The Carrier

chapter 1

I have never known peace. Never known love or kindness. I was born to a world where for humans, that no longer exist. I have heard stories, mere fairytales of a time when humans ran free and were not slaves. Hundreds of years ago long before my birth. The earth was different. Sure, there was war and prejudices, but also life, and joy, and love. I pushed the thought from my mind It was dangerous to think of things like that. The creatures who rule this planet and many planets have ways of hearing such thoughts. People have been known to disappear for thinking such things.

No, I did not know that world. The world I was born into 17 years ago is dark, and cold. Humans are born in cold sterile incubators now and kept as slaves. Worked from a young age and used as experiments. We are not given names, we have a serial number that we go by. My serial number is T6432, I go by T to the one friend that I have in secret. I was stationed as a coal miner, on the edge of our area.

The planet was broken up into areas, 12 in total. I suppose I was lucky to live in one of the milder areas. Area 2 is now what I am told two hundred years ago was called North America.

Our weather stays one temperature hot. Even on the coldest days it is still hot. L2564 who is the closest thing to a friend I have. She is 30 years older than I am and has been more places then I. L2564 is a tall thin woman. We are all thin as we don't get fed on any sort of regular basis. However, she is thinner than even I, she had been placed in the mining cave just a year ago.

I walked into our workstation and put on the headlamp that we were all given. I picked up the mining tool and went to the edge of the wall in the cave and met up with L who was already working. "Hey what happened to you this morning? The commander wanted to know where you were. I told him that you were in the bathroom" she whispered. "I am not sure if he believed me or not."

I turned to her and replied "Sorry, the master visited my room again last night. I had to mend the wounds he left." I lowered my face with shame. It was no secret what happened to the woman who have had their first cycle. L knew this to well.

There were three types of species in the world humans; the creatures that's name was not of this world and could not be pronounced by any human tongue; and the half breeds that are harvested from the females of humans. The creatures have been trying to create a new breed from humans for centuries. Once a female has her first cycle she is then placed with a master. The creature will bed the female in hopes of conception. I have been with my master for the last year, having started my cycle later than most.

L gave me a sympathetic look. "Well pray to the gods that you will conceive this time. Then you will be transferred to a center and not stuck here."

I turned to her with a look of panic, "what if I am not capable. I have been with master for a year and have not conceived."

L looked me long in the face. "Do not think those things girl, you are young and strong. Your body is in perfect condition for fertility. Besides you know the consequences if you did not birth a child. If you want to call one of those beasts a child." She spat.

"Did you not love any of the ones you conceived?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Of course not, how could I love something that was half of them. I did what I must to survive and no more." She said clipped.

I didn't say anything else as I moved to the solid wall. The sweat was already dripping from my head as the heat began to rise in the cave.

After about 6 hours of work the commander who watched over the cave and made sure we were all working, said "30 minutes to eat and rest."