The Inevitability of Chaos

Chapter 1

After hours of pondering my current situation, I have come to the conclusion that death is fast approaching. There is no other way to see it. Here I am, sitting on a train, in a first class carriage, with a very angry looking man across from me, holding a spear to my throat. The spear one gentle caress away from ripping open my soul and laughing as my life spills down from my body. Leaving it lifeless and empty.

Hands bound, i'm seated next to the window I was almost comfortable as the seat was soft, plush and ever so velvety. The cushioning moulded to my body perfectly. If I was going to die, it might as well be in first class. In the hours that i’ve been here, I’ve escape my reality by looking out the window. The landscape hasn’t changed and the train has no intention of slowing down. Constant. I’ve watched mountains lathered with luscious trees, cascading rocks and deep blue rivers flow by, waving to me as they go. The sun is peaking in the sky, casting only a slight shadow to the world below. It was summer, that i did know. Everything looked alive and thriving; happily dancing, signing and laughing with its neighbour. The trees were outstretched, thanking the sun for the life it gives. I could almost feel the warm summer breeze lick my skin. Sadness seeped into my thoughts, reminding me of my reality. When I woke this morning, I did so having no knowledge of why or how I was here. No ticket and bound, clearly not meant to be here. I have no memory of anything. Nothing. Not one single memory. I don’t even know my own name. Panic and fear quickly set in, with no intention of leaving.

I asked the angry looking man repeatedly why I was here. Yelling and screaming I begged for an answer but he never said a word. The first few hours were a complete shock to my nervous system. Adrenalin pumped through my veins, singeing my muscles. I was terrified. By hour four, I was exhausted. I rambled, yelled, screamed, hyperventilated and at some point even laughed. Emotions shifting continuously until finally, the adrenalin wore off and I drifted into a daze of mountain after mountain after mountain.

Watching the world go by I decided to ignore the man. His presence unsettling and uncomfortable. He didn't move from his position. Steady. Firm. He did not shift. I began to doubt he even understood what I was saying until I told him I had to go to the bathroom. He let me squirm for almost an hour before finally coming around. Pushing me to the ensuite, spear never shifting from a distance of quick and painful death. I suppose that’s the other upside of first class, a private ensuite. It was small and compact, no room for escape. With a minute to myself I try to gather my thoughts and attempt to remember even the smallest of details prior to waking up. Nothing. Frustrated and in need of one more moment to myself, I look in the mirror. Curious but scared of what I might see, I was thankful that the face staring back at me was familiar. My eyes bright with fear, are ones I have looked into many times. My hair was messy. Pulled and knotted, a nest around my head. There was a dark bruise on my cheek and cut on my bottom lip. I looked wild, like I belonged in the wilderness and not tied to a chair in first class. Confusion vibrated through me as I longed for an explanation. A snippet of memory to understand what had happened. The blow hadn’t been the reason for my amnesia though, that I could tell, as it was already fading. It looked to have happened at least a week ago. A sharp knock interrupted my thoughts and I'm tied back to my chair.

Hours on and dizzy from watching the mountains zoom past I turn my attention to him. Board, frustrated with the silent treatment and exhausted of emotion, I study him, like he has been studying me all day. He was set in place, rigid and hard like stone yet he is coiled like a spring. Spear gripped tight he is ready to explode into action at any moment. Killing instantly.

The more I study him, the more I thought he might actually fade into the shadows. At any moment, they will call to him and he will be gone, answering to his master he will be devoured by the darkness. Wearing all black he looked to be in a uniform. T-shirt, jacket, pants and boots. Plain, structured and tidy. Hiding behind dark hair and a beard I could see tiny glimmers of youth dancing across his face, shadowed by dark lines they they still fought for residence. Finally, I look into his eyes. Instantly they sucked me in like a trap and I fell. The hunter has caught its prey. They pull me in and I fall down into the darkness. Any thoughts of safety are torn from my mind as the darkness begins to suffocate me, drowning me as it seeps into my airways and stays, heavier it grows until it is completely solid and stuck in place. Unable to breath and desperate for a air I scream, tears streaming down my face the realisation dawns on me that I’m about to die. Unable to control my body I begin to convulse, knowing I am moments away from death I plea once more, begging for my life. It’s no use, I fade further into the darkness as it carries me further down to the deep dark depths below. Death takes hold of me, welcoming me to the end.

CHAPTER 2

In the darkness, light is flashing across my vision as I try to comprehend the chaos and confusion I tragically see in front of me. Our community is on fire, The City has come to collect its slaves. People are running in all directions screaming and crying, they are terrified of the monsters hunting them down. Men in black uniforms are forcing their way through the crowd, tearing apart families and loved ones. They only have one mission - collect the able. Our beloved community is only within a few days of the Hub so when the rumours surfaced, we knew it was only a matter of time. I want to help them but I’m being pulled away, a hand grasped firm around my arm. A short distance away I see an old woman knocked to the ground by one of the Uniformed. Crumpled in a pile the man pulls out his weapon, laughing with glee as he goes in for the kill. Before he can, I am there, having released my arm from the grip of my protector I launch myself at him. Punching, kicking and clawing at whatever part of him I can. It was either my punch or pure shock that caught him off guard but he stumbled back. The old lady cowered behind me. Without fully thinking my plan through I freeze as he then turns on me, returning a punch straight into my cheek. I managed to stay on my feet long enough for him to hit me again, splitting my lip. Vision blurry I see someone move in front of me, he strikes the man with the end of his spear. Ferociously gleaming silver in the dim light the spear cuts the man open from eyebrow to jaw. I can see the reflection of flames dancing off it’s surface celebrating the victory. The uniformed man slinks away. My saviour turns to me and embraces me in a protective hug. He is the same man who was pulling me to safety a few moments ago. Pulling back I look up to his face, amongst the shadows dancing across his face I see a mixture of pride and disappointment in his expression and his eyes filled with concern and love. “Leo…” I begin to say, but before I could continue, an army of uniformed men storm us and attack. Screaming as they try to tear me away from him I cling to his arm but it is no use, I'm shoved to the ground by one of the men and they carry him away. Somehow I'm clutching his spear. Satisfied with their helpings they retreat back into the darkness. Leaving our community as quickly as they came and like a tsunami, leaving only destruction and grief in their wake.

“Leo!” I scream, Jerking from of my dream and back into the train carriage my heart pumps as I gasp for air, sweat soaked through my shirt, sticking to my skin. Adrenalin once again burning my muscles as it pumps through my body. Tears stinging my cheeks as I remember my dream and panic stabs at my sides as I remember the mans eyes and the feeling of drowning in the darkness. The feeling of dying. I shiver, turning to my surroundings. Breathing slower to calm my heartbeat I realise I’m alone. It’s dark, the moon high in the clear sky outside my window. As my eyes adjust I see a dim light cross through my side of the carriage. A slight feeling of relief sets in as I look up at the moon. Full and bright above me. The man with the dead eyes was gone and I was alive. The moment was fleeting when suddenly, I here a rumble. Deep, low and angry. It's the sound of a deformed chuckle. I’m not alone.

“Who’s there!?” I call out to the shadows. Anger beginning to boil as it is carried over from my dream.

“You are beginning to remember” The voice says, suddenly and angry. Coming from the shadows it is low, mocking. Void of feeling but with a slight dark tremor. Threatening.

I spit into the darkness, anger boiling over “I told the other guy a hundred times, I don't remember anything! I have no idea why I’m here, let alone who I am!” It was still the truth, though my dream still strong in my mind I don’t have the confidence to call it a memory. The pain in my chest tells me I don’t want it to be a memory.

“Enough”, The rumble growled. Rising from the darkness and breaking into the dim moonlight I'm shocked and instantly feeling sick, I reeling back into my seat I look at the face before me. It's disfigured. Evil. An ugly old man. Emotionless. Lines overlaps lines his mouth blends in with skin and his eyes drooped. Nose long and sharp, oozing off his face. Closing mine for a moment I breath, calming my heartbeat once more. I open my eyes and reluctantly look at him again. Between the eyes this time.

“Who are you?” I say quietly.

“Enough” he said again. Sharp. angry. In one movement he crept back into the shadows and left through the door. A soft light coming from it when it opened. Illuminating the man standing next to me. Spear in hand coiled and ready to attacked. He had been here the whole time. Born from the shadows I did not see him until he wanted me to. He moves, pulls me to my feet and forces me towards the door. My legs, weak from lack of movement, collapse beneath me and I fumble to the floor. In one swift movement he grabs my elbow, pulling me up and lurches me toward the door. I stumbled again but manage to stay upright.

CHAPTER 3

Walking into the next carriage I am blinded for a moment. The source of light coming from a magnificent candelabrum placed on a table in the centre of the room. Gleaming gold it’s arms strong, sturdy and proud as it supports its many candles. Without looking I can already feel that this carriage is bigger than mine. My breath deepens as I feel more oxygen fill my lungs, I hadn’t realised how small and claustrophobic my carriage was until now. Eyes adjusting to the light I see that it’s a sitting room. A place for the first class passengers to gather, gluttony seeping from their alcohol filled bodies as they passive aggressively fight for the right to call themselves the “wealthiest”. My brain felt foggy and dizzy as I was forced into a chair by the man with the spear. Leo's spear…Ready to growl at this man for stealing it, I look up and straight into Leo’s eyes.

But it wasn’t Leo. This man was older, aged more from the harsh world he had lived than the years he had spent on it. It was Jack. Not sure how I knew this he was also bound in ropes but he was was smiling, laughing almost as he looked back at me. Recognising the confusion and anger on my face his smile softened a little as he spoke.

“It’s going to be okay Rose, your memories should be coming back now. Soon enough everything will make sense” Jack looked at me with kindness, a look not many people knew.

Jack was Leo’s older brother. He was away when it happened, fighting another mans war. He spent 3 years trying to get back to his family and when he finally did, he was not the same man. Darkness had clung to his shoulders and became a permanent resident. He was highly strung and constantly on alert, waiting for threat to jump out of every corner. He was crazy, yet cunning like a Fox. Sharp and alert. Dark and light in a constantly battle. He carried a knife on him always, even when he slept. Which wasn’t much. Jack was known to be unhinged and dangerous to those who did not know him, but, like his brother - he was a protector and they were both fiercely protective of their own. So, as a newly welcomed member of his family, I was now one of his own. Jolting, I realised I was not yet actually a new member. Tears well in my eyes as my memories come and I remember. Leo and I were suppose to Marry the day after the men in uniform came, but Leo was taken. Half of our community were taken. Where? I question. Black spots still blocking my memory I look at Jack again, hoping to find answers.

“Jack, where is Leo?” I begged. Unable to remember.

“Rose…” Jack began, sympathy crossing his eyes before being interrupted by a low, dark rumble “Enough!” The rumble growled. It was the old, twisted man. I forgot he was here. Taking in my surroundings now I realise we were seated in two of the 4 armchairs in the room. Deep wood moulded into shape and embellished with gold flakes dancing across it, acting as though they were the main feature. The chairs had the same velvety cushioning that was in my carriage, which is why Jack looked so damn comfortable despite being bound. The table with the candelabrum was seated in the middle of the four chairs, which is why I didn’t notice the old man. Jack was directly across from me and He was to my right, amongst the shadows and darkness, the light of the candles appearing to not dare go near him in fear of their flame instantly evaporating. The man with Leo’s spear was slightly behind my line of vision but standing between me and the old man. I noticed a woman doing the same thing but on Jacks side. She was also in uniform, embodying the same sense of darkness and death as the man with the spear. The siblings of Death, I named them.

In the moments after the old man spoke the room was silent, defining if not for the hum of the train speeding through the night. Begging for the silence to end but unable to do so myself I'm relieved when Jack spoke, satisfied that the old man was not going to continue, he spoke with a sense of ease and with that ever present mocking smile on his face, as if this was all a joke to him.

“Well Victor, I told you I wasn’t lying. Clearly we are not here to harm you or rob you. It was all a simple misunderstanding. Even as she gets her memories back she does not perceive you as a threat. As I said, we simply hitched a ride on your train to The City. Our intent lies beyond you and you are but a minuscule detail in our grand plan. No need to raise the alarm. Frankly I find this whole situation quite melodramatic and the threat of killing us is a touch extreme ” Smile wide he is satisfied with his speech.

“ENOUGH!” The old man, Victor, shouted. Rising from his chair, overwhelmingly red with rage he stormed towards Jack, pulling back his long ugly hand and slapping Jack straight across the face. A blossoming red rose sprouting across his cheek instantly. Jacks smile only faded slightly, a shadow of dark intent now crossing he face. I could see the wheels clicking into gear behind his eyes, if you know Jack, then you know that he loves to have an enemy.

“I’ve absolutely had it with you scum!” Victor spat. “You break in to my train and attack me and now I'm suppose to believe you are only here for a ride? Now you expect me to be generous enough to let you stay on this train? Foolish, selfish scum. How dare you speak to me with such little respect!”

“Little” Jack scoffed, “There is no respect here, old man”

I jumped this time as Victor slapped Jack again, a red rose blossoming from his other cheek. A perfectly matching pair. Out of the corner of my eye I swore I saw the woman move, just an inch, as the old man slapped Jack again. Her eyes darting to the men. Anger crossing her face for a split second. Up until this point she had not moved a muscle, like her fellow brother of death, she was as stiff as a rock but ready to spring into action at any moment. Curious and confused with her reaction I turn back to Victor and Jack, who was now overwhelmingly red with rage himself. Victor began to pace in front of us. In an attempt to deescalate the situation and give Jack a moment to calm down I spoke.

“Victor, is it?” He looked to me, still pacing. “Victor, Jack is right”. Voice shaking, I continued.

“We have no intention of harming you or stealing from you. We needed a ride to The City. That was it. We don’t want your stuff, we don’t care for it. Please, if you could trust what we are saying” I pleaded.

He stopped pacing, turning to me and studied my face, contemplating my words. Uncomfortable with his stare I look beyond him and out the window. The sun had started rising and in the distance, I see light reflecting of vast surfaces. High-rises stacked on top of each other, fighting for the best view of the sunrise. We were getting closer to The City. In no time at all we would arrive and the real fight would begin. Victor, unable to decipher my expression, followed my line of vision and saw for himself the fast approaching City, In that moment he made up his mind, and the evil he had been subduing inside of him reared its ugly head. Once again I see death approaching before me.

“No!” I scream, turning to the man behind me, Victor rips the spear out of his grip and turns towards Jack, raising the spear. Death screaming to finally be released it taunts Jack, his death to be by the very spear he gave his Brother when he returned home. Accept Jack was smiling, laughing. Right in the face of death, he was laughing. The joke finally coming to light.

CHAPTER 4

In a moment, Jack was on his feat and both the siblings of death were at his side. At HIS side. Not Victors. Jack was only pretending to be bound, I later find out. Waiting for the opportune moment to strike like the cunning Fox he was. Victor stumbled back, shocked by the scene in front of him.

“Whaaa?” He started, before the siblings were on him. In an instant, springing from their stiff composure they leapt with grace and ferocity as they knocked the spear from his grasp. Fighting the beast they force him back in the armchair, binding him. He put up a good fight for an old Man, until the angry man pulled something from his pocket and sprays Victor in the face. He was out in an instant. Memory fading with his consciousness. He went limp, heavily breathing, he now deeply asleep.

Realisation struck, reality hitting me in the face as my memories came whirring back. I had been in that very position 24 hours prior. Spear in hand I aim for Victor, intent on a killing blow. All of my anger at what had happened in the last week targeted right at this man, as if it was all his fault. The siblings were on me in an instant. Spear torn from grasp, fighting, the man sprayed something in my face. My memories drifting from my brain as I fell into a deep sleep.

Situation deescalated, Jack is at my side untying me from my bounds. As soon as I am free I grab the spear, which was at my feet and I aim it at the man. Anger now overwhelmingly boiling over inside me.

“How dare you!” I spit. Before I have time to think of my next move, Jack was in front of me. In front of the spear, shielding the Man. Protecting him.

“Rose, calm down. He had to do it. It’s not his fault”.

“Yeah? Then why didn’t he say so!? He sat staring at me all day, holding the spear at my throat! Why didn't he explain himself!?” Anger still boiling up inside me I death stare him. Right in his eyes. All fear now gone.

“Rose, listen to me” Jack pleaded. Lowering the spear. “Jud can’t talk, he's mute. He felt bad for how the situation unfolded and was hoping the spear would spark your memories sooner but he couldn't trust that you wouldn't go rouge again. Trust me, Rose. Jud and Tamari are on our side. He was protecting you. They are here to help get Leo and everyone else back”.

At the sound of his name all anger subsided and I folded back into the chair. No longer bound I relax back into the softness of the chair, letting it comfort me. With a sign, Jack got to work explaining everything he so easily forgot to fill me in on prior to us boarding the train.

As Jack spoke my memories trickled in, my mind almost completely whole. He explained that for our plan to work, in order to get on this train and secretively but successfully into The City, we needed an inside man. Or siblings, in this case. Jud and Tamari. They were in Jacks unit back before It happened. When the world went into darkness so did they, working undercover for the very people we despise, gathering intel and secrets so that one day, when it was needed, we would be able to cross into their territory undetected, dismantling the evil within. They had been working for Victor for a couple of months prior to our boarding. An old, paranoid man drunk with power. Unable to let go of the world he once knew, he hired the best known mercenaries just because he could. They were aware of what was beginning to happen in the communities outside of the Hub and thought this new perspective would better help their cause as the time to act was fast approaching. They got word to Jack as fast as they could. Unfortunately, with the only form of communication now being word of mouth, they were too late. The uninformed Men attacked. Capturing any and all able bodied people they could, dragging them to the City to do the bidding the monsters behind its gates. Our world wasn't always like this but this is the reality we now faced.

CHAPTER 5

I was 13 when it happened. The Flare. That’s what we all call it. For some, it was a gift from Mother Nature, releasing us from our chains. it was the end of technological advancement and any progress we had made in the hundreds of years we strived for more. It was the end of progress. Before the flare, our world had become plagued by technology. What was always intended to help us, was now killing us. Our eyes were constantly fixed to a screen, necks straining as our entire lives became engrossed in what we saw on those screens. Our happiness depended on it. We stayed inside, away from nature and all that was natural, it was now our enemy.

We sought medication instead of dealing with the real issues. We were told what to do, what to to buy, what to eat, how to look and how to act. We worked until our bodies broke, just so we could afford this world. Mental health, disorders and obesity became the standard. We became sickly, our bodies polluted with plastic, toxins and processed junk. Out minds were polluted with fear and depression. Babies were born with addictions and defects. Children were bratty and entitled. Teenagers lost respect for each other and adults became close minded, selfish and hateful. Compassion, kindness and laughter - lost. Until, it happened. The Solar Flare.

Mother Nature had enough, she was loosing the battle and our world was dying, so she sent the Sun. All technology and artificially made things was destroyed. Without any notice or warning our entire world plunged into darkness. Technology was dead.

For a long time the world remained dark and they were dark and scary times indeed. Many many people died. Planes flew out of the sky, cars skidded to a stop, people starved, cities fell. Government and rulers no longer existent. A lot of the people who survived couldn’t handle the new world and perished. Unable to communicate with the outside world selfishness seized power and caused chaos. This was her plan though as Mother Nature sought all evil in mankind and killed it off, bit by bit, until all that remained was light. Out world healed, slowly and surely humans found happiness again.We learnt how to hunt and to survive. We spoke to our neighbours again, building trust and Communities formed. Currency no longer existing we learnt skills and we helped each other, trading our knowledge and resources. We read, we spoke, laughed and danced. Relying on nature to provide we were healthy. Schools opened, elders teaching our young ones the way of the world and how to survive. All was whole once more. We were thriving.

In the beginning of the happy times, when my community was forming, I met Leo. My protector, he taught me how to not only thrive but how to defend myself. He taught us all how to fight. To safe guard our home and ourselves. He was a leader of sought, people went to him for guidance. Jack was there too, cunning and crazy - alongside his Brother, protecting this new world. He found happiness in this new life also. We all did. Enjoying the simplicity and oneness. We were living how humans should have always been living, with the land and not against it. Leo and I were engaged and hopelessly in love and my heart aches thinking of him being taken the night before our wedding.

Word trickled in from the Hub of the Men in uniform. The Hub was the trading post for the area. The people in The City believed that the only way for humans to survive was to progress through technological advancement. They saw The Flare as the end, not the beginning. They built a train track running across the country and trains that ran from the Sun. They developed food that did not rely on nature to feed themselves. They tried to remake medicine. Without technology it backfired, proven too difficult, they created formulas of destruction. Poisons and toxins of darkness designed to harm, not heal. Like the spray Jud used on me and Victor, originally suppose to help with feelings of helplessness, it turned out to take memories away instead. These people grew into ugly creatures. Warped versions of humans with nothing but the hunger for more power. They put together a group of equally terrible monsters who would travel on the trains, taking people from their homes and enslaving them to the City. These people believed us to be lesser than themselves, disposable. We built their trains, scavenged deserted towns, cleaned their homes, farmed their land and did their dirty work. If there was a threat to their cause, and they would disposed of it.

-

This is where we were heading now. Jack and I and, now the Siblings as their cover was blown. Spear in hand I watch as The City nears. Jack and the Siblings are getting ready for departure. Victor still asleep we decided to leave him bound. Perhaps teaching him a lesson. The train finally started to slow down. I was scared that it would go straight through the city, unable to stop. Maybe that’s what it should do. Jack said that that we weren't alone. The Siblings had received word of others like us, intent on saving their loved ones. We were to meet some one them soon. Warriors were gathering to fight. War is inevitable.