The Dracula Index - Vampire Epoch//01

5 - Mell

MELL'S NOTES BOOK
July 21, 2245
Entry #3 - Handwritten

It's been a few days. I'll pick up where I left off.

Standing in Classroom 6, Teacher Deirdre looked at us with an expression that could only be characterized as concern, because there was a whole lot more behind her eyes than we were capable of interpreting. Then she spoke.

"Before the job heads come in, I am going to give you a chance to do what you...all have the right to do," she said in a gradually comforting tone, scanning the room. "And that is to ask me any question that comes to your mind. What you ask, I will do my best to answer. To the very fullest of my knowledge. We can circle the room so you each have an opportunity, or you can just throw your questions at me, one by one. Enjoy this part. It is your last moments of true freedom. Freedom of thought. Of choice. And let us not forget, this is an experience that Lenny has just forfeited."

I wanted to add that he was obligated to forfeit his freedom, but I held my tongue because Teacher Deirdre was speaking in a way that none of us had ever heard before. Typically, our teacher bursts with joy and compliments, making us proud to be Encampers of R-34. This was another side of Deirdre. And all of us knew it had nothing to do with Commencement Day, and everything to do with what we had witnessed the night before.

Our teacher turned to face Crevan, "Go on. I know each of you have hundreds of questions."

Crevan pointed to the line drawing at the center of the wall, next to the bulletin string. "What's that squiggly line with the boot? The one that we say our pledge to every morning."

"A big question right at the start. Let's get to it, then. Shall we?"

Deirdre groaned in discomfort as she got slowly to her feet, then approached the wall behind her desk where a number of unrecognizable metal cases were stacked. They were coated in cavernous dents and scars. We watched with curiosity as she opened the first case, rifled through it, and moved on to the second, where she produced a sizable length of linen, almost like a bunk sheet, and clipped it to the bulletin string. Painted on the linen were numerous shapes in solid colors, connected to one another like a massive puzzle. They were surrounded by one large figure in blue. At the center of this was the boot. We all recognized it at once. Even though the linen was creased in places, and torn or rotted in others, the colors were vibrant and the many thin lines were distinct.

"This is a map of the world. Our part of the world, that is. We have discussed the world before. It's where we live. This represents the land beyond the fenced boundary." Teacher pointed to the individual shapes around the boot. "These areas are where we once lived, as one large habitat. Now, we have taught you biology here. We have taught you mathematicals. You have even learned encampment history, how to grow your own food, and how to keep yourself healthy and clean. But there are many gaps in your education, and this is the first. The world beyond the desolate patch is vast, stretching far from the hills of this valley. Our home is the size of a seed in comparison. Right here, do you see this," she said, pointing to a mark on the paper that appeared to be a stain. "This tiny blemish is where we are. In fact, the size of the blemish is much larger than the encampment. This whole region was once called Italy."

"That's the boot shape?"

"Yes, and it was part of a larger area called a continent. This land is surrounded by water. A vast amount that is as deep as the sky is tall. There is more land past the deep water, it stretches beyond this paper...which only shows a portion of our world. I don't know much about that land. A lot of this information has been lost. Or, more likely, it is kept secret from the Teachers, out of fear that we would tell our students." She paused for a moment, and it seemed like she was getting lost in the way the sunlight played against the metal wind chimes hanging from the willow tree outside the window. "So...next question."

Lane raised her hand. "What happened?"

"That's usually the first question," Deirdre observed, returning to her normal seat behind the desk. "Two hundred years ago, more perhaps, a sickness was weaving its way through the world. Our population numbers were so high, you couldn't imagine how many of us were here. As the story goes, it happened in a single night. It's hard to believe, but...that's the story. One night, our numbers were cut in half. By a week later, that number was halved again. We continued to dwindle until only the sick and the smart remained. Those who carry the virus still exist today, outside the boundary of this encampment. That is why we live by such stringent rules. We work hard each day to bring us closer to a secure world, but that is not your reality. It won't be for centuries to come. We are born, we breed. We live, we die. Without the encampment and its protection, humanity will most certainly perish. There is only one solution to destroying the virus, and that is by outliving it and increasing our numbers until we can overtake the sick who remain."

While most of us were stunned mute by what we had heard, Edie blurted out a question almost uncontrollably. "Why do we have to perform the same job our entire life? Why can't we...switch jobs every five years or something?" Nervously, her eyes darted over to Crevan. He was grinning at her question.

"It's the rule," Teacher said. "We have very specific policies carried out by the Elder Council, and that is one of them."

"So, they came up with these rules?" Rufus asked in a low voice.

"No. Would you like to know why?"

"Yes," I replied.