Red Dawn

A loud blare made Andrea jolt in her spot as she climbed the rusty fire escape of a five story apartment block in what used to be called Brooklyn. She knew there was no point in looking over to see the Guard patrolling the streets, with their stone-cold expressions and guns, their faces eerily human. Yet she couldn’t help herself from peering over her shoulder as she tightened her grip on the ramp, her heart still racing from the sudden blare of the curfew alarm. It reminded everyone there was only an hour left before they started taking everyone who dared to walk outside past curfew into custody.

The humanoids that had stopped on the street below her had rounded up a group of men and women, their hands behind their heads, kneeling on the pavement. Andrea sighed and closed her eyes as she turned away, unable to bear the scene yet she still heard the gunshots and the thumps of bodies falling on the dusty street.

It was their fault, she reminded herself, as she scaled the stairs further up and carefully shifted to move through a shattered window into what seemed to be a living room. The people who had just lost their lives were probably part of the newly emerged rebel group that called themselves Red Dawn. She wasn’t sure what they were fighting for, she only knew they were being extinguished like a tornado would a candle flame.

Still shaking her head, she looked around, skeptical about finding anything useful as she took in the worn out carpets that had lost their colors and the pictures on the walls that had turned yellow. It had probably been a nice place to live once, she thought as she walked from room to room, looking at the belongings of someone who was probably long gone, the wooden floors groaning under her steps.

There weren’t that many humans left in this area anymore - most scavengers like herself had left for places like Worcester where years ago wealthier people lived in big houses with many belongings. Before the world turned to shit, she thought angrily as she rummaged through the wardrobes and chests of drawers. It wasn’t fair, her thoughts raced on their own as they would at least ten times a day when she sifted through piles of useless items - it wasn’t fair that these people, these previous generations had lived in such luxury and convenience, only to fuck it up so badly that the world had turned into a barren desert that could only support the existence they now had. Existence which was ruled by a select few wealthy individuals, protected by humanoid robots who enforced their laws down to the normal people like herself. At some point, human life became less important, and resources became key in the power game for survival. They exhausted all resources: metals, minerals, soil, and water. The little that existed was guarded with extreme measures and the dwindling population was left to fend for themselves. Those who could not bear life, could volunteer to become test subjects for the new projects which emerged - humanoid life. Being turned into a machine, not aging, not dying, with no need for food or water, but also no memories or feelings. Survival but not living. That is what her own parents had chosen and left her all alone. At least that’s what her aunt had told her when she was a kid. Her aunt never talked about her parents or the past, especially not now when she was sick and dying.

This apartment was truly turning out to be a dead end and she had to finish up quickly if she wanted to go to the Market and sell the silver spoons and forks she had managed to salvage from the neighboring building. Silver. The only way she could keep herself and her aunt fed nowadays. It was the only type of metal they accepted in the Market exchange where credits could be sold or bought. Credits used for food and medicine and to support the miserable existence they called life.

As she turned away to go back to the living room, the moldy floorboards gave in and her ankle sank deep, scraping her skin and the stinging bites meant her skin was broken. She cursed and kneeled down, trying to wiggle her foot free. She managed to squeeze one of her hands through the hole and move the shattered wood when her fingers scraped something that made a clanking metal sound. She pulled her foot and peered inside, her eyes narrowing from the dust and smell rising from the floor. A small metal box was sitting close to where her foot had been, and her heart raced with excitement - the metal looked to be tarnished, which also meant it could be silver. She reached and grabbed it without hesitation, her fingers nimble as she scraped the surface of the box.

She pulled it out after a few tries, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. The box was simple, yet elegant with intricate swirls etched into the darkened lid. The inside was lined with bright red velvet which felt soft and pleasant against her skin, and sitting in the middle was a heart-shaped locket. She lifted it to the light of the fading winter sun coming in from the window - in line with the box, the design remained elegant and simple, the surface was smooth and there was a small clasp indicating that it could be opened. Her forehead wrinkled with effort as she tried prying it open with her fingers, but it stayed stubbornly locked. She tossed the box into her leather satchel, strapped across her chest, and folded the locket carefully into her inside pocket.

The run towards the Market left her without breath as the winter winds were now growing increasingly sharper. The building where they kept the exchange used to be a transport hub, with tracks and lined trains that had not been used in ages. She headed straight for the silver trader, trying to ignore the humanoids walking among the crowd, their hands casually placed on holstered guns on their hips.

The silver trader greedily grabbed the forks, spoons and metal box she handed over silently, his skinny fingers shifting his greasy hair from his eyes in an attempt to examine the items.

“ That will be five credits,” he muttered with a satisfied voice. Her heart sank to her feet - that would not buy even a single meal. Her fingers clasped around the locket and she sighed - she had intended to keep it as a gift for her aunt, but staying fed was what mattered. She took it out and dangled it from its chain before handing it over to the stretched hand of the trader.

“How much for this?”

“If it's pure silver…” he considered her for a second “ Twenty credits”. Before she could move and give it over to him, a strong male hand clasped her forearm holding it still. The trader’s eyes had turned wide with fear as he stepped back, staring at the person next to her. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked up, her face within inches from the face of a male humanoid, his cold expression staring down at her. He was probably beautiful before he became a robot, she thought to herself involuntarily, despite the freezing fear that crept in her chest. His hair was a soft veil of black silk, falling down past his chin, his piercing eyes were the color of cold winter sky, so grey they actually looked like they were made from glass. Yet the expression was empty, there was no emotion, no compassion, no feeling.

“Move” he spoke in a deep mechanical voice and pushed her towards the exit, the crowd parting, the rest of the people around them too scared to even look at her as she passed next to them. Her heart was beating so loud she was certain the humanoid behind her could hear it. The sky outside was now steadily turning into the color of dark ink and she tried to breathe deeply, to steady her heartbeat but it was not possible - she was now shaking with fear and adrenaline. She had never seen a humanoid up close, she had never had a run in with them and she didn’t know what she did to earn this. Her thoughts immediately went to her poor aunt, ill and fragile lying in their bed, unaware that her niece was now probably never coming home.

The humanoid did not speak, a firm grip still on her forearm as he dragged her towards one of the black cars parked outside the Market. She had never seen the inside of a car, let alone one driven by the Guard. The inside was simple, made for practical use not luxury or taste. Yet it was clean and warm, much better than her own house, she realized. They took off in silence, speeding through the now progressively emptying streets as the curfew was approaching.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked, her voice shaky and hoarse with suppressed fear.

“Not here” he simply replied, his voice neutral. The answer confused her more than anything - was he lacking brain capacity? Maybe they programmed them so they only followed simple instructions yet what instruction would he be under in order to detain her - she had done nothing wrong!

“ I’ve done nothing wrong, please. I beg you, let me go.” her voice trembled, she was truly desperate she realized if she had resorted to begging. There was no other way for her to survive - she could not escape or run. Humanoids were stronger than humans, faster, they had guns and never faltered when using them. He ignored her request as he drove in a methodical manner, turning left and right occasionally, leaving the city and leading them towards the harbor of what used to be a big river that separated the different living areas of the metropolis.

There was only darkness surrounding them now - no lights, no people or cars were in the vicinity as far as she could see. He stopped the car suddenly and she immediately grabbed her seat, determined to fight, scream and do whatever she had to in order to survive. He left her in the car alone as he disappeared into the darkness. She tried coming out but the doors somehow locked her in the moment he left, leaving her inside. Within minutes, he came back, a woman next to him. Andrea squinted and tried to work out if she was yet another humanoid, perhaps her executioner. They stopped in front of the car and motioned for her to come out, the doors unlocking as they did. She stayed frozen for a while until the woman came closer and she realized it was not another humanoid but a person, human like herself.

“Come on out. It’s really cold and I’m freezing my ass off here” she commanded with a snappy voice and knocked on the window. With trembling fingers, Andrea opened the door and went out in the cold night, the two figures in front of her indicating to follow them. She did, even though all her senses were telling her to run.

The humanoid and the woman did not speak as they walked towards what seemed to be an opening in the old sewer system next to the ancient river bank. The humanoid lifted the heavy stone grate with ease and the woman slid inside, Andrea in her footsteps.

Once inside, lights flickered and Andrea looked around, her eyes adjusting. She was standing in what appeared to be an old sewer tunnel, however it was clean and tidy, white tiled walls all around them reflecting the lights coming from the ceiling.

“What is this place?” she asked tentatively.

“Its Red Dawn headquarters. We’ve been expecting you, Andrea”.