“…should have never happened…those fools…it’s gonna change everything, now…”
You look back up.
The two men are wrestling with the bed. A second later, their coats fly off, freeing …‘wings’?
Attached to their body by thin strings.
Para-gliders…
]]>Handling the para-gliders seemed difficult enough, now try freeing the man from the bed straps. Their movements were getting nervous, then desperate. Soon, reluctantly, they had to let go. The bed crashed without a sound at the base of the tower, the man torn to pieces.
The two men were escaping, clumsy flying insects in a burning sky.
All in a few seconds…
“Madness”, she was sobbing. “and now he’s dead!”
The disc stopped quietly. She stood up and started running, heading for the remains of the bed.
“I need to save the bones…”
She seemed possessed.
]]>“You are being investigated. Please stand still and wait for the arrival of the guardians,” says the voice.
You freeze, doing as told.
The hippie grabs some piece of torn cloth, probably a sheet, and starts collecting the largest pieces. She stops, turns around, and starts sobbing. She notices you and tries to call you.
You start walking in her direction.
]]>“Come” says the hippie, grabbing you by the sleeve.
You run, following her lead.
A second later, everything becomes silent. “whoooosh”. Right next to you, several pieces of the bed are swept by an invisible fist.
Coming from the tower, two guardians are aiming conical devices at you.
“wooooosh”. The hippie’s bag flies in the air, bloody bits of flesh landing around you.
“Damn ‘Sounders’…!” screams the hippie, grabbing what looks like a leg.
]]>The tarp is quickly thrown aside revealing a strange black, two wheeled vehicle. A ‘cart’ fitted with a seat is attached to the side.
“Let’s go!” she says, pointing at the cart.
You get in as fast as you can, startled by the strong smell of this mechanical beast.
She kicks a foot lever and the vehicle roars, emitting a thick black smoke.
The monster, in a hellish rumble, starts moving.
The hippie takes a pair of goggles from a saddlebag and hands it to you.
“ For the bugs!”
]]>“Please return to the tower.” says the voice “You are being investigated and are not allowed to … the city…judge… eter… back… sentenced to…”. The voice seem to have a limited range. Silence is welcome.
The scenery changes quickly. The white and sleek city is replaced by hints of vegetation.
Ironically, you have never left the city. Then again, why would you?
Noticing your puzzled look, the hippie sighs.
“I’m going to the camp in the forest. Blackout forest. Feel free to tag along…”
You start shivering, remembering the old legends.
END OF CHAPTER 1
]]>You are running… alone… you are tired, hungry and cold. They are after you. You try to hide behind a tree, try to climb. Bare feet, you hurt your toes on the bark and fall. You’re bleeding.
A fantastic roar shakes the ground, followed by a second, closer. Then the howling starts…
You try to run, your ‘good’ foot gets stuck in a root and you pathetically tumble.
“Get up!” the howling becomes coherent…“GET UP! Drums inside your head “GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!”
Something grabs you by the arm and shakes you! “GET UP! WE’VE ARRIVED !”
You wake up, beating the air, fending off … a nightmare ?
]]>She helps you get out of the cart. How long have you been sleeping? You remember the fields… endless fields of modified reed, undulating
You look around, your mouth gaping in astonishment.
Trees… hundreds of trees… all charred …all dead… from time to time, a blue electric arc randomly flies from tree to tree.
A rudimentary wooden sign reads : “Blackout Forest! Keep out!”
“Bet you’ve heard of the forbidden forest ? Another one of their damn experiments! Planted and killed an entire forest… called it a ‘prototype’!”
She unhooks a saddlebag from the side of the vehicle, and opens it to check it. You get a glimpse of an awfully purple human leg. You feel nauseous.
“Then, ‘Ta-ta!’, some genius found the solution : Modify trees to generate electricity! and connect them all by the roots to a power plant!”
She starts walking carefully, apparently wary of the electric arcs.
“simple, efficient, and ‘clean’ they claimed! They tested it here… worked for a while, but one day, during a storm, they realized they had forgotten something… a fuse !”
“lightning struck a tall tree. Millions of volts spread from tree to tree, barbecuing the entire forest in just a few seconds …”
]]>She pulls you to the ground as a crackling arc flies over your head.
You start walking again. Soon, you notice movements in the distance - a clearing.
“The camp!” she says, triumphantly.
Several men are gathered around a campfire. You recognize the two ‘flying’ men among them.
She looks at the saddlebag and sighs.
“what a mess…”
]]>“why did you bring a stranger here?” says an old man. An overbearing voice bellows from this human relic, his completely parched skin looking like an antique sepia map.
“Forget about the stranger, let’s settle the rest first… What the hell happened at the tower ???” she asks, turning to the para-glider team.
“ The smoke and flash grenades went off too early!… “ says one of them “then, when we finally got there, everybody was panicking and trying to escape!”
“We tried our best to detach the body before we jumped,” says the other “but obviously. it didn’t work…”
“It obviously didn’t !” says the hippie, emptying her saddlebag on the ground.
You lamentably pass out.
]]>You get up too quickly, the room spins; you feel weak.
Outside, several men, all ages are gathered around a bonfire. They are roasting an entire animal over the fire.
“Hi there, still alive?” yells one of them with a grin on his face.
They stop talking and stare at you. The hippie waves and shows you an open spot between the old man and her.
“ you’ve been out for hours! You must be starving!” she gets up, takes a huge knife and carves a piece of the animal. She hands you a wooden bowl with a big chunk of meat. Real meat…
You look at the bowl, look at her, then look back at the meat. You feel nauseous. Your stomach, more concerned about survival, starts growling.
]]>One of them hands you a wooden goblet with a dark liquid in it. You drink a big gulp. The sharp and bitter taste of strong alcohol makes you scowl and cough. Your face turns red - they all laugh.
“Slow down! You’re never gonna last the night …” says the hippie.
She turns back to the old man, holding the two parts of a broken white bone.
You try to hear their conversation.
“…saved only a leg… encryption…code is safe…nine other agents…”
As the fire slowly dies, they leave to their tents. Alone, you gaze at the stars, thinking of the events of the past few hours.
A faint, distant crackle draws your attention. Blue static surges from tree to tree. These dark skeletons, petrified giants with forever leafless branches, bathe in a pallor gray fog.
Slowly, you drift away…
“Get up! They’re coming.”
Most of the men are packing in haste, while a few others are watching the surroundings.
The hippie comes to you. “they sent an interception squad after us. Stupid move…”
“Way too much static in the forest! Their ‘Super Sophisticated’ equipment keeps on crashing - blocks their instruments, slows them down!”
Wooden tools, hand-made tents, fire… Not much comfort, but the only place safe from technology…