Cyrus And The Mysterious Dreams
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Cyrus hadn’t slept well since returning home from his vacation. He kept waking throughout the night, unable to relax. In fact, ever since his parents died, every time he woke up in the middle of the night, it was almost impossible for him to go back to sleep.
Usually, he just laid awake staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds coming through the thin walls from other rooms: rustling sheets, snoring, hushed conversations, loud arguments.
Many times he thought he could hear doors opening and closing late at night. Sometimes he felt light footsteps creeping down the hallway, but never saw anything. For weeks following the funeral, Cyrus would lie in bed feeling certain that somebody was standing right outside the door of his bedroom.
But when he’d look to see who was there, there was no one. Eventually, he gave up fighting. This new house seemed eerily quiet compared with the old place. No crazy people with knives trying to kill their kids here.
Since arriving two days earlier, Cyrus had taken very good care to keep himself busy. After spending his days working for Mark at the hotel, he’d spent his evenings and nights completing chores around the house that needed doing. Now, looking at the clock sitting by the window, it was past 11pm and he decided to go to bed.
The last thing he wanted was for Rita and Mike to wake up later tomorrow morning to find he wasn’t there.
So he undressed carefully, checking once more to make sure his gun was still inside the jacket. Then, when he knew it really was safe to do so, he got ready for bed, pulling the covers tightly around him before lying down on top of them. Just as he started to feel drowsy, something pulled at his mind like a magnet drawing metal.
It was gone now, and within seconds it returned.
What’s this?
***
A strange voice called from beyond the darkness of his room.
His heart beating rapidly, Cyrus sat up in surprise.
Where are you coming from? What is this?
Then, in front of him, a dim figure appeared. It was cloaked in white misty vapor, moving swiftly forward with its arms outstretched. A pale face peered from the cloud, then disappeared. Again the voice cried out; louder than before, yet strangely muffled.
Who are you? Where did you come from?
There was no reply.
To hell with it, Cyrus thought suddenly, falling back on his pillow. I’m going to stay here tonight. This will keep me entertained.
How many hours can you survive without food, water, or rest?
That question was meant to stop them, to intimidate and terrify the poor bastard. To show them how much power he really had. But in reality, he already knew the answer. The poor fucker could last forever. As long as he didn’t starve, thirst, burn, or freeze to death first.
They had given him just one chance. One single opportunity to join them or die. He couldn’t believe what had happened. It defied all logic. How could anyone refuse such an offer? And yet they tried. Failed.
Eventually left alone. That was the only way that worked. Anybody that agreed immediately lost their sanity, died soon after the event, or both. Because of course, that was always the most important outcome of any mission. Make it happen, and whoever failed would end up dead anyway. They weren’t supposed to live. Not anymore.
But perhaps nobody had told this particular boy.
Perhaps he had somehow managed to cling to his own self-control and not fall apart, despite being shown clearly the fate of everybody else. Who knows? The kid must have been terrified in those final moments. Facing the same decision every living person has faced over the centuries, making a choice between two completely conflicting visions of life.
Either death or undeath. There simply were no third alternatives. Or so they said.
Only because, if there ever was, then the vampires wouldn’t need to hunt humans anymore. They could eat each other instead.
Perhaps they should tell children about this in school. Maybe even give them a quick demonstration so they understand what it means. So that they never forget the facts of life.
Show the young boys a couple of vampires then wait a few minutes while the panic and terror spread through the classroom until everyone turns into mindless zombies who go wild around the teacher’s desk eating everything in sight.
Watch as they become unruly, uncontrollable creatures fuelled by bloodlust with nothing to lose and nowhere left to run. Finally watch helplessly as each pupil goes insane, cuts the throat of their neighbor, and starts ripping chunks of flesh off others as they laugh maniacally to themselves.
But that wasn’t possible either.
For obvious reasons, and also because humans would be far too hard to control. It was impossible. Instead, they used kids in hospitals and schools. And sometimes ordinary people wandered unsuspectingly into a trap, got caught unaware, and became easy prey. That was the risk that had to be avoided.
Unfortunately for this unfortunate soul, the whole world had already fallen victim to that little scenario. All that remained was a small but significant percentage to achieve their goal. If they all lived. If the remaining part of the human race stayed alive. Which, according to their latest calculations, was quite unlikely.
Maybe we should offer some kind of incentive, Cyrus remembered thinking. Something that might help him decide.
As time went on though, the images kept changing. Eventually becoming static; pictures of ghosts from the past slowly faded away until there was nothing at all. Just empty space once again.
What next?
The voice startled Cyrus out of his reverie. What do you mean? You don’t want any more information? Well fine! I’ll give you a little something… but only if you say yes!
I see your point. Yes, please. Give me whatever you like. I am eager to learn. Tell me about the girl.
Hint: Look closer.
What’s that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?
Think carefully.
You’re tricking me, aren’t you? I know I’ve seen that face somewhere before. Wasn’t her name Cathy, by any chance? No. No, it’s definitely not. Trust me. Anyway… you’ve guessed right! Her name was Catherine.
Catherine? Really?
Yes sir. She was very beautiful, like a princess. With long curly blond hair and large blue eyes, she just lit up my life whenever she came to visit us. Everybody loved her.
She seemed perfect, that’s true.
She was. Now shut up!
What?! Oh dear god! Are you trying to get me killed? Please, explain yourself. I swear I won’t scream.
Behave yourself and I will tell you another story.
Another story?
Why not? Why shouldn’t I? Everything is fair game now, isn’t it? Don’t worry… I have lots of stories to share. Lots and lots…
I am listening…
There was a picture of a child in front of him. A very small boy whose chubby cheeks made his entire face seem to shine, accompanied by a pair of enormous brown puppy dog eyes that followed
Cyrus wherever he walked.
The child was sitting in a corner of his room reading a book while playing with a couple of toys nearby. The walls had been decorated with drawings and photos of various objects taken from his hometown; a train station clock tower, a shopping mall, a gas main pipe. The whole scene reminded Cyrus of himself as a child – an impression reinforced by the fact that his son looked exactly like him.
The small boy reached out for his teddy bear when suddenly a white and yellow ball started to roll towards him down the stairs. He tried desperately to stop the ball with one hand while holding on to the rail with the other.
In the background a woman screamed hysterically, unable to grasp what was happening. The house shook slightly, rattling the windows. As the sound of shattering glass rang through the air, the camera panned back, showing the couple standing together, staring intently at the screen where their son stood watching the horror unfolding on television.
“No!” said the mother. “That’s him. We must call the police…”
Her husband reached for the phone but stopped halfway through grabbing it.
Then he stepped forward quickly and snatched the receiver from the table. The first thing he heard were screams in the background, followed by hysterical screaming, pleading, and crying. The man put the phone down and immediately dialed 911.
His wife turned angrily toward the door to find her parents rushing into the living room in order to comfort them. Everyone gathered around the TV, watching closely every moment of the action as it unfolded. In a matter of minutes, a report broke the news of yet another catastrophe of unknown cause, this time occurring much deeper within the bowels of Los Angeles, the most populous city in America.
This time there weren’t any survivors except for those who managed to escape while they still could. Many others died inside buildings or under tons of concrete debris, trapped beneath huge fallen towers of steel and cement.
Others froze to death when power supplies failed, leaving no access to heating, hot water, electricity, elevators, and even basic lighting. The chaos outside intensified with looting, arson, gunshots, and clashes between law enforcement personnel and citizens, all resulting in a complete breakdown of social control.
After just half a day of emergency measures being imposed and widespread panic spreading throughout the metropolis, the world as everyone knew it ceased to exist overnight.
Without warning, the screen went black.
No response.
Oh sorry! Sometimes these things happen. Nothing to be concerned about. Thank you so much for bearing with me. So here we go… There was a shot of a young girl’s face looking intently into the camera lens with a mixture of fear and determination written across her features as she spoke quietly.
“I’m here because people like me deserve a second chance. They need to know why the sky has gone dark, why birds fell from the skies, and why children cried themselves to sleep without knowing how they would wake tomorrow.
All human beings should listen to our story.” And she continued with a tragic tone, giving details of the nuclear explosions that took place shortly after noon local time, wiping out over two-thirds of humanity with little hope of survival afterward.
By 8pm the following evening, almost every major city in the United States, Canada, and Mexico had experienced similar cataclysms. While initial radiation levels stayed within safe limits, by sunrise it became clear that the danger posed by radioactive fallout was far worse than expected.
Hundreds of thousands of square kilometers were blanketed in deadly clouds carrying high amounts of Cobalt-60.
Most importantly, it was apparent that the human body couldn’t expel such an intense poison without lethal consequences, as the accumulated Cobalt quickly built up inside the kidneys and liver, causing a gradual and insidious deterioration, leaving victims completely devoid of life.
With most health services and hospitals rendered impotent, the only way to save oneself was to move away from contaminated zones as soon as possible or die quickly from internal radiation poisoning.
Those lucky enough to survive live in constant terror of succumbing to cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, stomach ailments, and many other diseases. Most likely, few actually survived for more than 5 years post-disaster with a healthy immune system intact – if they escaped immediate exposure to deadly toxins.
As she spoke, scenes of devastation emerged. A news crew moved ahead of the camera, taking in all the sights and sounds of destruction. The ground rose up violently before them, forming a dome of the rock. Just beyond, the camera captured a massive mushroom cloud rising into the atmosphere as the heat generated from the explosion began to dissipate.
It then zoomed in on the surrounding area: twisted wreckage and mangled bodies of crushed vehicles surrounded a burning building.
But as the video continued, its subject remained focused on the damaged structure in front of her. She continued her narrative, saying “…this is the remains of a factory where some workers perished during the early hours today.
Within each of us, there will always be good and evil, a battle going on constantly. I am not afraid of death itself as long as I can give something back…”
A shaky image came onto the screen behind her.
At first, it showed empty streets, making viewers believe the destruction took place sometime in the past. However, a voice cut in to explain that what happened just now wasn’t a natural event; the effects of the previous day’s catastrophic events were still present.
As she repeated the phrase “good and evil”, the images shifted abruptly. An overwhelming sense of panic and confusion spread throughout the audience.
When she saw this, the reporter kept speaking, explaining that although a number of people died in the chaos, it was important to remember that despite the suffering endured by those affected, those who were left alive needed to come together in support of their neighbors.
Just then a group ran straight through the frame, throwing rocks at one another before being silenced by a gunshot from above. Overcoming his shock, the reporter gave an eerie chuckle while noting in passing that if anything else of great importance occurred during the next 24 hours he would get back to everyone.
The camera shook as a hand held it steady: “We have been given our wish!” he shouted. “This is a message for all mankind! To those responsible for destroying our planet and endangering our very existence, you must pay for your crimes against innocent life!
We will seek justice as we embark upon a path towards a brighter future; one free of discrimination, prejudice, racism, hatred, intolerance, and hate-mongering – the list goes on.
We are humans and we belong here! Let us begin anew by building a world based on acceptance, peace, love, unity, and happiness for all… without exception. This is our vow.” At this moment, the words of the boy rang in the crowd’s ears even louder.
The following shots were taken from a birdseye view, showing an area covered in fresh green grass, filled with families and friends sharing meals and celebrating their survival.