Marked For Death
I slammed my opponent to the ground landing on them with my forearm against their chest. Locked in, I kept them from moving. As a faint smile crept across their face, “general” was all they could muster. The surprise was not hidden on what used to be a smug face. “I guess I fall to none but you.” they spoke stepping closer after being pulled up from the matt. “The ship suits you” the smug look returned as my blood boiled.
It started 25 years ago, when babies started to be born with scars. No... ‘scars’ isn't the right word, marks appeared. Always in places where you could easily see, the arm, leg, neck. At first, no one knew why these marks showed up. People thought it was because of worldwide exposure. No one else gave it that much thought. Soon, they would find out the deadly future that was in store.
About 17 years after the marks started appearing, people without marks started to die, and quickly. From natural causes to car accidents, anything that could, would kill you. After a couple of years of this happening, most of the older generations were gone. The marks still wouldn’t appear on some babies. As a result, the people with marks pieced together that those without marks would die off, but they couldn’t figure out why.
I was one of these people, marked and scared. My name is Audrey, I was one of the first born with a mark, this curse. We all tried to sit and figure out why and how all of this was happening, and if there was a system or something behind it. We found nothing, it hadn't anything to do with race or looks, the marks were chosen at random. All types had them. The common blonde and brown hair were obviously among the group, but there were some like me. Curled red hair, green eyes, pale skin with slightly darker freckles. All diversities that had to settle with the death surrounding them.
I tried to keep people as safe as possible despite not knowing what would happen, we all did. Still, common colds, infected scabs, things that our bodies could normally deal with were wiping our population out. None of us knew why, or how all of this was happening. We were scared, young adults, with no clue what we would have to endure.
We had all been numbed to the death around us, neighbors and friends dying. But, when it’s your mother, who started sneezing one day and the next, couldn’t get out of bed... it hits harder than expected. I try not to think about my mother's passing much, just the last thing she said to me, “I need you to fight” and if it meant giving my last breath I would.
Walking out into the living room, my best friend, gray, sitting on the couch, head in his hands. It looked like he had just woken up. His black hair falling in front. He hears me walk in and looks up, “back from the canvasing”. I slumped onto the couch with a sigh. “Two babies born today, two unmarked” I said trying not to let the exhaustion show. “There not showing up anymore.” grey said, I knew it was just a statement, but I felt the need to argue. “NO! It’s just two babies we can't possibly know that.” “Two babies that won't get to live.” he said bluntly. I knew he was right. The marks were gone. Whoever had them now was the last to have them. Now what?
Days turned into weeks, months, and years. 6 to be exact. I did as my mom said, I fought, I lived. I kept people safe as best I could. I taught myself how to fight from the people taking advantage of what people were calling the apocalypse. People trusted me and helped me create our little city.
People stopped being born with marks. Which meant more and more people were dying. Until, one day, everyone unmarked... died. It happened within minutes, and we heard the same from other groups. People, unmarked, would start dropping. Some deaths made sense. Some were just them literally dropping dead. Chaos spewed through the crowd as scared helpers cleared the dead. Crying families, frightened onlookers, I couldn’t do it. I wanted to leave the safety of the city. I couldn’t see anyone else die.
I didn’t get a chance to leave. When a giant ship appeared in the sky with smaller ships exiting off it. It appeared out of a flash of light and seemed beyond even our technological intelligence. A round ship with smaller, sharp ships surrounding it. The smaller ships began to reach the land as the people around me became even more unsettled. The chaos and fear may have increased but no one was able to leave. The smaller ships landed, and galactic soldiers immerged. Surrounding the people, they made way for a tall human-like man. There were scales on his arm that indicated he only looked human with black hair and fury red eyes. As he approached a stand, and He used something that resembled a glass shard that amplified his voice.
“To all that is left, I am Kiyo. I have come to inform you; you’ve been selected as a part of intergalactic legion.” His expression changed and he seemed disgusted by our faces. “The human race has always been disposable, time to make use of that trait.” He paused to scan over the crowd when his eyes rested on me. My spirit, which had almost been broken, fired back but all I could do for now was roll my eyes and flip him off. “If were so disposable, you sure took your time disposing.” I shouted back with a crowd of people cowering behind me. If this guy was going to kill me, I wasn’t going to make it fun for him. “You seem to be mistaken. A trait of lower brain capacity does run in your species. You, the ones left, are the disposable ones. See we ran through genetic history and found the best outcome. The peak form of the human body, though, that’s not a great feat. Those marks help us keep track of you. In other words, I guess you could say you all were marked for death.” The crowd fell silent.
They set up camp around the city, blocking us in. They had us all in a single file line to get us all documented in their system. When it came to be my turn, I didn’t make it easy. They suited soldier said “hand” I slowly held my hand up and waited for him to grab it. When he did, I grabbed his elbow with my other hand to get him behind me where I flipped him over on his back. Another soldier tries to grab me from behind, I slam the back of my head into his causing him to tumble back. The last two grabbed me and I couldn’t escape. They held my arm on the table and scanned my wrist, where my mark was. Still struggling against the other two soldiers I'm thrown out of the tent. I still don’t know if they meant to or if they just lost their grip, but either way I was back with the big crowd. Herding like sheep was infuriating.
Years of fighting to stay alive, watching everyone else die. There was a silent sense of security for the people with marks, and suddenly my mother's words came back to me. “If the protected are ever the ones in danger... fight.” Those words sparked me back to life and I was filled with anger. So, I felt for the knife in my pocket I had crafted. When I noticed an opening, I reared back. My knife glimmered in the sun while it veered towards this Kiyo guy's head, because fuck that guy. He was going to die, and I was going to kill him.
END OF EPISODE ONE
(this was a shorter episode to start off with more time theyll get longer)
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