From Light to Darkness

Chapter One: The Light

The dawn creeped over the mountains earlier than yesterday.The spring was coming to the Pacific Northwest. The haze of fog hung heavy over the emerald green trees and the morning sun slowly rose awakening the small oceanside town. The street lights clicked off as the streets brightened. A hundred years ago the streets of this town were so packed with people that the constant noise of shuffling feet and voices kept the cities alive 24/7. The populations were exhausted.

The governments of the world got together and made a choice. There would be those who lived in the day, we would work and go to school, play at the park, go grocery shopping. Once the sun went down though, those that lived in the day went home. We weren’t meant to be outside past the sunset. We call ourselves “Day Walkers” but some just call us “Day People” or “Sunnies.”

Then there are those who live at night. They do the same things we do like go to work and school, they play on playgrounds and run errands. As the sun rises they return home, never to see the sunshine. They live on the opposite side of town so they don’t disturb us as we slumber and vice versa. We call the people who live at night “Night Crawlers.” There are rumors that they look different than us, eat differently, and even speak differently than us.

I wouldn’t know. I have never seen a Night Crawler in person before. Even our media is separated so things like movies and music don’t mix between us. And the whole world is this way- each town, city, borough, neighborhood is separated by day and night. We never mix and we are never to mix.

My alarm rang and I sat up in bed. I was awake before it again. It seemed that the more I wondered about the night time the less I got to sleep. I turned off the buzzing alarm and swung my legs over my bed. The cold floor under my bare feet. The wood stove must have run low on fuel in the night and a chill had settled through my home. I slipped my feet into pink slippers and grabbed my soft pink robe to wrap around myself.

Willow, my golden retriever, shook herself as she followed me to the front door. I opened the door and she slipped from around my legs, desperate for relief. I grabbed a few short logs off the porch of my small house and brought them inside to my stove. The last embers of the logs I placed in last night were still burning pretty hot. I threw one small log in with some kindling. Slowly it caught fire and began to burn the log. I placed a second one in there and shut the cast iron door.

I heard barking at my door so I opened my door to let Willow in but she wasn’t at my door. “Willow!” I yelled, searching for her golden honey coat. I didn’t exactly live in town. I bought this house on the outskirts wanting to get away from civilization even more. I walked off my front porch onto the damn gravel driveway. “Willow!” I yelled again.

I saw her barking at a tree towards the front of my long driveway. I could see her barking at something that was hiding behind the trees. Her growls became low as I approached asking her what she was making a ruckus about. I heard a faint breath from the direction of the tree Willow was glowering at, still growling low.

“Hello?” I asked. “Who's there?” I waited for a reply. I just heard soft, heavy breaths as if the person was trying to soften his heavy breathing. “I can hear you breathing.” I say.

Willow barks again and I hear over her incessant barks a man say “Alright. Alright! Just call your dog off.” I shush Willow, calming her and telling her she did a good job protecting me.

As I soothe Willow, a man comes from behind a large pine tree with his hands up. I can’t really see his face. His hoodie pulled up far over his eyes and it zipped to the very top. His palms were large and very pale, they looked like milk. His pants were dark and covered his legs until it slightly dragged on the floor.

“Don’t be scared.” He said. “I won’t hurt you.” He slowly took one milky hand and pulled back the hood of his jacket, revealing black curly hair and a face as pale as the moon. I realized he was a Night Crawler. I gasped and grabbed Willow by the collar pulling her back from this man. I wanted to scream but I also knew I was too far away for anyone to be able to hear me.

“Look, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you. My name is Lucca. I was hiking and I got lost. I ended up coming across your land here this morning and that is when your pup here found me. I’m just trying to get to my car.” He said quickly. I looked at him harder and he was quite beautiful for a man.

I examined him further, realizing the extremely dark circles under his eyes, the twigs matted in his hair, and the smudges of dirt on his pants and shoes. “How long have you been lost?” I ask him, relaxing a little.

“About 5 or 6 hours. I was hiking this trail that I had never done before. I went off course to… well, you know, pee.” His blush was apparent on his pale cheek bones. “The trail wasn’t clearly marked and it was dark, and I got lost.” He brushed his hand through his curly locks and drug a few twigs out with his fingers.

As the sun rose further, I began to realize that the blush on his cheeks never went away but was beginning to be deeper. The skin on his hands had begun to pinken as well. “Are you okay?” I asked him.

“Well, see here’s the thing. I’ve never been in the sun and my moon cream doesn’t seem to be strong enough. I think I’m getting a sunburn?” Lucca cocked an eyebrow at me like he was asking if I knew about sunburns and whatever the hell moon cream is.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked him with a concerned look. I already had a feeling what he was gonna ask but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it.

“Do you mind if I stay with you?” I said to the woman. She still had yet to tell me her name. She looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties. I liked her messy bun that was falling apart from her sleep. She was cute in a weird way. Her skin had this tan to it that seemed unnatural and freckles that fitted her face like little stars. He had never seen so many freckles on a girl’s face! “I’m not sure where my car is and I’m exhausted. I think the sun will hurt me if I’m out in it too long. I promise I will leave at nightfall.”

I could tell the woman was thinking about it. There have been a string of issues lately. Young teens from the darkness had decided to start vandalizing the Day Walkers as they slept and destroying their homes and properties. There was even one more recently that had escalated to violence and a young day couple was murdered. It had been putting people on end, everyone wondering what would come of these crimes.

“I promise I won’t hurt you. I just need some shelter while the sun is up.” I almost begged. It was getting hotter and the sun’s rays were beating down on my face. I could feel the heat radiating off my face.

She examined me again, taking in every inch of me. Her dog, who I believe she called Willow, sat by her side and was watching me closely. “Alright.” She said quietly. “But, you leave at nightfall and you tell no one of this.” The last part was threatened with low tones.

She spun on her pink slippered heel and walked up the gravel path. I passed her car which hovered ever so slightly above the gravelly ground below. “Nice! A Tesla HoverSport. Those are good cars.” I commented. She didn’t say anything back but huffed with slight approval.

She opened her front door and walked in first, I followed and walked into a warm and cozy little living room. It was strange she used such archaic appliances like a wood stove when there were heaters now that adjusted to fulfill your maximum comfort. There were still modern items in her home like the little robots that began to sweep after me as I left a trail of mud behind me.

“Are you thirsty?” She asked me while looking over her shoulder. “Yes, I am.” A cleaning bot came behind me and removed my hoodie and my shirt beneath it. They were both soaked, so I understood why but it was leaving me half naked. “Hey! I need those!” I tried grabbing it back.

“Don’t worry- Lucca, was it? I have clothes you can wear. My late husband was about your size. First bedroom on the left, you can choose whatever you need. There’s a bathroom in there as well so you can shower and clean up.” She nodded down a short hallway and walked into the tiny kitchen. “Alexa, one glass of water please.” A glass was released from the cupboard and was quickly filled with cool liquid.

“Here.” She handed me the glass. “Thanks.” I grabbed the glass, gulping down the clear cool water quickly. “What’s your name?” I ask her. She is helping me but I have no idea who she is. A thick strand of chestnut brown hair falls across her face. “You can call me River.” She says, shyly.

“Thank you River.” I spin on my heel and walk down the hallway. I see a bedroom on my right and turn into it. It was with light wood accents. A queen size bed with fluffy, white sheets. There was a bamboo dresser that held a single photo of a man and woman on their wedding day. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was River. On the bedside table was another photo of a man with wires and machines hooked up to every extremity. It was the same man in the photo with River, so it must be her husband. I opened the closet and there hung some clothes like sweatpants and tshirts. They smelled slightly of a hospital but mostly of an unfamiliar cologne and laundry detergent.

I grabbed a pair black sweatpants and a black Oregon Beaver shirt. I turned into the bathroom where I saw a large shower and handicap toilet. It was white in here as well but a little brighter with tones of blues and teals in the countertops and sink. Even the shower was tiled in bright blue-hued tiles. I turned the water on and took the rest of my clothes and shoes off. Immediately a Clean Bot removed them from the floor and they disappeared, to be washed and dried.

I got dressed and went to find River in the kitchen, but she had changed into black leggings and a bigger-than-her flannel button down. It must have been her husband’s. She fixed her hair into a bit of a neater messy bun and she added wool socks to her pink slippers. She was cooking on what looked like open flames.

“Why do you cook like a caveman?” A manly voice said behind me. It startled me a little. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.” He said, coming closer to me.

I realized that the way I did things was quite old fashioned. I lived like someone from 100+ years ago, not using the modern conveniences. I didn’t use the instant food beads that just required a bit of water and some heat to create 5 course meals in less than 10 minutes. I didn’t use the bots to cook for me. And certainly no one used gas stoves anymore to cook with pots and pans. It took me and Alex years to restore this thing and find a steady source of propane. But it was my dream to cook on a gas stove like they did a long time ago.

Lucca cleared his throat pulling me from my memories of digging the old stove from a long abandoned home of the past. Here in the woods, remnants of the ancients still remained, slowly decaying as the forest took back the land once stolen. “Um, yeah.” I cleared my throat and shook my head slightly. “I love to cook and my husband found this abandoned stove in the forest. Together we restored it back to its former glory. I like to do things a little out of the ordinary.” I replied to him.

“Huh, it’s cool. I have never seen one before. There’s only one restaurant on our side of town that still cooks like this. Very expensive to eat there.” His nose was tipped up slightly as he sniffed the air. Modern food was freeze dried and packaged. Very few things were fresh anymore. I had my own garden in the back with a few chickens and a cow, named Betty. It was highly unusual to have these things in the modern world.

“Yeah, well, my husband- his name was Alex. He liked doing things the old way. He said that we lost touch with the world when we split up and things became more regulated. How many kids you could have, how much you could eat, what you could eat. It all became too much for him.” I don’t know why I’m telling this man my story. I must really be lonely.

“Interesting.” Lucca looks at my pan with confusion and interest. “What is that?” He asked me.

I laugh in response. “Those are eggs. You eat those in the breakfast packs!” I giggle. I remember my first time seeing eggs too. And when I saw a real chicken! I had grown up eating meal packs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Adding in some hot water from the electric kettle and setting it in the steamer. Only ten minutes later, you’d hear a “ding!” and you’d pop out your whole meal.

“Are they really? I have never seen eggs so… wiggly before.” His eyebrows are furrowed deep and his forehead is lined with concern as he eyeballs the over easy eggs. He reaches to touch the pan and I grab his wrist.

“Don’t!” I yell. “It’s hot. You will burn your fingers doing that.” I chided him. I know that many people don’t understand the old ways of cooking but you would think that the heat radiating from the stove would be an indicator. “Here, go set the table” I passed him two plates and some forks.

I watch as he turns on his heel and sets the small table. He gently sets down the porcelain plates and sets the silver forks next to them. He looks at his handiwork with pride. I grabbed two glass cups from the cupboard and filled them with orange juice. I hand them to him and nod at the table.

“Go ahead and sit.” I tell him and nod at the chairs. Lucca picks the chair to the left and sits staring out the back window. I see his eyes widen in awe.

“Is that a cow!?” He sits up and leans forward over the table. “Holy shit!”

I laugh again. That was my reaction too. “Yeah, her name is Betty. I’ll be purchasing a bull this summer to breed her with. Took me ages to find one, cost me a heavy in digitals too.” I stand next to him, pan in hand and slide two eggs onto his plate. “I have toast ready too.” I slide the other two eggs onto my plate and head back into the kitchen. Grabbing 4 slices of buttered toast and head back to the table.

“How do you afford these things? It is not easy living this way any longer, it costs too much to find these things.” He asks around an egg in his mouth.

“Well, that’s none of your business. But if you must know, we don’t have much when it comes to digitals. After the dollar died, my husband lost a lot of money but still had this old house that was his great, great grandmother’s. He had nothing so began to build it up. Throughout time he met like minded individuals and created a community of trade and wealth.” I told him. Alex was an incredible man, I think back to visiting the trader’s markets in the summers with him. Being awed by the many people who grew and sold veggies and fruits. Some I had never seen before.

“You say, ‘your husband’. I have not seen him. Is he away on business?” Lucca asks. I probably shouldn’t tell a strange man that I am alone in this world. But something about Lucca and his strange black eyes draws the truth from me.

“No. He passed away a few years ago now. Cancer. There was nothing we could do. It spread so rapidly. No amount of chemotherapy, medicine, or medibots could stop its path. But I miss him every day.” A small tear had formed in my eye and dropped as I told him my truth.

“I’m sorry.” Lucca said. “My wife passed away two years ago now. She was killed in a car accident.” His eyes turned blacker than before. He looked away for a moment.

I whispered “I’m sorry.” Then I grabbed a slice of toast and topped it with an egg. I munched into it and we ate the rest of breakfast in silence. I could see his eyes were growing heavy as he ate his food. He must be exhausted.

She was looking at me again. If I weren’t so tired, her interest would have intrigued me more. Even as I chewed the delicious breakfast she provided, I could feel my eyes growing heavier and my chewing became slower. My head was becoming too heavy to keep up, the late morning light warming the small home to a comfortable level.

I was surprised at how comfortable I felt here. This was a Day Person for God’s sake. I shouldn’t even be here. If we were caught we could be fined, or worse sent to prison for mingling. There was a reason we weren’t supposed to mingle and the laws were very clear on what could happen, if you were caught. Maybe I was too tired to care about the laws, I had been hiking and lost for several hours.

“Go lay down. Same room you got cleaned up in. There’s a bed and it will be comfortable for you while you rest. You’ll be safe here until nightfall.” She tapped my hand and held it lightly. She spoke softly. Her voice was sweet like honey, she sounded kind and sincere.

She knew of the risks of being caught with a Night person. It seemed like she didn’t care. She just looked like she wanted to help. I stood up and walked to the bedroom. I waved a little as I walked in and closed the door. I drew the drapes shut in front of the bright window. I laid down on the fluffy white bed that felt like a cloud to my now full, but sore body.