Earth's Echo. During the darkest phases of WWIII, a planet, looking just like Earth, appeared in the sky after several other strange phenomena. It appeared every night and vanished in daylight, so of course, it was seen at different times around the world. This event greatly influenced the ceasefire decision, which later ended the war.
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"Ahh!" The teen screamed. "Get it away from me!"
"Come on," urged an older man who sounded like he was in his forties, "you can't keep doing this."
"No!" The young man was insistent. "I don't want that thing anywhere close to me."
"Goodness.."
The man sighed in helplessness as he considered giving up on convincing the rookie who had recently joined their group. He was an annoying one who refused to touch the Tube, even though his life quite literally depended on it.
Five people—with a single lady amidst them - travelled upon the sandy plains. They were led by a young man who was actually the second youngest of the group. But, his demeanour, as well as the mature calm around him, commanded respect in the hearts of the other four.
He was also the only Soul Walker in their group. Because of this, he didn't need the protective Suits that the other Corpse Reapers wore. Although he was a mercenary just like the rest of them, his status as an awakened human dignified him in their midst.
While two men—one younger, one older, argued with each other, with the older one trying to convince the other, he only walked calmly ahead of them, unbothered by their bickering.
"I told you," said the only woman in the group, "he's just a f*cking kid."
Her irritation was evident in her body language and tone.
"Did you hear that?" asked the older of the two chatterboxes, "she just called you a kid."
"I don't care," the teen remarked, "I'm not having that Tube on my back."
"But, you see," the older one argued. "Marlo hates the fact that he has to carry it for you."
"...." The boy couldn't speak.
Marlo, the only one aside from the Soul Walker, who hadn't spoken, shot a distasteful glare at Gary, who remained adamant in his decision. However, this glare was only slightly visible since, just like the other three that wore the Suits, the helmet had concealed his face.
The Suits had a simple yet intricate design. Each of them, painted in metallic black, had cube-shaped extensions that were positioned at the shoulder pads and kneepads of the strange suit. The uniform itself was like that of a cyberpunk and like that of a firefighter as well. They appeared bulky, but in reality, they were designed to be as light as possible.
The Suits also had detachable helmets that resembled those of a cyborg or a synthetic soldier. Smooth and rounded at the top like a pilot's but far more advanced. It had a dark, reflective visor that partially hid the wearer's face, and there was a small sensor, as well as a camera embedded on the forehead area, with tiny red, flashing indicator lights.
The reason their voices didn't sound altered or muffled by their helmets was that they weren't speaking into open air but rather through mics in their helmets.
Every pad—four for each suit had what seemed like thick cables that linked towards something else: The Tube.
The blue translucent tube was connected at the back of the Suit, by electromagnetic forces at certain designated points on the uniform. The four who wore the Suit had the tube, but the teen amongst those four had disconnected it from his back.
However, it was still linked to his Suit, just like every other one, by long, black cables that extended from the shoulder and knee pads, before converging into one, larger wire that plugged into the very top of the tube.
The teen still needed the protection that the Tube offered, as that was one of the major points of the Suit in the first place, but the content of the Tube disturbed him, so he preferred having it at a distance. As a result, Marlo had to carry it for him.
'It's creepy even still,' Gary reasoned, thinking of the true nature of the thing that resided in the Tube.
Writhing flesh. Living flesh.
It seemed almost formless, as it twirled and turned in the confines of the tube, like a highly viscous liquid. But in reality, it was flesh, half-clothed with skin, half-bare, that struggled to escape but couldn't.
Gary scorned the fact that his Tube looked more bothersome than the others. At least, theirs didn't try to resist—they just accepted their fates and played their roles as the biological batteries that they were. Even worse, his battery had those vibrations, because Mr Restless kept making sounds.
'As if it's not enough looking so creepy…'
The moving flesh had eyeballs—humanoid eyeballs sticking out all over it. Some looked like they had liquified, some were abnormally large, while others blinked.
And they f*cking stared at him. Even crying as they did.
'At least, don't make those sounds…' Gary pleaded in his mind. Unlike the other three with the Tubes, it took his all to maintain his composure. Those sounds were eating away at him.
"Ah….ah…."
"Ah….ah…."
'Stop. Just stop.'
"Ma…ah…"
"Ma…Ma…"
'...'
"Mama…Mama…"
"Ah fuck it!" Gary screamed, feeling a mix of rage and guilt explode in his heart.
At the end, those things were simply Dehumanised Humans that were stuffed into tubes and made into biological batteries. The US government called them 'Inferiors', but it didn't sit well with him. Especially since they were still very much conscious.
They still had a mind and a heart.
A voice sounded. It was that of the Soul Walker, who walked ahead of them with a strange looking monkey hanging from his shoulders and hugging his back. It was a deep, powerful voice.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"I…I..can't stand it," Gary responded.
"Why?" The Soul Walker asked, "Does it hurt your conscience?"
Gary was reluctant to answer, but he said the truth anyway. "Yes, it does."
"I see…" he didn't speak to Gary any further. Instead, still not turning back to face them, he called out to Brian, who was the oldest man, after Marlo. He was also the guy that had tried convincing Gary into wearing the Tube.
His command was sharp and clear. "Brian, make sure he doesn't unplug his cables."
"Certainly," he responded. "He's quite agitated too, so if he does, the Curse will probably get him in seconds…hehe.."
That was both an exaggeration and a joke. But the Soul Walker had no interest in it. What mattered was that he knew his assignment, and was sure to follow it.
Brian wasn't discouraged, because that was a very normal reaction. As the five travelled upon the seemingly never-ending sandy plains, in search for resources, he drew a bit closer to Gary.
"You know," he advised. "If you just change the way you see things, life gets a lot easier."
"Still-!"
"Don't 'still' me," he interjected, cutting off Gary. "Think of it as a dog barking and you would be fine."
"....."
Gary turned his head to face him. Through the slight visibility they both had, they locked eyes for a moment—one old and experienced, the other young and troubled.
"Trust me," Brain said in the most reassuring manner possible.
"But, it said 'Mama'," Gary argued. "It was probably a f*cking child."
"Ignore these things," he urged in a low whisper. "With time you'll adapt."
"...."
Gary didn't talk any more. Brian's words made sense to an extent. However, logic was one thing, and emotion was another.
He would try his best to tolerate it. But, he preferred that Marlo held onto it for now at least.
The only reason Marlo carried it for him all the way through—just like many other times, was because the Soul Walker, who was seen as the leader of the group—though not officially stated, had ordered him to help Gary.
Everyone in the group of five knew; He had a soft spot for him. Maybe because he was young. Or maybe there was something else that he liked about him.
The Soul Walker raised his right hand. Everyone stopped in their tracks.
He had seen something. And not long after, they did too.
Ahead of them, a coffin, broken open by the right side—with dried blood stuck all over the surface of its insides. There were three slats of wood sitting next to it, with even more blood on them.
For the second time throughout the venture, the woman spoke.
"Is that…..a coffin?"