Jayme Miller - The Demise of Humanity

I heard a voice in the far distance, quiet and clear, “This gift isn’t yours to keep, you have to give it back to him. You are going to kill him. Hurry, he is running out of time!”

I didn’t want to let go of the light, it made me feel ecstatic and alive. I knew whatever was happening to Silas was my fault and I didn’t want him to die. I allowed sadness to overtake me. The light started to fade and I felt my whole being come back to me. I was no longer alive and free. I was alive but my alive was afraid and anxious. I exhaled as the last of the light left me. My tears all gone, I dropped to the ground. I felt weak and couldn’t stand, everything in me drained away. My eyes locked on Silas, I was relieved to see him sitting up. He appeared to be himself again, color flowed back into his skin. My vision started to blur and my body felt empty, everything went black.

I woke up wrapped in soft blankets, the material warm against my skin. I was in the bunker bedroom. I sat up and saw through the opening in the door. I saw Silas sitting at the kitchen table. He had maps spread carelessly all over the place. I jumped out of bed and ran to him. He jumped up out of the chair in stunned surprise. I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“I am so so sorry! I didn’t mean to take your light from you.”

Silas watched me like I had lost my mind.

“What are you talking about?” He asked puzzled.

“In the field you touched my face, then I took your light from you. It was incredible but I think if I didn’t give it back to you, you would have died.”

“Wait. What?” Silas stuttered, “You collapsed in the field and I had to carry you back to the bunker. The sun was setting and I could hear the screamers. You have been out cold for days! I have been giving you water because I know we need it.”

I explained what happened and how I took his light and what had happened to him. I told him about the voice I heard and about the nightmares that were plaguing me. I told him I was frightened but I thought he might be right. There were others out there, others like him and me. I explained how they called to me in my dreams. I had been trying not to think about them because I was afraid, but now something had changed in me when he touched me. When I took his light I felt powerful and alive. I craved to hold it that very moment but didn’t want to hurt him. I fought the urge inside me and focused on what we should do moving forward.

We looked at the maps together and talked about the best routes and places we could hide out at night. We knew the world came alive at night. The problem was it came alive with the worst kind of monsters possible. If we were too close to the screamers it would mean endless hours of torture for us. We contemplated ear plugs and ways to block the screams. Another problem was the screamers were too fast to outrun. After endless hours of discussion and attempting to make a plan, we found ourselves talking in circles.

I prepared dinner but we didn’t have an appetite. Our thirst for water had become the only nutrients we needed. Any food we put in our mouths tasted foul, our throats constricted, refusing to swallow.

Silas wanted to learn how to use and control his light. He practiced over the next few days. I attempted to help him but found all I was doing was learning how to steal the light from him. Everyday it became easier for me to take it. At first, I didn’t know what I was doing then, I discovered that I could see the light in his eyes. It was hidden deep inside the pupil. Each time I took his light he would drop to the ground, convulsing. I could keep it for minutes at any given time. The more I practiced the better I became. I soon discovered I could take his light while he was sleeping. He agreed to this of course; once asleep I would take his light, he didn’t convulse while sleeping. When he woke up he was himself. Me on the other hand would drop to the floor, weak and depleted. Silas would feed me water, lots of it, the more water he gave me the faster I recovered.

One morning Silas had an idea to have me take his light by water. We needed a large body of water so we left in the truck when the sun came up and headed to the closest lake. Granite lake was only five miles away from my house. I hurriedly drove down the highway excited to try Silas’ idea. We pulled into the boat landing and exited the truck. The summer air was thick with humidity. I didn’t know the temperature outside but I guessed it was in the nineties. We walked to the edge of the water and began the experiment. I had become very good at taking Silas’ light. I took my shoes and socks off, stepped into the cool water and felt instantaneously refreshed. Silas joined me and we walked out stopping waist deep in the water.

The sun was splendid and for a moment everything felt right once again. I cherished these moments in time. I took a deep breath and reached for Silas’ light. This time when I held it he didn’t drop and convulse. He stood and watched me shine, my body let off a tiny light at first, then it expanded and the light grew. I loved the energy pulsing through me. The water made the energy stronger. Silas walked towards me, the light didn’t seem to affect him in any kind of negative way. He reached for my hand and I felt his warm hand close around mine. He had a sparkle in his eyes locked with mine the world felt perfect, nothing mattered to me except Silas. I had never had a boyfriend but the way I felt in moments like this made me want Silas to be my first. He moved inches from my face, I wanted to kiss his lips. We each moved in slightly and tenderly our lips touched, lightly and gracefully we kissed. The light grew brighter and brighter until a surge of pain shot through me. Silas must of felt it too because we pulled away from each other at the same moment. The light was in both of us, realizing we could share the light. I let the light go back to Silas fully and then I fell back into the water. Only I didn’t feel weak I felt revived, wonderful and elated. I drank the water and floated on my back. I felt water enter my ears. I never wanted to leave the water. Closing my eyes I let my mind wander freely. I sank under the water and felt Silas next to me. We splashed, played and swam the day away. We were content and distracted in the water and didn’t notice the setting sun. It was dropping fast and yet we didn’t notice.

The first scream came from far off in the distance. I didn’t realize the faint sound was a screamer. Soon more and more screams came to life as the sun completely vanished. The moon ascended in the sky and stars twinkled and danced. The screams came from every direction. The water muffled the screams. In the water Silas and I hadn’t noticed what surrounded us on the shore line.

I opened my eyes and stared at a big white ball in the sky. I knew it wasn’t the sun I was viewing, it was the moon. My eyes doubled in size at the sight before me. I bolted upright in the water and searched for Silas. His eyes were closed when I reached him, I shook him hard. He opened his eyes lazily, first looking at me unconcerned but his expression became incredulous. He glanced around frantically, the sight dire. I surveyed the area and saw screamers everywhere.

The screamers seemed to be watching us. They were in every direction the eye could see. Some were near the edge of the water but not one was in the water. There were dozens upon dozens; too many to count. We could faintly hear them screaming, somehow the water was muffling the screams. The screams were not hurting our ears, the water seemed to shield us from them. Thankful our eyes, nose, mouth and ears were blood free.

“What do we do?” Silas asked nervously.

“Why do you always ask me? Like I have all the answers!” I bantered.