Dusk of Defiance (The Era of Ensemble Book 1) Read online

  The backup lights were floor level, either side of the stairs in a line, lighting up the bottom of the stairs. The majority of the steps were in complete darkness. Someone must have broken most of the backup lights. He took tight hold of the railing, it was surprisingly cold and it made him jump. The heating system must be on the blink. He took a few seconds to compose himself, and then he continued to follow the mysterious figure. A door closed on the floor below him. He took his time climbing down the steps to reach it. A dark, sticky liquid was smeared across the door, but he couldn’t identify what it was. He touched the control pad. The door rapidly slid apart and allowed him passage into another corridor. He stepped through the door. It was drastically different to the previous hallway that he had been in. The floor was wooden and didn’t ping when Luke stepped on it with the metal soles of his shoes. The shoes needed the metal soles in the unlikely event that the gravity failed. The soles would become electromagnetically charged to enable the wearer to walk across the floor of the ship. My steps no longer ring aloud, they are noticeably different. Will the shadows hear my approach?

  The walls were painted a light cream, which made the corridor feel much brighter. Luke remembered various styles of the different parts of the ship. It was to allow the brain to absorb different colours and textures. To keep everyone stimulated, fresh and alert. There were a lot of things which changed aboard the ship on a regular basis to keep everyone stimulated. The food menu was always chosen randomly from day to day, it was never a fixed schedule of what you were going to eat. There were hobby classes in the evening to paint, craft, or mould things for your own living quarters or for other peoples use. But the one thing Luke was most interested in when he got the brochure for the UCSC Defiance was the mood elevating drugs which were vented throughout the spaceship to keep morale high. Previous space travel had reiterated their invaluable contribution to long voyages. A lifestyle necessity minimising the risk to space dementia.

  The darkness of the shadows were unnerving Luke. He moved down the corridor away from the stairs, as he heard another noise from a nearby room. He slowly walked across the golden brown wooden floor until he reached the door. He cautiously muted his own footsteps. He could hear a low mumble of a voice from inside. “Hello?” He said once again, but there was no answer. Luke gently pressed the touch pad on the side of the wall and the door opened. The mumble was louder, but he couldn’t make any sense of it. He walked into the room. It was a small housing unit, specifically developed for a group of people who provided a lower tier of work aboard the ship. Luke glanced around the small living space, there was a television in a tiny cramped hole, a brown and bland two piece suite, a small table with two chairs either side, and a shelf with the ornaments that were once stacked upon it, in smithereens on the floor. Luke didn’t notice the smashed ornaments until he stepped on them. He looked down to the ground as he heard the crunch. The ornaments which had been created by someone in an evening crafting class were shattered and scattered across the floor. The room and the ship, were in a state of disarray. He ignored the condition of the room and carried on searching for the groaning sounds, which he could hear from behind the bedroom door.

  The door had a handle rather than a touch pad, mostly to simulate a more Earth like environment. Luke placed his hand on the handle and twisted it until the door opened. A woman was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, her arms wrapped around half a toy bear which looked like it had been chewed apart by some sort of beast. The woman’s light blond hair covered her face, and she had scratches and cuts all along her arms.

  “Are you okay?” Luke asked as he slowly stepped closer to the woman. She didn’t turn to face him. She just rocked back and forth with the half destroyed toy bear in her arms. An unrecognisable language left her lips. He wondered if it was even a language at all, it just sounded gibberish. As he watched the woman, his mind raced. What's going on? What have I awoken to? Why was I the last person to wake from cryogenic sleep? He snapped out of his thoughts, and glanced back towards the woman at the foot of the bed. He looked around the room. The wardrobe was open and one outfit hung on a hanger. It was a cleaners uniform. She's a cleaner, but look at the state of this apartment. He turned to the bed and looked at the blanket, and then at the woman. Her clothes were torn and most of her skin was visible. He grabbed the blanket from the bed and laid it over the woman’s legs. If she's not going to acknowledge me, at the very least, she's going to keep warm.

  Luke left the woman, closed the door behind him, and walked back into the hall. The shadow wasn't her. That woman couldn't have been the figure I saw before. There must be more people around here somewhere. He checked to his right, and then to his left. But before he could decide which way to move, a noise emanated from his right. He slowly and steadily walked to where he thought he had heard the sound. The adrenalin was pumping again as his heart began to race. He felt a forceful instinctive urge to fight for his life. This surge of adrenalin can’t be good for my heart. Why do I feel so nervous? He cautiously moved towards the edge of the wall where the corridor turned left. He glanced around the corner. He couldn’t see anything. Maybe I imagined the noise. But then he heard the same sound again. It was reminiscent of an animal running on all fours. Luke hesitated, and then slowly made his way down to where the sound originated. At first there was nothing, only the usual hum of the ventilation system, and then he heard it again, a quick shuffle of feet, and then a sprint. It couldn’t be a human. It had to be something else.

  Luke heard the noise again and again. A scamper of feet. He approached a pair of double doors which led to a cafeteria. He then realised he hadn’t eaten. On cue a low rumble emerged from his stomach. He hadn’t noticed how hungry he was. He touched the pad on the side of the wall, and as soon as the doors slid open a disgusting smell caused him to gag.

  The cafeteria came into full view, Luke entered. Some tables were overturned. Others were stacked in a pile to make some sort of primitive barricade. It was almost like a child’s fort made out of boxes. Plates were scattered across the floor, most of which were broken, and there was a sticky looking liquid near the stack of tables. The room was just barely light enough, with the backup lights on, to make out the colour. It was black-red. Luke’s face began to get paler and paler. He moved over towards the fort, and glanced around the room. He couldn't hear any movement or see any people. Then he suddenly realised the terrible smell, which was overpowering. Luke gagged again. He braced himself, held his breath, climbed up onto the edge of the fort and looked in. There were three human bodies. Well, they vaguely resemble human bodies. They were half eaten, extremely rotting, and scattered around in between the tables that made up the barricade. And suddenly I'm no longer hungry. Luke retched, but he had nothing to throw up.

  The noise from before distracted Luke from concentrating on the smell, he climbed down the tables and quietly made his way to the edge of the childlike construction. He heard the running noise again, but this time a deafening squeal accompanied it. Luke saw a figure out of the corner of his eye. It was smaller than he had imagined. It squealed again. It ran closer to him, his heart began to race faster. It’s heading straight for me. The thing screeched, this time it almost sounded like a… It slowed right in front of Luke. The lights flashed on and off and a pink blur glowed in front of him. It's just a pig. It must have escaped from Animal Breeding. The pig saw Luke and ran away terrified. Out of the darkness of the room a loud snap echoed throughout the cafeteria. The pig made no noise, it had stopped squealing and stopped running. There was a loud crunch, and then a couple more footsteps emitted from different corners of the room. They ran to the crunching noise. It sounded like a group of lions fighting over a gazelle. The backup lights flashed on, and then off. It was enough for Luke to see the three people ripping off the skin of the dead pig. Luke stepped back, towards the door and the sound of crunching stopped. They're like wild savage humans, feral creatures feeding on raw flesh. A few footsteps approached his location. O
ne of the predators had caught its next scent. The three people shrieked, and sprinted in Luke’s direction. “Oh God!” He screamed and ran back through the door.

  Chapter 2

  Luke didn’t stop running. He couldn’t stop, not until he was as far away from those crazed people as he could get. He had run through multiple corridors, up and across different stairways. He eventually felt safe enough to stop for breath. He tried to pant as quietly as he could, but those savage creatures could be anywhere.

  ‘Residence block 43 section G’ read a sign across from Luke. His eyes widened as he remembered that was his residence block. He hastily made his way to the elevator which led to section G. He pressed the button to signal the elevator. Nothing happened.

  “Would the nearest engineer please make their way to the engines and power section 32-B and reroute power.” An automated female computerised voice sounded over the speaker system. Luke ignored it. He was qualified to be an engineer aboard the UCSC Defiance, but he chose to work in another section. He eventually decided on air plantation, that way he could share accommodation with Elizabeth, who worked in the science department. From an early age Luke and Elizabeth had been in and around each other’s company. It wasn't until they started dating that Luke realised his life would never be the same without her. She dedicated her world to science while Luke quietly took a back seat. The opportunity to achieve aboard the spaceship was a natural progression for Elizabeth and the invitation for Luke to live with her was all the confirmation Luke needed. She wanted him too.

  Luke made his way to the stairwell just beyond the elevator. He headed up the steps and watched out for his housing unit’s grouped number on the signs overhead. He had climbed more than enough stairs for one day. Luke spotted his residence number on a sign and exited the stairwell. At least I don't have to climb any more steps. A dark red luxurious carpet covered the floor. It was soft and muffled his footsteps when he stepped on it. He smiled as he viewed a heart-warming entrance to this section. It brought back memories of him holding Elizabeth’s hand as they eagerly raced to find their new home. Their new home that they would share for at least ten years, was an apartment in which their hopes and dreams would be carried and nurtured.

  His upbeat mode spiralled into depression as his eyes awakened to the change in his surroundings. The walls of the corridor were covered in wallpaper, which was usually changed regularly, but this one hadn’t been changed for a while. It was ripped, scratched and smeared with what could only be blood. A few paintings hung on the walls too, but most lay smashed on the floor, broken into many pieces. There was a smashed plant pot with soil surrounding it, but no plant. What's happened here while I've been away? While I've been asleep? Luke pinched himself. I just want to wake up from this nightmare. He barely recognised the ship. So much had changed, so much had been destroyed.

  Luke proceeded down the corridor, twisting and turning at every noise he heard. I'm not out of the woods yet. Those people... Luke needed to reassess his thoughts. They're not people, not anymore, they're monsters, animals, wild and feral beasts. He stood still and silent as he heard footsteps in the stairwell he had just exited. Shrieks accompanied the footsteps as they climbed up the stairs. Luke held his breath and listened. The noises eventually faded, and he sighed with relief. I must get to Elizabeth. Is she safe? Will she be lying low in our apartment? Perhaps she found a working cryogenic chamber to sleep in.

  After traversing down so many similar pathways, Luke regained his bearings. He knew where he was, and he knew how far away his living quarters were. His memories of sharing accommodation with Elizabeth began to stream through his mind. He eagerly began to walk faster. He realised he was making too much noise, with his enthusiasm to get to Elizabeth. He slowed and softened his movement. He made his way to a door marked ‘2552b’. A touchpad was at the right side of the door and Luke pressed it. He smiled as he walked into the room. It was still intact. It was an adequately sized room, there were larger rooms around the ship, but they were reserved for the Captain and other people with high enough stature. The room Luke and Elizabeth had acquired was the best that they could have possibly hoped for. The room is undisturbed... Good those creatures haven't been here. Elizabeth would be safe in our apartment. His hand fell to the back of a settee. He brushed the pile with the tips of his fingers as if stroking the material caught in the memory of its purchase. It was silky smooth, but the colour. The couch was striped rouge and sky blue, Luke wasn’t too fond of it but Elizabeth wouldn’t have any other one. Luke got a large reclining armchair in a compromise, so he didn’t complain. There was a small table in front of the couch with a commemorative newspaper from the day the spaceship departed Earth. Luke moved over towards it and read the date ‘1st October 2481’. He then read the largest title at the top of the paper ‘UCSC DEFIANCE SET TO DEPART ON TRIAL VOYAGE’. He didn’t know the current Earth date, but he knew the ship was on its way home, on its way back to Earth.

  Home... Luke felt his heart sink. The Defiance was on its way back home. This apartment had been their home for such a long time. The sleep sessions in the cryo-chambers kept their life patterns almost parallel. They could sleep for decades at a time, but awake as if only a day older. They had always coordinated their sleep schedules. They were synchronised. Elizabeth was always there to greet him. It was just like waking up in bed of a morning to see her smile. Where was Elizabeth today? Where is she now? Her greeting kept him alive... Kept him going... On this ship... In this apartment... In his home from home.

  Luke groaned inside. A place so deep within him, it must have been instinct. He ached to run. To run through tall grass and meadows. To run to his place of sanctuary. His old farmstead, his grandparents’ home. To run... And his legs twitched in anticipation. Why would I need to run? There are no creatures here. Where on Earth is... Elizabeth? He saw a piece of torn paper which was stuck to the top of a broken mirror near the door to the bedroom. A necklace hung beside the torn note. His grandmother’s necklace. He gazed at the piece of jewellery his grandmother had given him to give to Elizabeth. His grandmother had told him it would bring her good luck. Luke never believed in luck. He thought it was superstitious nonsense, but he was starting to think there could be something in it with everything that was happening on board the ship, such strange and at this time unexplainable events and horrors.

  He walked over to the mirror and picked up the ripped notepaper. Luke smiled as he realised who the note was from, a message from Elizabeth. His eyes were caught again by the necklace. Did it move as it dangled from the mirror? The sparkles would often dance from the pendant as it shot sparks of refracted light from its cut edges. A deep blue topaz stone, which reminded Luke of Elizabeth's eyes. A perfect colour match. 'She is the one.' His grandmother had whispered for his ears only. 'She is the one who will inherit my favourite piece of jewellery.' Luke had nodded in agreement. Elizabeth will always be special to me.

  Luke’s attention returned to the note. It was Elizabeth’s hand writing. ‘Luke, things have changed while you’ve been in deep sleep. I don’t really know how to explain them in a letter, it’s too complicated. Please just know that I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you. I’m so sorry. I wish you didn’t have to ever know. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I’ll understand if you can never forgive me for this, but please try. I’m just so sorry, Luke. I love you, and I always will.’

  Luke was confused, he didn’t understand the note. He grabbed the necklace, walked to the bedroom door, and twisted the handle. He pushed open the wooden door slowly, dreading what he might find. He took one step and felt shocked by what he saw. Elizabeth was on the bed, propped up against the pillows. Her long beautiful brown hair was stained with blood. Her delicate and angel like face had disappeared, under red rivulets of blood. All that was left was a stone cold expressionless face with a bullet hole between her once radiant, crystal blue eyes. Eyes which were now staring, but not seeing. Tears enveloped Luke’s eyes as he saw the standard issue UCSC Navy
handgun in Elizabeth’s cold motionless hand. He looked at the note once again, finally realising what it was. Elizabeth’s suicide note.

  The wall behind the bed was stained with Elizabeth’s blood. Luke just stood still, immobilised at the entrance to the bedroom. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t imagine his life without Elizabeth. They had been together for nearly a decade, but had known each other much longer. They had attended the same high school together, but were in different year groups. It was only in college that they became close friends. He finally took a step closer to her. He took a deep breath and made his way towards the bed. He sat on the edge, reluctant to touch her at first, not wanting to feel how cold she truly was. He looked away from her, he was struggling to handle the situation. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He moved closer to Elizabeth, and took another deep breath. He glanced at her once again. This image of her would be etched into his memory forever. He gently ran his fingers down her cold face, and tried to lift her chin, but she was too stiff. He stroked down her neck and felt for the necklace in his other hand. How? Why? Not my Elizabeth... What could have possibly happened to make you feel this way? Why a bullet to your brain? Were you starting to go mad, like one of those crazed creatures...? But they wouldn't write down words on a piece of paper? Why didn't you wake me? Why didn't you get me from my chamber? Luke angrily squeezed at the crumpled paper and stuffed the note into his pocket. He touched the necklace with trembling fingers, then slipped it in his pocket to join the note. His legs twitched with the urge to run. The undeniable panic to race away from the room, the apartment, the ship itself. But where do I go? What do I do about Elizabeth?