'II' Hope

Chapter One

Silence.
Silence and darkness.
Silence, darkness and fear, surrounding me from the inside, out. My mind a corrupted blur.
I am isolated, I look around, grey walls, grey floors, cold grey floors.
I take a deep breath , I want to scream. But nothing.
Silence.
Darkness.
Fear.

"Wait for me" I hear call from behind me. 

"Come on!" I bellow running over the shallow lake avoiding the small slippery jagged rocks, I reach the other side. I stop, I can finally see the field, trees hung over from the corners in rows, almost reaching one another with their long shrivelled strands floating above my head, a lake of violet flowers, it reminds me of a painting, a well crafted image with small violet dots and long strands of green and yellow covering every inch of the surface, blended with thick brushes too detailed, it distracts you from fact, it's only a painting. I run through the field breathing in an almost fresh air and fall to the ground, the sky clearer than before, a light overcast of grey clouds and dusty air, but still clean. I feel hidden from the world within the yellow and green, safe between the flora and in the protection of the old shrivelled trees, feeling wise, still standing strong on this earth. It's quiet almost silent, the only sound that can be heard are the birds chirping and small insects clicking and buzzing around the field. It's a taste of heaven, my quiet place, my safe place, a place where I can let go of the world in front of me.

"You're too fast for me Maya" Zella says as she lays beside me.

"Maybe your just too slow" I whisper embracing the environment around me.

"How did you find this?" Zella asks

"Out looking for rocks when the gate was open one day, I seen the flowers from afar and came over to see, when I got here I fell in love"

"It reminds me of a dream" I turn over and face Zella, her blonde hair stretched out through the grass and plants. 

"It is like a dream" I say as I get up from the ground with a flattened and squashed outline of my body in the grass and back into the world.

"It's late, we should go" I say helping Zella up.

We walk back over the lake through the few trees we call a forest and onto the ragged dirt path. The wind swirling the dust up from the floor and into the sky along the ground. I look down the stream and see nothing but trees in a perfect line never ending down the wall, we walk past an old man curled in a beanie and an oversized jacket by a small campfire, a small can of beans and a pot. I pull Zella closer to me as we approach the gate and pass two men ready to close it behind us. I walk through and scan my wrist, it glows yellow and I continue in with Zella. Snowrexville isn't like any other town, or any town I know of, we're the only village in our area besides the villages far beyond the trees and fields, at least a 4 days journey on foot. Snowrexville is surrounded by tall blue brick walls and a single black gate which stands almost five metres tall with wires on the top, the gate only opens between dusk and dawn 3 days a week.

17 years ago one year before I was born leading governments and organisations created a major impact plan to prevent further environmental damage. Climate change was heating the earth and freezing it some places, pollution and natural disasters were becoming a reoccurring and insignificant event. The plan to direct satellites towards the earths atmosphere and target pollution and heat, many countries worked together over 8 years before the project took place to make this possible and many countries below the equator were grateful for this change, although the countries and continents above the equator became overheated and ended in a snowballing disaster. Many fled to Australia and New Zealand before it disrupted its life, all cars, boats, planes and electricity production were stopped and burned. The north equator has not been visited or touched in over 17 years. People believe that those who did not make it to the bases still run along the line of towns and villages, the radioactive atmosphere along with the pollution created a much more dangerous creature to us, flesh eating human mammals. Those just like my parents reached a base which for 4 years was protected by a dome, each base was investigated and looked after until the radioactive air was clear and safe. Once the gates opened some were affected more than others from radioactivity due to hereditary factors. Those who run along the wall are more dangerous to us than we think they say. I have never seen one but heard stories, many believe that the north equator today remains ash and rubbish but safe to refurbish and habitable, others say it's spreading slowly into the south equator and we are the next to go along with our extinction.

Snowrexville was built to protect us in the case of this dramatic incident with technology to track the air and surface tension and temperature. Snowrexville has a population of 4,516 people made up of those originally from north Sydney. Not many new comers are seen in Snowrexville, only those who live on the outside of the wall who come in for the weekly food trends and travellers coming from a far who were banished. The rules are strict in these bases to prevent further damage. There are four major facilities in our village, food, health care, the mayors house and the protectors. The protectors are a priority and are worshipped, they receive great loyalty and care. The protectors follow orders given by the mayor and protect anything from coming in and out of the gate, here no one leaves, they protect us from the flesh eating animals and humans. Here once a born child of Snowrexville you must not leave and consequences are given if attempted to leave permanently, unless banished by those in charge. Each base has a set task to provide and protect humanity or what's left of it. The protectors watch everyone, they stand by tents, the gate and along the walls, I never hear them speak but often see them walking by men and women out of the gate. I avoid the protectors greatly although I am curious of what they're roles are really. Stories float around like balloons in the sky until they are immediately taken down by incurious minds, some believe that Snowrexville is one of the last bases due to the lack of supplies needed be delivered by other villages a 4 days journey each way. Our village is in charge of food, our soil is the correct temperature and hasn't been polluted by the deeper soils and water flows. Outside of town past the end of the wall are farming lands, the farming stretches out about 500km past the village, they are looked after 3 days a week when the gates open and once on a weekend when only those in charge of the farm are allowed to leave with the protectors. Semina is one of those people and often tells us of unusual or beautiful things she sees or hears.

We continue through town past tattered tents, several camp fires and broken down trucks to our tent. Our tent is on the far side of town next to the food flat, which has several tables and chairs where we meet three times a day for meals. If we do not turn up for food we do not receive any food for that meal, meals are given in even rations to preserve food. Often meetings are held by the mayor here too with the town or just with the protectors especially late at night, I can often hear them from my tent, they speak of the outside world, new plans and tasks and news they've heard from other towns or what may be left. Our tent isn't much, it sits on a small hill one side down to the sun as it rises it also allows water run off for when it rains and the other sides flat, each of the sides tied down as best they can, inside are 3 beds side by side, a small stove, and a single mirror. I enter and walk through to find Semina sitting by the fire.

"Where have you girls been?!" Semina asks concerned.

"We went outside the gate to the fields for a little, just to clear our minds" I respond with care, Zella already sitting by the fire.

"You know I don't like you leaving the gate" Semina says firm.

"I know, but.." I pause, "don't you wonder what is beyond the fields? Beyond the trees? It's so clean and beautiful outside the gate, it's nothing like here."

"That's enough Maya, come keep warm" Semina replies harsh. I sit next to Zella and watch the fire as it burns, the flames trying the reach for the sky, tall and hot, small sparks bounce off of the fire and float in the darkness until they disappear. I sit back and look at the sky as the sun slowly sets and the sky above me turns black and begins to sparkle through the clouds, small stars. I keep warm and wait for the world to fall into darkness once again.