Heat Seeker Prelude
No one's really sure how it all went down last year. Most normal people just remember being woken up at home to the sound of sirens and screams. Sometimes, I wish I had that memory instead, but I'm not most people. My name is Johnathon Thames, and I'm a carrier.
Carriers is only the politically correct term for describing us, but there are many names for what we are known as. To the scientific communities we're called anomalies, to the church abominations, and to the public, just errors. Regardless of what you call us, we weren't meant to survive the Great Impact.
Almost overnight my entire world had changed. Indigo City was bombarded by nearly a dozen UFO's. Sure there were plenty of theories, contact with alien life, secret government weapons testing, even terrorists attacks, but no one knew anything for sure. When the objects crashed down, they released this toxic, blue gas in the atmosphere. It stayed in the air for about an hour before dissipating. Most of the people indoors were fine but it was hell for anyone who breathed it in.
Despite how becoming a carrier ruined my life, it was far better than the alternative. Those who weren't lucky enough to survive the gas became blights. Seeing that change for the first time still haunts me to this day. First they stopped breathing, then their skin would turn pale and they would hemorrhage black blood. After a few minutes, they would rise, like something out of a zombie movie.
The blights raided streets in packs like wild dogs. It took months to put down the hordes, in fact it got so bad that the military had to quarantine the population. For some reason they wouldn't attack carriers. In hindsight, we must have already dead to them.
A bunch of carriers helped the military but as soon as the disease was contained, we were no longer needed. To the rest of the world we were as much as a problem as the zombies were. We reminded them of their greatest tragedy and their newest fear.
It wasn't surprising what came next. They dragged us into camps, claiming it was for our own benefit. It was a bold lie, but nonetheless a lie that the rest of the world was ready to believe. For 95 days they tested us to no end. Starvation, isolation, physical torture, and heavy sedation, were all a daily routine for any who possessed the will to rebel. Several carriers killed themselves just to make it stop. As tough as I thought I was, I had many nights where that didn't sound like such a bad idea.
Seven months ago, a group of carriers snuck video footage of from the camp out to a reporter. Within that week our release was demanded by the public. I'd like to say it was all sunshine and rainbows after that but life is rarely so convenient.
Between the gangs of carriers that prey on the weak, the mobs that want us dead, and the new paramilitary force designed to arrest us, Indigo City has become a powder keg. It's all bound to explode at any moment; I for one won't be waiting on the sidelines when it does.
To be continued...
Log in to comment