many years ago. She shuddered at the memory of how the respawner in her home city had ripped it down to ashes.
Elena waited for ten minutes behind an upturned dumpster listening intently for anything unusual. She could hear people's outbursts of surprise in the distance. What the hell's going on? She decided to move forward and as she turned around the corner of a building, she came face to face with a tall figure. Instantly, she readied her rifle and aimed it at it. She couldn't see who it was since they were hidden by a shadow but someone roaming around in the night like this was never good news. The person raised his hands up and backed up in to the moonlight. It was a teenage boy who seemed close to her age. He had short, dark-brown hair with a tan, innocent-looking, clean-shaven face and a small scar on his nose. The only thing covering him was a brown, leather jacket. There was an expression of sheer surprise and fear in his eyes.
"Please," he said pleadingly. "Don't hurt me. I mean no harm."
Elena slowly walked around him keeping her gun trained at him. "Get away from me."
"Can you please tell me, where am I?" he asked. Elena looked at him in disbelief.
"What? What do you mean? You don't know?" asked Elena not letting her guard down.
"I'm lost," he replied. "Really, really lost."
Is this guy for real? She looked for the armband with a blue cross on his arm. There wasn't any. So he's not an escaped Jew from the concentration camps. He must be from the city. It seemed to her that his clothes had been stolen but there did not seem to be any injuries nor signs of violence on him.
"I…I…I don't know where I came from," Michael stammered and could see the girl in front of him wasn't believing her. "I just… don't know… what's going on."
Elena pushed the rifle closer to him. "What do you mean you don't know?" She had seen this before. People who would act like they needed help and then attack you when you had let your guard down.
She observed the guy's behavior remembering what her uncle, who had worked in the army, had taught her. The eyes, if you see them dilate, then shoot them right in the head, even if they look as innocent as a baby. Remember, no one is ever that innocent. The mouth, watch for rapid breathing. The shoulders, are they tight? The hands, the feet, watch everything. Watch for twitches. But this guy didn't seem to fit the criteria. In fact, he seemed to be showing signs of acute amnesia with the way his eyes looked alarmed, like a new born baby first looking at the world around them. He wasn't armed either and she was seldom wrong in her diagnoses. Still, she kept the rifle aimed at him.
"Listen, I don't know what's going on but I really need help. I mean no harm, I swear."
Elena eyed him suspiciously. Being a medic and helping others, she just could not leave this boy roaming around naked. He really could have amnesia and she had to help him. That was probably the one thing her uncle criticized about her. You would save the wolf that murdered all the sheep in the flock. If he was in her place, he wouldn't have even hesitated in leaving the guy even if he was bleeding to death.
"What's your name?"
"Michael."
"Your last name?"
"Loveday."
"Do you remember your parents?"
That question seemed to stir something inside Michael. He hadn't even thought about his parents. He tried to remember their names or their faces but it was all such a blur. He was sure he had parents and could picture their outlines but it was as if an opaque curtain was shielding the details of his memories. Mr. Loveday, he thought. Mrs. Loveday. Does that ring a bell? No, no, no, why can't I remember them?
Elena saw him strain to remember before he replied. "No. I don't." He looked guilty. "How can I not remember my parents?" he whispered in disbelief.
Elena was convinced now that he really did have amnesia although he seemed to remember his full name. Her uncle, Joey, had always told her to trust her instinct and that was what she going to do.
"Fine, you can come with me but keep your distance. I'm watching you…" A low whirring sound interrupted him. It was slowly getting louder as it approached them.
"Raiders!" exclaimed Elena. She rushed towards a broken-down convenience store. "Hurry! Before they spot us."
Michael followed Elena inside and crouched beside her behind a fallen down store rack. A rusty green pickup truck slowly drove past and stopped a few yards away from the store. Micheal looked towards Elena with a fearful look and was shocked to see her pointing the rifle at him.
"What?" Micheal mouthed.
"You're with them, aren't you?" Elena whispered furiously pointing towards the truck. Three people dressed in scraggy clothes holding rifles exited the truck.
"No way," whispered Micheal. "I don't even know who they are."
"Was it here?" said one of the men. "The lightnin' "
"I don't know," said the other with a quiver in his voice. "I hope not. We shouldn't even be going towards it. We should be running from it."
"Relax," said the third. "It can't be another respawner in the same territory. The other guy is locked up. We're safe."
"How do you know?" said the second one. "You think anything makes sense nowadays? God, I miss the 90s, things were so much simpler back then."
"Well, the boss said we have to check it out before those goddamn Nazis," said the first lighting a cigarette. "He doesn't want the auction to be interrupted with them searchin' the area. Now stop bein' such a crybaby Carl and let's search the area for any signs of where the bolt hit."
Elena and Micheal crouched down low behind the rack as the men searched the area. They held their breath as one of the raiders entered the store. After a few seconds, the man cried out in horror and Elena almost pounced out on him thinking he had spotted them. Micheal managed to hold her down. He had been observing the scene from the side.
Elena looked over the rack and saw that it was the scared raider. He had jumped at the sight of a cut out of an old cereal box mascot.
"What happened?!" The raiders rushed with their guns ready.
"Nothing. It was nothing," he replied sheepishly.
"Did you get scared by another shadow again? Goddamit, Carl. Why do you get scared by every damned thing?"
"Boo!" shouted the other raider and Carl jumped in surprised. His friends began to laugh out loudly.
"Hey guys, shut up," moaned Carl.
"I don't think there's any respawner around here," said the raider wiping a tear from his eye after he stopped laughing. "It was probably just normal lightnin'. Some natural phenomena or bullshit like that. It was blue after all. Ain't normal lightnin' supposed to be blue? Come on, let's search a bit further ahead and then head back. Those Nazis will be swarmin' around here soon. It's always a bad idea to stay too long behind the Perimeter."
With that, the raiders walked back to their pickup and rode off. Elena and Micheal waited in silence for a while before exiting the store.
"We have to move fast," said Elena. "There's been a lightning strike around here and the whole place will be full of people."
"Aren't we here already?" asked Micheal looking around. "What happened here anyways?"
"No, I mean the Peak City. It's a civilization in the mountains. It was built to stay away from the respawner. He destroyed this city years ago. Left it inhabitable."
"Respawner?" asked Micheal in confusion.
"Respawners. The people who can't die. You don't remember that?"
"No. People who can't die? How is that possible?"
Boy, this guy sure doesn't remember anything. "Did you see the lightning?"
"No. I don't know what lightning you're talking about. I just…" She could see Michael straining hard again. "I just remember being conscious a few moments ago."
Elena eyed him suspiciously again. He seems to have gained consciousness right around the time the lightning has struck. That is really strange.
"Let's get going then. It's getting very late," said Elena pushing away her thoughts. They both made their way ahead. Elena kept her distance from Michael. She had a feeling that he was somehow connected to the lightning but could not figure out why.
Michael and Elena were slowly making their way through the alleys in the destroyed city. He followed her at a distance and did not say anything. She was keeping a constant eye on him which made him afraid of saying anything to her. As if saying anything would make her shoot him or abandon him.
They did not see a single soul as they made their way forward which creeped out Michael. Where was everyone? Why is she out in a place like this in the middle of the night? Michael could see the mountains in the distance and the lights and structures that dotted over its whole surface which were getting closer as they moved forward. That's when he saw a group of people huddled around a fire. They wore ragged, dirty clothes that hung limply from their scrawny figures along with armbands with blue crosses around their arms. A fence with barbed fire at the top separated them. They walked past them and their empty stares creeped Michael out.
As they ventured closer to the mountains, more people began to appear behind fences. Most of them were living in harsh conditions and Michael's lack of clothes did not look alien in their presence. They all wore the same armbands with blue crosses and Michael wondered who they were. It seemed to him that they were imprisoned. They had sad and forlorn expressions with hopeless sunken eye-sockets. They occupied ghettoes consisting of destroyed buildings or the shabby tents that had been set up in the streets which glowed from the light of their flimsy bonfires. They looked panicked and looked in the distance; in the direction from where Michael and Elena had come from. There were other people from destroyed Denver just like them heading towards the mountains in panic. These people looked much healthier than the people behind the fence. They did not have any armbands however. He could make out some of the words from the conversations that buzzed through the air.
Blue lightning.
Respawner.
We're going to die.
They did not make any sense to him but the fear in their voices was scaring him. He could hear children crying as well among the people behind the fences. Why are they so scared? What's this talk about blue lightning? He looked up at the clear sky. How is lightning even possible without any clouds? This confused him more because he couldn't understand how he remembered the fact that rain was caused by clouds but did not remember anything from his life.
His thoughts drifted back to the problem of his existence. Of the lack of memories in his head. No, he was sure there were memories in his head but they would not form into anything meaningful. He grasped at the cloudy wisps in his mind but they would dart around his grasp or just seep out of it. He started to wonder if he belonged to these panicked people. He looked hard at their faces in the hope that maybe he would recognize someone and it would jog his memory. He strained hard to remember anything but it was useless. His mind was spinning and his fear was elevating.
There were watch towers among the ghettoes where soldiers with long range rifles stood. He noticed soldiers rounding up the people behind the fences ordering them harshly to get inside. They even pushed some of the starving people forward who were too weak to even walk properly. He heard a few gunshots behind the fences too and they shot fear through his heart.
Michael finally decided that he should ask Elena some of the questions that filled his mind. Maybe it would help him to make some sense out of all this.
"Umm… what were you saying about the people who can't die?" he asked reluctantly turning his gaze away from the fences. Elena looked at him carefully as if trying to decide whether she wanted to talk to this guy.
"They can die. But they just come back to life with a lightning strike."
"How?"
"No one knows."
"But it makes no sense."
"Nothing makes sense in the world now," said Elena. "We've just had to accept it."
Michael had no idea how to respond to that. Maybe she's just joking with me. Either way, she'll helping me, I should be grateful.
"Thanks for the help," said Michael. "Umm… what's your name if I may ask?"
"Elena."
"Where are we going, Elena?"
"To the city. We'll get you help there."
They trudged ahead and Michael did not ask her any more questions. Her tone had not been kind to him and well, why would it be? He was a stranger to her and that was how she was expected to act. In the distance, Michael saw army Humvees and soldiers heading in their direction. There were soldiers with megaphones yelling orders and extensively questioning the people trying to go forward. There was broken-down house nearby of which a whole section of the wall had crumbled to the ground. She hurriedly pulled him towards it and led him to its attic where part of the ceiling was broken. The chilling wind outside drafted in through.
"You better wait here," said Elena. "They won't let you inside the city if you're looking like that and you're going to need a pass too. I'll go get you some clothes. Just don't move from here."
"How long will you be gone?" said Micheal feeling anxious at the idea of being left alone.
"Not long. Here's some water," assured Elena handing him a bottle. She then left him sitting there on the dusty floor and hurried away.
He stared down at the destroyed city of Denver which seemed as scary as ever and could see people swarming outside in the streets. Some were rushing towards the mountains while others were looking in the direction where the blue lightning had supposedly hit. He could hear crying, panicked shouting and even the sounds of fights. He looked up at the clear sky again and couldn't figure out how there would be any lightning. He didn't dare expose himself for fear of people detecting him. He could hear the sound of engines as the army Humvees passed by the house. He couldn't understand what all the commotion was about.
Michael had no idea how long he was inside the attic. It felt like a very long time as he heard the whole commotion finally begin to die down with the approaching midnight. He heard the sounds of army Humvees returning, the soldiers in megaphones ordering the people to return to the city and that there was no danger. But the tension still hung in the city as it resumed its deathly state. It was hard to believe that people would actually live near a place like it.
Micheal had the jacket wrapped around his whole body now. He was shivering as the cold wind began to pick up in the darkest hours of the night. Where is she? Has she abandoned me? No, she'll come back. Why would she lie and leave me to die? No, she'll be back, she'll be back.
He waited and waited as the air got colder and he could feel the wind piercing into his skin. He had stopped looking out at the city and was curled up into a shivering ball. He could feel himself getting weak and beginning to lose consciousness. She'll be back, she'll be back, she'll be back. She told me to stay here. I can't leave. She'll be back. Dawn was now beginning to approach now and Michael shifted his body so that his body could lap up the rays of the early sunlight. He felt weary now, as if the cold had sucked out some of the life out of him. He had almost convinced himself that Elena had abandoned him when she finally arrived with clothes in her hand.
"Oh my god. I'm so sorry," she said through panting breaths and hurried to Michael. "Are you alright? Oh god, you look shaken."
Michael felt relieved to hear her voice. For a moment, he had forgotten the weakness he felt in his body. "Thank god, you're here."
"They wouldn't let anyone here until their investigations had been complete," said Elena placing a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, you've got a fever. The wind was horrific in the night. I've got some clothes and shoes here. You better put them on now."
Michael winced as he got up to his feet. He was still shivering and his vision was dizzy. He took the clothes from Elena who waited outside as he changed into them.
"Thank you," said Michael again grateful for the warmth that the clothes were providing. He was wearing a red-striped shirt with long sleeves and black, cargo pants. They smelt slightly musty along with a comforting, homely smell.
Elena felt terrible. She had left this guy to suffer in the cold. She was the one responsible for him. She had to get him back to her clinic.
"I'm a medic. We'll get you to my clinic in the city and I'll fix you up."
Michael was barely able to stand still. His mind was woozy and his vision was shaking a bit. He figured he had no choice but to go with Elena.
"Will you be able to walk?" She could see the weakness in the way Michael was standing. He nodded with a shaky smile on his face.
Elena hurried along towards the city staying close to Michael. She felt that he would lose consciousness any second. How could you be this stupid? She cursed herself. You left him in the cold and you didn't even think about how it would affect him. You didn't even think about bringing some medicine with yourself to warm him up. You're stupid.
They finally reached the city checkpoint at the bottom of the mountains. There were huge rows of fences with barbed wire on them encircling the whole mountain range in Michael's sight. All along the boundaries he could see red flags and banners with swastikas adorned in a white background. These designs were also on the arm bands that the guards at the checkpoint wore. Beyond the checkpoint, he could see paved paths that led to roads that curved and sloped upwards into the city in the mountains.
"Stay sharp. They'll still be on high alert after that lightning strike," said Elena as they approached the checkpoint.
The guards seemed to be in a grim mood as they troubled the few people who were still trying to enter. They questioned them extensively and body-checked them, even those who had a pass with them. They sprawled all their belongings on the ground and searched it all. He couldn't see any reason why that would help them locate a respawner though he still had no idea who or what they were.
"What am I going to say to them?" asked Micheal, his voice quivering. He had seen the way the soldiers had been treating the prisoners behind the fence.
"Don't worry, I have a way. Just stay calm and let me handle it."
To Micheal's surprise, the guard acted very friendly with her. He didn't even bother checking her.
"Any luck with the herbs?" asked the guard smiling. He had a heavy German accent though he spoke English fluently.
"Yes, they've grown very well," answered Elena with a smile.
"That's great. My son's getting a cold. I'll have him at your place soon," he said. "I'd have been staying with him if not for that lightning. We're here searching for the respawner. As if there is another one." He said with a roll of the eyes.
"I see," said Elena. "I don't think it's a respawner either. Otherwise, well… you know… things wouldn't be so calm out there."
"Yes, true. I agree with you but duty is duty," he said with a sigh. Then suddenly his expression turned mean and he looked at Micheal. "Hey what are you looking at? This isn't any of your business."
Micheal gulped as the guard began to approach him but Elena stopped him. "Oh, I forgot to introduce him. He's with me. He's my… cousin. He's come to…help me with the clinic."
"Your cousin?" asked the guard inspecting Michael. "Where did he come from? Does he have a pass?"
"No, he just arrived here from one of the desert towns," she replied. "I was hoping to get him registered at the customs."
The guard hesitated. "You do know that we have closed off registrations for new people."
"Yes, I know. But please, just let this one slide. I'm sure the commander won't mind."
The guard sighed. He walked towards the small cabin besides the checkpoint and a few minutes later approached them with a white card.
"Here is a temporary pass for him. You should get him registered within the week. Normally, we do not permit this sort of stuff but your father is the one who saved the commander's wife from an early death after all."
"Thank you," said Elena as the guard let them through and she bade him farewell.
After walking up the roads, they reached the first town. Michael could see small cabins and houses clinging to the mountain's surface. But it was the swastika banners and flags that caught his attention. They were everywhere and he saw them wherever he turned his head. He also noticed white banners with a man's face who had a toothbrush moustache on his upper lip and the slogan Heil Adolf Hitler! The man seemed to be a person of power and the serious look on his face made Michael feel uncomfortable. It made him feel oppressed and he could see the people inside the town feel the same too although they seemed to be living in much better conditions than the people he had seen behind the fences. He noticed watch towers around the town and in the other towns which he could see on the neighboring mountains.
Michael was coughing and sniffling like crazy now. They hurried forward towards a bridge that led to the anther mountain. It seemed that Elena was very well-known here since a lot of people smiled at her while others greeted her. Some of them curiously eyed Micheal but didn't say anything.
It's like I'm walking with a celebrity, thought Micheal.
They entered the clinic which basically consisted of different cabins arranged side by side. Elena put her rifle and backpack against a wall. The cabin was heated which gave Michael a whole flood of relief. She led him to one of the beds which were arranged in rows. Michael could see two other people in the beds fast asleep.
A person entered the room while Elena rummaged frantically through a drawer. She was a middle-aged woman with blonde curly hair named Diamond who worked as one of the nurses at the clinic. Her chubby body jiggled as she approached Elena.
"Hey, Elena," she yawned again. "My shift's over. I'm heading home, dear."
Elena looked at her and nodded. "Goodnight."
"Who is this guy?" she asked. "Is he new here?"
"I found him beyond the Perimeter."
"Oh," Diamond said her expression turning serious. "You sure he isn't an escaped Jew?"
"No, he's got amnesia and a high fever. He seems to be from the city. I'll get that checked out at the customs."
"Well you be better be careful, girl," she said eyeing Michael suspiciously. "You can't trust anyone from beyond the Perimeter especially after what happened last time. Take care."
Elena found the medicine which she was looking for and poured it into a small plastic canister. She gave it to Michael who gulped it immediately. He could instantly feel the pleasant warmth flood inside his whole body and he thanked Elena again. He laid his head on the bed and before he could say anything else, drifted to sleep.