Defiance | Book 1 [EXTENDED]

CHAPTER 1

Alex, short for Alexandra, that's what they called me, my family, my friends, but I haven't heard anyone say my name for two years and the name slowly began to fade from my memory. I often spoke to myself, I'm sure that I'm half insane by now. But who else was I supposed to talk to?

Ever since World War 3, the world has lost it. Leaders turned against their own people and launched attacks on innocent countries. The bloodthirsty rivals were power- hungry and all they wanted to do, was take over the world and form one complete absolute government placing their individual, selfish selves as the last standing height of authority. 

Most countries were evacuated due to nuclear bombs and rubble while in others; the population decreased by the millions due to death. Worldwide respected leaders had turned into savages, no longer looking out for their innocent civilians.

You would have thought by this time, robots fought in the war instead of humans. We didn't have robots, or flying cars, or jetpacks or all the other things you think of when you hear the word 'future'. No. The world was bankrupt, taxes were raised even higher to pay for government weapons that by 2023, the people lost all their wealth and even with all the money from the taxes, scientists didn't have enough resources to advance their systems. But instead millions of people died fighting just so a complete idiot can run the world, which was impossible... so we thought.

In 2031 America's president Sylvester Craig, hired top class scientists to create a breakthrough invention bound to make him the absolute monarch. He had managed to use the last solution for gathering the materials needed, trade. He traded with countries all over the world for their chemicals and products, from Russia, China, Europe. The scientists used the materials to create a mind controlling stunning blue liquid that would overtake any of the subject's personal thoughts and replace it with a command from an advanced data base, overwriting their mental state through a high tech system known as the A23-ST5 most commonly known as The Craig System. The liquid flows in the bloodstream of the victim and stops in the brain latching on to neutrons, overwriting natural commands, like tiny microchips that extract the natural human instincts. Some are programmed to not feel pain, become immune to infections and advanced senses.

Sylvester Craig was America's third president for the year after the first president of 2031 was assassinated and the second, died of radiation poisoning. President Craig wasn't elected by the citizens but he was the ex- president's direct replacement. When he came to power he had his mind set on dominating the once united and peaceful world, and he thought the Craig System would guarantee results. He shipped crates of glass vials full of the liquid to each state of the US hoping it would find it's way to other countries once it had taken over America.

The first few vials were injected into members of the US army, who thought it was a form of medication, to keep their systems shielded from the airborne viruses, unknowing at that time of its immense power. The army was under the command of President Craig and were instructed to capture any human in sight and bring them back to the closest home- base in the state, where they too would be injected and turned into one of them. They then clothed them, gave them charged weapons and sent them out into the streets to murder and capture. They all looked human, you couldn't tell if they were going to kill you, make you Craig's minion, or help you. The one thing that separated them from the humans were their eyes. A bright unnatural green. But no one would ever look the things in the eye.

That's what they are, 'things' or 'mutants' they're not human, they don't have feelings, no mercy, just their controlled, artificial brains. It's been two years since I've met a human, two years since it all started. They carried guns. Either become one of them, or get killed. 

I witnessed it with my own eyes. 

First went my mom and then my dad. We were trying to evacuate to find asylum in Manhattan. My parents sat in the front and my brother and I sat in the boot. We were pulled over and they were forced to get into their transport. They refused to give in and before they were caught shot themselves in the head. I managed to get away, although I regretted it.

 I had a brother, Dylan, we got split up when they chased us. He's probably dead by now. They were all stripped from me, ripped from my heart and turned into those mutants. There was nothing. No TV, no electricity just robots patrolling the streets looking for new hosts, carrying around guns waiting for the last remaining humans to come out of hiding, empty vessels which were once human, if there were any. I heard of a refugee camp about a year ago with a group I traveled with along with Dylan. Turns out it was a trap full of US army patrols ready to take us in. In the end my group was taken, and so was my brother, and once again I escaped, scared and angry.

The world wasn't always like this. In 2020 people were peaceful. I was five at the time, mindless, hadn't a care in the world. My parents, loving and, alive, watched over my older brother and I. Years past and the news was flashing with violence in the street and total destruction. The president at that time had no clue of how to control a country and aimlessly did nothing.

 I was an average sixteen year old girl, living in an average house, with an average family, went to an average school, got average grades and had an average life. Then came the war in 2030 and we were forced to leave our home in Washington and move to a quieter state of Oklahoma. Nothing happened there. I worked around the house, went to school full of farmer's children watched a couple of small tornadoes from a distance, that's it. For one year. What we didn't know was that meanwhile Craig was cooking up his malignant scheme far away from any people. The propaganda would surely give him away and the plan would be expected. So nothing on the news and nothing announced that made us prepared for the hell that was going to come with it.