The Serpent in the Garden

William Cooper was startled awake by the sound of his doorbell. He had fallen asleep in the parlor of his flat to the sound of the gently crackling fire in the room’s large fireplace. He noticed that it had since been reduced to smoldering embers. He had only meant to briefly rest his eyes, but the Society had been working him to the bone as of late.

Irritated by his lack of discipline in falling asleep, he glanced down to his left forefinger at the ornate ring gracing the digit. A large serpent with emerald eyes, eating its own tail, the symbol of the Society of Ouroboros was an ugly, gaudy thing. Yet, he wore it with pride. He had earned it.

Idly twisting the ring while contemplating the chain of events that brought him here, he was startled out of his reverie by the sound of his doorbell ringing a second time.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming. Keep yer knickers on.”

William sauntered through the long high-ceilinged corridor, stretching out his stiff neck as he went. Even though it was well past dusk, the tall windows let in enough light from the street below that no further illumination was needed. His flat was located in London’s West End, and even on the darkest of nights, the streets were lit as bright as midday. Which was how he liked it. With a childhood like his, he held no love for the dark.

Arriving at the entrance expecting a Society courier, he was instead greeted to a shocking sight upon opening the door. There, floating at eye level above the ground, was a drone bearing a small black box.

This, however, was no run-of-the-mill drone.

No, this was a state-of-the-art, military grade, top secret piece of technology that was decades ahead of anything that was being produced publicly. Its sleek black finish was bulletproof. It could withstand an EMP – or electromagnetic pulse – since it did not run on electricity, but on the Society’s enigmatic renewable energy source. It even had a face of a sort. Two shining blue eyes stared expectantly at William as the drone hovered silently before him.

Perturbed by its gaze, William fidgeted slightly before forcing himself to stop. However, he could not help the sense of unease and foreboding that lingered within.

He had only ever seen these drones within one of the Society’s compounds. No outsiders were allowed inside, and therefore all menial tasks such as cleaning and maintenance were performed by a veritable army of drones and machines. Only those bearing the ring were granted entry.

For this drone to be here, now, it meant that it was bearing a package requiring the utmost secrecy. The couriers were merely Initiates in the Society; they bore no ring and thus could not be trusted with this matter. William’s sense of unease grew even more pronounced. Nothing good would come from this.

“Good evening. You have something for me?” he asked the drone.

“Affirmative. Please stand by for identification. Prepare for eye scan,” answered the drone in its flat, affectless, voice.

William stood perfectly still and unblinking as the drone approached and flashed a bright light into his eyes.

“Identification confirmed: Cooper, William. Ring-Bearer. Do you accept?”

“Yes,” William answered, unflinching.

“Acknowledged.” The drone lowered itself to the ground and deposited the box at William’s feet. Without another word, the drone lifted off and left William’s sight.

With a sigh of relief at the drone’s departure, William bent to retrieve the mysterious box from the ground. It did not weigh much and was only slightly larger than his hand. Embossed on the lid was the Great Serpent Ouroboros in a perfect circle, devouring its own tail, a symbol of infinity.

Chilled by the encounter and craving the comfort of a fire before opening the box, William returned to the parlor and relit the fireplace. Satisfied with the now merrily dancing flames, he settled into his chair with the box in hand.

Not wishing to waste any more time pondering the implications of the box, William flipped open the lid. It complied smoothly and easily, opening to reveal a single item: a glass vial filled with a thick black liquid, nestled in a protective lining. On the inside of the lid, using more Society technology, a holographic image was projected depicting their motto: Ad Vitam Aeternum, meaning “To Eternal Life”.

And a timer, already counting down – twenty-two hours and sixteen minutes to go.

William glanced at his watch and did some mental calculations. Tomorrow evening, at sundown. He scoffed. What, am I supposed to drink this concoction of who knows what? Maybe I’m meant to poison someone with it – it wouldn’t be the first time they’d asked such a thing of me. But there are no further instructions, no would-be target… And I can’t forget the timer. What happens when it reaches zero?

While William was a loyal and staunch supporter of the Society – they had helped to raise him after all – he was not what one would call a true believer of their cause. Because their cause was completely insane, in William’s opinion.

Founded in Ancient Egypt, the Society of Ouroboros began rather simply as a small group of like-minded individuals looking to discover the secret to everlasting life. Simple in concept, if not in execution.

Over the following centuries, the organization grew, evolved, and migrated to Greece, a place of higher learning. There, their understanding of science grew alongside their influence. Before long, they were the true power guiding the politics of the time, while they themselves remained concealed in the shadows of history.

Eventually, things changed. While they kept the details hidden – only the Elders were privy to such information – their purpose had evolved from merely seeking out eternal life to one of eternal world domination.

They began gathering the best that humanity had to offer. They sought out the brightest minds and the most influential leaders, those whom they deemed worthy of immortality. They needed researchers, scientists, soldiers, and politicians. They also needed people who could acquire essential resources for the cause. People like William.

Drawing his thoughts away from the Society’s origins, William set the black box down on the table beside his chair with a sigh. Rising to his feet, he ran his hands across his face in exasperation.

Am I supposed to guess what they want? And who sent the blasted thing? One of the Elders? An Initiate trying to get me to off myself in the hopes of rising up the ranks and claiming my ring? I’ve made plenty of enemies so it’s not out of the question…

William strode over to the bar in the corner of the room to pour himself a drink. As he brought the glass to his lips, he stared into the mirror hanging behind the bar. His features, considered handsome by most, were drawn and pale, ageing him beyond his barely thirty years of age.

You’ve definitely looked better, old chap. William raised his glass in a toast to his reflection and then downed the alcohol all at once.

With no further leads about what should be done and no ideas coming to mind, William decided to retire to his bedchambers for the night. He would sleep on it and hopefully, with a well-rested mind, he’d be able to analyze the task ahead more clearly.

Even though he’d napped the evening away, he was exhausted. He was asleep the instant that his head touched the pillow on his large four-poster bed.

Then came the dreams, the same ones that had haunted him since childhood.

Mother, the prostitute who’d given birth to him, beating him in her alcohol-induced rage, screaming with blackened teeth and reddened eyes. Mother, locking him in the dark pantry with the rats in their dank hovel of a home. Mother, drowning in her own vomit as he watches on. The vomit, filling the room and rising higher, higher, higher still. Mother shrieks: “Billy, you little wretch, you little rodent! You belong with the rats, like the rodent you are!”. The rats agree and begin to devour him as he drowns in Mother’s vomit. He screams. And then all is darkness.

William awoke with a jolt, breathing heavily. He was surprised to note that it was already late morning. He had slept a long time, trapped in that hellish dreamscape. It seemed that no matter how much time passed, he would forever be the little boy screaming in the dark with the rats. He was still the teenager that watched as his mother overdosed and died in front of him while he stood by and let it happen.

Luckily for him, the Society had already taken notice of him by the time of his mother’s death and were all too happy to welcome him as an Initiate.

Throughout his childhood, William had learned to expertly manage their funds so as to keep his mother supplied with drugs, alcohol and even clients, for to do otherwise would awaken Mother’s wrath, which never ended well. In doing so, he made many connections: pimps, drug dealers, thugs, and all manner of folk from the seedy underbelly of London. One of those connections just so happened to be an Elder of the Society of Ouroboros, one who was very impressed with the savvy young man.

He began as a local supplier, but his network soon expanded, first nationally and then internationally. Currently, he was one of the Society’s foremost providers securing land, research supplies, chemical compounds, advanced weaponry, and experimental test subjects. He had connections with politicians, criminal organizations, and even assassins, when required.

Rubbing his eyes, William tried to banish the last vestiges of the dream that clung to his mind. Returning to the parlor, he proceeded to contemplate the mysterious black box of the Society. Ten hours and forty-seven minutes remained on the timer.

His options were very limited. If the package had been from anyone else, he could have immediately sent it for testing to discover the true nature of the substance. He could have attempted to contact the sender for more details. He could have discussed the matter with his fellow ring-bearers and gotten their input.

This, however, came from the Society itself, or at the very least seemed to appear that way. The Society expected loyalty above all else. When they demanded something of you, you complied, no questions asked. Trying to discover more information behind their back would be seen as a form of betrayal and would be punished severely.

Stubborn old fools, the lot of them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is one messed-up cult you’ve gotten yourself involved with, eh mate? He sighed. Well, much too late to worry about that now.

William contemplated his most recent tasks in an effort to shine some light on his current predicament.

The Society had been pushing for more and more access to military installations around the world, but that was nothing new. Their control of the world’s weapons systems had in fact prevented a nuclear war or two in the past. Indeed, they were actively trying to heal the planet with reforestation projects and wildlife preservation measures. There would be no point in ruling over a wasteland, after all.

Moving over to his desk, William sorted through his paperwork of the Society’s acquisitions. Weapons, bioagents, and test subjects – those were their primary needs as of late. Again, not entirely out of the ordinary; these were all essential components in their quest for true immortality. Not only were they seeking to stop the aging process, they wished to obtain invulnerability to injury and disease.

William continued to scan the documents. The quantities have gradually tripled in the last six months… What could this mean? Is this a sign of desperation perhaps? Some of the Elders are getting quite up there in years…

Studying the high-tech box once more, William concluded that it could only have been sent by the higher-ups of the Society. No outsider, or even an Initiate, would ever be able to replicate their technology, either the box or the drone, so flawlessly. Not to mention that it would be suicide to make such an attempt.

That meant that the box was legitimate. Doesn’t mean that it’s not dangerous though. William carefully removed the vial from the box and swirled the liquid around. If the Society were truly getting desperate for results, just how far would they go? Sighing, he placed the vial back into the box. Either way, I’m screwed. I’ve seen the results of their research and it isn’t pretty. I’m gonna need to drink this rubbish before the timer runs out or they’ll off me for disobedience.

William had several hours before he had to make his choice. Deciding to make the most of that time, he grabbed his coat and his gun, pocketed the box, and then headed outside into a rare sunny day in London, towards the meandering paths of Hyde Park.

As the hours ticked by, a strange calm settled over William whilst he walked. Though he did not wish to die, he was resigned to his likely fate and preferred to go out on his own terms. He was not a good man, by any account. His hands were stained by the blood of many, his mother’s foremost among them. He took no joy in it, but neither could he bring himself to care about the lives he had ended. That part of him had died long ago, in the dark with the rats.

William checked the timer in the box and saw that there were merely eleven minutes to go. Yes, it’s time to pay the piper, I suppose. As the sun set over the trees of the park, William smiled at his luck. At least my last day was rain-free. What a bloody miracle.

Not bothering to wait any longer, William popped the top off the vial, lifted it in a toast to the sun and gave a wink. “Cheers!”

William downed the thick black substance.

Within moments, he began to feel unwell. His whole body heated and tingled while his head spun nauseatingly. His muscles started to spasm, and he could no longer remain standing. Dropping to the ground, William fell unconscious.

He woke to a chiming sound. “What...”

Blinking away his drowsiness, William tried to make sense of his surroundings before remembering the timer. The lights in the park had come on, but they were not required, for the box had lit up and its display shone brightly.

00:00 Ad Vitam Aeturnum

Before William could even form a coherent thought, his surroundings suddenly went dark.

Rising to his feet, and thankful for the moon’s light in the clear sky, William jogged towards the nearby street. Upon exiting the cover of the trees, he quickly realized that the entire city had gone dark.

A power outage? He noticed that all the cars on the motorway seemed to have stalled as well. No, not a power outage. An EMP.

Suddenly, the sky lit up with multiple explosions resembling fireworks. Yet this was no celebratory fanfare. No, this was an attack by the Society; he recognized the dispersion patterns of the missiles. What is this? It looks to be happening over the entire city… No! The blood drained from William’s face. Not just the city... The deployment sites across the globe... This is happening everywhere!

William observed a strange fog drifting down from the detonations in the sky and blanketing the city. He watched in horror as all the people around him – men, women, and children – began to gasp and choke. They could not even scream as their lungs had entirely seized up. And as the people of London met the end that he had expected for himself, William could only stare helplessly. Within minutes, it was over.

The vial… It must have been some antidote, or some preventative measure against the bioweapon. The bioweapon that I gave to them. Why would they do this? What’s the point… Unless…

William understood. The Society of Ouroboros never wanted to rule over humanity. They wanted to rule over the planet. A brand-new Garden of Eden where the Serpent would reign forevermore.

This... Billions of people, gone in an instant. William looked down to the ring twining around his finger. It’s likely just the snakes that survived… A rat, apparently unaffected by the bioagent, chose that moment to scurry past, startling him. And the rats! Of course, I’d be left in the dark with the bloody rats!

Having already expected death once today, William held no qualms about facing it once more. His last shred of conscience demanded that he pay his dues for the role he played in the world’s ending. He drew the gun from his holster, released the safety, and pressed the barrel to his temple. “Too much, even for me,” he whispered.

He pulled the trigger.

There was a loud concussive noise, and William was thrown to the ground from the impact of the bullet striking his skull. Said bullet, however, was now lying on the ground next to William, who remained completely unscathed.

“What… No. No, impossible…” William gingerly touched his temple, but there was no pain, not a single drop of blood.

They had achieved the unimaginable. William and the Society of Ouroboros were now apparently impervious to death itself.

William lay back on the ground, indistinguishable from the bodies of the dead that littered the streets around him. Well… A fitting punishment, I suppose. Eternity as a serpent trying to devour itself, but never succeeding…

There, alone in the dark, he began to laugh as tears streamed down his face…

“To eternal life…”