Dark Age (14 page)

…

“January 11th 2060 or 10,

Thirty-five. I cannot believe it has been ten years since I touched this little book. I stopped writing for a day, the day turned into a week, and the week into a month, and soon every time I lifted the pen, I felt as if whatever I would be writing was not equivalent to the magnitude of the events depicted till now. Much has happened, yet little has changed. The city has been refurbished and renovated. Most men lived in decent homes and had jobs that made the city self-sufficient. It took less than a week for the city to divide into factions. The educated made themselves merchants, and claimed that they should receive the secluded part of the city as they had expensive goods that could be stolen. The poor and dumb were pushed into the ruins close to the wall as the middle class men argued that no one wanted the smell from the factories and burning of wood and coal in the middle of the city. Not even Charles is who he once was. The people loved him and he used that love to create one of the most powerful tales. A tale of God. He told the people that God had talked to him and sent him to this castle. He had already been the leader, but what this tale had done for him was to make him a leader for a lifetime, as he was the right hand of God. No longer was he seen flirting with the girls in the city, no longer was he conversing with the commoners, and no longer was Charles his name. From that day on he had been only known as ‘the Inquisitor’.

The Underground Empire had been flourishing even more. In just ten years they had built their first underground metropolis which they called Atlantis. Through innovation and new forms of energy, their lifestyle was back to the standard of the 1920’s, which was astonishing compared to the 8th to 13th century standards of the Traditionalists. For the next years the Escapists had planned to spread their empire down to the Mediterranean Sea, and soon create an entire network throughout Europe. Alexander was determined to surpass his namesake in greatness, and become the greatest conqueror of all times. But their strength was limited. They still partially depended on the Inquisitor and his city to supply them with fresh foods, unable to find a way to replicate the sun and create life on their own.”

“September 9th, 2063 or 13,

Alexander has reached the Mediterranean Sea. I still cannot believe the
reports.”

“September 10th, 2063 or 13,

The conquest had its toll. Just a day later the coastal tunnels began to disintegrate, causing a mass collapse that spread many miles up north. Luckily the region had not been populated, but a few hundred miners are reported dead.”

“December 13th, 2063 or 13,

The tunnels have become less safe. Every month some tunnels collapse. The expansion has simply been too rapid. But even worse are the raids. Reports from the South state that former Aristocrats have formed tribes that attack small underground villages.”

“October 7th, 2066 or 16,

Alexander has gone too far. The consequences of his acts finally begin to show. The radiation safety procedures that were applied to Atlantis had been ignored in many outer regions for the sake of quicker expansion. As a result most of the newborns close to collapsed regions were born with birth defects: an extra extremity or a missing one, deformed body parts, or mental retardation. We, the Gate Watchers, were bribed to keep this news secret from the Inquisitor. I decided to not tell anyone. Not for the money, but out of fear of the Inquisitor’s possible response.”

“January 11th, 2070 or 20,

For forty-five years I have lived, and much I have seen. Birthdays have turned into mere reminders on how much time has passed. It has been 20 years now since we have found this valley. The tensions between the brothers have been rising steeply. The Inquisitor is closer than ever from shutting off all trade with the Empire and starting his own earth metal
mining.”

“February 19th, 2071 or 21,

A plague has erupted in the outer regions of the Empire, and is beginning to spread
fast.”

“February 22nd 2071 or 21,

The plague has hit Atlantis, and is now closer than ever to reaching the Gate Watchers and me. If one of the Inquisitor’s new miners catches the plague, I fear a complete destruction of the city. The medical standards inside the city are not just subpar, but rather dangerously low, just like they were in the dark
ages.”

“February 23rd 2071 or 21,

The Aristocrat tribes have heard the news of the plague, and began raiding their way to Atlantis. A siege is lying ahead of
us.”

“February 24th 2071 or 21,

Alexander walked past me today for the first time in 21 years. He came to visit his brother in the city to ask for military support. I had almost thought him to be a god or some divine creature, but he really was just a man. When he came back at night, his face was dark and filled with trouble. We talked shortly. He told me that once they obliterated the Aristocrat offensive on Atlantis, he would take his men down to the Mediterranean and travel by ship to Central Africa, a place that had been untouched by the War of 2049, and bid farewell to the violence once and for all. As I talked to him something struck me. For a man reaching forty, he still looked no older than his mid-twenties.”

“February 25th 2071 or 21,

Today the Inquisitor, or Charles as whom I remembered him, walked towards me. He gave me the one order only he could give me. To close the gates, and kill anyone who tries to open them.

… That is no coincidence. When I saw the Inquisitor, he looked almost like he did the day he shook hands with his brother to form the Treaty of Nusquam. Could it be? Are they immortals? Could it be that they were part of the original Aristocrats? They seemed to be aging, but half as fast as the common man. They must have been someone else than they said they were 21 years
ago.”

“February 27th 2071 or 21,

Every day I hear their screams, the scared, the sick, the hungry. Wildly they pound against the gate crying to be let in. Next to me rests a little chest in which I store some of the hand grenades I had brought with me from the Global Resistance HQ. If anyone breaches the gate I will blow them away with something they have not seen in years. It should do the
job.”

“December 2nd, 2076 or 26,

Today was the first time I have heard from the Aristocrats and Escapists in years. It appears that the two interbred and found shelter as a tribe in the woods within the valley. In a large raid they attacked the families that lived on the farms, and took some of their livestock. Some say they have even eaten the bodies of the
farmers.”

“December 6th, 2076 or 26,

The raids continue. The Inquisitor decided to shut the city gates and make the families stay inside. From what I have heard he is beginning to raise an
army.”

“January 11th, 2077 or 27,

Fifty-two years. What are these numbers anyway? What does age signify? We try to quantify life as if it were a measurement or good. Since early December I have not received any news. Life has become much lonelier recently. With the Escapists shut off, the other Gate Watchers miles apart, and the Traditionalists being locked up behind the city gates, I have not had any human contact in over a month. I think it is eating at me again. I miss her. I miss her so much. The only physical memory I have left is this photograph. Oh the hours I have spent staring at it. Her smile… oh, her smile. If no one comes within the next month to refresh my rations I will be with you soon
Amber.”

“January 28th, 2077 or 27,

They made it. Today I was awoken from my sleep by the clanging sound of armor. A band of men led by the Inquisitor with blood smeared chest plates approached me, announcing that the war was won. “From now on however”, the Inquisitor continued “women, children and the elderly are not allowed to step outside the gates. Their safety shall not be risked. Every boy at the age of eighteen has to leave the city to join the Guard until he served for ten years. That is the new law. And it is God’s law.” I simply nodded when I heard those news. It seemed like an emergency law, but I can sense that it will turn into a new tradition. He will have an army, when all he ever talked about was peace… but who will question ‘tradition’?

The Inquisitor had no use for me anymore, but kept me updated through his messengers, or sometimes even himself. It was too dangerous bringing me back to the city with all I knew, yet he seemed to respect me for my services too much to have me
killed.”

…

“January 1st, 2090 or 40,

Forty years have passed since we received our new beginning, our clean slate. Sadly I look back and see that we have not changed. Driven by greed, selfishness and hatred, we still fight one another instead of bringing us towards a world without violence. I just wish that one day we can leave our human weaknesses behind and be as godly as we were meant to be. I wonder if Alexander ever made it to Africa, but I fear they got massacred in the siege on
Atlantis.

As for the Inquisitor, he has become darker and sterner by the year. His rule has become stricter, and the people just live to serve God. The excitement and luster of our new golden age has fainted. This story is finished. The years are bleaker and bleaker, and my commentary can add little of
substance.”

“January 10th, 2095 or 45,

I have come to my end. Blood has been exiting my lungs, and I can feel that I won’t be there to see my seventieth birthday. To whomever finds this book, and I pray it enters the right hands, promise me to learn from the mistakes of our fathers. Promise me to end this bloody violence. Promise me you will be different. A man should not embrace death, with the sole wish to exit this forsaken world and return to his loved ones that have been ripped from his arms too soon. The clock is about to strike midnight. What follows is uncertainty and a whole lot of darkness. But be assured that once the day breaks, light will reign… till that late hour rises
again.”

Chapter 16

M
y
eyes were
rushing over the pages, reading them again and again, trying to soak up the very last bits of information I could have missed. As much as everything made sense, I was more confused than ever before. This might as well have been a fantasy tale made up from the imagination of the wildest madman.

Before I could sort my thoughts, the angry voices of Flatnose and his companion called my name. Quickly I stowed the book into my pouch next to the picture of Amber and Lizzy that Winston had held in his dying moments. I looked around, wondering if I would ever find this room again. Often I thought about how life would have been if I had opened the gate and drifted into the abyss of the past, but too much had been holding me back at that moment.

I ran towards their voices so that they would not find the possibly last remains of the Gate Watchers. When I made a turn I bumped into them, and was greeted with surprising relief.

“Thank God you are alive. Terric is back and we are in big enough trouble already,” he said out of breath as he pulled me by the sleeve. “Let’s go.”

For at least ten minutes they guided me through the tunnels, until I was perplexed at the fact that they had not lost orientation, “How do you find your way around the mines?”

“It’s simple. You enter the mine through one of the many entrances. This is entrance 1. The first turn you take leads you into tunnel 10, 11, or 12. Then from 10 you turn into 100, 101, or 102 and so on. You can find the number of the tunnel on the top of each entrance. It’s hard to see sometimes because its small, but they have to be small since the numbers can get quite large.”

Terric must have been really upset. They were uncomfortably friendly all the sudden compared to the dirt-like treatment I received last time I saw them. When we exited the mine I was welcomed by the rising sun. “How long was I in there?” I asked.

“We brought you in Tuesday night… now it is Thursday morning,” the skinny one responded.

“What did you do in there all that time?” asked Flatnose. “That was plenty of time to find your way out.”

I did not want to tell them about the book, “I was knocked out for quite a while and then got lost in the tunnels. Eventually I gave up on trying to find an exit.”

Interestingly enough, three horses awaited us at the exit of the mine this time. No longer was I forced to run besides them, but was treated as if they were trying to regain my favors. The clean air filled my lungs and slowly removed the burning sensations that had plagued me ever since entering the mines. Through the morning light we rode across the plains, over the river, towards the settlement. As our horses strutted onto the platform before the officer house, a dozen guards had assembled around Yorick and Terric who were having a wild argument.

“These men reported that you unilaterally sent a recruit into the mines. Are you out of your mind!” yelled Terric at Yorick.

“You will not talk to me like that in front of my men,” Yorick hissed at Terric, “I have told you before, it was a mere misunderstanding. I had nothing to do with this,” Yorick added defensively. “Ah, look here they are.”

Terric was visibly relieved upon seeing me. His composure relaxed, and he turned towards the door, “Let’s take this inside. Yorick, Adam, and you two good-for-nothings follow me.”

Entering the house I could feel the tension in the air, like the poisonous gas in the mines. We walked up the stairs towards the officer living spaces. Terric waited for all of us to enter, and shut the door behind us.

“Now Adam, tell me what happened,” he asked.

My glance passed between him and Yorick, the latter of which looked at me like he would kill me the moment I left Terric’s sight. Despite this game of fear, I told him everything, how he stopped me, how I responded, how he killed the horse and banned me to the mines.

Terric called in a guard that was waiting at the door, “Go check the stables and tell me how many horses we have,” he ordered. “In a few minutes we will know the truth. Yorick I give you one last chance to confess.”

“I told you before, none of which the boy says is true. Ask those two idiots themselves! Did I ever give you the order to escort Mr. Blacksmith to the mines?” Yorick asked Flatnose and his companion.

They looked at one another for a moment and then at me, “No it was our doing, Master Terric. It was just a prank among friends.”

“We are not friends you dirty liars. Why then did you tell the miners that you received direct orders from Master Yorick?” I asked angered.

“We felt threatened by them as they had drawn their swords. It was just one big mistake. We are deeply sorry,” Flatnose said apologetically with his eyes facing the floor.

The door opened up. The guard had returned from the stables, “33 horses, Master,” he reported briefly before disappearing behind the door again.

“Then we are done here,” Terric said.

“So how are you going to punish them,” I asked with triumphant zeal.

“They will receive service-long stable duties, for impersonating orders, and entrapping a fellow guard. Yorick will face no punishment however, as he spoke truth. The number of horses has not changed since I had left,” he was quiet for a moment, “which means that you will receive one year of unpaid kitchen duty for lying to an officer in an attempt to incriminate another officer. I apologize, Yorick.”

Shaking his head, Yorick walked out, closely followed by the two others. I still stood there baffled by what had just happened. The door fell shut and I was alone with Terric.

“Is there anything else, Adam?” he asked coldly.

“You know as well as me that Yorick was lying. Why would I make up such an elaborate story? I would never lie to you,” I said filled with indignation.

Terric was silent and looked through a book. After a moment he looked up at me and responded, “What I believe matters little. I can feel that Yorick was lying. But in a fair society, I cannot make judgments based on a hunch or a ‘feeling’ I have. That would not be justice. We looked for the facts, and unfortunately the facts were on his side. I am sorry Adam.”

“You are just afraid of him, like everyone else,” I growled at him.

“I am not afraid of anyone, boy. But when I am dealing with Yorick I have to use correct judgment or I am risking my entire authority. Thanks to Yorick and his dirty games I am already walking on thin ice. I might be first-in-command, but I know that when it comes down to it many of the man would stab me in the back upon his order.”

“I am sorry Terric,” I said after a long pause. “There is something else I have to show you.” I pulled out the diary from within my pouch, “I found this in the mine. It’s the diary of one of the Gate Watchers.”

“Lower your voice you fool,” Terric said seizing the book from my grasp. “You should not have found this, and even less kept it. Every second you carry this on you, you are one step closer to your own grave. I have known boys like you that found things that were not meant for their eyes, and they began telling people. Before you knew it they died in an ‘accident’ or were found in a ditch the next morning.”

“But we have to let everyone know about the truth!” I prayed to Terric. “What about Africa, maybe we can still escape this doomed valley.”

“Africa, Asia, Australia, I have heard it all. They came to Central Europe thinking that things were better than America. It’s all a lie. And even if it isn’t, there is nothing we can do. The moment you open your mouth, you are a dead man. Just promise me, that you won’t talk about the past with anyone. I’ve thought about mending the future with the past. But as we try it, we lose the present. Do it for the girl, she misses you dearly,” he said handing over a letter. “Sometimes we hold the world in our hands, but in our greed for more let it fall, losing everything that we once had.”

I let his words sink in and opened the letter that Katrina had written me:

My dearest Adam,

My words cannot match yours in their beauty, but I reflect all which you have said. Your parents, Eric, and everyone else are off just fine. Not much has happened since you have left, yet it seems like one eternal blank in my life. I miss you. Nothing has been the same without you. Sometimes I go back up on the Mount. I sit there alone, waiting for your hands to emerge onto the rooftop. At every celebration on the city square I sit on the sidelines looking for you in the crowd, waiting for our dance to be repeated, ending in that long passionate kiss I live to feel again. I pray for you every day, and await your return.

Farewell my love,

Katrina

I folded the small piece of paper together and stared at it gravely. “I will stop thinking about it; for her,” I told him. “For now.”