A New Genesis

The air I breathe, in these walls of confinement, is stiff and stale. I haven’t seen the star-specked sky in what feels like forever, but I’ve seen the luminescence of the moon’s soft rays. I’ve seen the way it makes what few belongings I have glow ever so slightly, and the way it makes the shadows they cast upon my stone surroundings dance like they’re in a ballet. If only I could gaze upon its beauty without compromising my safety, I might be able to bring myself to love something again.

I reach out to catch the soft shine in my hand. I inspect the cracks and the weathered lines, contouring my fingers. While I run my thumb across my third finger, the light disappears. Pushing myself away from where the light was and against the wall, I grasp the locket around my neck. Heart beginning to race, I run those same cracks and lines over the double bump that connects the two sides of the heart. The texture calms me; brings me back to where I feel safe.

How can I live like this? How can I accept the consequences, as so many have, for the actions of so few? I’m not sure how many people live outside my bubble. I live with only a handful of people; maybe twenty.

I hear a call from down the hall. ‘Sarah! Sarah, are you down there?’ I swing myself around, throw a cardigan over my shoulders, and put on the best smile I have the energy to create.

‘Coming’.

I never knew any of the people in this bunker before those bastard’s filled our planet’s atmosphere with their poisons. I get what they were trying to do, but did they even test it? Did they consider the effects their experiments could have on a larger scale? What started as a plan to grow trees faster, generating enough oxygen for humans to breathe, turned into the trees somehow gaining their own sentience and fighting for their own survival by filling our atmosphere with toxins that result in our suffocation.

Now, nature is fighting back against the biggest threat it has. Humans. Destructive, inconsiderate, polluting humans. I must say, though; we don’t stand anything as close to a chance to fight back without becoming exactly what caused this predicament in the first place. Is there any reasoning with these …? I supposed they would be called creatures now.

I’m not even sure they have ears to hear our pleading. They definitely have eyes. Deep, dark recesses, buried within the grains of their wood, begging like a lost soul for the sweet release from our tyrannical rule.

I let my thoughts wander as I approach the room where everyone has gathered. I look around the room and notice everyone has already arrived and have been waiting for me. ‘Sorry’ I say coyly.

‘Tonight,’ started Vanessa, the girl who had established herself as our leader, ‘we will send Sarah above ground to survey the land.’ She brought out a map of the surrounding area. Old markings of landmarks that used to exist were scribbled out, and a rough line was drawn from what looked like a mountain range, to a marking labelled “Home”. ‘She will make her way to this vantage point, look over the forest, and assess how our situation has changed since we all got here. Main things she will look out for, are raised structures, density and vastness of the forest, and most importantly, any possible clearings that might prove to be a safe haven from this infestation.’ She hesitated at that last word. To call trees an infestation must have felt wrong to her. It definitely felt wrong to hear it.

The meeting is long and boring, covering details about rations, living arrangements, gossip, and how bad the situation might really be outside our bunker. The conversations wore on, until finally, I found myself standing in front of a large backpack; packed to the brim of useful survival gear. It was hoisted onto my back, and a walking staff placed in my hands. I give my last goodbyes and receive luck and prayers.

I look to the hatch that had kept us safe and undetected until now. I felt the air, bitter and dry, coursing through my lungs, before a respirator is fitted to my face. This little piece of acrylic had become a mandatory accessory for survival out in the open.

The other survivors help me up the ladder, and into the air lock, where I would henceforth be on my own. I look down at their smiles, some with tears in their eyes, and give one last salute, before closing the air lock behind me and continuing through the outer hatch.

The seals hiss and my hair flicks from the pressure change. I take my first step into the wilderness before me and take in my surroundings. I look left, right, up, behind me. Trees stand around me, still and unbothered. Their leaves rustle from the wind that has now become poison to me, but their trunks and their roots remain stationary.

I pull out the map Vanessa had given me and get my bearings. Which way was I facing? I look back up to the sky and spotted a few stars. As beautiful as ever, they had barely changed. I am facing west. Which way did I need to go? East. Turning toward my destination, I hold on to my heart-shaped locket once again and say a small prayer for myself and take my first step.

The ground is covered in mulch and moss, sprawling for miles in every direction. The air feels bittersweet against my skin, like a kiss from a devil with a forked tongue.

Trekking over the terrain, I step with caution. Avoiding bushes, shrubbery, vines, and low hanging branches, I make my way towards the base of the mountain. In the dead of the night, I’ve almost made it safely to my destination, but I’m not there yet.

I become fixated on my prize as I press on. Determination filling me to complete my task, I become complacent with the precautions I have been taking. I had known up till now, and had been warned time and time again, all it takes is the snap of a twig; and yet, there is that gut-wrenching sound. The breaking of a twig echoes in the night like an applause in a theatre. The stillness of the night turns to chaos in an instant.

Without turning, and without hesitation, I bolt forward. Drawing my axe, I chop my way through the smaller flora before a wall of animated wood blocks my path. My heart beats uncontrollably and I grab my locket. As doom stands before me, I focus my thoughts.

‘What would get me through this situation? I need something to push them back. What would they possibly be afraid of? What could I use to my advantage?’ My mind raced at the speed of light. I manifest a list in my mind of everything I have on me. Cans, spyglasses, a knife, a tinderbox, a pot, a gas lantern. A tinderbox! Fire!

A flare of hope flashes in my eyes as I drop my backpack at my feet with a loud thud. I reach inside and pull out my tinderbox, rip it open and prepare to start a blaze. Looking up at the trees in the way of my freedom, I slash my steel against the flint and allow the sparks to fly. Small flickers of flame easily sprout from some exposed roots at my feet, which sends confidence soaring through me. I rush toward the trees, slashing violently. All thought of peace has left my mind, leaving nothing but the primal instinct to fight. The blaze catches, roaring in every direction, until suddenly the wall that blocked my path vanishes.

Like dominoes, the trees topple down as if they were trying to escape my flame. I feel invincible! I let out a scream, a roar of triumph. Laughing to myself, I ponder why we were so afraid to begin with. That wasn’t so hard.

My celebrations, however, are short-lived. As trees once grew, their roots filled the soil and strengthened the land. Stepping forward onto the path they had created, I realize the monster I had tried to become to achieve my purpose. Turning to face the flames, I see nothing but sorrow filling the air. One step back brings mud to my ankles, another step back shifts the earth completely. It seems the patience of the trees I thought were creatures far outlasted their fear of fire.

In my desperation, I had forgotten who we are, who we are fighting, and what we are fighting for. We are the monsters here. We are fighting for supremacy against a planet we do not deserve. As I look around me, I do not see a world that I made better; I see a world I tried to destroy. Perhaps I’m not so different from the bastards that started this.

The fire I ignited grows tall but thin, almost unnaturally. It eclipses the moon from my vision before what appears to be two colourless voids open from within it. I hear a deep, raspy voice emanate from the flame. ‘Death. Destruction. Despair. All things decay in your wake. Life is best without your plague.’

I begin to understand now, that it was not just the trees that had grown sentient; nature herself had come to reclaim the earth from us. Free from the shackles of human technology, the flame creeps toward me. I wish my legs to help me flee, but the ground has me anchored. The searing flame of mother nature burns my skin with a vengeance. I can do nothing but accept my fate on this world we lost.

As I become consumed by natures ferocity, I expect to fade into the next world. Pearly gates, heavenly orchestras and divine repentance run through my mind, but I find myself still tethered to this life. I look around me and see with disbelief, familiar faces. People I had once run into as neighbours or shop workers now possess the flora that surrounds me.

I’ve been reborn into the earth and given a new chance to show this world I am right for it. Perhaps this time, we can choose peace.

The moon shines down on me with a loving shimmer, illuminating my new features. I shake my leaves, stretch my roots, and look down at my body. Around what is now my newly growing trunk is what appears to be a heart shaped locket. Yes, there does seem to be hope for us after all.