The Awakening

Chapter One: The Awakening

The early morning sunrise emanated a pale orange glow that penetrated through the curtains of Grace's room. Sitting up with her back propped against two pillows, Grace stretched and let out a loud yawn as she rubbed her eyes to clear her morning drowsiness. With her pale blue eyes squinted in a way that helped to accommodate her to the light, she tread over to her desk that sat adjacent to her bed and gazed deeply into the mirror placed on top. Her lack of sleep was catching up to her, for she remained unbothered by her  bedraggled appearance and disheveled hair. This time of year always made Grace feel unsteady inside; however, lack of sleep and constant paranoia were just the beginning of her troubles.
          It had been nearly two years since her parents' murders, but something about this particular year felt different to Grace. Something else seemed to be troubling her, but she couldn't exactly point her finger on what it was. Perhaps it's because today is Justin's turn to face the Awakening she thought to herself. Grace put her hands on the dresser and bent her neck down in frustration. Tears pooled in her eyes as she crinkled her nose, trying to hold in the waterworks.
"I miss you mom and dad," she said through her broken voice.
A fierce conversation suddenly erupted from outside her door, inevitably breaking the silence she basked in. Grace pulled herself together and tiptoed over to her door and pressed her ear against the wooden barrier. The fight soon hushed into a whisper causing Grace to strain in order to make out any of the words. Minutes later, the conversation ended and Grace backed away from door as Imere cracked the door and peeked her head inside.
     "How are you holding up sweetie," Imere whispered as she looked at Grace with an hint of consolidation.
     "It's hard," she said as she approached Imere looking for a comforting hug. Grace closed her eyes, for she finally felt that warmth she so desperately needed.
          Imere had aged tremendously since Grace  had first met her. Eighteen years prior, Imere was the person who first welcomed Grace when she entered the Warehouse. Never did she think that she would grow so close to a woman other than her mother.
          Imere pushed Grace back and held her at an arm's length away.
     "Your brother is downstairs waiting for you," she announced. "It's his big day and he can't leave without saying good bye".
          Justin sat downstairs at the kitchen table next to his best friend Brandon who was brought in to the Warehouse a couple months before Grace arrived with her baby brother. He had floppy, dirty blonde hair that messily fell over his forehead and dark brown, chocolate colored eyes.

                                        *** 

Raven leaned her back against the kitchen counter watching everyone hurriedly scamper around last minute before the two boys left for the Awakening. She watched the boys shovel their breakfasts down while Grace and Imere walked around in a panic-like frenzy. Raven was older than Justin and Brandon, but she felt as if they were her younger brothers. She had grown up with these two boys and cared greatly for them, only wanting what was best for them.
          Justin and Brandon stood at the door, facing everyone with looks of anticipation. They dressed in ironed, black suits and loafers of the same color. Before they left for the ceremony, Imere and Grace approached the two boys and gave them words of encouragement.
     "You guys will be fine," Grace chuckled as she fixed Justin's hair.
     Justin batted her hand away and gave a half smile as he shook his head to make his wavy brown hair fall back into place. The group engaged one final time and Justin and Brandon left the Warehouse.

                                       ***

Justin and Brandon stand in a crowded line outside the Capital Building as government workers usher people into their corresponding rooms. They had been waiting for what seemed like eternity and the midday sun was beating down an intense heat onto the awaiting teenagers. Justin looked over at Brandon who's hair was matted down to his forehead from a layer of sweat forming on his face. Brandon wiped his face with the edge of his suit jacket and bent down, resting his hands on his knees.
          The line moved intermittently and the best friends desperately moved forward, hoping to escape the burning heat. Tightly packed bodies brushed against Justin on every side and a foul odor floated in the air around him. He looked up to the sky, pushing his clammy hands up to his forehead and through his now soaked hair. He bent down and rested his head on Brandon's back in an attempt to find a safe haven from the sun.
          Suddenly, a man appeared on the porch of the capital building, holding a white megaphone to his bearded face.
     "SILENCE," he chanted. The loud, indistinct conversations subdued as all eyes fell upon the man. Justin looked up, holding his hand above his eyes to block the blinding light ahead of him when a loud voice echoed across the freeway they stood in.
     "I am Prime Minister Johnson! You are all gathered here today to face The Awakening. This process was started decades ago by my late father Cornelius. After the first uprising, nearly a century ago, my father took control and made our community into what it is today. He issued The Awakening as something all young adults must go through in an attempt to stop a disease that plagued our great country many years ago. The Awakening was his way of eradicating the virus and neutralizing the population, so we can live without the worries of suffering from it's lethal ramifications. Once you enter the building, you will be guided into a room where you will receive a routine body scan before being injected with your microchip.  This chip will kill off any traces of the virus that may be hiding in your bloodstream".
          The young adults erupted into a cry of cheers and applause for their Prime Minister as a way to say thanks for all that he has done for them.
     "Settle down, settle down," Johnson erupted with a sly smirk on his face. The ushers pushed people from behind into the large building. Stumbling atop one another, the mass amount of teenagers pushed and fought their way through to their assigned containment room. Justin and Brandon made it to the end of a hallway and entered room 12B.
          The walls were made of a frosted glass-like material and dim lights cast dark, eerie shadows around the room. There were no windows and only one door that was now locked. About a hundred people were in the room, Justin noticed while observing his surroundings.
     "Something about this feels weird, don't cha think?" Justin asked Brandon.
     "Nah! I'm just glad to be in an air conditioned building," Brandon joked.
     "I don't know," Justin replied. "Probably just my imagination running wild."
The two boys walked to their assigned spots within the room and waited for the ushers to start The Awakening.
          A holographic image was projected down from the ceiling and it began to talk.
     "Hello, everyone. I'm usher A-73194! In a minute, a radiation laser will scan the group of you guys. This is a completely harmless process that should only take a few seconds".
          The image glitched away and a metal bar moved to the front of the room. It rose to the ceiling and shot out a red sheet of light while giving off a soft hum. Justin looked up as the laser passed over him and a tingly sensation went throughout his body. He shivered and waited for the laser to pass back over him a second time. He faced the ground, spread his legs to shoulder distance, and folded his arms across his chest. He held a blank stare in his eyes and kept his lips tightly pressed together. Justin looked over and saw Brandon blankly staring at him, waiting for this to be over.
          The laser shut off and the room went pitch black. The glass door suddenly swung open and an alarm rang throughout the building. Sirens on the wall flashed red, interrupting the darkness they stood in. Faint screams could be heard in the distance as ushers rushed across the room grabbing people left and right. Justin crouched down and searched frantically for his friend Brandon and saw that he was running towards him. Justin stood up and jogged closer to Brandon, dodging the people in blocking his path. Suddenly, an usher reached out and grabbed Brandon's shoulder, sticking a tranquilizing needle into his neck. Brandon fell to the floor in a lifeless lump and Justin rushed over to his friend. Flipping Brandon's body over, Justin frantically felt around for a pulse or any signs of life. Justin pressed his ear to his friend's chest and listened closely for a heart beat. The surrounding sound gave off a deafening ring, but Justin cleared his mind of his environment and focused his thoughts on his unconscious friend. He suddenly felt a warm hand land on his shoulder, pulling him back away from Brandon. Justin swirled around, not ready to go down without a fight. He stood up and swung his right arm into the Usher's face, knocking the man aback. Justin glanced around, angry at the people around him.
          Strobe lights blinded everyone around him and deafening noises flooded people's minds. Justin bent down and picked up Brandon. Slinging him over his shoulder, Justin frantically looked around for some way to escape the ongoing situation. He spotted the exit door and made his way over to where he entered the room just moments ago.
          Sneaking out into the hallway, Justin was met by four more ushers ready for a fight. He carefully set Brandon down and took off his own suit jacket. He charged two of the ushers head on and knocked them both down easily. The two still standing grabbed both of his arms, hindering him from being able to lash out. Justin turned and kicked the usher in the groin, giving him access to his left arm once the  government worker fell over. He swung wide and punched the last usher to the ground, knocking the man unconscious. Justin sprinted back over to Brandon, and he bent down to pick him up once more. He felt a sharp pain on the right side of his neck. Reaching up, he felt a long protrusion coming out from his neck. He gripped his hand around the object and yanked it out. The object appeared to be some kind of flagged dart.
          His vision suddenly became blurry and he couldn't center his thoughts anymore. Justin bent down and pushed his head against the wall, trying to stay upright and conscious. Sliding down the wall, Justin's body lost all feeling and his limbs fell weak. He slouched down and fell on top of Brandon as his eyelids closed shut.