Annihilate

He awoke slowly, his head fuzzy and the bright lights stinging his eyes. He didn’t know where he was or even how he got to this place, he could barely remember anything. He sat in a chair scooted close to a table, his hands cuffed around a bar in the middle. The whole entire room was an eggshell white, and Noah could see a faint outline of a door but no handle. He felt weak, his muscles tired. He didn’t like the feeling of being helpless, of not knowing what would happen next. The door slid open and a woman walked in, her hair sitting in a tight bun on the top of her head. She tossed a clipboard down and leaned against the table.

“Is that you?” She asked, pointing to the papers.

Noah leaned over and examined them. It had all his information on it. His parents, his name, date of birth, where he grew up.
“Y-yes.” He said quietly.

“Noah Cline. Born in Parkersburg, East Carolina. The sixty-second state, established in 2024 after the American Republic liberated a few European areas that were saved from the Middle East during the Resource War.”

“I know the story.” He said sarcastically.

“Of course you do.” She smiled slightly and sat down, crossing her legs. “That war was many years ago. We gained twenty new states from it and created the railroad highway, connecting the overseas states to the mainland. That war brought us some advanced technology. You could say it was a good thing.”

“That war killed millions. It wiped out half of Russia and turned Australia into a wasteland.”

She smirked at his response. “I see you were born in 2027. That’s the year my mother died.” She flipped through some pages attached to the clipboard. “You’re twenty-one, perfect for harvesting. We need someone youthful and powerful.”

“What’s the point? Bringing up the war bullshit?”

“The war cleansed the land, Noah. Started new. That’s what we plan on doing.”

He laughed and shook his head. “You’re fucking crazy.”

“The world is full of sin. You can help us rid the filth.”

“You’re a religious extremist cult? Wasn’t religion all but a memory by 2025?”

She slid out the chair quickly and smacked him across the face. “Listen you little shit. We’re getting your power one way or another.”

“Okay. But you can you bring me something to drink? I haven’t had anything since your chains broke all my ribs and squeezed the life out of me.” He took a deep breath. “I seemed to have recovered well thanks to my amazing abilities.” He smiled slyly.

“You can have water when you’re burning in hell with the rest of your people.”

He’s thrown into a dark room filled with wounded people, people captured from the train and other colonies. A woman pushes her way to the front, her frail body coming into the faint light.

“Oh, Noah. You’re not supposed to be here.”
“Bette!” His face lights up, a smile replacing his somber expression. “I thought you were dead…again.”

“No.” She smiles. “Not yet.”

“Why don’t we use our powers to get out of here?”

She sighs slightly. “They have something blocking our abilities. We’ve tried, trust me.”

“Shit.” He says. “Then how do we get out?”

“We wait. At any moment Jamestown and the allied colonies will be on their way.”

“So…we just sit here and wait? Hope they come?” He leaned against the wall, resting his head against it.

“We have no other options.” Bette took Noah’s hand and squeezed tight. “They’ll come for us.”

“I know.” He gulped. “But in time?”

“What do you mean?” She already knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure. “Are they coming for you?”

He sighed and gave a faint smile. “Yes. I don’t know when though. I’m pretty sure it’s soon.”

“We won't let them take you.”

“They’ll kill you if you try to fight back. I can’t let you guys die.”

“If they get your powers…all life on Earth is doomed.”

“I’ll think of something, Bette.” He reassured her but he had no idea what the plan was and time was quickly running out.

The door buzzed and opened slowly. Silence fell over the people of the cell. The echoes of heels tapping against the floor rang down the hallway, hell was coming for him. He looked at Bette and shook his head. He knew she’d try to fight back, she was willing to die for him and humanity. She obeyed his wishes and turned away. His heart pounded furiously as the woman came into view. He could see Bette wiping tears from her eyes, he didn’t know if she was crying for him, or the people of Earth.

The woman entered the room, her eyes looking at every saddened face in the room. Her bright red lips cracked a smile as her head turned towards Noah. He gulped hard and held out his hands, she zip-tied him and pulled him from the room. The door slid shut and locked with a loud click. He didn’t look back, he wanted to leave knowing everyone in that room was going to be okay…but he wasn’t sure. They walked down winding halls, passed through multiple security areas, and finally into another completely white room. A chair sat in the middle, two large machines stood on both sides, needles at head level. The woman cut him free and pushed him into the chair. A girl strapped him in, her eyes met his and she gave him a slight wink. He looked at her in confusion, and then he thought to himself…she’s part of the resistance.

A loud bang came from outside and shook the entire building. The lights flickered on the ceiling, giving the girl just enough time to pull out her gun and shoot the woman. Blood splatted against the sterile walls and dull white tiles. She quickly unlatched him and handed him her gun.

“My name is Karen Combs. I’m part of Eleuthia. Once you get out of here, come find us. We need your help. Your friends are on the roof. We’ll help the others.”

He nodded in agreement and headed out of the room, staring down the dead body as he walked out. She got what she deserved. He ran through the maze of halls and stopped at the edge of the stairs. He didn’t know what was going on, he didn’t know if it was a trap or not. He had to trust his gut. Noah climbed the stairs and opened the door. They all stopped chatting as he walked out onto the roof. Ryan ran to him in full sprint, diving into his arms and kissing him all over. He introduced Noah to Maya. His heart pounded, he was happy to finally be back with his friends, his family.

“Noah, come look.” Natalie said, peering over the edge of the building.

Noah joined her and almost lost his balance at the sight. The ground was a warzone. Flying mutations dive-bombed people with flamethrowers, regular mutations tore people apart. The army of humans pushed hard, plowing down walls of the creatures with farm equipment. The creatures acted as a sort of security system for the building, it was a smart move on the company’s behalf. In the distance, he could see the outline of the Washington Monument half destroyed, and the Capital Building up in flames.

“DC?” Noah asked surprised.

“Yeah. I guess they took over here after the fall of the presidency a few years before the outbreak. When DC evacuated, they made their base here.”

“Of course, they make their home here.” He looked over the edge, watching fire engulf the monsters. “That’s a lot of mutations down there.”

“We’ll take of it, don’t worry.” She gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

“I wasn’t worried.” He smiles and nudged her.

“Its good to have you back, Noah.”

The door suddenly exploded and went flying across the roof, barely missing Ryan and Audra. A tall buff man in a suit walked out into the midnight air. He looked around, his eyes stopping on Noah.

“You really fucked up my night.” He said, fuming with anger. “All I needed was your power.” His eyes started to glow bright red.

“Shit!” Sam yelled. “That’s Methias Conner. The president of the company!”
He laughed manically. “I don’t need you alive to take your power. But it would sure be fun to watch you suffer.” His arms grew twice the size, splitting open into disgusting slimy tentacles. His jaw extended downward and jagged teeth filled the space, his body morphed into a creature Noah had never seen before.

Audra’s fists closed tight, her mind focused on the power surging through her body. Bright purple light traveled from her hands and snaked up her arms, coating them with a type of see-through armor. Noah looked at her arm blades, amazed at her power and a little bit jealous. She lunged at the creature, slicing a gash into his arm. Noah couldn’t stand by and let her take all the hits. Vines and flowers sprouted from his left arm and slowly trailed their way down to his hand. They intertwined and grew branches, forming a beautiful grassy shield. A blade like Audra’s appeared in his other hand, it’s like his powers had a mind of their own and they were going to protect him at all costs.

Audra leaped through the air, swinging at his tentacle arm. He launched his body at her but she was quick to dive underneath him, missing her by an inch. Noah charged at him, stabbing his arm blade into the monster’s stomach then drove it upward, cutting the creature up the middle. Black tar like ooze seeped from the open wound in his chest. Methias didn’t seem to be phased by it. He swung the barbed tentacles like a whip, crashing against Noah’s shield. The impact sent Noah to the ground, his garden protection slowly coming apart. Audra cut through his arm, chopping it completely off. He screamed and stumbled backwards.

Noah jumped up quickly and aimed his blade at Methias. It shot from his hand and punctured the creature’s eye. He shot another, this time hitting him in the neck. The monster groaned, his body and power becoming weaker. Noah’s grassy shield unwound and became two long vines covered in razor sharp thorns. He tangled them around Methias’ leg and pulled tight. The thorns dug deep into his skin, tearing apart his muscles, puncturing bone. Noah pulled tighter until his leg eventually tore off. He fell to the ground in defeat, crying out in agony. Audra jumped on his back and held her blades at his throat.

“Judgment time.” She said, taking deep exhausting breaths. “This…this is for all the people you killed.” She looked at Noah, waiting for his blessing. He nodded and turned away. She slashed both her blades through his neck. It felt like cutting through butter, she liked the feeling. Making him pay for what he did was what she wanted for a long time. His head fell to the ground and rolled to Noah’s feet.
The creature’s body bubbled and slowly dissolved into the black tar. He took a deep breath, Audra joining by his side. The fight was over, but another battle waged below.