Dawn of Darkness | Teen Ink

Dawn of Darkness

October 14, 2021
By stevvno BRONZE, Houston, Texas
stevvno BRONZE, Houston, Texas
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

What if the sun never rose again? That’s the question everybody in the town of FlareLight asked until their government started taking advantage of the darkness. New curfews for the whole town were set to prevent people from venturing off, keeping them locked up like dogs. Lux, a once brightful teenager who saw a sublime future in everybody, was giving up all hope his parents and friends gave him. 

“When the day was once bright, everybody smiled.’’ said Lux.  “People don’t smile anymore, they look in fear every time they go outside with the little light they use from the burning animal corpses, and the people who died from the lack of UV light; which is only given to those who do not flout.”

It has been 365 days since the sun went down, everybody wears the same clothes, everybody gets the same amount of UV light, everybody eats the same portion of food, everybody cries in the darkness knowing one day everybody will go insane and carnage will ensue no matter how badly people hold onto life. It really is a horrible thing, knowing you cannot do anything and can only suffer in silence, knowing nobody can be saved. Why can’t this nightmare end?

“WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!!”  It seemed as if the door shouted at me, but it was just one of the members of Solar Patrol, a team of merciless and twisted individuals who worked for the Mayor of this once sunny town, trained in the dark to hunt intruders, hunt down escapees, and keep everything in check as the mayor bathes in luxury, getting more of that luxurious UV light everybody in this town treats as a drug, some even selling it illegally in small bottles you can inject into yourself for even a fraction of relief and pleasure. 

“Your weekly inspection is ready Human 777, please stand still and do not move; failure to do so will result in immediate death.’’ 

Lux stands still as one of the Solar Patrollers, who is dressed in a deep red-orange jumpsuit with a cheap halloween mask that resembles the sun with a mischievous grin, scans him with a device used to measure their vitamin D intake; if their intake reaches higher than 600 IU, they will be burned alive, so those UV dealers never really make it out at all. 

“Thank you for your time Human 777, please do not leave your designated location until further notice.” The man slowly walks out, moving onto the next person and moving in such an unnatural manner that it doesn’t even look human.

A small beep can later be heard. “Meet me at row 252 when it is time for dinner...” This message read on Lux’s beeper, one of the last few wireless and technological things to not be tracked by their little corrupt government, it was sent by his brother Solis.

Five hours later and it was finally time for dinner, the Solar Patrollers were giving out today's special meal, Chopped up rabbit with pastes of grass. Lux was starving, all that time waiting and he could finally eat. He momentarily sits with his brother to ask him what the beep was all about. 

“So what did you want to talk about Sol?” asked Lux. 

“I know a way we can get out of here, a way to get away from this obvious fake life!!” Solis shouted. “Brother what on Earth are you doing, please do not think of making some superhero speech because it’s going to end up with you being arrested...” 

Lux looked around as everybody stared in a blank state, they weren't even allowed to talk to each other, yet here was Lux’s brother, shouting and standing on top of the table, squishing down the pastes of rabbit meat and grass. 

“Everything here is fake! There is still a real world out there, the sun can’t just magically disappear people! We would be frozen ice if the sun truly disappeared! I HAVE PROOF!” 

It seemed as if the whole room was shaking, when suddenly a loud bang can be heard across the hall, one of the solar patrollers can be seen holding a gun, and Solis can be seen lying dead on the ground, a shot straight to his forehead. 

“I guess I really opened up its third eye there huh” spoke one the Solar Patrollers in an inhuman and monotone voice. 

“Too bad he didn’t use it” said another. 

Lux simply just stands there in shock, for he cannot cry because he has already shed all of his tears. He does not know what to do, everybody is moving on with their dinner, yet Lux is staring at his brother, gone forever, gone for life, all because of those stupid men in their stupid costumes due to the stupid mayor and their stupid government. He sighs, turns around, and throws away his food covered in blood and grime and heads to bed.

7:18 AM. The sun was supposed to rise at this time, but it still has not risen. Lux is still waiting for the sun to come back, he thought he accepted the truth but Lux simply cannot wait anymore, he feels angry and violent, he feels like he needs to avenge his brother and all those other innocents who were wronged for a little mistake.

7:32 AM. Lux seriously cannot take it, he is biting his nails and ripping some of his hair, he is scratching the concrete wall leaving his hands bloody and almost torn, he is injecting some UV into his bloodstream to help calm him down but it simply is not enough.

7:40 AM. Lux is out, Lux is looking, Lux sees it. He walks to one of the stations were the lone solar patroller is setting up meals for today's breakfast at 8:25 AM, he feels an impulse that tells him to do it, images of his brother laying on the ground make him reluctant at first, but quickly angers him enough to grab one of the lighters that help start the heating of food, and ignites.

7:42 AM. The Sun is finally burning bright, the Solar Patroller is screaming in pain and agony, flaming up like the real sun with the cheap not-so scary anymore Halloween mask melting into its face and skull, making a light show that spreads into the whole town, finally causing that lazy no good mayor to step out of his little chamber burning alive and crying for help.

8:00 AM. The whole town is burning, the mayor is dead, the Solar Patrollers are trying to fight off the fire but it is no use, they all burn in the end. The fake world that Solis was talking about was true, they were all stuck in a box, they were all stuck in a soundproof, light blocking box controlled by their little mayor and his weak government, the town burns; all of it. Lux, the lightbringer to his town and savior cannot believe his eyes when he sees the sun again for the first time again in 1 year, he cannot believe it, he sees the rays, he is so close to seeing it all. 

His skin starts to hurt, his eyes begin to weaken, his skin starts boiling up, all that mistreated UV light inserted into his bloodstream was too much, the one single year of being stuck in total darkness with only a fraction of light led to his utter demise. He is crying, he is finally crying but the tears just simply evaporate away, he didn’t want this to happen, he was only a teenager and his life had just begun but it just had to end this way for him, for his brother, for his parents who couldn’t wait to see heaven, for his friends who he didn’t even know anymore, for the solar patrollers who were just misguided and scared humans who were manipulated, for the mayor who was too corrupted and lost to see how all of this was wrong, and for the poor civilians who watched their little dark town turn into a hellscape with burning monsters. This was the end of Lux, the lightbringer who freed his town from what could have been centuries of torture and constant abuse of UV light and utter darkness, it was simply now time for the Dawn of Light.


The author's comments:

I was inspired by many popular TV shows of today and my simple creativity.


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.