Awakening

By Tiffany A Drake

She could still hear the screams, the warning sirens, the pounding of her heart ...

 

After years of suffering through the Android Freedom War, the people of the nation of Icni faced the ultimate unstoppable disaster: Carta's Comet. Those few categorised as 'Useful' by the High Council found shelter within the vast netw

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author Academy Elite
• Release date: Sep 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781647463618

Book preview

The Kalarni Series Book One: Awakening is a psychological thriller set on a post-apocalyptic world known as Kalarni. Inspired by dystopian and fantasy narratives, Awakening is a journey of survival and rebirth, exploring the destructive power of fear and the unbreakable force of the human spirit.

Tiffany attained her Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University in 2016, majoring in Modern History. She lives near Sydney, Australia, with her husband and their three children.

Tiffany can be found online at www.tiffanydrake.com.au.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

THE KALARNI SERIES BOOK ONE: AWAKENING

© 2020 by Tiffany A. Drake. All rights reserved.

Published by Author Academy Elite

PO Box 43, Powell, OH 43065

www.AuthorAcademyElite.com

All rights reserved. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without express written permission from the author.

Identifiers:

LCCN: 2020912470

ISBN: 978-1-64746-359-5 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-64746-360-1 (hardback)

ISBN: 978-1-64746-361-8 (ebook)

Available in paperback, hardback, e-book, and audiobook

In loving memory of Isabelle

(24th December, 2010 - 29th March, 2020)

a.k.a ‘Pupsicle’.

Your body may be becoming one with the earth,

But your soul will be with us forevermore.

In order to walk in the Light,

we must first explore the Dark

She strode down the darkened hall, the echo of her footsteps bouncing off the walls. When she reached the room at the end of the corridor the door was already ajar; alone all this time, she’d had no reason to close any doors. But that was all about to change.

Her delicate hand trembled as she flicked the switch on the wall, the fluorescent light buzzing as it awoke from its slumber. It had not been used for twenty-five years, not since she last checked on the status of her soon-to-be companions. A flicker, a flash, a long moments’ hesitation, before a harsh white light filled the space beyond the door, bouncing off walls of pure white.

The room was completely empty, except for a single terminal atop a single desk, in front of which stood a single chair. She stepped across the threshold, the soles of her stiff white shoes smacking upon the white tiled floor, and reached a single pale hand out to grasp the back of the single grey chair. Pulling the chair away from the desk, she cringed as the metal feet screeched tortuously across the floor. Sitting down upon the seat of the chair, her starchy white uniform scratching against her soft, supple skin, she pinned her pale blond hair behind her pale pink ears and slid the chair closer to the desk, careful to not let it scrape on the floor. She placed a single index finger in the palm of her opposite hand, and gently yet forcefully removed the tip, exposing the end of a green and silver computer chip. Leaning in close to the terminal, she inserted the chip into a tiny slot on the side of the cream-white monitor and waited.

The machine hummed, the dull sound reverberating through the desk, past her clothes and into her tender skin as her body rested against the desktop. A beep, a flutter of light upon the screen, a green hourglass appeared. She removed her chip from the slot on the side of the machine and, replacing the tip upon her finger, leaned herself back into the hard, metal backrest.

The luminescent hourglass disappeared, replaced by a single phrase spoken by a clear, mechanical feminine voice: Good Morning Maintenance Unit C88246.

Darkness returned to the screen momentarily, before it relit, the voice speaking again. Would User like to complete Awakening Process for Group A: Priority Personnel, Yes or No?

The terminal awaited a response, its message frozen upon the screen. A single pale finger delicately touched a single key on the cream-white keyboard.

Darkness, then reillumination as the voice returned. Input recognised. Completing Awakening Process for Group A: Priority Personnel. Resuming Life Support to Group A: Priority Personnel.

The single spinning hourglass returned to the screen as a single pale finger tapped impatiently on the immaculately clean desktop. The hourglass disappeared; the tapping stopped.

Life Support to Group A: Priority Personnel complete. Initiating Lightner-248 Draining Procedure.

The single pale finger began impatiently tapping again as the single spinning hourglass occupied the screen once more.

Lightner-248 Draining Procedure complete. Assessing Subject Organ stability … Errors noted in 5 pods, Purge commencing.

Five pod numbers appeared on the screen momentarily as a disapproving click escaped the flawless cherry red lips.

Group A results: 52 Subjects successfully revived; 5 Subjects purged. Do you acknowledge, Yes or No?

A single pale finger hesitated above the Y button, before slowly and deliberately pushing it down, a heavy sigh escaping from between the open cherry red lips.

Awakening Process complete for Group A: Priority Personnel, commencing countdown for Awakening Process for Group B: Other. Suggested ideal completion time in one hundred and sixty-eight hours. Does User approve, Yes or No?

The screen flickered momentarily as it awaited an input. A shiny white tooth chewed upon one fat cherry red lip, then released as a single pale finger gave the awaited input.

Input recognised. Completion time for Group B: Other set to commence in one hundred and sixty-eight hours. Have A Nice Day.

Heart starts beating again, flowing blood through the veins again, like sharp pins pricking the flesh from the inside …

Lungs slowly inflate, in, out, in, out, swelling, shrinking, drinking air infused with antiseptic and chlorine …

Fingers begin to twitch, toes begin to stretch, eyelashes begin to flutter, as sleeping muscles begin to awaken once more …

She sighs …

Time to wake up.

A woman’s voice entered her sleep from somewhere far off, yet far too close. Katrina, can you hear me? It’s time to wake up.

She reluctantly opened her sleepy eyes, sunlight trickling cruelly through the gap in her still, cotton curtains, temporarily blinding her. She clutched at her mushy pillow with her stubby fingers, sliding it out from beneath her tired head and squishing it onto her face, shielding herself from the world under a cushion of pink unicorns and faded rainbows.

The trickle of light suddenly streamed into a flood of light as the curtains were pulled apart. The woman spoke again. You’ve been asleep a long time Katrina, but now it’s time to wake up.

Katrina stayed silent under her pillow shield, hoping that her mother might give up and go away if she stayed hidden long enough. But she should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy – the cold morning air chilled her to the bone as her mother violently ripped her covers away from her body, her sanctuary and hidey-hole now gone forever.

Katrina, you need to wake up now. her mother repeated assertively.

With an exaggerated groan of surrender, Katrina slowly emerged from beneath her pillow shield. Sitting up in her bed, she rubbed her tired eyes, stretched her stiff back, and lazily kicked her blankets away from her body, the sea of pastel pinks and blues dragging her beloved teddy bear to the floor. She pushed her frizzy brown-red curls out of her eyes, and began searching the floor around her bed for her slippers, but they were not there. Giving up in annoyance, she stood up and stretched again, the stiffness stubbornly clinging to her spine. She began to walk across the room to her old wooden tallboy, her fluffy slippers slapping the wooden floor, then stopped. Looking at her feet, she smiled.

That’s where you were. she said aloud to the slippers. She wiggled her toes, the woollen insides of the slippers feeling like fingers wrapping around her tiny feet.

Reaching her tallboy, she clasped the brown plastic handles and pulled the top drawer open, gently shaking her collections of crystals in delicate hues of pink and purple, seashells she’d stolen from the ocean during beachside holidays, and tiny plastic cards full of photographs of food rationing and local militia violence. Greeted by the bright white of the clothes inside, she ran her fingertips across the harsh, starchy fabric, before closing them tightly around the final item.

Her mother’s shrill voice emerged from the room below. Katrina, it’s time to wake up.

Yeah, I’m just getting dressed. Katrina yelled in reply. Pulling the overalls in her hand out of the drawer, she threw her fleecy pyjamas towards her bed and hurriedly stepped into her overalls. She kicked her slippers under the tallboy and slid the drawer shut, shaking the treasures that adorned the top. A card full of precious images tipped over the edge and began to fall; she reached her hand out to catch it and placed it carefully into her pocket.

Her footsteps were muffled by the carpet as she descended the stairs to head to the kitchen. Reaching the foot of the stairs, the sloppy wet tongue of the family Saint Bernard, Moses, greeted her face as she bent to kiss him. A loud banging behind her announced the presence of a visitor at the front door.

Come on Katrina, wake up. a deep male voice harshly called from a distant room.

I’m awake Dad, I’m just patting Moses. Giving the dog one final rough pat on his head, she quietly mumbled, And oh yes, don’t worry, I’ll get the door.

Turning around to walk towards the old pine door, still covered in her pink and green crayon houses and flowers, she passed her fingertips through the dust that lay on the hallway console table. Pausing a moment, her eyes scanning the framed memories that rested among the dust, she picked up a memory encased in a silver frame. She smudged her thumb across the dirty glass, and her breathing began to shallow as her mind drifted back, back to when it was all over, back to when they were a family no more. The sudden sense of relief she felt, replaced just as suddenly by a sense of guilt and regret. Guilt over being happy it was over, regret over what could have been. Should have been.

A sharp knock at the door drew her out of her thoughts, and as she turned away from the table her hand knocked the framed memory to the floor. Through the corner of her eye she saw it slowly fall and shatter, the posed smiling faces looking up at her through the shards of glass. But Katrina didn’t look back.

The movement of her feet kicked up the ashes on the floor, filling her nostrils with the acrid smell of burning wood. She wrapped her hand around the faux brass handle, ignoring the flames licking around the edges, and opened the door.

Sunlight streamed in through the open space, the cold white light flooding her senses. Her reflexes kicking in, she blinked hard, then opened her eyes as a shadow rested itself upon her eyelids. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as she laid her eyes upon her friend Josh, his thick blonde hair falling carelessly over his deep blue eyes as he towered over her tiny five-foot figure. He smiled at her, the smile that made her feel like she was the only one in the room, a smile she had come to recognise so well yet still felt so nervous from.

Katrina? Can you hear me? It’s time to wake up. he said to her in a gentle, yet firm tone.

What, I - I’m standing right in front of you, I’m - I’m awake. Katrina replied, shaking her head as a tendril of fear began to slither around the butterflies in her stomach.

His smile disappeared, his expression becoming serious as he pleaded, Katrina, please, you need to wake up.

But I - I am - aren’t I? she asked, her voice becoming small and weak. She pulled her sleeves over her hands as the tendril of fear began to choke the butterflies.

Katrina slowly stepped backwards away from Josh, the wet sand of the beach crunching beneath her feet, the salty water stinging her ankles, and wrapped her arms around her middle, hugging herself tight. Frightened and confused, her brain was telling her that this was real, but her soul knew better. It knew something wasn’t right.

Her heart beat harder as she lowered a nervous hand into her pocket to feel for the tiny photo card. Digging her fingers deep into the crevices of the fabric, she searched the space inside until something cold and wet adhered itself to her skin. She pulled her hand out of her pocket and felt her throat choke on a scream as she watched the shimmering yellow jelly slowly drip from her fingertips.

A warning sound: beep, beep, beep. Her eyes darted to the clear blue sky that outlined Josh’s still figure, and saw the sky lit up by the fire of Carta’s Comet. Katrina shook her head, fear smothering the butterflies in her stomach. No, no it’s not right. she whispered, her body trembling. It’s too early.

Josh stepped towards her. Katrina? C, I need that oxygen.

Her mother rushed to Josh’s side. Matt, her blood pressure.

Yeah, I see it. he replied. Syringe ready?

A rush of air slammed Katrina’s face, and she felt her thumping heart begin to slow. Fingers forced her eyelids open, allowing a harsh, white light to momentarily blind her eyeballs. The light vanishing, she watched as the beings above her began to darken, their figures outlined by a fluorescent white light shining from behind.

Blood pressure’s stabilising, I think she’ll be okay now. she heard a soft, feminine voice say near her ear.

Katrina focused on Josh’s darkened face still above her, and despite the blur of her tears she began to see it was not him. As the light brown hair of the man above her became clearer, she felt the dying butterflies in her stomach disintegrate to ash.

You’re back. You’re awake. he said breathlessly, a relieved smile beaming through his beard.

Katrina closed her eyes, breathing the canned oxygen deep into her lungs, and wondered to herself: Am I awake?

The machine hummed quietly as the Stimulant-pads rubbed against her weak limbs, sending blood flowing back into muscles that hadn’t moved for three hundred years. Not since that fateful run.

She could still hear the screams, the warning sirens, the pounding of her heart. Her hand in Josh’s, his hand dragging her across the sand, her nails dragging on his skin. The sand crunching below their feet, sucking them down, slowing their movements to almost a crawl.

Or did she just imagine that?

It seemed so surreal now, alone in the hospital room, laying in the hospital bed, staring at the blank ceiling above. The home she once knew, the life she once led, gone forever, all in a moment, one single defining moment. She could never go back, never relive the moments that came before the crash. Never relive the days that came before the day that ended them all.

Although, was that really such a bad thing?

Her mind cried from memories past, memories of pain, reliving the tortures of her youth. Reliving school playgrounds filled with nasty girls saying nasty things. Reliving being oppressed by oppressive boys. Reliving the fear of fearful peers. Reliving Home.

Katrina wrapped her arms around herself, hugging herself. Her mind kept drifting.

Out of school, out of home, and into the news office. Into witnessing neighbourhood violence over basic supplies. Witnessing the private militia beating starving innocents in front of the supermarket. Witnessing the remains of the senseless carnage and bloodshed at Evans Beach.

Into the laziness of hot days, the serenity of warm Summer evenings, the peacefulness of rainy nights. Into the presence of Josh, the sound of his voice, the brush of his hand.

Footsteps approached her bed, but Katrina didn’t look away from the blank ceiling above. She was too tired for company right now.

The sound of buttons being pressed; the pads stop moving. A woman with white blond hair, cherry red lips, and pale pink skin leaned over her, placing her cold, bony hands around Katrina’s face. A soft violet-blue light poured forth from her pupils into Katrina’s own as she stared into her eyes. Scan over, the woman smiled gently, let go, and stood up.

Good evening Katrina. I’m Maintenance Unit C88246, or C, if you like. I’ll be your primary nurse while you stay in the Hospital Unit. Have you been shown the Assistance Button yet?

Katrina suspected she had been shown the Assistance Button upon entry to the room, but the disorientating effects of three hundred years of stasis had caused her to forget. Not feeling up to explaining, she simply shook her head.

The Android didn’t seem concerned over Katrina’s answer; instead, she picked up a grey cube attached to a cord and with an orange button on one side, holding it in the air for Katrina to see.

This is your Assistance Button. If you require any assistance at all, please press this button like so, she said as she pressed the button. Katrina heard a quiet beeping sound being emitted from somewhere within the Androids starchy white uniform, and I will come to assist you as soon as I can.

C pressed the button again, ending the beeping, and placed it back on the bed next to Katrina’s left hand. And it’s not only for emergencies, alright? We want your stay here in the Hospital Unit to be as comfortable as possible.

Katrina gave a small smile and tried to speak, but the mucous that had settled in her throat blocked her voice, and she began choking instead. In an elegant stream of effortless movements, C delicately raised Katrina and her bed into an upright position, retrieved a cardboard cup from somewhere nearby, filled it with water, and placed it against Katrina’s lips. As C carefully lifted the cup, the cool water inside spilled into Katrina’s mouth, helping to soothe the pain and clear the mucous. Her burning throat now easing, Katrina rested her head back against the pillow, closed her eyes, and breathed in deeply.

Content that Katrina’s coughing had now passed, C walked to the foot of the bed, and with meticulous movements removed the Stimulant-Pads from Katrina’s legs. As she did, she softly hummed a tune that Katrina had never heard before. Comforted by the sound, she began to feel drowsy, forgetting the question she had wanted to ask C, and stretched her uncovered legs, shivering as goose bumps began to raise their heads upon her exposed skin. Noticing the shivers and their accompanying goose bumps, C walked across the room to a metal cupboard on the far side and opened the see-through door, removing a pale blue blanket before reclosing the door. She quickly returned to Katrina’s bedside and gently placed the heated blanket over Katrina’s still shivering body. The warmth of the blanket radiated into her, and Katrina felt herself start to rapidly drift into sleep. As her breathing became deeper and quieter, she was only vaguely aware of C’s soft footsteps as she attended to tasks within the room.

Completing her tasks, and seeing that Katrina had now settled into sleep, C smiled with satisfaction as she walked quietly towards the door - she took great pride in her work, with no task ever too small to be done right. As she placed her palm around the handle of the door, she paused to take one more look at her sleeping patient. Something about this woman was strangely familiar, but she knew that couldn’t be right. She knew it wasn’t possible for them to have ever met before. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, dismissing her impressions as meaningless, she clicked the switch on the wall, darkening the room, and opened the door, softly closing it behind her as she departed to continue her rounds.

C’mon, almost there!

Katrina could barely hear Josh’s voice over the noise of the frightened crowd. Feeling her thumping heart wanting to explode in her chest, she ignored the burning in her muscles as she forced her legs to keep up with him.

Reaching the top of the steep hill she felt the crowd of people begin to smother them, and instinctively she moved closer to Josh, afraid of becoming separated and lost. He shoved his way through the sea of bodies, dragging her with him, until they reached the entrance to Facility 6. Only a few short weeks had passed since they’d received their letters of acceptance for the facility; and now, here they were, mere steps away from the entrance and their salvation.

Two beefy guards in black holding B.Osaiire45’s loomed menacingly at the entrance; between them, a tall man in a white lab coat with light brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard tightly clutched a white Infopad in his hands. As Josh forced their way to the front, he leaned close to the man and yelled, Josh Seymour and Katrina Morton.

Nodding, the man pushed the Infopad in their direction, and Josh slapped Katrina’s hand on the surface of the dull green screen. She felt the warmth of the laser within scan across her palm, then heard the four beeps as she was cleared for entry.

The man stepped aside as Josh placed his hand on her back and pushed her through the doorway. Suddenly a flurry of hysterical screams filled the air, and Katrina turned around to see the panicking crowd trying to force its way through the entrance. Gunshots fired; more screams followed. Katrina tried to run back to Josh, but a hand wrapped tightly around her arm, dragging her away from the commotion and into an elevator. She tried to turn back around, tried to go back, but it was too late - the doors were already shutting. Smacking the cold metal doors with her hands in frustration, tears streaming from her eyes as her panic turned into despair, she felt the elevator come to life and begin its descent. She slid to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, her tears escaping her closed eyelids as the elevator echoed with the sounds of her distraught sobs.

A violent tremor from above vibrated through the elevator chamber, travelling through the kilometres of steel and concrete to reach Katrina’s body. Losing her balance, she fell to the floor in a heap, closing her eyes in agony as her head collided with the floor.

She opened her eyes.

White lights, white ceiling, the white face of C.

Shh, it’s alright. You’re safe. C gently cooed as she leaned close to Katrina’s ear.

Katrina started to steady her breath as she began to remember where she was. In a hospital bed. In Facility 6. Three hundred years after Carta’s Comet. Three hundred years after Josh.

She closed her eyes again, felt her burning tears run down the sides of her face, catch in her ears, and