Desolation (Book 1 in the Condemnation Trilogy)

Chapter 1

I guess you could say I'm a morning person, but then again, we have to be these days. Ever since our leaders (most people call them the Morks or the Morkians) went quiet people have started acting like lunatics. No one trusts each other like they used to and who's to blame them with all the robberies and murders. Life is basically fight for survival these days, which means the early bird catches the worm and lives to see another day.

At 2:15 a.m. I jump out of bed knowing I'm already a hour late for work. Most would say I have it easy with one of the best jobs around, and most kids assume I'm just another rich kid living in a rich neighborhood, and in truth, I am. The thing most people don't know is that I hate my life and life in general, or at least the life that I live in now. Most people try to forget the way things used to be when the Morks first arrived here on Atheon. Most believed they were gods and many even were willing to give them everything they owned if they would be allowed to go to the Heavens. However, the Morks were humble creatures back then and made it very clear that they were not gods. They had come from another planet, no one remembers the name of it anymore, that had been ruined by war and destruction. They told the people of Atheon they just wanted a planet to live on quietly before they tried returning to their planet to see if it could once again become the great planet it had once been. Many insisted that if their planet had been so great, that the Morks were very intelligent creatures and they insisted that the Morks become our leaders and teach us all they knew. According to the stories, the Morks denied the people at first but later changed their minds and wanted to teach us, so we didn't make the mistakes they did.

For hundreds of years after that, the Morks that had come here taught us all they knew we lived happily, it was known as "The New Sun Era." Before then, we had believed that the sun was a god watching over us and protecting us from danger. Everything was peaceful, cures from what once had been non-curable diseases were being created, there wasn't a single family left on the streets, new inventions were being made, it was a time of great joy and celebration. That was until the last of the original Morks died.

Of course there was a new generation of Morks but they weren't like their parents they were more selfish and greedy instead of living in a plain house like the rest of us they demanded huge castles be built for them. This wasn't a problem back then because everyone was eager and happy to please them in thanks of all the work they had done for us. Every few years they would demand something else like a statue in their honor or land that needed to be stripped of everything so that it could be replaced by new buildings for the Morks. However, the Morks still continued to teach us new things that their parents had taught them, that is until three years ago when the Morks went silent. Some believe they went back to their planet, others believe we have displeased them and we are being punished. Whatever the case, we don't live in the happy world we once did. Even going outside is dangerous, but it's not like staying inside is any safer, with each day that passes the crime rates increase, the police are struggling to arrest any offenders of the law, and even fewer are being found guilty of crimes due to lack of "substantial evidence."

Although my family is rich and lives in the safest neighborhood in the world, times are getting tougher, and in order to continue to live here, everyone in my family must work, including my 8-year old sister, Marcia, and I. My parents believe that if we ever step foot outside our neighborhood, we will be killed instantly, so we have the easy job of cleaning houses. Most kids my age are working in mines gathering materials which will later be turned into power, or clothes, or whatever else we need. Most girls Marcia's age have jobs known as "dirt jobs," meaning they do all work no one else wants to do, including working in the hospitals with kids, which may seem like a decent job, but they also have bury any kids that die which these days, happens often.

My job however is one of the easiest jobs you can get, and in a rich neighborhood people aren't as stingy with their money, Marcia and I clean about 8 houses, a day which takes us from about 2 a.m., till around 9 p.m., and we only get paid a dollar at each house. It may seem like nothing, but people outside our neighborhood are lucky make about a dollar per month.

As I rush to get dressed and eat breakfast at the same time, my mind wonders to Jax. She has been my best friend since before I could even know what a friend was. We have practically known each other our entire lives. When the Morks went silent and things started getting crazy, my family was forced to move into the safe haven we live in now. However, Jax's family was poor even before the Morks went silent and her family couldn't afford to move. However, Jax's dad recently got promoted at his job (something that's hard to come by these days) they have saved up enough money to move into a safer neighborhood further up north. It will be sad to see her go but I guess it would be for the best as long as she is safe.

Sometimes when I'm done with work, after I walk Marcia home, I'll tell my parents I'm going to my friend, Marcus's house, which is of course a lie. After that, I'm free to leave the neighborhood and go to Jax's house till 11 p.m. when it's curfew in my neighborhood. I don't need anything to get back in either since the Morks taught us how to make retina scanners, all I need is to open my eye and press scan, and it will make sure I live in the neighborhood and let me in.

"Marcia it's time to go!" I call down the hallway that leads to her room, but knowing she has probably already left. This harsh world has caused her to grow up fast; back before the Morks went silent, she had more friends than I could count, and although they annoyed me to death, at least she had them. Now, however, having friends is discouraged because you never know when one might turn against you. "It's better to be happy and know your alone, rather than being hurt and discovering your alone," as our parents always say.

After waiting a few minutes without hearing Marcia coming I figure my parents have already taken her to the first house on their way to work, so I grab two apples and a few bottles of water as a peace offering for Marcia, knowing she will be furious that she had to work alone. As I head for the door I hear a small thud coming from my parents room. Knowing they never are late for work, and Marcia is already gone, I go into high alert.

I sneak back into the kitchen and grab a knife, then silently move closer to my parents closed bedroom door. When I'm about five steps away, I begin to raise the knife slowly and reach my other hand for the door knob knowing that everything I do from this moment on has to be quick and careful or I could be dead in seconds.

"DROP THE WEAPON! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM AND GET AGAINST THE WALL!" Thinking about survival only and without logic, I turn around and throw my knife towards the voice and drop to the ground. Before I even hit the ground I hear three gunshots and a thud on the floor. I don't know if the thud was my own or the person who yelled. It doesn't matter because a second later the world becomes a black void that envelops me and sucks away all reality.