The Awakened (Prologue) (with CJ Liggins 🏳️‍🌈)

THIS IS A COLLAB MADE WITH CJ LIGGINS, PLEASE GO CHECK OUT THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY IT IS AMAZING AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT, THIS IS NOT ONE OF MY BETTER STORIES SO I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME FEEDBACK BUT PLEASE BE NICE ABOUT IT :)

The world is divided, separated, to ‘keep the peace’, as the government says.

But it’s all a lie.

During the pandemic, too many people were becoming violent. Too many people were killing because of their skin color or their beliefs or who they love…

The government had had enough.

They created virtual reality ‘boxes’ and separated us into two groups: LGBTQ+ and Homophobic. Then, they separate that by male, female, and non-binary. Everyone was white, religions didn’t exist… and anyone who fought against that was killed. You’re either one or the other. There is no in between.

There is no jail. There is no liberty. There is no ‘belief mixing’.

Only separation and death.

They grabbed two humans for each subcategory, called the First Six. They were all white, all atheists, all non-caring about the rest of the world. 

The government killed off the rest of the population.

Then, the First Six reproduced. If any child was born with too much black in their blood, or too much Asian, they were killed. If someone tried to escape their virtual reality box, they were killed. If someone had a different belief than everyone else in their box, they were killed. You were born and raised in the box your parents were in, and that’s where you died as well. You lived with your parents until you were 18, when the government ‘made’ a house just for you and your future spouse to live in until the day you died.

The government thought this was the way. They thought this was how you keep the peace: separating people and killing those who opposed them.

Weren’t we supposed to improve over time?

But that’s enough of the past. Now I have to show you the inevitable present, and possibly your future…

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I dragged myself out of bed, making my way to the white marble bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and brushed my hair, all half-asleep. Me and my friends had plans to go to the local cafe for breakfast, then go bowling for the rest of the day. 

We had many ways of entertainment, an entire street full of arcades and malls and bowling alleys. Anything you could think of, they had.

We didn’t have to pay money. We didn’t have to work. We had robots for that. 

A life of fun and agreement and stress-free days...

...supposedly.

I pulled my hair into a ponytail, wondering why my life was the same thing every day.

Honestly, it was boring.

It was boring to not have different beliefs to talk about, to say something and everyone around you is just agreeing…

But at the same time, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand why someone would want to marry the same gender, or change who they are…

I simply don’t understand.

Maybe we should be in separate boxes. Maybe the LGBTQ+ people should stay away from us. Maybe this really is the way it should be…

I look up at the camera at the corner of the bathroom. No, it shouldn’t be this way. We shouldn’t be like prisoners in our own homes, treated like criminals yet having the illusion of the perfect life. 

I noticed a flashing light at the corner of my mirror. The little corner was appearing and disappearing in a blue light, as if glitching…

As if the hologram is failing.

Stories have been said about those living at the corner of the box, which is apparently the most glitchy area, being able to escape. Unfortunately, they had been annihilated before they got very far.

What should I do? Should I go through? Should I press the emergency button on my watch? 

I looked at the camera as it moved left and right between my bedroom and the bathroom. I waited until it’s head was turned towards the bedroom until I touched the corner, spreading the glitch to the rest of the mirror.

It was now or never. If the government saw the mirror on the camera, they would be in here in a heartbeat.

The glitch was already fading. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I climbed onto the countertop and climbed into the mirror, my skin tingling as I made my way through the blue hue and into the brown desert.

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Is this really Earth?

I gaped around the barren wasteland, so brown and lifeless, not a tree in sight. My breathing quickened, from shock or from the lack of oxygen, I’m not sure. I looked behind me to find a large metal box, so wide I couldn’t see the end of it.

Is this where I lived?

I walked forward, not knowing where I was going or what I was looking for.

I spotted a grey speck in the distance. Was it the other box? Was it where all the LGBTQ+ people lived? I ran towards it, thankful for the evolution and genetic engineering that made it possible for me to run almost as fast as a horse. As the grey speck came closer and closer into few, the watch on my wrist beeped, projecting a hologram of my face, my green eyes young and bold, my brown hair slick and neat. I quickly yanked it off my wrist and threw it to the ground, smashing it to pieces. I had completely forgotten about the watch, which could possibly be used as a tracking device.

I could only hope I wasn't too late.

...

After running for what seemed for hours, I slowed my pace to a light jog. The grey box was getting bigger and bigger as I ran closer to it. Why was I running towards it? How would I get in? What would I do once I was there?

I saw a small figure in front of the box wildly waving at me. I sped up a little bit, running towards the figure that seemed to excited to see me. As I got closer, I got just barely see the face, and it wasn't one of joy or excitement, but of fear.

The smile dropped from my face as my adrenaline suddenly spiked. Something was wrong, I could feel it.

The strange man started running towards me, the wind tousling his hair, his brown eyes exhibiting a look of pure terror. Before I could react, he shoved me aside right as the sound of a gun filled the air and his body fell to the floor.

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I screamed as his body dropped to the floor like a ragdoll. I looked towards the man who had shot him, someone in a black suit and a gun in his hand. My blood ran cold as he pointed the gun towards me. I closed my eyes, hoping my death will be quick and painless... but the gun didn't fire. Instead, I heard what sounded like somebody grunting, then a small thud. I looked up to see the man in the suit on the floor, a large rock sitting next to his head. A woman stood next to him, breathing hard and clutching her protruding belly. Her unusually dark skin blended into the brown terrain, her long hair twisted into tight braids. I looked away, remembered what had just happened, then turned to the man on the floor who had just saved my life.

I crawled to his body, a small pool of blood sinking into the soil. I glanced at the small hole in his stomach, then looked away. The dark woman walked over to us, bending down next to me, fingering the bullet hole.

"We will have to take him back to the shelter," she said, her thick Nigerian accent making her words sound sharp. "I can help him, but not here. Come, we shall go."

She picked up the man effortlessly, then started walking through the terrain. I hesitated before following behind, hoping that it's not to late to save him and tell him thank you for saving my life.