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The World Ended in Blue

"A miracle is a fictional thing that never existed and never will."

By Project Blair KingPublished 5 years ago 25 min read
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Prologue

When the Blue first showed up people were confused. No one blamed them though, the Blue was of the unknown and humanity feared things they didn’t know. That was something Audrey came to the conclusion of when she gazed up at the large ship in the sky. It was like the beings in there were taunting everyone.

Waiting till people snapped and screamed their heads off for information. Audrey thought it was stupid. “Stop looking at it,” grumbled Mother, tugging on her daughter’s wrist urgently. “If I don’t get you to school, your father will behead me.”

Audrey snorted and did as she was told. She followed the tall woman across the street. The tapping of her dark heels music to her ears. “Do you think they’re threatening?” She questioned.

“Who?”

Audrey pointed above them and smiled when mother’s face twisted in disgust. It was a funny face. Nose scrunched, lips pursed and eyes in a squint. “Obviously, now go to school.” Mother shoved the girl towards the entrance and growled as she snickered. Her mother was nice on good days, unfortunately today was not one of those. Audrey took advantage of these days.

As she walked towards the entrance of the school she thought about it. People did believe the Blue weren’t meaning any harm. Audrey’s mother told her it was because they wanted them to be and they thought that the Blue was nice it would be true. Audrey thought those people were rather childish. In movies no one from other planets were kind they were always blood thirsty. Just like Audrey said, people fear the unknown. They always have and they always will.

Chapter One

“Blue.” That wasn’t much of an answer, Carmen knows it, dad knows it and the elderly, too. But they act like it is and so that’s all I know. When the world ended it was blue. I don’t know what was blue and I don’t think I will ever know, but hey it was blue. We even call the end Blue, that’s just what it was. A big mess of Blue.

“Why blue? Why not something else like, explosive?” I always questioned. Carmen and dad would give me the same look. The one that said “Ask again and you’re grounded,” look.

“Because,” the old ladies next door would tell me in a stern voice. “The world ended in blue, now stop asking and help your father make dinner.”

The thing is I don’t really like that answer. Not one bit, I was only four when it happened. I don’t remember my mom, I never really knew my sister. All I know was my mom wasn’t here and Carmen wasn’t the same. In the pictures I used to see Carmen was happy and smiled, but Carmen doesn’t smile. No she frowns and scowls and that’s all the girl does. I think that old Carmen would be a lot more pleasant then now Carmen.

The world was different, too. There was something called live TV and not old tapes that played soundless black and white films. There were phones and cars. Now you here people cry and scream at night. It was like a horrid lullaby that for some reason was familiar enough to lull one to sleep. Our special town’s signature twisted song.

Now there was only us, the small town of, well it doesn’t really have a name. I suppose it doesn’t really need a name, no one will ask where we are. Because that’s just it, we are all here. We are all in this stupid, sad, run down town of broken smiles. People try to fake their happiness, the mayor sends me small smiles when I’m biking to the diner. But I see through it, she’s mourning the lost of her little girl. I don’t know why she even tries, everyone hears her weep (She’s a loud and ugly crier), but they’re too polite to say anything.

Everyone knows each other and nobody new comes in. We have one hospital, one store and one school. We all have a curfew that we have to follow and if we leave bad things are supposed to happen. That’s what they say about everything though. If you make a noise after curfew, news flash baby bad things. Go outside of the town? Bad things. I can’t go a single day without hearing those words, it’s like a tape on repeat. You hear people murmur it and Carmen sometimes whispers it to herself when she looks longingly at the outside of town.

The town is surrounded by a large fence that anyone can easily climb if they put their mind to it. I tried to once when I was small, it was when the fence had a small opening at the bottom of it and I had kicked my ball through the opening. I tried to slip through even though it was kind of hard with the metal threatening to pierce my skin. Carmen had caught me in time and dragged me out with all her might. It was the first time I actually saw her cry and the only time she actually hugged me. “Don’t you ever do that again!” she hissed, pressing a small kiss to my plump wrist and she pressed her forehead against mine as she wept.

As much as I tried I never understood why she was so scared. What was over the fence that was so scary? Scary enough to make Carmen cry her eyes out and hold me close. Carmen wasn’t one to show love, she was all hard on the inside and she never showed her emotions.

I worry about her sometimes, but dad told me not to bother. It was Carmen and I wasn’t in the position to change that.

I felt a cold can press against the small of my back. I yelped and jolted forward, spinning around to glare into those striking, narrowed, hazel eyes. Speaking of the devil.

Carmen arched a brow at me and tilted her head to the side. She was probably judging my girlish squeal. She jutted her chin out and jerked her head back as she spoke. “Dad needs you for dinner,” she said, standing up in one swift motion. She shoved the can of soda in my hand and pressed a finger against her lips. “I stole it from dad’s stash, tell him about it and you’re dead.”

The thing about Carmen was she was more of a brother than a sister. Of course she had the curves of a woman and dressed like one. But the way she held herself and acted around me was more brotherly than sisterly. Her hair was cut short and she looked down right scary.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” I spoke, mockingly tracing a ‘x’ on my heart. Carmen rolled her eyes and tugged me up from my place on the grass of the park.

“You’re a weird kid y’know that?” she said, looking at the shaved grass dusting my jeans in a dull green. She turned and began walking, shoving her hands in her coat pockets.

“How?” I grumbled, following her and brushing the bits of grass off my jeans.

“You would rather hangout by yourself, creepily in the park and stare off into space than be a normal thirteen year old and make friends like me,” Carmen replied, looking at me with a glint in her eyes.

Carmen’s friends confused me, although there wasn’t many teenagers around Carmen’s age there was enough for small friend groups of one or two people. Unlike me who has only one kid in my grade level, who I don’t particularly like but more on that later. Carmen’s friends consisted of two people. Keaton and Sammie; they were twins and both were so different that it surprised me that they got along. Sammie was the type of go lucky girl who always wore a huge grin on her face, she had wide blue eyes, caramel skin and black hair that would drown her if it wasn’t up all the time. She was nice enough to be an angel, but that didn’t stop her from being obnoxious beyond belief and urge me to hangout with them.

Keaton was pretty much like Carmen, except he actually smiled. The smile was a large grin that flashed his inhumanly sharp teeth and would strike fear in a person in a ten foot radius of him. Just like Sammie he also tried to get me to hangout with him and just like Sammie he was sad when I declined.

You see the twins had a younger brother who they lost in the Blue and were one of the many you could hear sobbing at night. His name was Vincent and he was around my age when the Blue got him. Every time it was brought up Sammie would blank out and look into Keaton’s eyes with so much sorrow and pain. It surprised me that such a happy person could hold so much pain, I suppose even the happiest people on Earth aren’t that happy at all.

I followed Carmen through the small town in silence, nodding at anyone who looked our way. I like to think if we could hear the Town’s mind all there would be is loud weeping. No one here is happy, I highly doubt Sammie is happy and I know for a fact dad is the most depressed man on the planet.

I am the only one that isn’t and that’s because I am the only one who doesn’t know what the heck went down. Why was it Blue and not something else? I guess it’s better not being sad, but god wouldn’t it be just as good if I knew instead of being left in the dark.

Even August Winters knew more than I do and we’re the same age. I just want to know why everyone is so sad! I just want to understand.

Chapter Two

“My mom says it’s getting close,” Richie said when Audrey sat down with her tray of food. It was lunch and like usual people were talking about the object in the sky. Audrey arched an eyebrow and poked at the burger that obviously wasn’t real, but the students forced themselves to consume anyway.

“The ship?” She questioned, taking a bite and choking it down. Richie made a face, the boy always brought his own lunch. His mother claimed the food would make him sick and act up his allergies. Richie’s mother did that with everything. It was anything but helpful for the boy. Audrey said she was controlling, Richie said she was just being a mother.

“Obviously, what else?” Richie grumbled, opening his zip lock bag carefully. Audrey rolled her eyes, he was so careful with everything. The two friends couldn’t be any more different. Audrey held herself like a leader would, standing tall and walking gracefully through the halls. She would have her chin up and jutted out, face emotionless. People respected her immensely and she loved it. She lived for the attention and unspoken fear. Richie on the other hand was cowardly. Handsome yes, but he would be even more attractive if he didn’t fear everything. He slouched enough that he’d need a cane before he was thirty. He frowned so much that even surgery wouldn’t be able to fix it once it stuck.

Audrey thought it was his mother’s fault, but never said it to the boy’s face. He was too sensitive to hear it. “How so?” Audrey took a sip of her milk.

“She said it seems more visible, it does though, doesn’t it?” He said, taking a bite of his sandwich that was strangely perfect. But then again everything with Richie had to be perfect or it wasn’t Richie. “Like they’re slowly inching their way to the ground every day.”

Audrey thought about it. It was a little more visible today. “She says they’re going to kill us.” Richie whispered. He sat his sandwich down and looked Audrey in the eyes. Big brown ones boring into her grey ones. Audrey forced herself not to flinch and stared back. “You’re smart, what do you think?”

Audrey wanted to tell him her honest opinion. That she thought they would kill them and wipe the human race out. The world would be nothing, just and empty planet in a large universe. No one would miss them and no one would look for them. But for some reason she didn’t. Maybe because of the fact she didn’t want to scare him. Or maybe she wasn’t so sure of the opinion herself. She clenched her jaw and made her face as emotionless as possible.

“I don’t know.” Richie stared at her for a minute and smiled. He ducked his head like he always did and Audrey let her face fall.

“I have a feeling you do,” he said, turning away. He carefully picked up the ham and cheese sandwich and took a bite.

Audrey stared at him for a moment and did the same.

Chapter Three

Dad was a quiet man, handsome and threatening, but quiet and vulnerable. He kept to himself and his beer, rarely ever acknowledging my existence. I suppose he didn’t really need to though. Ever since I was allowed to leave the house whenever I felt like it, I was rarely ever home. The day I turned ten was the day I pretty much became a man. He was a good father and I knew he loved me. He just didn’t show it like most parents would. Like the parents in the silent films would. Hug me and ruffle my hair. Give me pep talks on how to woo a girl with my natural looks. Make Carmen dress appropriately when she left the house. Not that he had to, Carmen lived in hoodies and shorts.

No he was either in front of the TV or in the back chopping wood. He never asked for help, Carmen said it helped dad cope. Mom was said to be a gorgeous woman. I never saw her but the way Carmen described her made her seem almost angelic. A pretty woman, with tall limbs and a thin body. Long, brown hair that hung above her hips and creamy, almond skin. She had striking hazel eyes and whenever she was mentioned dad would get this far away look. He would clench his beer and look at the wall for what seemed to be hours. When in reality was only minutes.

I don’t know what happened to her. I don’t remember her, but I think dad blames himself for it. So I never talk about mom or ask to know anything about her. I didn’t ask Carmen, because Carmen would tell dad and dad would just get all depressed. “Don’t ask,” he would say in a small, quiet and gruff voice. So I never did and just like everyone in my house, I kept to myself.

We never exchanged "I love yous" and the moments we share are small and easily forgotten. But I think if they did actually show love towards me it would be weird. It’s unfamiliar, even if I knew there was a small chance it would ever happen. But sometimes I long for it and it’s scary. I don’t think I should, but I do.

I looked across the table at my father and thought about what he was like in the past. Maybe he was like how mom was described, nice and loving. Not distant and hard. Perhaps he smiled and carried me on his back. “What?” Dad asked, looking at me with an arched blonde eyebrow. I shook my head and picked at my food.

“Nothing,” I mumbled and hung my head down. I could feel dad and Carmen staring holes into my skin. They were good at that, silence. They sometimes would just stare and stare. Like they were trying to understand me and they way I think. Like I’m some sort of unsolvable mystery. Which I’m not, if anything they are they don’t tell me anything.

I shoved my plate away abruptly and stood up. Dad continued to stare, tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. “Done?”

I nodded and turned. “Thank you for the food.” As I walked up the stairs I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like if none of this happened. If the Blue was nothing but a false alarm and mom was still here. If they would hug me and show me love. If they would tell me everything and not be like living zombies.

I dreamed of that kind of life. Waking up on a Saturday morning, Carmen said those were the best days before the Blue, and come downstairs to breakfast. Carmen smiling and mom serving her. Of course she was faceless as much as I tried I just couldn’t put a face to her. Dad watching the news and complaining about it. I would eat breakfast and run outside with friends. I would be a normal kid.

I pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. I tried to and I willed myself to let the tears flow and just let myself be vulnerable. I really did try and I did for a long time. But I just didn’t know how.

Sometimes I think I’m just as emotionless as everyone else. That I wasn’t as different and maybe it was all in my head. I think that’s what really scary, being another emotionless zombie in a gray world, just like everyone else.

When I woke up the next day dad and Carmen were gone. Carmen probably went shopping, we were out of food and beer anyway. Dad was most likely working...I sighed and fixed myself some stale cereal and used the last of the milk. The sky was clear and the sun was beating down. Summer vacation is the most boring thing on the planet. Carmen used to rant about how amazing it was, but decided to stop when she realized it was pretty hopeless.

I never changed my mind about anything and if I thought summer was boring it was. Besides all I ever did was bike around the small town, hang around the diner and drink milkshakes or bury my face in one of the books. Sometimes I wonder how we do it all. We store our canned food in a rather large warehouse, we have our own small farm in the outskirts of town where we get our meat, milk and eggs and grow wheat for flour. Then there’s the greenhouse for the garden where we grow our fruits and vegetables, honestly I never knew how the mayor got her hands on all of this, but she did and I guess I’m fine with it. The books in the library are old and dusty. It’s a small library and there isn’t many and I’m almost positive I have read every book there ten times. The librarian eventually let me have some of the book. So most of them are under my bed that was getting to be too small for me.

Dad worked at the diner down the street, as much as I love it there I go rarely. He’s always in the back and whenever I step foot people ruffle my hair and comment how big I was getting. I would smile and nod, talk when I needed to then plop down in a stool and wait for dad.

After I finished my old and crunchy cereal I decided to head out. Maybe I’ll visit dad and run into Carmen. I pulled on my shoes and ventured out.

Chapter Four

Richie came over the next day, it was a weekend and like Richie’s mom had predicted the ship was getting closer. The two gazed up at the sky, Audrey emotionless as usual and Richie lost in thought. They sat at the back porch, pressing their bodies together as they looked at it. The didn’t mind the clothes sticking to the skins of their backs in the heat or the silence that unnerved them. They simply licked their popsicles and tried their best to avoid the stick syrup running down their hands. When it did the lapped it off and continued licking the popsicle.

“Are you scared,” Richie asked, turning his head and looking at Audrey. His glassed slipped off his nose, Audrey reached up and fixed them silently. Her lips quirked at the redness of his lips and the syrup on his chin.

“No,” she said. She pulled her hands away and placed her palms on the gravely steps, the rocks threatening to pressing against her skin easing her.

“I am,” Richie murmured, a sad smile spreading across his face. He looked down and watched a bug pass his feet. The grass brushed against his bare toes. Audrey wondered if it tickled. “They will be down here before I can even finish middle school y’know?”

Audrey nodded, she knew Richie dreamt about being an author. When he wrote he was in his own world. Deep down Audrey thought Richie really disliked how controlling his mother was. He didn’t know how to express it without hurting her. She was probably wrong but she liked to think she was right. She liked being right.

She reached over and touched his hand, not looking at him and curled her fingers around it. Audrey had larger hands then him, it didn’t surprise her Richie was small for their age. She took pride in it. Richie sniffled. Audrey squeezed her eyes shut and breathed heavily.

“I don’t know how you can be so brave,” Richie whispered. Audrey squeezed his hand tighter and pressed her free hand against the gravel more. She felt a small pain and the tightening in her chest resided a little. “You’re so cool did you know that?”

Audrey didn’t say anything and clenched her jaw. “I don’t want to die,” he gasped, Audrey felt him bury his face in her brown shoulder. Tears wetted her shirt and Audrey’s chest felt tight. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pressed his face into her shoulder. Staring at the old, dusty shed in her yard.

She lied. Audrey wasn’t brave, she was anything but brave. Audrey was terrified. She’d never say it. Sometimes people just needed to believe in things that weren’t real.

Chapter Five

“Where are you going?” Mrs. Gram asked from her porch, she was stroking her cat as I stopped my bike in front of her home. I looked up at her and frowned. Mrs. Gram was odd, she always asked what I was doing or where I was going. She stuck her nose into everything I did, whether it was her business or not, which it always wasn’t.

“A place,” I answered, making a soft clicking noise after to grasp her cat’s attention. I feel like Mrs. Gram and her cat Mr. Meow, were the only things that actually understood me. Of course I knew Mr. Meow was not a human being and didn’t understand a word I said. It didn’t stop me from preferring him over human beings.

Mr. Meow was a large animal and had so much fat to him it was surprising he can even walk or jump without breaking through the floorboards. Nonetheless I loved him to death, sometimes he escaped Mrs. Gram’s house and went into mine just so I can pet him. Mr. Meow walked over to me, swaying his hips and plopped down in front of my feet with a pleasant thud.

I sat down and pulled him to my lap to pet him. The pebbles on the ground digging into my thighs. Every conversation with Mrs. Gram was a long one, at least Mr. Meow would keep me company through it.

“That’s not much of an answer boy,” she said, rocking in her chair and glaring down at me through those thick, unnecessarily large glasses. I feel like she only had them just to make me scared of her. I would be lying if I said it didn’t.

“Well you don’t really need one don’t you?” I said, I know it was kind of rude, but we did this everyday. It got kind of annoying after awhile. Ever since I could remember she would make me talk to her. I would have just kept going merry way, but Mrs. Gram is pretty lonely. She lost her husband and daughters in the Blue. I guess she views my family as hers, I’m the only one who actually talks to her. I like to think I’m her favorite.

“Your father raised you with manners,” she huffed, crossing her scrawny arms over her chest and shaking her head. I wanted to say my dad didn’t really raise me, but that would just make her start going on and on about how he was trying his hardest, or about her sad, sad childhood. “You don’t use them don’t you?”

“I suppose not,” I answered, running my fingers through Mr. Meow’s hair and scratching his ear. Mr. Meow purred loudly and nuzzled up against my calloused hands. I sighed.

“Y’know, if you spoke like that back in my day, you’d get beat,” Mrs. Gram said, leaning back in her seat and relishing in the sunlight. I rolled my eyes, she always said that. “You need a good beating, Bram.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked, looking up at Mrs. Gram as she glared down at me. We did that a lot, stare at each other, waiting for one of us to break. She always won.

“Yes,” she hissed, fixing her glasses. “You’d get beat and you’d go home crying to your mama.” I flinched at the word ‘mama’, Mrs. Gram noticed and frowned. “I mean, papa.” She muttered.

I know she didn’t mean it, mentioning moms or telling me how amazing mothers would be. Once she even said I would be a lot nicer if I had a mama. I looked so destroyed, she dragged me in for cookies and some milk. As much as I make it seem like she’s annoying and I don’t particularly like her. Mrs. Gram has held my hand through it all. She was pretty much a grandmother I never wanted, but fortunately got.

She told me if I was being stupid and when I was younger fixed me or my sister up when we were all torn up. She yelled at my dad and treated him a like a child and what surprised me the most, is there was a look in his eyes that told us that she meant a lot to him.

Mrs. Gram was family to us and we were family to her. We were all she had after the Blue. So I guess that’s why I talk to her. “I’ve taken away your time boy,” Mrs. Gram huffed, standing up and popping her back. The pop echoed through the streets and sent shivers up my spine. “Run along to your daddy’s diner.”

I nodded and stood up, watching as Mr. Meow sprinted through the dead grass and up the stairs. “Have a nice day, Mrs. Gram,” I said, pulling my bike up and getting on it. Mrs. Gram waved and wobbled back into her house. As I watched her leave, I couldn’t help, but think if Mrs. Gram missed her husband and child as much as dad missed mom. Maybe she and dad could bond over their lost and maybe she’d make him show some emotion.

I looked down and scoffed, like that would ever happen. Dad was nothing, but an abyss of depression. It would be a miracle for him to show some other emotion than that and I don’t believe in miracles. If they existed none of this would ever happen right? I think they are just a weak person’s belief. If something good happens it’s a coincidence, a miracle is a fictional thing that never existed and never will.

Chapter Six

The tests were introduced at lunch by the principal. Richie had his head down, he was trying to do his math homework under the table. Audrey had an arm slung over his shoulder and stole a chip from his bag. “Attention ladies and gentlemen,” said the plump woman. Audrey lazily looked up as Richie sat his paper down gently on the table. “We will be taking a series of tests tomorrow. I expect all of you to participate and try. These tests are serious and we need as many of you as we can get to pass.”

“Why?” someone said from the crowd. Audrey chewed on her chip as she waited for the now flushed woman to answer.

“I suppose you guys do deserve to know,” she mumbled. Her plump fingers trembled as she held the microphone, handing her paper to a teacher. “These tests will tell us who’s the smartest, the strongest, and the fastest. These tests will take place in schools across the world. I expect each and everyone of you to do well.”

Richie stared at Audrey and the girl stared back. The principal stepped from the stage and walked quickly out of the room. “So they’re basically finding the people who are worth something?” Mumbled someone nearby.

“Particularly the worthy adolescence,” said another before adding. “They’re leaving the weak to die.”

Richie visibly paled. He was smart but not fast nor strong. He was lanky and bony, Audrey was the strong one, but she wasn’t the smartest. She was average in everything and she didn’t know if that should make her feel good or miserable. They were not looking for average they were seeking for the best.

Richie grasped Audrey’s hand in his and squeezed tight enough she felt as if her hand would explode. Nonetheless she squeezed back and went back to eating chips. It was best to be normal in this situation and not think much about it. Like they always did like everyone would always do.

To be continued...

science fiction
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About the Creator

Project Blair King

Fourteen year old with a dream to publish before high school ends

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