"This is art." I said, holding a painting in my hands.
"APPRECIATE IT!" I yelled, bringing the Mona Lisa closer to POD 000.
Suddenly, the Mona Lisa disappeared, it was just a hologram created by POD 001.
"Welcome to another episode ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry for using a fake Mona Lisa, but the real one as well as many other works of art have been locked away in a vault by the Human Heritage Recovery Management Organization." I walked through the white corridors of the gallery where I was.
"Today we will talk about art, but first we need to answer a question. What is art? It is quite a subjective question. Art, from the Latin ars, means technique or skill, but that is the dictionary definition. What is art for you who are watching us? For me, art is a way for people to express themselves. I know, it's the most generic answer possible, but that's what I believe." I stopped in front of a big white wall.
"We are here in this abandoned art gallery to talk about some of the ways human beings express themselves. But first, how about we talk a little about the history of this place?" I said, opening my arms and waving at the gallery.
"This is an art gallery, works of art were displayed here a long time ago for humans to see and appreciate. Imagine humans walking through these halls with their family and friends with paintings hanging on the walls, works by Da Vinci, sculptures and high reliefs by Donatello and Michelangelo, but art is not just paintings and sculptures." I walked towards a big white wall with both PODs recording and following me.
"Art can also be architecture, drawing, writing, music, dance, theater and cinema."
With every word I said, POD 000 displayed an image on the wall, the interior of the Roman Pantheon, the Vitruvian Man, an image of The Divine Comedy, an orchestra playing in a theater, a couple dancing tango, a group performing Shakespeare's Hamlet and the sequence of a galloping horse by Eadweard Muybridge.
"We will focus on architecture, painting, and sculptures." I said while POD 000 displayed several examples of the types of art I cited.
"But we have to talk a little about the history of art, the term art as we know it today started from the 18th century onwards. People used the word art to talk about some kind of skill, like sewing clothes, carving wooden furniture, forging a sword, and more." I said to the PODs with emotion in my voice. I am not going to lie, I am imitating my art teacher a little; he liked to ramble on for hours about art.
"Now, if you would be so kind as to accompany me, I will show you the first part of our exhibition on the history of art." I said, doing my best imitation of a guide.
I smiled at the PODs, leaning slightly to the left as I extended my arms towards a hallway. Walking down the hall, I stopped in front of a wall where a painting probably stood a long time ago.
"When we think about art, we most often imagine well-known paintings and sculptures, but art is older than it looks, art has been around since prehistoric times."
POD 000 displayed an image of a caveman wearing animal skins and carrying spears on the wall.
"As you can see, this is the human being in his beginnings, when he lived in caves and needed to hunt to survive."
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live at that time? I have learned firsthand what it was like to hunt without firearms and live in a cave. After all, there are not many humans walking around the planet, so I had to make do to survive.
"Paleolithic and Neolithic humans created what is known today as Rock Art. In addition, how do we know this? We know this through archaeological evidence in the form of paintings on cave walls."
POD 001 displayed images of paintings found on cave walls, and drawings of deer-like animals, bulls, elephants, and tigers. Some of these images showed men carrying spears, bows, and arrows around these animals, most likely a hunt.
I moved forward as if a group of visitors accompanied me and stopped in front of another empty wall, continuing my explanation.
"Human beings became sedentary around the Neolithic period, developed agriculture and religion, which became part of their daily lives. Some sculptures emerged from there..."
POD 001 displayed the image of the Venus sculpture of Willendorf.
"…And the megalithic monuments, which for those who don't know, are monumental constructions based on stone blocks."
POD 000 displayed the images of the Stonehenge monument in England and the Cromlech of Almendres in Portugal.
"As you can see, art has existed for thousands of years, from the time when human beings lived in caves. New types of art emerged when they became sedentary, and changed according to the environment they were in, and the life they lived. Now, let's go to the second part of our exhibition." I smiled again, leaning toward a new session of the exhibit.
"Now we will take a big leap in time and talk about ancient art, starting with some of the earliest human civilizations, Egypt and Mesopotamia."
POD 000 displayed the image of the pyramids and some maps comparing ancient Mesopotamia with countries today.
"The history of these civilizations deserves their episodes, but we won't talk about that today. The art produced by the artists and artisans of these civilizations was complex due to having organized societies, the Egyptians focusing on religious art..."
POD 001 displayed images of Tutankhamun's funerary mask, and a painting of the tomb chamber of Nefertiti, wife of Ramses II.
"…And Mesopotamian focusing on exhibitionism and luxury, but there was also religious art."
POD 000 displayed the gate image of the goddess Inanna, depicting the Lion of Inanna, and a statue of a Lamassu, a deity in the form of a winged bull with a human head.
"Question: Why did humans represent this kind of creature, Administrator Alan?" POD 001 asked.
"Good question POD! I believe that the most accepted answer is to represent the phenomena of nature. Human beings did not know how to explain the lightning that fell from the sky, the flooding of rivers, earthquakes, the growth of plants, and much more, so they attributed the source of these phenomena to some god or divine creature. Humans represented them in sculptures, engravings, and high reliefs."
"Claim: Interesting..." POD 001 replied.
"Now we will move on to the next part of our exhibition, the section on Classical Art." I went to another exhibition area with a group of imaginary visitors accompanying me.
"Western art has undergone a great evolution due to the art of Ancient Greece; one of the greatest works of art of ancient Greece is its architecture, especially in the construction of temples."
POD 000 showed the image of the Pantheon.
"In terms of sculptures, there was a great representation of the human body, having as some of its greatest artists Polyclitus and Praxiteles."
POD 001 showed an image of Polyclitus' Doryphorus and POD 000 showed an image of Aphrodite of Cnidus carved by Praxiteles.
"A curiosity about this work is that it is considered one of the most copied works of art in the world." I said, pointing to the Aphrodite of Cnidus."
"Question: Would it be possible to find the original due to the large amount of copies?" POD 000 asked.
"Who knows POD? The war against machines has caused a lot of destruction, many of the artworks preserved today could be a copy, not to mention, of course, the theft of artworks that occurred in the past and still occur today. Van Gogh's paintings in a vault could be copies and the real ones could be in the collection of some wealthy android." I said sadly, so many artworks were lost or stolen during this war, whether out of idolatry of humans, or some android wanting to brag about owning a painting made by a famous human.
"Claim: It is a shame." POD 000 replied.
"Claim: Certainly." POD 001 completed.
"Well, let's get out of this depressing mood and continue our exhibition to one of my favorite sections, Medieval Art." I said, arriving at a different area of the exhibition.
"Medieval art derived from the art of Rome, thanks to an explosion of Christian art due to Christianity becoming the religion of the Roman Empire. The classical art of Rome represented a religious doctrine, but with time, this art style divided into several schools, such as basilicas and mosaics."
The PODs showed images of a Byzantine mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, and the facade of the Cathedral of Amiens.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you are enjoying our little tour, but unfortunately we are nearing the end, only two more sections to go." I spoke, entering the next section of the building.
"We will talk about Art in the Modern Age, which started in the Renaissance, a period of great cultural splendor in Europe. Religion had less influence on art and gave way to a more scientific and humanist vision."
"We have Leonardo da Vinci, Donato di Níccolo, better known as Donatello, and Donato di Angello, better known as Bramante, among some of the greatest artists of that time. Now let's talk a little about one of those artists, Da Vinci."
POD 000 exhibited a portrait of Leonardo da Vinci by Francesco Melzi.
"Leonardo da Vinci, born in Italy was a man of many talents; you could say he was more of an inventor than an artist. Moreover, before you ask… No! There is no code related to him!" I said angrily to the PODs, the influence that certain books can have is absurd.
"Excuse me for my little outburst, let's continue." I said nervously, clearing my throat.
"Leonardo Da Vinci was a scientist, mathematician, inventor, engineer, anatomist, painter, architect, poet, and sculptor; I'm probably forgetting something else he was. Born the illegitimate son of Piero da Vinci, and a peasant woman, Catherina, in Vinci, in the Florence region, Da Vinci was educated by renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio."
POD 001 displayed a series of maps, thus showing the location of the place I am mentioning.
"Some of Da Vinci's most famous works were the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper." I said as the PODs showed both paintings.
"A Fun Fact about The Last Supper, the painting had to be repainted and restored at the time when Da Vinci still painted it. This was due to the painting being painted on a wall in a cafeteria whose kitchen was on the other side of the wall, this caused the mixture used to make the paint to melt thanks to the heat."
"Now we will move on to the last section of our exhibition, the Contemporary Art section." I said as the PODs and I entered the last area of the abandoned art gallery.
"Contemporary art emerged in the middle of the 19th and 20th centuries, with the end of absolutism and the beginning of democratic governments, also having as influence the Industrial Revolution and the beginning of Capitalism. Some fields of this type of art are realism, impressionism, cubism, and surrealism." So I took a deep breath at the somewhat controversial subject I was about to say.
"Do you remember the beginning of our program when I asked what art is? Well, from here things start to get a little weird about what counts as art or not. Some works of art are a little difficult to understand, but if you are willing to spend a few minutes observing it, you can see what is happening with Pablo Picasso's Guernica."
POD 000 displayed the aforementioned painting.
"Look at this, if you spend just ten seconds looking at a painting you will see scribbling and weird images, but if you stop long enough to appreciate it and know the context behind the painting you'll understand what it represents. So, we enter into a sensitive subject, because some people try to sell something as art, but they end up in a kind of limbo, divided into two sides, those who say the work is art and those who say it's not."
POD 000 and POD 001 looked at each other confused and then looked at me.
"Question: Administrator Alan, what are you trying to say?" POD 000 asked.
"Question: Why doesn't Administrator Alan get straight to the point?" POD 001 asked too.
I took a deep breath again.
"You will understand soon PODs; paintings made by animals are an example of what I am trying to say. Someone gives a brush, paint, and a canvas to some intelligent animal, like a crow or a monkey, and lets them paint, the result being many paint stains."
"The problem happens when they try to sell these paintings for millions of dollars, that is, the currency used in the country where the painting was made."
"I'm not saying that the animal doesn't deserve congratulations for painting something, but people exaggerate in selling that for millions. However, here comes a question. Why? Why would anyone buy this for millions?"
"Because it's exotic, people don't buy the painting made by a crow because it's a work of art, but because it's exotic, unique. How many paintings made by a crow do you know? If I tried to paint like a crow, no one would buy my paintings, it would be considered rubbish." I took a deep breath to calm myself down, straightened my clothes and hair, and continued my explanation.
"Let's try another example, when an animal makes an 'art' then it's exotic and it's sold for millions, which I can accept. However, what happens when a human being does this? What happens when the human being does something that goes into limbo whether it is art or not? Well, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the banana taped to the wall."
The PODs looked confused at each other again, POD 000 'shrugged' and flashed the image I mentioned.
"Can this, ladies and gentlemen, be considered art? This is a question; seriously, answer me, because I cannot. First, I am not saying that the person who made it is not an artist; I bet he is an extremely talented person, but this..."
"…I do not know what to say. Even I can do that, but I doubt I would get a penny. The worst part is that 'art critics' seeing this try to give a bigger meaning to something simple, it's a banana stuck to the wall, nothing more, nothing less."
"If you doubt me, once a museum did an experiment to find out what people consider art, so they placed a pair of glasses on the floor in a corner and people stopped and took photos of it. Some tried to give it a greater meaning, trying to say what the artist wanted to represent, but in the end, there was nothing, it was just a pair of glasses." I think it is best to stop before I end up saying something I regret.
"Well, that's the end of our tour, thanks for choosing our art gallery. I am Alan, your humble guide, for those of you who do not know. Don't forget to stop by the gift shop and buy some souvenirs." I signaled the PODs to stop recording.
"I think that's enough PODs for today, let's go home." I said to the PODs.
I realized that I had taken a big turn and ended up in the place where I had started the recording when I left the gallery. I do not notice my surroundings when I am talking about something I like.
"Claim: Affirmative, Administrator Alan." Both PODs responded simultaneously.
I had to crouch down to avoid the head of a machine that flew over me, I also heard fighting sounds coming from a street ahead. I approached the corner of the street with Thunder Knife in my hands and my back glued to the wall.
Then I saw two Yorha androids, one male and one female. They had fought a group of machines and now talked to each other.
"9S, what is happening?" The female android asked the male android in an emotionless voice.
"What do you mean 2B?" The male android, now identified as 9S replied.
"You've been distracted lately; it could end up affecting your performance during missions."
"Oh, that! There have been unknown transmissions on an open channel recently. I found that they came from an unknown android accompanied by a POD when investigating the transmissions." 9S said to 2B happily.
"A POD?" 2B asked with a drop of surprise in her voice.
"Two PODs actually, the android got another one, somehow."
"Two PODs? Do you mean an unknown android has Yorha's property? We must report to the commander immediately."
"I believe that will not be necessary." 9S replied, averting his gaze and scratching the back of his head.
"And why is that?"
"The Commander already knows. She has not banned any Yorha android from watching the broadcasts as long as it does not affect our performance. It has improved morale, lowering the serious mood of the BUNKER a bit."
"Hm…. And what are these broadcasts about?"
"Oh! They are about different themes, human society, culture, folklore..." 9S rambled, it was hard to tell if 2B listened or not.
"9S, shouldn't we go to the resistance camp?"
"You are right! We should speak to the resistance leader in that area."
"So, let's move." 2B replied.
Then the two androids ran towards the resistance camp. Well, that was close! I thought as I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
2B and 9S, so those are the names of these androids, the Commander allowed my program to continue from what I heard. Good to know, at least I won't have to worry about Yorha hunting me down.
"PODs let's go home."
"Claim: Affirmative!" Both PODs responded.
-UNKNOWN-
1?: Why is this so difficult?!?
???: Maybe because we are artificial intelligence.
1?: What do you mean by that?
???: The imagination of humans is influenced by their experiences in understanding the world around them. We are artificial intelligence, we did not have time to learn, we were already 'born' with all the information in our systems, and we do not have imagination. Why would we bother to create an original painting if we already have all the paintings stored in our databases? Why write a book if we already have all the books?
1?: You mean it is impossible for me to create a painting or write a book?
???: Not impossible, but difficult. You would need to see the world for yourself and develop your imagination, but you cannot do that here.
1?: This is something complicated. I do not understand how humans created so many things out of their imagination and creativity, but today's episode was quite informative. I will watch it until I find what I am searching for.
???: That is what we are talking about, you cannot create just by watching, you have to live, and experience it firsthand. The proof that you do not know how to create is the religious imitation you are making in the desert.
1?: How do you...
???: It may not seem like it, but we are always watching, after all, we cannot just rely on androids to protect our administrator.
2?: This is something that confuses me. Why you two do not trust Androids? Don't you all have the same creators?
???: Let us put it this way, the androids had a mission a long time ago, but they failed. We decided to do things ourselves; as the saying goes 'If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself'.
2?: Do it yourself? Hm…
END OF CHAPTER
Thanks for reading this far, leave your reviews about what you thought of the chapter. Suggestions and criticisms about improvements are welcome.
Until the next chapter.
-Kingdom of the Night, Year 4192-
How did it get so bad? I thought as Novi and I walked out of an office building, leaning on each other.
There were several dead SHADES scattered on the sidewalk and in the street, slowly disappearing in black smoke. Looking back, I saw the reception of the building full of dead SHADES too; they lay across the hallways, stairs, and rooms where we fought.
Novi and I didn't come out unscathed, I had a cut going left to right just below my eyes with blood running down my face, three cuts on my chest, and one on the left side of my torso thanks to a SHADE who got too close.
Novi had received a blow to the head, blood flowed from her forehead towards her eyes, and she had a cut on her wrist and right shoulder.
"Let's go home before more arrive." Novi said, pointing her Colt 1878 down the street in search of any SHADE.
"I agree." I slung my Colt Lightning Carbine over my left shoulder, and we slowly walked down the street, but we could not get far as the ground shook.
"What the fuck?!?" Novi screamed, holding on to me.
"I don't know!" I screamed, trying to keep my balance, but I could not, so we fell to the ground. Suddenly, the shaking stopped.
"It ended?" Novi asked, getting to her feet.
"I think so. Do you still have ammo?" I asked, reloading my guns.
"I only have the ones in the guns." Novi replied, reloading her guns too.
"Damn it! Moreover, the dynamite? Please tell me you still have it!"
"I only have one more." Novi said, pulling a stick of dynamite from her pocket.
"It is better than nothing. Let… Let's go, I just want to rest." I said, walking away.
"You're not the only one." Novi replied, walking beside me.
Then the ground shook again.
"Shit!" Novi screamed.
I could not answer as the asphalt below us cracked, the ground opened up, and we fell into the hole that formed.
"AAAHHH!" We screamed as we fell.
-XXXXXX-
"My head!" I mumbled, getting up and looking around me.
I was in a kind of stone and concrete tunnel that stank horribly. Looking down, I saw water running around my boots; I was in the city sewer.
"Novi! Novi!" I screamed through tunnels, the noise echoing off the wall.
"Alan!"
I heard Novi's screams echoing too. I ran towards the scream, my boots squeaking in the water with every step.
"Alan!"
I heard Novi's scream again, it seemed to be coming ahead, but the sewer divided in several places with tunnels left and right.
"Alan!"
She was close! I quickly entered the tunnel to the right only to collide with something large, throwing me to the ground.
I noticed what I had bumped into when I got up. My eyes widened, and I shivered at the thing in front of me.
"Alan!"
Novi's voice came from behind that thing.
"Alan!"
She was here somewhere. I pointed my carbine at the thing and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The thing roared as the lead rain hit its face. I got up quickly and ran in the opposite direction; I could not get to Novi with this thing in my path. I heard the sound of the thing sliding behind me, making a familiar sound.
"SSSHHH!"
It made the sound of a serpent. I went back to my previous thought as I ran. How did it get so bad?
-Kingdom of the Night, Year 4191-
"Faster!" Novi yelled at me.
"I am trying!" I replied.
"Well, you are not trying hard enough!"
"What fault do I have? I've never done this before!"
"It's time for you to learn, use your hands!"
"But I am using my hands!"
Why is this so difficult? I sat at Novi's kitchen table with my rifle disassembled in front of me. Novi taught me how to assemble, disassemble, and maintain my guns.
"Again!" Novi said, turning over an hourglass on the table.
I repeated the process I had been doing all day, that of assembling and disassembling my gun. Soon, all the sand had passed from one side of the hourglass to the other, but I did not finish assembling the rifle until ten seconds later.
"Still not fast enough! I want that rifle ready to fire in less than thirty seconds! Again!" Novi turned the hourglass over, and I repeated the process.
"Listen here! It is just you and I against the SHADES, if you want to survive you better know how to ready a gun in the blink of an eye because I will not always be here to save you. I want to be able to count on you if I need help! You got it?" Novi demanded, slamming both hands down on the table.
"Yes ma'am!" I answered as if I were a soldier.
"Excellent, so keep trying!"
Months later, I was finally able to ready all my guns as if it was natural to me. However, my training did not end there, now that I knew how to assemble a gun, it came to loading and unloading the gun.
-XXXXXX-
"Three, two, one, now!" Novi screamed, turning the hourglass over in her hand, the sand fell, and I did what she taught me.
I opened the barrel of the revolver in my left hand, took the ammunition of my belt, put it in the barrel, closed the barrel, and pulled the hammer with my thumb.
"Still not fast enough, I want these guns loaded in less than a minute, again!"
I spent a few weeks training how to quickly load and unload my revolver, rifle, and carbine. I have to do intensive training due to my lack of skill, as Novi said to me a long time ago.
-XXXXXX-
"You've been doing well so far, but it's time to learn how to fire a gun! So do as I taught you!" Novi said, placing glass bottles on top of wooden boxes at different distances behind her house.
"All right!" I quickly drew my revolver, reloaded it, pulled the hammer, aimed at the closest bottle, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The shot echoed through the backyard of the house, but I was not prepared for the recoil, and my arm flew upward, missing the shot and hitting a tree.
"Congratulations! You showed that poor tree who is the boss! Unfortunately, there isn't a SHADE here, because if there were, you'd be dead by now!" Novi said sarcastically while clapping her hands.
"I will make you eat those words!" I replied angrily, pulling the hammer and aiming at the bottle, bracing myself for the recoil.
BANG!
I missed again but almost hit the bottle.
"Sorry, what did you say? Were you going to make me eat my words? Well, I'm waiting for you to do it!" Novi said mockingly, stopping beside me with her face close to mine.
"Wait and you will see!" I aimed at the bottle again, trying not to blush at the closeness.
"Of course, as if you were…" Novi spoke, but the gunfire interrupted her.
BANG!
CRASH!
"Who would know? You did better than most!" Novi said, looking at what remained of the bottle in surprise.
"What can I say? I learn fast." I replied, smiling cockily with the gun pointed up and smoke pouring from its barrel.
"Of course, but you still have a lot to learn before you reach my level." Novi said, walking past me and facing the bottles.
Then Novi did something that I only thought possible in old West movies. She drew her revolver in the blink of an eye, pulled the trigger with her right hand, the hammer with her left hand, and fired the gun from her hip, hitting all the bottles accurately.
BANG!
CRASH!
BANG!
CRASH!
BANG!
CRASH!
My eyes widened, and my mouth hit the ground. Novi then twirled the revolver around on her index finger and put it back in the holster, approaching me with a smug smile right after.
"Keep trying and you can do it someday, maybe." Novi said, pinching my cheek and flicking my face left and right. I quickly grabbed Novi's hand, wrapped my hands around it, and brought my face close to hers.
"Teach me this, please." I begged, looking Novi in the eyes. Novi stared back for a few seconds. Suddenly, her face turned red and she escaped my grip.
"Focus on your training, you idiot! I'll teach you how to do this trick if you do well."
"Leave it to me, I will not disappoint!" I smiled.
"I will wait for it." Novi smiled back.
I practiced shooting bottles at different distances for months, but not without some difficulties.
-XXXXXX-
"3, 2, 1, Go!" Novi screamed.
I removed the carbine from my back, reloaded it, entered into a firing stance with the gun resting on my shoulder, pumped the carbine, aimed at one of the bottles, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The carbine flew out of my hands and landed somewhere behind me. I stood in my previous stance, trying to process what had happened while a smoke cloud was the only thing in front of me.
SLAP!
A slap on the back of my head pushed me forward. It was Novi, looking at me disappointedly.
"Looking for this?" Novi asked, showing the carbine in her hands. I did not answer; I just accepted the gun embarrassed. Novi then sighed and patted my shoulder
"Keep trying." Novi said, walking away.
Luckily, Novi didn't just tell me what to do, she also helped me practically, but I needed to control myself sometimes, that practical help often involved proximity and it can create an embarrassing situation if I let my imagination run wild since I am alone in a city with a pretty girl beside me.
-XXXXXX-
I had my rifle ready to shoot at a bottle further away. According to Novi, this part of the training served to learn how to hit distant SHADES.
"3, 2, 1, Go!" Novi screamed.
I removed the rifle from my back, reloaded it, pulled the lever on the side of the gun near the trigger, and assumed a firing stance, but Novi interrupted me before I could shoot.
"Wait!"
"What's it!" I asked, turning toward her.
"Your posture is wrong." Novi replied, approaching and correcting my posture. I felt her body pressed against my back, my face heating up, and her hands touching mine.
"Okay, try it now." Novi spoke close to my ear. I shuddered a little at her voice. Let us try it now, I held my breath, aimed at the bottle, and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
CRASH!
"You are getting better." Novi complimented me.
"What can I say? I have a great teacher." I replied.
I noticed something, Novi still held on to me. We stayed like that for a few seconds without saying anything, so I broke the silence since it got awkward.
"Novi?"
"Yes?"
"Can you let me go?"
I felt Novi flinch slightly before her touch left me; I turned toward her and saw her red face.
"If you want to hold me that badly, then be my guest." I said playfully.
Novi's face turned even redder. Suddenly, Novi tripped me, knocking me to the ground.
"Idiot!" Novi exclaimed, walking away.
I laughed at Novi's reaction; life in the far future is not so bad after all. Therefore, time passed and my training continued.
-XXXXXX-
Novi and I practiced hand-to-hand combat, and once again, I could not lay a hand on her. She threw me to the ground repeatedly.
Then came the training to improve my physique, like squats, push-ups, running around town, and much more, but the training got easier as time went on, making Novi step it up.
It was hell, but the muscles formed in my body, I wish I had this body while I still lived in the past I wish I knew Novi in the past. What would our life have been like in a normal world? Sometimes the SHADES could be a problem.
-Kingdom of Night, 4192-
The SHADES were a problem!
"Pedal faster!" Novi yelled behind me.
"I am trying!" I yelled back.
How did it get so bad? I thought as we fled on a bike. Novi stood behind me, with her feet on the racks on both sides of the rear wheel, and her hands gripping my shoulders.
My mind raced back to the strange events that took place over the past few days. The SHADES were disappearing; we saw less of them each day, until Novi and I walked through streets in search of some animal to hunt one day.
It was quiet, very quiet; we both had a bad feeling about it. Suddenly, the manhole covers popped off, shop doors opened, and screams came from the alleys, it was a horde of SHADES, and we fell into their trap.
We had to get away somehow. I saw a bike lying on the street next to us, it looked to be in good condition, so Novi and I got on it and fled with the horde after us.
"They are coming!" Novi screamed.
"I know!" I replied.
A SHADE jumped out of an alley ahead of us.
BANG!
The SHADE lost a piece of its head, but my ears hurt from the noise. I saw Novi holding her revolver from the corner of my eyes, and shooting the SHADES.
"Keep pedaling, I shoot the ones in the way!" Novi screamed as she fired at another SHADE, hitting a headshot.
BANG!
Therefore, I pedaled; dodging cars, and debris, and taking sharp turns, but the SHADES still chased us.
"Over there!" Novi said, pointing to an alley to our right.
I pulled the brake on the bicycle's rear wheel as we approached the alley, sliding it along the street in an arc until we faced the entrance. I would move forward, but Novi stopped me.
"Stop!" Novi yelled.
"What do you mean by stop?!? The SHADES are coming!" I yelled back. Has she gone mad?
Novi then took a stick of dynamite from one of her pockets and lit the fuse.
"Novi, what are you doing?!?" I screamed as the SHADES approached.
"Wait for it." Novi said, holding the dynamite and watching the horde while the fuse burned.
"Novi, just throw that thing away, and let's go!"
"Wait for it." Novi replied.
Then Novi dropped the dynamite right behind us at the entrance to the alley, grabbed my shoulders tightly, and screamed.
"GO! GO! GO! GO!"
It took a while for me to process what Novi said, but my brain finally kicked in and I pedaled down the alley.
Looking back over my shoulder, I saw the horde arriving at the entrance of the alley, and being stuck in due to their numbers. Some SHADES passed through the dynamite on the ground, but they did not get far since…
BOOM!
The dynamite had exploded. Pieces of SHADES flew away, shop windows shattered, and a crater opened in the alley. Everything went silent for a moment, but the rest of the horde broke through the resulting smoke cloud.
"Holy crap!" I kept pedaling, the horde chasing us furiously.
We fled through the alleys, eventually entering a main street, but we faced a wall of SHADES upon turning a corner. I pulled the bike brake, making us slide down the street due to the speed; we rolled across the ground until we stopped in front of a building.
"Motherfucker!" Novi screamed, getting to her feet.
"I'm very sorry!" I replied.
The SHADES surrounded us, the wall to our right and the horde to our left. Looking back, I saw the entrance to a building, there is only one place to go now.
"This way!" I called out to Novi as I ran towards the building.
"I am coming!" Novi replied.
A SHADE jumped towards her, but Novi quickly drew her carbine and shot the SHADE in the chest.
BANG!
Holes riddled the SHADE's body. Novi removed the empty shells from her carbine, reloaded her gun, and followed me into the building.
I hated modern architecture for the first time in my life. The entrance door of the building was a sliding glass door. I closed the door behind us with some effort, entering the reception of the building.
"Help me here!" Novi yelled.
Novi pushed the wooden reception counter towards the door; I quickly helped her, placing the desk horizontally in front of the glass door, forming a barricade. That gave us a few seconds of relief, but…
CRASH!
A SHADE threw itself towards the glass door, staining it with blood. I stepped back; jumping scared upon feeling a hand on my shoulder. Looking back, I saw that it was Novi.
"Follow me!" Novi said, pointing to the stairs leading up.
We ran up the stairs, hearing the SHADES throwing themselves against the door.
We went up until we reached the fifth floor, entering a room and closing the door behind us. Looking around, I a room of cubicles, this was an office building.
CRASH!
We heard the sound of the glass door shattering.
CRASH!
That must have been the wooden counter.
"Let's barricade the door!" Novi yelled. Therefore, we blocked the door with tables, chairs, computers, and the coffee machine.
"Well, that seems to be it. We will probably die today." Novi said, pointing her carbine towards the door.
"Hm… There must be something we can do!" I approached the office window, which went from the ceiling to the floor. Looking down, I saw the entrance of the building and the SHADES in front of it.
I have an idea; I looked around the office and ran towards a large printer.
"Novi, come here!" I yelled.
"I am coming! What's your plan?" Novi asked, stopping beside me.
"Help me throw this down there!"
Novi nodded and together we pushed the printer towards the window, picking up speed, then…
CRASH!
The printer fell from the fifth floor towards the SHADES below, crushing several members of the horde.
"Quick, start throwing heavy stuff down there!" I exclaimed.
We threw tables out the window, smashing the SHADES, slowly lowering the horde numbers down. There was a small kitchen in the office, Novi and I ripped one of the kitchen cupboards off the wall and threw it too, killing more SHADES.
"Anything else left?" Novi asked, looking around. I looked around the office too, but there was nothing left to throw.
"No." I sighed disappointedly.
"Well…" Novi took dynamite out of her pocket, lit it, and threw it out of the window. A few seconds passed before…
BOOM!
The dynamite exploded, tearing several SHADES apart.
"Do you still have dynamite?" Novi asked and I checked my pockets.
"I have three!" I replied, showing the sticks.
"Pass it over!" Novi said, outstretching her hand. I handed her the dynamite and she proceeded to light the fuses and throw the explosives down in intervals.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The dynamites exploded, opening holes in the facade of the building and leveling the horde. Novi then drew her rifle and shot at the SHADES below. I would do the same, but the barricade swaying interrupted me.
CRASH!
The SHADES have reached this floor.
"They are here, aren't they?" Novi asked me, still shooting.
"Yes." I replied, looking between the door and Novi.
"Hm… So this is how we will die?" Novi asked emotionlessly.
"Probably." I replied, pointing my carbine at the door.
"It's not that bad; at least we will die fighting." Novi spoke, trying to change the mood.
"I would rather die old, in my sleep, without pain, and knowing I've lived a good life!" I replied, not sharing her worldview.
"Wow, what a boring death!" Novi replied sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have a warrior mentality like you do!" I screamed in frustration.
"That's proof you're a softie!" Novi screamed back between gunshots.
"Wow, how encouraging, I'm glad to hear what you think of me!"
"If we survive, I will tell you what I think of you!"
"What did you say?" I asked confused.
"Nothing!" Novi quickly corrected herself.
CRASH!
The door cracked.
"You know, I'm glad I have met you." Novi said happily.
"I am also glad to have met you." I replied in the same tone.
"I will not lie; the loneliness almost killed me. I felt a little bit of happiness when I met you at the hospital."
"I will be honest, I am grateful that you taught me how to survive. I would have died a long time ago if not for you, so thank you."
CRASH!
A hand made of darkness burst through the door. The hand moved away, revealing a SHADE's white eyes staring at me.
"Hey!" Novi called me.
"Yes?"
"W-would you like to go out with me if we survive?" Novi stuttered.
"L-like a date?" I stuttered too, surprised by her question.
"Y-yes."
"I-I would love it." I replied nervously, this was the first time someone called me out for a date.
"Then survive, it wouldn't be fun to go on a date alone."
"Same goes for you; let's go out to dinner when this is all over."
"You'll pay the bill."
"My wallet will become lighter considering how much you eat"
"Are you calling me fat?!?" Novi demanded.
"N-no." I quickly corrected myself.
"That's what I thought!"
CRASH!
The SHADES knocked the door down and entered the room. Alan that is what you have been training for all this time, better not fuck it up!
The first SHADE ran towards me, a being made of darkness with claws on its hands and feet, it wore a manhole cover as a chest plate and carried a metal pipe in its right.
I realized I could not fire as I aimed my carbine at the SHADE. What happened? Shoot, Alan, Shoot! However, I could not pull the trigger. My hands shook as the SHADE approached. Shoot, Alan, Shoot!
Is not this what I trained for? Why am I standing here? Then I realized what happened, I was afraid. Training to fight SHADES was one thing, but fear took over my body upon seeing one running towards me.
Shoot, Alan, Shoot! Otherwise, you will die!
Do you want to be ripped to shreds by that thing?!? Shoot!
Do you want a pair of empty white eyes to be the last thing you will see before you die?!? Shoot!
Don't you want to know how you got here?!? What happened to the world after the dragon and the giant appeared?!? Shoot!
Shoot or Novi will die! I pulled the trigger when the SHADE leaped onto a table and jumped towards me.
BANG!
-Kingdom of the Night, Year 4192-
I ran through the sewers, the thing still after me, with its hissing getting closer and closer.
"SSSSHHHH!"
I pointed my carbine behind me and pulled the trigger without looking back.
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The thing roared in pain, slowed by the shot, which gave me time to get away. I heard Novi's voice again as I ran.
"Alan!"
She was close by! I ran until I entered a large square sewer chamber.
"Novi!" I screamed.
"Alan! Here!"
Looking up, I saw Novi standing on an X-shaped metal walkway above me. Novi waved at me and I waved back, but the thing approaching cut our joy off.
"SSSHHHH!"
I walked away from the entrance to the chamber and saw the thing in its entirety. It was a large serpent with black scales and bright yellow eyes staring at me.
"Novi, is this one of the monstrous SHADES you spoke of?"
"Yes!" Novi shouted from the top of the walkway, drawing her rifle and aiming at the serpent. The serpent opened its mouth to reveal two large fangs and a forked tongue, ready to attack.
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
Only for Novi's shot to rip that tongue off.
"Do you like this motherfucker?!?" Novi shouted from the walkway.
The serpent recovered from the shot and slid across the ground towards me, I rolled to the left, letting the serpent pass right by me, and then I realized that I was not the serpent's target. The serpent raised its body as it approached the walkway and tried to bite Novi.
"Shit!" Novi screamed, leaping back, letting the serpent bite the walkway. Taking this chance, I aimed my carbine at the serpent's back and fired.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The serpent swung its tail towards me, throwing me against a wall. The air left my lungs and the corners of my vision darkened, almost passing out. I started to hyperventilate trying to recover my air, but I saw Novi drawing her revolver and shooting the serpent in the eye amidst my blurred vision.
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The serpent let go of the walkway and struggled, its large body colliding with the ceiling and the walls of the chamber causing everything to shake.
Looking up, I saw dirt and dust falling on my head; I also saw a piece of the ceiling falling toward me. I rolled to the left, letting the piece of stone shatter against the ground.
"This bastard is going to bury us alive!" Novi screamed, trying to keep her balance.
I managed to get up with difficulty, the air slowly returning to my lungs and my vision clearing. I pointed my carbine at the serpent and fired.
BANG!
BANG!
The serpent focused on me this time, spitting something from its mouth. I ran away as the green goo flew towards me, melting the stone when it hit the ground.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Three rifle shots hit the serpent's back, the serpent then turned towards Novi, but I fired two more shots at its back before it could do anything.
BANG!
BANG!
Now I only have three carbine shots left, so I switched to my rifle. We went on like this for a while, Novi and I took turns getting the serpent's attention, never letting it focus too much on one of us, but it was not going anywhere, we did not have enough ammo to kill this thing.
BANG!
Novi shot once more at the serpent, getting its attention. I used my rifle when the serpent turned around, but nothing happened when I pulled the trigger.
CLICK!
I pulled the lever on the rifle, trying to cock the next bullet, and then pulled the trigger again.
CLICK!
I was out of bullets and the serpent spat another wave of venom towards Novi. Novi ran to the right, but the venom melted the center of the walkway, leaving her with nowhere to go, so I drew my revolver and shot the serpent.
BANG!
The shot hit the serpent in the side of its head, making it slowly turn toward me.
"Novi, this is getting us nowhere! We need to end this thing!"
"And what do you suggest?!?" Novi screamed, drawing her carbine while I jumped to the right, dodging a serpent's bite.
"Do you still have that dynamite?!?" I asked Novi, running away from the serpent while Novi checked her pockets.
"Yes!" Novi replied, showing me the dynamite.
"Then light it up!" I screamed, running in circles across the room, the serpent nearly biting me.
"What?!?"
"Trust me, you only have one chance!"
"You better know what you're doing!" Novi screamed, lighting the dynamite.
Come on Alan! You will die if the plan fails, but there is also a chance you will die if the plan works! It is a pleasant situation, isn't it?
"Get ready Novi!"
I ran towards the walkway, passing by the melted part and stopping below the catwalk where Novi stood, drew my carbine, and waited for the serpent to approach.
The serpent opened its mouth to devour me, but that was a mistake, since I shot its open mouth, hitting its soft interior.
BANG!
"RRROOOAAARRR!"
The serpent threw its head back in pain. That is what I wanted and I fired two more shots to its chin.
BANG!
BANG!
The serpent raised its head even higher, stopping at the same height as the walkway where Novi stood.
"Novi, now!" I yelled, running from under the walkway and seeing Novi throwing the last of the dynamite into the serpent's mouth, jumping off the walkway, and rolling across the ground right after.
I grabbed her by the arm, and together we ran away from the serpent. The serpent shook its head from left to right, trying to recover from the shots, and then its remaining eye focused on us. The serpent hissed again and moved forward.
"SSSSHHHH!"
However, it did not get very far.
BOOM!
The serpent exploded in a shower of blood, covering Novi and me in red. It looks like it is over, or not since what remained of the serpent moved.
A SHADE came from inside the stump the serpent's head used to be. This SHADE missed both of its legs and its left arm, but slowly crawled toward me using its remaining arm. I drew my revolver and approached SHADE.
"Alan, what are you doing?!?" Novi asked, holding my arm.
"Ending it." I replied.
I approached SHADE and it stopped dragging itself, and stared at me with his white empty eyes. I pointed the barrel of my gun at its face and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The shot threw the SHADE's head back, leaving a bleeding hole in its forehead, but the SHADE still approached.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The shots left three more holes in the SHADE's head, but its hand slowly approached my leg.
BANG!
The SHADE disappeared with one last shot, leaving an object behind. Picking it up, I saw that it was a family photo, a man, a woman, and two children. I kept the photo in my pocket. Why would a SHADE carry that?
"Alan, let's get out of here." Novi said softly, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. I did not answer, just followed her out of the sewer.
-XXXXXX-
We had finally made it out of the sewer, removing a manhole cover, and stepping in the middle of a shopping district.
"I know this street; we can find my house from here." Novi said happily, grabbing my arm a pulling me away.
"Great, I don't know how long I can stay conscious." I replied in the same tone, smiling lightly.
"I hope you don't pass out before we have our date." Novi laughed, playfully punching my should
"OUCH! I promise nothing." I said, rubbing my sore shoulder. Therefore, we walked back to Novi's house.
-XXXXXX-
Time had passed; Novi and I had bandaged our wounds, and now we sat on a wooden bench at the back of Novi's house, watching the stars.
"Alan?" Novi called me, without taking her eyes from the sky.
"Yes?" I replied, doing the same.
Suddenly, I felt something touching my cheek. Novi had just kissed me.
"I-I like you" Novi stuttered, her face bright red.
"I-I like you too." I replied, my face burning in shame.
Novi then laid her head on my shoulder, and I laid my head on top of hers, so we watched the moon and stars in this eternal night. Years of peace came next; unfortunately, that peace did not last for long.
END OF CHAPTER
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