Estimated reading time — 27 minutes

Daniel’s day began much like any other, as he awoke at dawn and climbed out of his bed, stretching and yawning loudly, before adjusting his weary eyes to the morning sunshine creeping in through the blinds. His usual daily routine would follow – a quick wash, followed by breakfast, and then onto his classes with Aunt Molly. His daily chores around the farm would be completed during the afternoon, and finally he could enjoy a couple of hour’s play in the woods before dinner and nightfall…And tomorrow, it would all start over again.

Daniel sighed aloud as he grabbed his clothes and hastily got himself dressed. The community where his family lived was a fine place, or so his parents kept on telling him. They were safe here, the farm produced most of what they needed to live on, and their mysterious benefactors provided the rest. Everything here ran smoothly, there was rarely anything out of the ordinary occurring and – for a teenage boy like Daniel – it was all incredibly boring. Thank God for Sally – she was the only interesting person in the whole place, Daniel’s best friend and the one who kept him sane.

The day dragged on. The classes were a bore. There were four families and seven children in their community, five of whom were old enough to attend Aunt Molly’s home school held in the community’s village hall. Molly didn’t have a family of her own and so she took responsibility for many of the admin jobs for the community, including the education of the kids.

Aunt Molly was a nice woman. Daniel liked her because she didn’t patronise the kids like most of the other adults did. Unfortunately, the classes tended to be tedious, because Aunt Molly could only teach at the pace of the youngest child. Daniel and Sally were the eldest and smartest in the class and so were constantly frustrated with the slow pace. The focus of the classes was on literacy and numeracy, that and educating them about the livestock and crops which the community depended upon. Daniel was more interested in science, history and geography – anything which linked to the outside world, of which they knew next to nothing. But Molly tended to gloss over these subjects, as did all the adults when questioned.

But of course, there were other ways to get information, mainly from the extensive collection of books held in the community’s library. Daniel used to think reading was a waste of time, but Sally had introduced him to the beauty of the written word; of entire worlds in which you could immerse yourself as a means of escaping the mundane every day. And now the boy was hooked, devouring every book he could get his hands on.

The morning school session finally came to an end, but Daniel would spend his afternoon helping out on the farm…’everyone has to pitch in’, as his father always said. Today he was tasked with feeding the hens and mucking out the cows – not exactly glamourous work – but it had to be done, and at least it got Daniel out in the fresh air.

The sun was out today, and the weather was fine, as it usually was. The clouds and rain tended to come when the grass, plants, and crops needed it. The weather changed with the seasons, but not dramatically so. Daniel had never seen snow or even experienced a violent storm; he’d only read about them in books. There were no extremes of weather here…no extremes of anything in fact. The adults always told him that this was the perfect place to live, but – from Daniel’s perspective – this community was undeniably dull.

The small rural community consisted of four family-sized log cabins, one community hall, two wells, one windmill, and a half-dozen cow sheds, outhouses and grain silos. The village was surrounded by about 25 acres of cultivated land and fields set aside for grazing. The community kept cows, sheep and poultry in addition to growing grain for making bread.
Beyond the farmland was a ring of dense woodland. The community elders chopped down the occasional tree for firewood or building material but otherwise rarely bothered with the forest. Daniel, Sally and the older kids were allowed to play in the woods in daylight and often took Aunt Molly’s dog Rufus for walks under the trees. However, the youngsters were banned from going into the woods at nighttime, for reasons which their parents never satisfactorily explained. And, beyond the trees was a body of clear and calm water.

This water surrounded them on all sides, meaning the community lived on an island in the middle of a small lake. The mainland was clearly visible on the horizon, only about half-a-mile across the water. But – to Daniel’s immense frustration – it was unreachable. None of the children had ever been taught how to swim and there were no bridges or boats. The adults were particularly cagey and defensive when asked about the far shoreline, warning their children never to go near the water because it was dangerous. Despite the warnings, Daniel and Sally went down to the lake on a regular basis, glancing across at the land on the other side, wondering who or what was over there.

Regardless of the mundane nature of their daily chores, there was an excitement in the air that afternoon, because today was the day when the flyers arrived. The flyers were the greatest mystery of all as far as Daniel was concerned. Once a week, they emerged from the clear blue skies, appearing as if by magic before descending and landing in the village’s small central square. The flyers shared the skies with the ravens and songbirds, but that’s where the comparison ended.

They were not living creatures but rather machines – robot was the term Daniel had read in the library’s encyclopaedia, but he had no idea how the flyers worked or how they were built. Nevertheless, one or more of these aircraft arrived like clockwork at the beginning of every week, bringing the villagers vital supplies which they could not grow or produce themselves on the farm; including medicines, tools, equipment, books, various luxury items and – of course – the vitamin supplements which they all had to take daily.

These were the regular supply flyers, but there were specialist machines for other situations, like medical drones which arrived when someone was seriously ill, injured, or when a woman was pregnant. When such a thing happened, the sick party would disappear into their hut with a medical robot in tow and usually they’d emerge fit and healthy in a couple of hours, or at most a day or two.

Daniel didn’t know what went on behind those closed doors, what miracles of science these robots performed to heal a broken leg or deliver a baby. He didn’t even know where the flyers came from or who sent them. Predictably, the adults were tight-lipped on this matter as well, only saying that the flyers were dispatched by their so-called ‘benefactors’; good and kind people who made sure the villagers were safe and well cared for.

It didn’t add up, and Daniel’s curiosity could not be quelled so easily. That’s why he continued to come out and watch the arrival of the flyers along with the rest of the community. The kids gathered at the front of the crowd, closest to the grassy landing zone. The younger ones were yapping away excitedly; the Toland children – Jarred, Samuel and Theresa, Tom and Angela’s daughter Lucy and Sally’s younger brother Zak. Daniel liked to act superior given his age, but he was excited too…And then Sally arrived.

It had only been a couple of hours since he’d last seen her, but still his heart skipped a beat when he set his eyes upon her auburn hair, dark brown eyes, and angelic smile.

“Hiya Dan,” she said with a smirk, “Long time no see.”

“Ha ha, very funny!” he said, instantly regretting his uncool response.

Sally had been Daniel’s best friend for pretty much his whole life. He’d never thought of her as a girl before. Growing up, she was more like a sister than anything, but his feelings towards her had changed recently. Daniel didn’t quite know what to do with these strange and unfamiliar new emotions, but he didn’t dare tell Sally, because he feared she did not feel the same way. And so, he tried to play it cool, pretending that everything was normal.

“So,” Daniel said, once he’d recovered from his mild embarrassment, “are you ready for today’s snooze fest?”

“Yeah,” Sally replied with a chuckle, “the arrival of the flyers…highlight of our day. Who ever said nothing happens in this place?”

“Yeah, we’re the centre of the universe alright.” Daniel replied.

They enjoyed their shared joke until the multiple aircraft suddenly emerged on the skyline, appearing as if from nowhere, as they always did. The kids shouted out excitedly, while Daniel, Sally and the assembled adults looked upwards in expectation. There were a few excited murmurs from even the elders when they realised three flyers were approaching rather than the usual two. The murmurs turned into shocked gasps when they saw the cargo carried by the third aircraft, because on top of the flyer rode a human man.

Daniel looked on in amazement as the craft hovered over the grassy patch, coming in to land.

“Am I seeing things?” Sally asked, “Who is that guy?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.” Daniel replied.

That much was true. Their community was small and tight knit; everyone knew everyone else intimately and there hadn’t been any newcomers to the village since Daniel was a child. Soon, all three flyers had landed, but the two craft carrying the cargo and supplies were ignored, as all present focussed upon the newcomer as he climbed off his perch and cautiously made his way across the grass towards the group.

Aunt Molly looked as confused as everyone else, but she took her responsibility as the community matriarch seriously, and so she stepped forward with a forced smile on her face and her hand outstretched as she greeted the new arrival.

“Good afternoon sir.” she said amicably, “Welcome to our village.”

The man did not respond, nor would he accept Molly’s hand of friendship. Daniel looked over the new arrival, quickly realising he was unlike any man he’d ever seen before. The newcomer’s age was hard to guess. His face was hard and weathered, his eyes tired and weary. He had a visible scar across his right cheek and when he walked it was with a limp. The guy looked nervous and skittish, like an animal who’d been attacked and feared it would happen again. Molly slowly lowered her hand, but her smile never dipped. If she was perturbed by his odd behaviour she didn’t let it show.

“My name is Molly and I’m the village administrator…”

There was a tense and silent pause as the man glared at her, not speaking, before he finally answered.

“Cain.” he mumbled, “Cain is my name. They sent me here.”

Molly smiled and nodded. “Well, you’re very welcome Cain. And I’m sure you’re tired after your journey…and seeing so many new faces at once must be daunting. Why don’t we speak privately in the community centre and I’ll fill you in on how things work around here?”

Cain didn’t look at all enthusiastic, but he nodded his head in a meek agreement and followed Molly towards the large wooden cabin. The rest of the crowd soon dispersed, the children following the adults as they all engaged in excited chatter.

Soon, Daniel and Sally were left alone, as apparently their parents had forgotten about them during the excitement.

“Well?” Sally asked.

“Well what?” Daniel replied.

“Well…aren’t you curious? Don’t you want to know what’s really happening? We know the adults are hiding things from us; don’t you want to find out the truth?”

“How?” he asked in confusion.

“They’re going to the hall – Aunt Molly and the weird guy – we can hide underneath the window and listen in. No-one will see us.”

“I don’t know.” Daniel replied nervously.

“What are you, chicken?” Sally taunted.

That sealed it – the boy couldn’t bear to lose face in front of the girl and so he agreed to her risky plan. Sally took him by the hand, and he felt his heart pounding as he followed her to the hiding place.

_____________

The young couple took up position underneath the open window of the community hall, remaining completely silent as they listened intently to the conversation occurring inside. Daniel felt a rush of adrenalin, knowing what he was doing was technically wrong and against the village rules…This was his small act of rebellion and being here with Sally only added to his excitement.

They heard movement from inside the building, soon followed by muffled conversation. For a moment, Daniel feared they wouldn’t be able to hear, but then the voices grew louder.

“So, Cain,” said Aunt Molly, her tone somewhat nervous, “I apologise for the lack of a formal welcome, but we had no idea you were coming…”

The man grunted but made no further reply.

“We will find you accommodation, get you new clothes, and any personal items you need. We’re a tight-knit community here and we all look out for each other. The farm is fully functional. We rear cows for milking, keep hens for fresh eggs, chickens for the pot, and sheer sheep for wool. We’re pretty much self-sufficient in fact, but anything we can’t produce locally is supplied by our benefactors…”

“Very generous of them.” Cain answered sarcastically.

There was a tense pause before Molly spoke again. “Tell me Cain, where did you live before?”

“Facility Number 7.” he spat with hatred.

“Dear God!” Molly exclaimed in horror.

“You’ve heard of it then?” Cain asked.

“We heard stories in the early years, but I always thought they were just that…stories.”

“Oh, 7 is real all right.” Cain confirmed, “I was sent there as a punishment for disobeying the rules of my community. I was only there a few months, but it was hell…I was wounded in an attack.” He paused briefly, as if remembering something terrible, “The masters fixed me up and I guess they took pity on me, because I got sent here…”

Another pause followed before Molly spoke again.

“Well Cain”, she said in a soothing voice, “I’m very sorry for what you’ve been through, but it’s over now. You’ll be safe here. You know, you’re lucky to be alive…”

“Yeah. I really hit the damn jackpot!” Cain replied angrily.

Daniel couldn’t see their faces, couldn’t read their body language, but he could hear the tension in Aunty Molly’s voice when she next spoke.

“Okay then. Well, I’m sure you’re tired and need time to adjust to your new surroundings. Please make yourself at home and relax while I prepare your bunk. Dinner is at 6 and tomorrow we’ll discuss your work schedule. Also – and this is very important Cain – you must take your supplement pills every day. Trust me, they will make you feel better.”

“Sure whatever.” he replied dismissively.

Molly didn’t even say goodbye before leaving the hall, shutting the door behind her.

Daniel and Sally waited until Molly walked out of sight before leaving their hiding place and running for cover.

“What was all that about?” Sally asked in confusion.

“No idea.” Daniel answered, “But there’s something not right about this new guy. Aunt Molly knows what it is, but she isn’t telling us the truth…”

“We need to keep an eye on them.” Sally said, “Find out what’s going on.”

“Yes.” Daniel agreed.

He was eager to dig deeper into the mystery but also wanted to spend more time with Sally. She smiled sweetly, and he reciprocated, as the boy and girl made a secret pact to undercover the truth.

_____________

The incident occurred the next morning, coming totally out of the blue. Daniel saw it all as he was walking to his morning classes. The newcomer Cain was meant to be starting his first day of work, but he didn’t get far. Daniel’s father, Cain, and the other men were gathered outside the supplies shed, lifting their tools for the day’s work ahead. Cain had just been handed a pitchfork when Saul butted in, grabbing the tool and claiming it as his own.

Saul was an excitable 18-year-old orphan who’d come to live in the village when he was 4-year-old child. He’d been brought up by the community elders but had always been something of a ‘black sheep’, frequently getting himself into trouble and rubbing people up the wrong way. Saul was a pain but was also fairly harmless.

He’d probably grabbed the pitchfork as a childish prank and doubtless the other men would have put things right given a chance, but Cain’s reaction took everyone by surprise. The newcomer’s first response was to recoil and retreat from the sniggering Saul, behaving like an animal under threat…but then he suddenly lashed out violently, charging towards the astonished Saul and tackling him to the ground.

Saul let out a pained cry and instantly submitted, throwing down the stolen pitchfork and attempting to escape his attacker’s grasp, but the manic Cain was not satisfied. He pinned the helpless Saul down on the ground and started punching him hard in the face, again and again. Daniel watched on in abject horror, frozen in shock and unable to look away from the violent scene. The brutal beating seemed to go on forever, with each punch producing a sickening crack as Cain’s bloodied fists hit home.

Saul screamed for mercy, but to no avail. Blood was pouring from a deep gash on the boy’s forehead but still Cain would not stop. For a horrible moment, Daniel was sure that he was going to kill Saul, but finally the other men intervened, grabbing hold of the vicious attacker and pulling him off his victim. Cain continued to fight, spit, and curse as the men struggled to control him. Daniel saw the wild look in the man’s eyes and it was truly terrifying. He wondered how they would subdue the violent maniac, but then his attention was drawn upwards.

Two flyers approached at speed; one was a standard model, but the second was a type Daniel had never seen before, with two elongated tubes attached to the undersides of each wing. Cain also saw the flyers and he took the opportunity presented by the distraction to break free and make a run for it, but he didn’t get far. The second flyer turned in mid-air to pursue him, quickly firing two dart-like missiles from the tubes on its wings. The darts struck the fleeing Cain in his back, causing him to yelp in shock before he fell to the ground and stopped moving.

Daniel’s father and the others ignored the immobilised attacker and ran to the aid of the badly beaten Saul; whose face was a bloody, barely recognisable mess. Daniel continued to watch the pair of flyers as they worked in perfect unison. The first dart-firing aircraft pulled up and the second ducked down, extending a pair of mechanical grabbers and lifting Cain’s limp body, carrying him up into the air with ease.

Soon, the two aircraft disappeared into the blue sky, taking Cain with them. Meanwhile, the men began carrying the now unconscious Saul towards the community hall, as a third flyer – a specialist medical unit – flew in to treat him. Soon Daniel was left standing alone in the square, shaking his head in disbelief at what he’d just witnessed.

_____________

The whole ugly incident had lasted no more than a couple of minutes, but Daniel knew nothing would ever be the same after this. The shocking and unprecedented incident was soon covered up. Daniel’s father had spoken to him privately that night, explaining how Cain was a troubled man who needed help and assuring him that their benefactors would know what to do. There was nothing to worry about, his Dad insisted, and soon everything will be back to normal.

Daniel knew his father was lying to him. Cain was more than troubled; he was dangerous, violent and totally apart from everyone else in this community. He came from another place, the mysterious ‘Facility 7’ which he’d spoken to Aunt Molly about. Daniel had checked through all the reference books but could find nothing about such a place. Sally was equally baffled. She hadn’t witnessed Cain’s violent attack upon Saul, but she had seen the chaotic aftermath.

On the day after the assault everyone was acting normally – on the surface at least – but there was a powerful tension in the air. Amazingly, Cain was returned to the village that morning, flown back in on the back of a transport flyer. The men folk all kept a wary eye on Cain. But apparently, they didn’t have to worry about him. Cain was no longer aggressive or confrontational. Instead the man was submissive and subdued, his head down as he silently got on with his work. Daniel wondered what in hell had happened to the troublemaker after the flyers took him – part of him didn’t want to know.

He was relieved when the day’s chores were over, and he and Sally could escape into the woods for a couple of hours freedom before nightfall. They took Rufus the dog with them, entertaining the playful pup with a game of fetch under the tall pine trees. For a while, both youngsters were able to forget their troubles and enjoy their peaceful surroundings.

Daniel watched Sally play with the dog, laughing joyfully as her bright eyes sparkled in the failing light. He felt butterflies in his stomach as his eyes followed her across the forest floor. Daniel wondered whether tonight would be the night he told her how he really felt…It seemed right, but he didn’t get the chance.

Suddenly the dog took off, running deeper into the woods and barking maniacally. Sally ran after him, calling out his name as she went. Daniel rolled his eyes and moaned in frustration at his lost opportunity. He had no doubt that the mutt was chasing after a squirrel or a bird, or something stupid like that. He listened to the distant barking, barely paying attention until he heard a girl’s scream. Sally was in danger!

The boy burst into action, tearing through the woods, following the sound of her voice. Soon he arrived in a clearing, finding the dog still barking frantically while Sally was crying, staring ahead at something monstrous. She ran to Daniel when she saw him, burying her head in his chest and drying her tears on his shirt. He looked up and saw what had driven her to hysterics.

There was Cain hanging from a heavy tree branch, his feet swinging above the ground and a noose tied tightly around his throat. His eyes were closed, and his face was a sickening shade of purple. Daniel was sure the man was dead.

He felt like he was going to be physically sick, but he managed to control his fear, muttering that they had to return to the village and get help. Daniel took the distraught Sally by her hand and they began running towards home, but he was unable to erase the terrible image of Cain’s hanging body from his memory, as the dog’s frantic barking continued to ring in his ears.

_____________

Daniel didn’t sleep a wink that night – he was too traumatised by what they’d seen, and every time he closed his eyes he would recall Cain’s lifeless corpse hanging from that tree. He and Sally arrived back at the village in a frantic state, reporting their grisly discovery. Daniel’s father had led a party of men into the woods to recover the body and Cain’s corpse was collected by the flyers soon after.

Daniel’s mother had done her best to calm and comfort the two before Sally was sent back to her own family for the night. His father had spoken to Daniel later that evening, explaining how Cain had been unable to come to terms with his troubled past and so had decided to take his own life. Suicide was what they called it – but such an act of self-destruction was previously unheard of in their community. Once again, Daniel was not satisfied with his father’s explanation. He knew his dad was holding something back from him, and Cain’s shocking death had made him even more determined to discover the truth.
He met up with Sally early the next morning in the village square. The girl wasn’t herself – her face was drawn and her eyes red and puffy. Daniel guessed she’d been up all night crying.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“Yeah.” She replied, brushing it off. “What did they tell you Dan?” she asked.

“Nothing much,” he admitted, “my dad said Cain killed himself. That’s probably true – he was a pretty messed up guy – but it still doesn’t explain where he came from and why they sent him here…”

“And who are they anyway?” Sally interrupted, “Who are these people who control our lives and send the flyers? We’ve never seen them, and our parents won’t tell us anything…You know Dan, I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and I reckon there’s only one way we’re going to learn the truth. We need to leave this island…”

For a moment Daniel thought he’d misheard.

“Wait a minute…” he exclaimed, “you want to leave the community? But that’s impossible!”

“Why is it impossible?” Sally shot back, “We’re surrounded by a narrow stretch of calm water. We can see the land on the far side…All we need to do is reach it!”

“But how? It’s water for crying out loud! We can’t walk across it, and we don’t know how to swim!”

“We don’t need to swim,” Sally answered with a coy smile, “all we need is a raft.”

Now Daniel was totally baffled, not to mention a little bit scared.

“A raft?” he repeated in a baffled tone.

“Yes Dan, a raft. We can build it ourselves. There are books in the library which will tell us how. All we need is logs and cord to bind it together. We can fashion oars from tree branches. We know the water isn’t choppy, so we can paddle across in no time. What do you say Dan? Care to join me on an adventure?”

Daniel hesitated before answering. This was undoubtably the most important decision of his life thus far. He was very nervous but didn’t want Sally to know it. What she was suggesting was radical, a clear breach of the community’s laws and a challenge to their parent’s authority. He knew it was wrong, but that made Sally’s proposal all the more enticing…and it meant spending more time with the girl he liked, hopefully impressing her with his bravery.
“Yeah,” he suddenly blurted, “Yeah, I’m in.”

“Good.” Sally answered, with a satisfied smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eye, “well, we better get started then. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

And so, their adventure began, although neither knew where their act of rebellion would lead.

_____________

It took them a week to finish the raft. They could have completed the task much sooner, except Daniel insisted on caution. They stole only small quantitates of wood and rope from the communal stores each day so to avoid detection. Sally took charge of the raft’s construction, consulting her textbook and instructing Daniel accordingly. They’d tested the craft for strength and durability and – after a couple of short test runs on the water – both were satisfied that the boat would float and bear both of their weights, while the oars they’d carved out of tree branches would help propel them across the lake and towards the far shoreline.

Daniel didn’t know how far it was to the other side. Sally reckoned it was only a couple of hundred yards, but he thought it was farther. Not that it would matter if the raft sank or fell apart halfway across. There was no way of telling how deep the lake was, but Daniel had waded out to test the waters, getting 20 yards or so before the water came up to his shoulders.

Their journey would be dangerous, he was sure of this. Even if they made it across the lake without drowning, there was no way of telling what they would find on the other side. What if the land across the water was populated by violent maniacs like Cain? What if they were attacked? Even at this late stage – as they stood on the shore ready to cast off – Daniel still had grave doubts, and he seriously considered backing out. But Sally was determined and would go ahead with the mission regardless, so he would rather be by his best friend’s side than let her face the danger alone.

And so, the two teenagers stood on the muddy shore, their self-built raft before them and their crude oars in hand. Daniel looked into Sally’s eyes and his heart beat faster as she spoke.

“Well Dan, would you care to do the honours?”

The boy nodded his head as Sally stepped onto the raft. He gave it a firm push, casting the craft out onto the open water. Daniel soon waded in after, jumping aboard the flimsy craft and only just managing to stabilise it before they capsized. The first fifty yards of paddling were the scariest, especially after they went out of their depth. For a terrifying few minutes Daniel was sure they would sink and drown, but the water was calm and steady and thankfully their raft held together.

Before long Daniel and Sally had synchronised their strokes and soon they were making good progress towards the other side. The couple were able to relax as their journey continued, appreciating the solitude and beauty of their surroundings; the blue sky and shining sun above them and the clear water and shoals of swimming fish underneath them. Daniel admired the nature all around him, but the greatest beauty of all was the girl sat beside him.

It was Sally who’d gotten them this far – her bravery, determination, and adventurous nature. He had fallen for her, no doubt about it. Daniel couldn’t deny it any longer…he was in love with the girl and had to tell her, no matter what the response. Daniel opened his mouth to speak when suddenly they hit a wall. It was only a small bump, but the impact almost threw them both into the water.

“What the hell was that?” Sally exclaimed in shock.

“Don’t know,” Daniel answered in puzzlement, “maybe we hit a rock.”

But he wasn’t convinced. The raft had stopped dead in the water and would not move forward. He inspected the lake underneath their boat but could see nothing – no rocks, no obstructions. Next, Daniel looked to the far shoreline. Something wasn’t right here but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The land appeared to be close, perhaps less than one hundred yards away, but somehow it didn’t look real. It was as if the shoreline in front of him was a moving picture, if such a thing was possible.

Suddenly, the image flickered, as the light seemed to fade momentarily. For a moment, Daniel thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but Sally had seen it too.
“What happened there?” she exclaimed.

Daniel didn’t answer. Instead, he cautiously lifted his oar and used it to poke at the air in front of him. He was astonished when his oar hit something solid; a wall that wasn’t there…And then it dawned on him; the shoreline wasn’t there, it was an optical illusion, an artificial image projected against a giant glass screen. It was all an enormous fake.

Daniel was still trying to come to terms with his extraordinary discovery when there was a further unexpected development. The false image flickered again, except this time the picture wasn’t restored. Instead, there was darkness, or to be more specific, a dark flowing water.

“My God!” Sally swore.

Daniel glanced at the girl briefly and saw the fear in her eyes. He shared her sentiments. None of it made any sense. They were floating on water, but there was a wall of water directly in front of them, apparently sealed behind glass or some other transparent material. It was like they were trapped inside of a reverse goldfish bowl – but how was this possible?
In a matter of seconds, Daniel and Sally’s world had been completely turned upside down. Everything they thought they knew about their world had been revealed to be a lie, but the greatest shock was still to come.

Daniel looked up and suddenly saw them – three creatures, animals of an undeterminable species, their large bodies glowing in the dark water as they swam towards the glass. Daniel had never seen an octopus or squid, but he’d seen pictures in books, and this was the closest comparison he could draw. Before him swam a trio of monstrous giant squid-like creatures, with protruding and flapping tentacles, fluorescent skin, and huge saucer-sized white eyes with dark black pupils in their centre. On the surface they appeared to be mere beasts. But when he looked closer, Daniel swore he could see an intelligence in the way they moved and observed him.

Daniel simply stood upon the raft, frozen in terror as he stared at these unexplainable monsters and as they glared back at him, floating just on the other side of the glass. It was Sally who broke him from his fear-induced paralysis. She cried out in terror when she saw the creatures, stepping backwards and falling into the lake. Daniel moved quickly, leaning over the side of the boat and grabbing Sally’s arms, before pulling her back on board. He made sure the girl was safe before turning back towards the glass barrier.

The creatures were gone, leaving behind only dark water…and then, a second later, the artificial image was restored, and Daniel once again found himself beholding the false shoreline. Normality was apparently restored, but they were far from safe. Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the blue skies above them, as three flyers appeared from nowhere, approaching their exposed raft at great speed. Daniel recognised two of the craft as being grabbers, while the third was an attack drone, the same type which had fired darts at Cain to knock him out.

Realising the imminent danger, Daniel grabbed hold of the soaking wet Sally, attempting to shield her body behind his, but it was already too late. The attack drone fired a dart at high speed, striking Sally square in the chest. She yelped in pain before passing out in Daniel’s arms. The boy screamed out in anger but knew he could do nothing. There was no escape, no choice but to let them take him. He gently lay Sally’s unconscious body down upon the raft and defiantly stood up to face the flyer head on.

The craft fired two darts in quick succession, hitting Daniel both times. He felt the sharp pains in his chest and then found himself falling backwards, off the side of the raft, hitting the water with a heavy splash. And suddenly he was sinking, the lake water quickly filling up his lungs. Daniel was sure he was going to die and yet he felt quite calm, as his eyes closed and everything went black.

_____________

Daniel awoke slowly, his eyes struggling to adjust to the light. He felt very groggy, his body ached, and it hurt whenever he took a breath. The boy eventually realised he was lying down in his own bed, back in his family home. How was this possible? Suddenly it all came back to him; the illicit boat trip, their startling discovery, the attack by the flyers…darts fired, Sally knocked out…and then he was falling, sinking down into the water and slowly drowning…And yet, here he was.

For a moment, Daniel hoped it had all been a terrible nightmare, but then he looked down at his bare chest and saw bandages covering the wounds where the knock-out darts had hit him. His next feeling was one of panic – he was here, alive and safe, but where was Sally? The last time he’d seen her Sally was knocked out cold and floating on top of the raft on the edge of the lake…He had to find her.

Daniel attempted to get up from his bed, but he was light-headed and weak.

“Woah! Wait up Dan…Where do you think you’re going?”

Daniel looked up to see his father standing over him; his 6-foot-2 frame filling up the small bedroom. The man’s voice was firm, but his eyes were full of concern.

“Sally…” Daniel managed to croak, “I’ve got to save her…”

“Sally is safe,” his father replied confidently, “the flyers picked her up and brought her home. She only took one dart so woke up before you did. She’ll be fine but is probably feeling as hungover as you are right about now. Besides, you’re in no condition to go anywhere young man. You need your rest.”

Daniel wasn’t convinced, but he was too weak to argue with his father right now and so he meekly returned to bed, while his father returned to the chair in the corner of the room.

“Well son,” the old man continued, “you know you’re lucky to be alive. One of the flyers plucked you from the lake, otherwise you’d have drowned. Those tranquiliser darts they used were powerful – you’ve been out cold for over 24 hours. We were worried you wouldn’t wake up. Your mother was sitting with you all through the night. She’s resting now, which is probably just as well, because it gives us a chance to have a talk, man-to-man.”

Daniel was confused, and it wasn’t just due to his weakened physical state.

“Aren’t you angry with me?” he asked.

His father shrugged his shoulders before replying – “A bit. You disobeyed the community’s rules and put both yourself and Sally at risk…But you’re a clever boy and – sooner or later – I always figured you would discover the truth.”

Daniel was astonished by his father’s sudden candidness and he wanted to find out more.
“We saw something out there,” he said hesitantly, “the lake is surrounded by a giant glass dome and…on the other side…there were monsters; horrible sea creatures watching us. I thought it was all a nightmare…but it wasn’t, was it? Those monsters are real, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” his father confirmed. The man almost looked relieved to finally be able to tell the truth. “Yes, they are real. Not only that, but the creatures you saw are our benefactors, or maybe a better description would be our owners.”

Daniel felt a surge of excitement but also fear. What his father was telling him was unbelievable, but he still didn’t fully understand.

“What do you mean ‘owners’?” he asked in puzzlement.

His dad looked thoughtful and there was a lengthy pause before he answered. “Tell me son, have you ever heard of a zoo?”

“…Yes Dad,” Daniel answered in confusion, “I’ve read about them in books. A zoo is a place where wild animals are kept in captivity and people come to visit them. I always wished I could visit one.”

“You’ve done better than that son,” his father answered, “you’re living inside of one.”

Daniel suddenly felt nauseous. He didn’t like where this was going but had to know the full truth.

“You see son, our generation still remembers what the Earth was like before they came. The Fall happened when your mother and I were young, about your age in fact. It was all so sudden, a bolt out of the blue. We never found out where they came from, or why they attacked us. The first we knew of their existence was when their massive ships appeared in orbit and started pounding the planet’s surface with their super weapons, wiping out entire cities and countries in a matter of hours.”

“The world’s militaries joined forces and tried to fight back, but their technology was vastly superior to ours and so we could offer no serious opposition. Virtually the entire human population – billions of people – were wiped out within 48 hours, and the planet’s surface was left virtually uninhabitable. Only a handful of us survived the genocide, but the invaders hunted us down and took us as prisoners, bringing us to places like this, where we’re held and secretly watched over by our masters. Perhaps they’re studying us, or maybe we’re just here to entertain them. Either way, they let us live in peace and provide whatever we need through the flyers.”

Daniel was in a state of complete shock. His entire world had just been turned upside down and he felt as if he’d been living in a dark cave for all his life, suddenly emerging to see the terrible light. He had so many questions that he hardly knew where to start.

“I don’t understand,” he exclaimed in dismay, “where is this place? Are you saying we’re not living on Earth?”

“No son,” his father answered solemnly with a shake of his head, “the Earth is destroyed. We are many light years from our home planet, on board one of their massive colony ships, deep in space. This – everything around us – is an artificial construct, designed for us to live inside. As you’ve already figured out, the ‘lake’ is in fact a moat of water surrounded by an enormous dome. Everything inside the glass is manufactured; the air we breathe, the grass under our feet, the sun in the sky and the moon and stars at night…none of it is real.”

Daniel’s head was spinning. He felt like he was going to be physically ill.

“But why?” he exclaimed in disbelief, “Why would you accept this father? They’re keeping you as a slave, locked up, and you just let them?”

“What else can I do?” his father snapped, with a hint of anger now evident in his voice. “They control everything, have the power of life and death over every one of us. Resistance is useless…and besides, we have a good life here – a safe place to live, wanting for nothing. Believe me son, it could be a lot worse.”

“We’re their pets.” Daniel muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking.” his father replied, “But look son, I realise how hard it must be to take this all in, but you have to accept the reality. One day, before too long, you’ll be an adult and hopefully you’ll marry and have children of your own. Then you’ll understand. You’ll see the sacrifices a man must make for his family.”

“I don’t think I can ever accept this.” Daniel answered, his heart and voice full of defiance.
His father sighed and shook his head in despair. “The thing is son…our benefactors aren’t always benign masters. They will punish those who repeatedly break their rules. Do you remember Cain? Remember what he was like, when he came to us? This isn’t the only human habitat maintained by our masters. There are others, and not all of them like this.”

“The habitat Cain came from – Facility 7 – is designed to showcase mankind’s more base, violent instincts. The inhabitants are made to fight each other, hunt down their fellow human beings with primitive weapons, often killing one another. Cain was wounded in one such fight and so they brought him here, but the trauma of what he’d suffered was too much for him to bear – that’s why he attacked Saul and then killed himself. So, you see son, if you continue to rebel, the aliens will punish you, but also those close to you, like your mum and I…and Sally.”

Daniel swallowed, his body shaking. The prospect frightened him but also made him feel even angrier. What right did these things have to do this to him and his family? How could they be allowed to get away with it? He knew it was pointless arguing further with his father. The old man’s mind was set.

“Well son, you’ve been through a lot and need your rest.”

He reached over the bed and set down a single small pill on the bedside table.
“Don’t forget to take your supplement. It will make you feel better.”

With that, his father left the room, shutting the door behind him, and Daniel was left alone, staring suspiciously at the supplement pill and wondering what he would do next.

_____________

He met up with Sally the next day, both having recovered from the ill effects of the knock-out darts. Neither wanted to speak in the village, where prying eyes could see them, so instead they arranged to meet out in the forest, close to the shore where this had all begun. Daniel couldn’t be happier to see her. Sally looked tired and worn out but was nevertheless as beautiful as ever. Her brown eyes lit up as she ran to Daniel, embracing him with a passionate hug which he gladly returned.

“Thank you Dan, you saved my life.” she sobbed emotionally.

“Huh!” Daniel replied dismissively, “some hero! I would have drowned myself, if the flyers hadn’t picked me up.”

“I was so worried.” Sally continued.

“Me too, but we’re safe now…” the boy realised how ridiculous his words were as soon as he spoke them, because he knew they’d never be safe again.

Sally withdrew from their embrace, staring out towards the water.

“So, they told you then?” she asked.

“Yes, my dad explained it all. Still can’t take it in…”

“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Sally interjected, “It’s like all the pieces have come together.”

“Yeah.” Daniel replied, not knowing what else to say.

There was a lengthy pause as both stood side-by-side looking out towards the far shoreline, which they now knew was nothing more than an optical illusion.

“I’m not going to do it.” said Sally, breaking the silence, “I’m not going to play along with the lie…”

She turned to look at Daniel and her eyes were full of an angry defiance.

“Why should we let them get away with it? They destroyed the Earth…they’re monsters!”

Daniel looked into her eyes and all his fear melted away. He felt the same and knew they could stand together, that they could resist the alien overlords who held them hostage. He reached into his trouser pocket and withdrew the single pill which his father had presented him with the night before, holding it out in his hand.

“It’s the supplements,” he said, “they make the adults obey, make them docile. If we keep taking them, they’ll do the same to us.”

Sally nodded her head in agreement, removing her own pill from her pocket. It was as if their minds were working in unison as they simultaneously lifted their arms and defiantly flung their pills into the lake, watching with satisfaction as they hit the surface with a splash and sank into the water.

Daniel felt a mixture of exhilaration and sadness. He turned to Sally and embraced her, coming face-to-face with the girl. They came together, their lips locking as they kissed for the very first time. Daniel experienced a euphoria, a powerful tingling throughout his body. This was the best moment of his life so far. The kiss ended, and Sally smiled sweetly at him. They held hands and turned to face the water, watching the false sunset on the horizon – beautiful, until you remembered it was all an illusion.

And suddenly his elation was replaced by fear, as he imagined the intelligent and all-powerful creatures on the other side of the invisible barrier. Were they watching them now? Had they seen what they’d just done, heard the words spoken between them? Daniel gripped Sally’s hand tighter as they both stared into the abyss.

Credit: Mark Lynch

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