Eternal Darkness Oblivion

By J. F.Johns

The world is divided between humans and cyborgs.
Scarlet Lock is neither.
She is a soldier created to kill on command, and is now in the hands of Lucian White, leader of the Revolutionaries.
Lucian and Scarlet share a past and now a future. They need to find the other X-Prototypes before the battle against the government begins.
Eric Thorn will stop at nothing to get Scarlet back while Andrew Silverstone needs to find Eric to save his sister.
It's a race against time.
They must hurry or else, fall into eternal oblivion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. F.Johns
• Release date: Apr 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9788461776092

J. F.Johns

J.F.Johns is 25 years old and was born and raised in Spain. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at ARU in Cambridge, UK.She's an animal lover, and spends her free time playing with her adopted dog, drinking too much coffee and posting book photos on her Instagram.She believes in the art of dramatic sighing and eye rolling. She works as a ninja, but has been told several times that she's not very good at her job.Eternal Darkness is her debut novel, and is the first book in the Eternal Darkness Trilogy.

Book preview

ETERNAL

DARKNESS

OBLIVION

J.F.Johns

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

©Copyright J.F.Johns 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or stored in an information retrieval system (other than for purposes of review) without permission in writing from the author.

For my Dad.

Thank you for always listening to my stories, even the bad ones.

Also by J.F.Johns:

Eternal Darkness

Eternal Darkness Oblivion

Eternal Darkness Revelations

Cyborg Tales

After Darkness

I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.

― Banksy

TIMELINE

2025- Experiments start.

2030- New Era; the cyborgs are introduced to society.

2040- X-Prototype experiments start.

2045- Government scandal creates riots and protests on the streets. The X-Prototypes escape the facility where they’re being held.

2050- The New Government officially takes control.

2060-Present.

THE CAPITALS

Capital One

The epicentre of the capitals. It is where the New Government resides and most of the wealthiest humans. It is known for its outstanding futuristic designs, modern transportation and tight security.

Capital Two

This capital is located next to Capital One. It is the territory that produces everything for the capitals except food. Its sky is red from chemical pollution and the land is dry. It is where the Institute is located. The majority of the buildings are factories, but there are a few towns where workers reside close to the mines or factories.

Capital Three

Known as the agricultural capital. The centre of this capital is mainly composed of forests where the production of wood is high. On the outskirts, the land is used for agricultural purposes, and most of the food for the capitals is produced here. The land is green and fertile.

Capital Four

This capital is known for its commerce and temples. Nothing can be produced from the land as it has been over developed. The environment is densely populated and there is a lack of open spaces. It is the second richest capital after Capital One. It is famous for its silks, perfumes and the production of weaponry.

Capital Five

Also known as The Flatlands because of its terrain. It is one of the largest capitals, and one of the least populated. Many fields and pastures can be found in this territory, and it is mainly used for farming. It is the main manufacturer of meat and milk.

Capital Six

This capital is famous for its mountain ranges and the few towns that exist are built around them. Some of the smaller hamlets almost seem to be suspended from natural ledges in the sides of the mountains. The inhabitants are strong and tough. This is the poorest capital of the seven. The mines at the base of the mountains are famous for their gems and beautiful stones. Unfortunately, the New Government has power over these mines, and the profits are invested into Capital One.

Capital Seven

The jungle in this capital is used for the training of Watchers and is also where the Slaughterers have their headquarters. It has extreme and harsh weather conditions. There are only a few small towns by the edge of the capital at the very border of No Mans Land, territory that no longer belongs to any capital.

PROLOGUE

‘Wake up.’

Scarlet watched the bird that lay on the floor. It twitched uncontrollably. The room was pitch black, but the bird was illuminated from above and below, an eerie light enveloping its body. As she moved forward, a line of lights appeared in front of her, providing a guide in the semi-darkness. She approached the bird and froze as she noticed that with every step, the animal grew in size until finally she realised it was a crow.

A crow.

Recognition engulfed her body and Scarlet recoiled, confused. Where had she seen this before? The bird continued to twitch, a faint light shimmering beneath, black feathers falling around its dying body and she watched in fear, too scared to move closer.

‘Scarlet, wake up.’

In the shadows of the room, she saw movement on the wall to her right, and when she turned, she noticed a mirror emerge. Trapped inside its shadowy depths was a girl. They made eye contact and the side of the girl’s mouth twitched upward as she waved. Scarlet frowned. The girl was oddly familiar, and then she realised why. The girl was herself.

Another Scarlet.

‘Wake up.’

The replica smiled, a haunted smile that made Scarlet frown. There was something wrong with this other version, something not quite right. Suddenly, the other Scarlet flicked her hand upwards and pointed at something behind the real Scarlet that caused her to turn to see what it was.

The crow.

Advancing towards it, she realised the bird lay perfectly still. Scarlet leaned forward, wondering what it would feel like to touch one of its feathers. But then, the animal began to move, growing faster, feathers falling from its body as its bones began to expand. The bird was transforming into something else entirely.

‘Wake up!’

Her hand outstretched, she leaned closer to touch the creature that was now emerging. But something stopped her.

The crow had changed into a human.

A human girl lying in a fetal position.

The bird-girl began to move and raised her head towards Scarlet.

‘We need to wake her up!’

The girl’s eyes were the same shape and colour as the crow’s, and her mouth and nose were still a beak. The bird-girl watched Scarlet and cocked her head to one side as she narrowed those creepy looking eyes. Scarlet knew the girl from somewhere, but as she tried to remember from where, her memory suddenly became fuzzy.

‘We need to shock her awake!’

As if on cue, the mirror began to melt and the other Scarlet, with her mouth open in a silent cry, vanished with it. Scarlet turned just in time to see the lights fall into the shadows, and the bird-girl began to crawl towards her. As she stumbled backwards in fear, she felt the ground below her disappear and she screamed as she fell into oblivion.

Scarlet opened her eyes.

Water.

Water everywhere, engulfing her head and neck. Someone was holding her down, forcing her face into a bucket. She struggled against the hands, trying to set herself free. Fight! Scarlet gripped the edges of the bucket, twisting her lower body to get away. Suddenly, remembering that she could breathe under water, she relaxed.

‘Let go!’

A hand yanked her backwards. Scarlet fell on her bottom, gasping from the shock. She sat on the ground, heaving, her eyes darting around the room in alert. Her body felt weak as if she’d been in a long, deep sleep.

The room enclosing her was small.

Four cement walls, yellowish stains covered them like decorative ornaments, a single light bulb in the ceiling that flickered every couple of seconds, and a mattress, bare of any sheets or blankets, lay in one corner.

No windows.

One metal door with six heavy steel bolts.

And four men stood in her way.

Scarlet crawled towards the wall. What was going on? She shook her head to get her thoughts together. What was the last thing she could remember? She was dizzy, and had a miserable migraine. It hurt to open her eyes for too long, so she closed and rubbed them, willing herself to focus and to forget about the men standing in front of her.

Who was the last person she was with?

Eric.

Scarlet smiled as his face came into full view. Eric stood next to her, and grinned while he tilted his head. Dimples formed at the corners of his mouth and his eyes squinted as he told her to hurry because they were about to leave…

To go where? She struggled to remember.

To the Institute!

Little by little, everything clicked into place and Scarlet sighed with relief. She leaned her head against the wall, and pictured Eric in her mind, scared that if she didn’t, she would forget him all over again.

‘Scarlet.’

She looked up.

The four men were still watching her, but the voice that had spoken brought unwelcome memories and she stared at the man who was standing in the centre of the room. She lunged forward, ready to attack.

Something constrained her, and she fell against the wall. Shackles. Someone had bound her wrists! They were connected to the wall by chains, not long enough for her to even reach the other side of the room.

This time, she stood up slowly, making sure not to fall again.

‘You don’t want to do anything stupid,’ the man said. Scarlet sneered at him, then backed away when she noticed the men pull out guns. ‘You want us to shoot you and fall unconscious all over again?’

‘I’m going to kill you!’ Scarlet exclaimed as she grew angrier. ‘You think these shackles, concrete walls and guns will stop me from killing you? Not even that bolted door will stop me, Lucian White.’

Lucian shrugged, unbothered by her threat as his long black hair fell over his shoulders from the gesture. ‘You can try, but I’m only trying to help.’

‘I doubt it,’ Scarlet sneered, sitting down again, resting her head against the wall. ‘Where am I? What did you do to me? What do you want?’

‘I’d be happy to answer all of your questions…’

‘But?’

‘But you need to calm down first.’ Lucian gestured to the men, who moved towards the door and opened a small shutter, which allowed them to communicate with the outside world. One of the men, a cyborg with half of his face covered in tattoos and scars, gestured at the person on the other side to open the door. There was a moment of silence and then the massive metal slab scraped against the ground as it slid open.

Scarlet leapt from the ground, ready to attack and make her escape, but Lucian pointed the gun at her forehead and she froze. ‘You really want to go through this all over again?’

She watched the men make their way outside and bit the inside of her mouth as she glared at Lucian. When they all exited, the door was left ajar, but it was too small of a space to squeeze through even if she got past Lucian’s gun. She turned her attention to the man in front of her and leaned forward, until her forehead was against the barrel of the gun. She maintained eye contact with Lucian to make sure he noticed.

She would not be intimidated.

‘Where’s Vladimir?’

‘He’s safe.’

‘I want out.’

‘You will be soon enough.’

Scarlet licked her lips. The door, and the idea of escape, slammed shut with a bang that echoed throughout the tiny space. She didn’t pull away from the gun as she cocked her head. ‘When?’

Lucian’s lips curled. ‘When you remember.’

CHAPTER ONE

Four months later

Sam Harris made his way along the corridors of the Institute with no regard for any cyborg that crossed his path. The place was the busiest he’d ever seen it, and cyborgs rushed about, all focused on a purpose.

Groups of cyborgs no longer laughed or moved joyfully in the hallways, instead they walked with determination, their eyes focused and their steps quick and firm. Everything had changed four months ago. The events later deemed the Silverstone Massacre unravelled a series of events that caused the Slaughterers to begin their preparations for the battle that everyone knew would ensue.

Everything was absolute chaos.

And Scarlet was still missing.

No trail, no clues, no way of finding someone untraceable. The wristband Sam had given Scarlet no longer verified her location. They managed to track her all the way to Capital Three’s borders, and then she disappeared. Gone. Some still had hope, but it had started to wither.

At last Sam halted as he finally found the small study he had been searching for. The door was ajar and he took that as an invitation to creep inside. Darkness and the unpleasant smell of vomit, whiskey and cigarettes welcomed him. It filled his nostrils and made him double over as he gagged. He sprinted to the window, opened it, pushed the thick curtains aside, and heaved in gulps of fresh, clean air.

In every corner of the room there were bookshelves, and on one wall stood an ornately carved fireplace that was long ago forgotten by the inhabitants of the Institute. A long wooden table was placed in the middle of the room, but it was almost impossible to tell it was a table because of the myriad amount of books, maps, and papers scattered across its surface.

Sam’s attention drifted from the table to the wall in front of him that was completely covered with scraps of paper. He inched forward to get a closer look at the scribbles on torn out notebook sheets, and the interiors of a multitude of cigarette cartons. On them were the names of every single cyborg at the Institute, along with all kinds of information; their jobs, ages, genders and even possible involvement in Scarlet’s disappearance. They were all linked together with lengths of yarn to create a strange messy network. He leaned forward and focused on a name in large letters, placed right in the centre of it all.

Scarlet Lock.

Someone cleared their throat and Sam spun around, and saw the person he’d set off to find perched in a green velvet armchair that faced the wall. He’d been so distracted by what he’d seen in the room that he had failed to see the other cyborg. For a moment he forgot why he was there in the first place.

Eric Thorn smiled, his right hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey while his left rested on his lap. His skin was now a sickly grey and his eyes were so red and sunken from lack of sleep, it made Sam’s chest ache with worry. But even in this terrible state, Eric’s clothes were still impeccable. His shirt was so white it seemed to emit its own light, his trousers were ironed to perfection and his black shoes were so shiny Sam could see his face in them.

‘You could’ve knocked,’ Eric said.

‘The door was open.’ Sam stepped closer towards the wall and noticed Eric regard him with suspicion. ‘When did you get back?’

‘A few days ago.’

Sam nodded.

Four months ago Scarlet had vanished into thin air. She’d gone searching for something in the back garden of Sam’s house in Mercy Cross and never returned. They searched for her with intense fervour, and had entered the woods behind their battered old home to follow the signal of her bracelet until it had cut out.

That night when they realised they couldn’t find her, Eric became furious; he screamed and pulled his hair in a chaotic manner, then punched Curtis, and a few seconds later, blacked out.

Sam spoke to Curtis at the time, convinced he had a part in Scarlet’s disappearance because of Eric’s reaction, but the cyborg seemed as disturbed and upset as the others. Sam didn’t give it any more thought. Curtis was one of his closest friends and would never harm Scarlet. He trusted him. But Eric had a different opinion and had refused to utter a single word to the cyborg in the last four months.

‘What is this?’ Sam asked, gesturing at the wall.

‘I’m trying to find some kind of connection, someone that might have other intentions or… I don’t know. I still haven’t found anything. But I do have one lead. Scarlet asked me about Lucian White a long time ago and I know the Revolutionaries were in Capital One at the same time we were there. That might be a connection.’

Sam nodded, glancing from Eric to the wall and back. It could be a lead, but then again, it could just be another dead end. Lisa had sent people out in search parties the moment she was informed of Scarlet’s disappearance. For the most part, they’d kept close to where they suspected she could be, but as time moved on and there was still no sign of her, they began to expand their search outwards to the other capitals. Sam, Eric and the other cyborgs in Mercy Cross decided to stay there for a few days after Scarlet disappeared just in case she returned, but when it was clear she wasn’t coming back, they made their way to the Institute. It was unsafe to stay in Mercy Cross after the horrific fight with the Slaughterers.

Eric had joined all the search parties, and rekindled old relationships with his Tracker friends, but he always returned empty handed. Sam could tell he was now very impatient.

‘When was the last time you slept?’

‘I don’t have time for that.’

‘You need to rest.’ Sam rubbed the back of his neck, a bad habit that was now getting worse due to the high amount of stress at the Institute. ‘You can’t keep this up.’

‘I’ll keep it up as long as it takes.’

‘You’re not helping her by exhausting yourself.’

Eric stared at the glass in his hand, and sadness spread across his harsh features. In all the years they’d known each other, Sam had never seen such pain written across his friend’s face. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to find her, Sam. I’ve been everywhere, I led the search parties, and I’m going crazy trying to figure out what could’ve happened. There’s no way to get her back. She’s untraceable without the bracelet.’

‘Stop being so overdramatic.’ Sam buried his hands deep within his pockets, sighing. ‘You just need to rest. Afterwards you’ll see things differently, and you might even come up with fresh ideas.’

A strange look crossed Eric’s face and Sam leaned back in apprehension. Eric had changed so much after Scarlet’s disappearance. It was still him, but he had become colder, more calculated and violent. For the most part, he kept to himself now, and never spoke to anyone unless it was necessary. His face wore a constant worried expression, and in the little time he spent at the Institute between search parties, he never left the study.

‘Do you think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a small chance that Scarlet left on her own measure?’ As soon as the words left Sam’s lips, he realised he’d made a mistake. Eric’s eyes widened for a moment before they narrowed. His face contorted into a mask of anger and his hand tightened around the glass with such force it exploded.

Sam flinched.

‘Don’t you dare suggest such a thing.’

‘It’s a possibility.’

‘She would never do that!’ Eric growled. ‘She would never do that to me.’

‘It was just a-’

‘Get out.’

‘Eric…’

‘I said, get out!’ Eric stood up so abruptly it made Sam jump. He lifted his hands up in surrender, and stumbled backwards in his haste to get to the exit. He left the small study behind, but before he shut the door, he spotted Eric motionless by the window. There was nothing unordinary about it, but Sam’s chest tightened as he watched the young cyborg with his shiny, ruffled blonde hair, pale skin and bright eyes, observe the outside with such pain. Sam rubbed the back of his neck, turned and made his way down the hallway.

…

Lisa Vanderbell glanced down at the screen on her desk and clenched her jaw. She tapped her pen against it, and turned to Charlotte for advice. The young cyborg adjusted her katana strap and nodded in agreement. Sam sat in one of the armchairs in the office, looking down at his hands.

‘He’s going insane.’

Lisa cocked her head as she stared at Sam. After she heard about Scarlet’s disappearance, she put some of her best cyborgs at work to find the missing girl. Eric had joined the search parties, unable to sit still and wait for their return. For four months, she never saw the boy except for the few times the search parties returned. As soon as they did, he would step out of the vehicle and retreat into a small study, until a new search party emerged.

Lisa understood his distress to a certain degree. Someone like Scarlet on their side was a major plus, a step forward in winning the battle against the New Government. Scarlet was an X-Prototype, an experiment created by the Old Government as a killing machine. But she was untraceable, and that made the efforts to locate her almost, if not a hundred percent, impossible. Lisa had risked too many of her people in an attempt to find her, so after four months, she decided that it was time to call off the search.

‘He needs to grow up, Samuel.’ She had no time to worry about Eric’s emotions. She was the leader at the Institute, an organisation built by the New Government to feed the cyborg community lies in order for the government to gain popularity amongst them. But she used her position to conspire against the government instead. ‘I don’t have time to deal with whatever demons Eric is fighting.’

‘He’s going to lose it when he finds out you’ve stopped the search parties,’ Sam said. ‘You should at least allow him to continue on his own if that is what he wants.’

‘That’s out of the question.’ Lisa glanced down at the screen on her desk.

Two days after Eric had returned to the Institute from his last search, she had cancelled all the search parties. It had been four months and none of them had been successful. If Scarlet was in danger, she was strong enough to look after herself. And if she really was on their side, she would find her way back to them somehow. In the meantime, Lisa couldn’t continue to waste everyone’s time. She needed her people to be prepared for what was approaching.

‘We were relentless in our search for her, Sam. We had no luck. It’s time to give it a rest. Eric will throw a tantrum, but he’ll cool down. Besides, I don’t need this headache right now. Are we clear?’

‘Yes, but-’

‘But what, Samuel?’

‘You’re wrong about something.’ Sam cleared his throat. ‘He won’t get over this so easily. It’s Scarlet we’re talking about, and Eric… He cares a lot about her. We all do.’ Lisa rolled her eyes and continued to tap her pen against the screen. She glanced down at her hands and flinched at the sight of the small robotic mechanisms staring back. Sometimes, if she closed her eyes, it was easy for her to forget about what she was and return to normality. It never lasted long though. How could it in a place like the Institute where she was reminded of what she was every single day of her life? ‘Have you seen him recently?’

‘I have no time or interest,’ she said. ‘Unless he wishes to bless us with his presence.’

At that precise moment shouts sounded outside the door and Lisa jumped. The door burst open and Eric rushed inside, followed by a very panicked Patrick who was flapping his arms around hysterically. ‘I tried to stop him!’

Before Eric could move forward, Charlotte was already on her way across the office, her katana ready, her body tense, prepared to attack if necessary. Her long, black ponytail with dark blue highlights, shone under the dim light of the office as she crossed the short space to Eric. She came to an abrupt halt and cocked her head to indicate that she was ready for any sudden movement.

‘Charlotte, it’s okay,’ Lisa said.

The cyborg didn’t move for a few seconds while assessing the situation, until finally she moved back to her post. ‘Well, it certainly is nice of you to welcome us with your presence,’ Lisa said.

Eric nodded in response as he sank into the last empty armchair. He pulled a cigarette out from his pocket and placed it between his dry lips, his eyebrow arched, daring Lisa to forbid him from smoking.

‘What is it that you want, Eric?’

Patrick hovered by the door, unsure of what to do, and Lisa waved him away. She turned her attention back to Eric who had already lit the cigarette and was smirking. ‘Eric, I run a tight schedule. Please skip ahead and explain why you’re in my office.’

‘Am I not welcome?’

‘Get to the point.’

Eric stood and made his way towards the small cabinet where the drinks were stored. He helped himself to a glass of whiskey and drank it slowly as he watched them. ‘When did you plan to tell me?’

‘Could you please be more specific?’

‘You stopped the search parties.’

‘Yes, I did. It’s been four months already.’

‘I can find her.’

‘Eric, let me make this simple for you.’ Lisa crossed her hands over the table, and caught a quick glimpse of Sam frowning with tension. ‘You’re not going to continue searching for Scarlet. Things are getting out of control in the capitals. This war we’ve been talking about is on our doorstep, the wrong move, and we’ll be stuck in the middle of it.’

‘Scarlet can help. When we find her, she’ll play a vital role in this war. There is absolutely no reason for you to object, unless of course, you have something against finding her.’

Lisa rubbed her temples. ‘It’s impossible to track X-Prototypes. Four months and there’s no trace whatsoever. What happened with Jack Silverstone ignited something that should never have been lit. The Slaughterers are not stupid and they’re ready to eat us alive. I don’t have time to run around searching for her, whether or not she can help, understood?’

‘But Scarlet’s important!’

‘We will have to make do without her,’ Lisa said. ‘Besides, what makes you think she is willing to help? I’m sorry, Eric, but I am not going to put more people in danger for this crazy hunt. I need everyone here. And I forbid you to search for her on your own.’

Anger flashed across Eric’s face, his hands tightened into fists and his jaw clenched.

So much hate in such a young person, Lisa thought, and felt a pang of guilt at the realisation that to some extent, it was her fault. But she needed to worry about all the other cyborgs and their safety.

Lisa felt that suddenly she was on the outside and could see the slow destruction of the world begin. To prepare for the inevitable war, she needed to keep everything in order. They began to prepare for this years ago without the help of X-Prototypes. Their presence would be beneficial, but unneeded.

‘Fine, as you wish.’ Eric bowed in such an over-dramatic way, it made Lisa roll her eyes.

‘Don’t do anything stupid,’ she warned him.

Sam was silent throughout the conversation and she wondered what he would do in her place, but shook the idea away. Sam was too kind and generous, he would never consider actions that would hurt someone else.

‘I’m serious, Eric,’ she said. ‘No funny business, understood?’ Eric grunted unintelligible words under his breath before he stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

Lisa sighed and returned to the screen. She could feel Sam’s eyes pierce through her skull and after a few minutes, she looked up at him. ‘What is it?’

‘He’s going to do something stupid.’

‘Of course he is.’ Lisa signed a few documents on the screen. ‘It’s Eric, what