《Dystopia? : The Crescent Island》 Dystopia? : The Crescent Island - Chapter 1 ¡°RUN¡­. GET OUT HURRY IT¡¯S COMING! Eric where are you!¡± As I look around frantically for some hope to get out of this place, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that I¡¯m forgetting something really important. Let¡¯s not spoil the rest of this story I¡¯ll start from the beginning when my family decided to move from North Carolina to the ¡°relaxing, calming, and beautiful¡± island of Utopia. I guess we should start from when we made it to Florida. After the annoying, tiring, long, grueling two-week drive to the Florida Keys. We finally made it to the last boat to the island of Utopia. Oh, yea I guess I should probably tell you why we need to get to Utopia so badly. Well, I guess in the easiest terms possible it would have to be because of the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. My parents heard about the island of Utopia as the only safe haven(4831-3¡­ 24.561042562224802, -81.80175940212719¡­ Utopia is now fully built¡­ Free housing is available¡­ Mandatory Health check¡­ Safe haven awaits¡­ so come on down the Utopia awaits.24.561042562224802). The message repeats over and over. It continues to go on talking about how there''s one way there and one way off the island. To make it better at the slightest hint of "zombies/infection" the whole island will be hit with a nuclear weapon. In other words, we''re being sent to a random new island that no one¡¯s ever heard of, for who knows how long or till they make a cure and wipe out all the zombies whichever comes first. What can go wrong? The coordinates left in the message lead us to Key West where the ship will be taking us to Utopia. After a long car ride and lots of walking, we finally made it to the port. It felt like hours went by waiting for the ship''s crew to finish checking for infected and ill-packed explosives. We were allowed to finally board the ¡°S.S. Last Hope¡±. A ship bigger than anyone has ever seen. Standing at 248 Feet High, 666 Feet wide, and 400 Feet long. Once everyone made it onto the ship we gathered on the main deck where the Captin went over the rules and layout of this hulking vessel. After the run down we are herded in the dining hall for introductions. Sorry, I fell asleep as soon as we sat down so I don''t remember much of what happed there. But I do remember this strange little boy just staring at me. Too bad lost him as we were leaving the dining hall. After that, we made our way to the top floor to our rooms, but I still couldn¡¯t shake the weird feeling that something wasn''t right. I unpacked and decided to do a little bit of exploring. The lower I go the creeper it gets. On the fourth floor, I¡¯m not sure how to explain it but there¡¯s just some kind of eerie presence each step you take. As you pass each room it feels like someone¡¯s staring down into your soul. ¡°Hey?¡± said a random voice. I whip my head around hoping to see someone. But there¡¯s nothing there. I turn back around and I see a little kid probably a few years younger than me. As I continue my tour down to the fifth floor. It felt even colder and much more ominous presence than on the previous floors. ¡°Hey?¡± said the same voice but much deeper than before. I whip my head around again but still don¡¯t see anything or anyone. As I¡¯m about to continue on my journey again I get this cold feeling down my spine. I freeze, standing there motionless too scared to turn around. What must be lurking behind me must be the most terrifying thing I¡¯ve ever encountered. I finally get the nerve to turn around. Nothing ¡°You''re fine nothing''s there let''s just go back to the room and continue this tomorrow.¡± I say to myself. But when I turn back towards the stairs there he was the same kid from the floor above I didn¡¯t even notice that he was following me. ¡°Hey wh- who are you?¡± I said with a bit of a quiver in my voice. The strange child just looks at me standing there motionless looking at me with cold dark apathetic eyes. I feel like we are standing here for hours just looking at each other as the room feels colder and colder. I finally start to surrender to his powerful gaze. Then he slowly disappears around a corner. "HEY... COME BACK" I scream at the top of my lungs only to see the back of the same little kid skipping away from me. "Hehehehe come and get me" the child repeats over and over skipping down the corridors of the boat. All of a sudden the boat begins to sway drastically and the child just keeps skipping along unaffected by the movement of the boat saying the same thing "Come and get me..... Hehehehe come and get me..." A blinding flash of lightning strikes the boat. I shield my eyes still trying to find the strange little boy. When I open them again the child is gone but I can still hear his laughter "hehehehe". I blink my eyes to get a better look at where I am and I notice that I''m in my room but I can''t see anything just darkness. There''s another flash of lightning but within the flash, I can clearly see the horror that is my room. As I look around frantically for a switch to make sure that what I just saw was real. The light switch. Slow and shaky I reach for the switch and flick the light on. My heart jumps into my throat and then feels like someone''s trying to choke me at the same time. I''m too frightened to turn my eyes to see the dead bodies of my family laying in pieces in the room. My father¡¯s head was chopped off and placed on the lamp next to the bed, his chest looked like someone ripped his heart out, his left arm was on the floor to my right. My little (nine-year-old) brother Eric''s body was placed in a chair his neck was split open. His stomach looked like he ate a porcupine or was shot with needles. All of his limbs were torn off and stitched backward. I soon felt something warm drip on my face what I saw next broke me. My own mother had her head, torso, and limbs ripped apart and hanging from the ceiling. I burst out screaming and in tears running to the door. When I open the door the whole ship is split in half... gone like it never existed. No waves. No clouds. Just nothing but the shining sun. Before I hopelessly shut the door I hear the little kid laughing. "Hehehehe". Then the laughter of my brother Eric, my dad, shortly following my mom''s laugh. The worst part isn''t over yet all of my mom¡¯s limbs start swinging back and forth the blood from her torso splattering all over my face. I close my eyes again hoping that this is just a nightmare. I jump through the door with my eyes closed. When I open my eyes all I can feel is the pain in my throat and throughout my body almost like I was hit by a car. My vision is a bit blurry then I realize I''m on the floor of my room. When I get up my dad is just sitting next to staring at me. The countenance on his face provided me with the shock and horror of watching me while I was having that horrid nightmare. "Hey, are you okay?" He said with a shiver in his voice "Yeah, I''m fine. Why do you ask?" I replied. "Well for starters you''ve been screaming for hours and then you tried to jump headfirst off the bed. Good thing the sheets were covering you it could have been really bad." "Well, I''m fine now!" I said sharply not even looking at him. "Alright champ if you need anything everyone is on the top deck playing in the pool." "Yeah fine, I¡¯ll be there later." "Okay well, I''m off back to the hot tub with Stephie (She¡¯s dad¡¯s new GF he found her in a store being attacked by zombies a few months after mom died)¡±. When my dad left I hopped out of my bed and headed towards the bathroom still replaying the horrors I just witnessed. Panting with my face in the toilet I finally get to release the slimy nasty taste of my stomach acid. It was such an amazing relief. On the downside, it looks like some peaches that I ate a few weeks ago and smells like the breath of a zombie. After a nice refreshing shower and sadly some more vomiting I decided to keep looking for the strange kid I saw earlier. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. As I walk down the hallway searching for the kid I can¡¯t help but think about my mom and how much I miss her. I¡¯ll never forget the day she died. ¡°It was just another trip to a camp they said. It will be fine there¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± both parents say with hopeful glee. Not at all how things went. The day I lost my mother is the day everything changed. Unlike most days this day started out perfect compared to the usual zombie head bashing, shooting, and crushing. On that dreadful day, the sun was shining very brightly not a cloud in the sky. Mom made breakfast, and Dad was preparing the compound bows for our hourly survey for zombies that try to break into the house or any sign of people. Dad, Eric, and I got ready to start looking for zombies while Mom cooked breakfast. Eric ran up to his post on the roof, I went to my treehouse, and Dad went to his spot in his room. Everything was going perfectly as planned Mom was almost done cooking no zombies in sight. I had a bad feeling everything was just so relaxing and calming something must be wrong. While on the verge of leaving my post and taking a quick nap in the nice spring shade under this big shady tree. My eyes slowly shut, next thing I hear is the piercing sound of a gun being fired. I spring up with my arrow loaded and my bowstring pulled tight and aimed it Searching everywhere for where it came from. That¡¯s when it hit me ¡°MOM¡±! I dive out of the treehouse with my bow still loaded rushing towards the house not even prepared for what happens next. As I reach the back sliding glass door I see my mom in tears just standing there in the middle of the kitchen she looks down then she slowly lifts her head and looks at me and only a single tear can form to fall down her soft cheeks a bullet comes crashing through the window and hits her straight through her head. The blood from her head splatters all over the window in front of me. At that moment it felt like everything just happened in slow motion. My body was paralyzed I just couldn¡¯t move any part of my body. I just stand there watching my mother¡¯s body slowly hit the ground into her own blood creating a splash. After a few minutes, I finally realized that my brother was giving the signal that something was coming. I need to get to my spot and hold my post. Running in tears I quickly rush back up to my spot. Whipping my tears I ready my bow and arrow. Looking around for my rage-induced victim I find my target. Sadly the unpleasant idiot that fired what sounded like a Savage 110 BA(a type of sniper rifle made by the U.S. in 2009) attracted/woke up some of the zombies in the area. As they come in hordes of 10 or more to the smell of my mothers¡¯ fresh blood. My father, brother, and I fight for our lives to try to escape. As we start to run out of arrows we decided its time to end it and find a new place to hide. So my dad blows up the house and we move to a nice home next to a gun shop. Still to this day, I don''t know who fired that shot, and when I do I will put three arrows into his chest. Not paying attention to where I was going I somehow ended up by captain¡¯s quarters. For some reason, it feels so cold up here but it¡¯s almost July. Trying to resist the urge to venture into this room. I begin to get that cold feeling again but this time it''s stronger than before. My hand shaking with fear comes inches away from the handle before I quickly draw it back. In disappointment, I turn around back to my room. As soon as I turn around I stop dead in my tracks. That same feeling I had earlier is back. ¡°It must be him!¡± I think to myself. In a blink of an eye, he appears again. Our eyes lock in an awkward intimidating stare down. It feels more intense than last time. It takes me a while but I notice that he has the same clothes on that he had last time. A white buttoned-up shirt, cargo shorts, high socks that go up to his knees, and blue and black high-top Converse shoes. But this time I notice how pale his skin was also last time I don¡¯t think he was wearing a weirdly shaped necklace or a ring. Looking at him more I didn¡¯t see the scar on his face that runs from his nose across his right cheek to his chin. Suddenly caving into his gaze. I feel myself begin to blink. Then I hear the sound of the door to the captain''s quarters begin to slowly unlock. With an echoing creek, the door slowly opened. A chilling gust of wind creeps through the slightly cracked open door almost knocking me over. I turn around to see if someone is going to come out of the captain¡¯s room. I watch the door as it slowly opens. The slow creeks echo through every bone in my body as I stand there motionless waiting for someone to come out. The door starts to open and closes slowly and loudly. My body cringes every time the door slams shut. I look back at the little kid. He¡¯s just standing there watching me with no change. The slam of the door grabs my attention one more time. I slowly reach for the door. Sweating. Shaking. I close my eyes and take a big ¡°gulp¡±. The door swings into my hand. With my eyes closed, I swing the door open. A gust of wind hits me almost pushing me back. I open my eyes. I¡¯m now falling from the sky facing the blue fluffy clouds. As I¡¯m still falling I manage to turn myself around. When I look down I see the ship it¡¯s split in half and I¡¯m about to hit it. I attempt to let out a blood-curdling scream, but the wind is too strong. With the cracked boat quickly approaching I try to make my body fall where the boat split in half. Hoping to hit the water with some chance of survival. As I get closer to the top of the boat it feels like everything is slowing down I get to about the top floor of the boat where my room is; suddenly everything is in slow motion to the point where it feels like I¡¯m flying. I spot my room. It is almost like it felt like a freeze-frame moment but as I look at my room door I see myself. I look straight into my own eyes. The door to my room then slowly shuts. It slams shut and my body falls even faster than before. I look down towards my impending death at the warm calm waters below. As I¡¯m inches from hitting the water a giant metal-like beam from the boat shoots out from the water-splitting me in half. I feel every second of it. As the left side of me is still falling I close my eye and hit the water. Everything feels so cold and empty, and suddenly my vision goes black. I open my eyes and jump up screaming at the top of my lungs. Looking around still screaming and touching my body to make sure every part of me is still there. I take in a deep breath. Sweating trying to catch my breath. Then I look to my right and I see my dad looking at me with shock-like last time I had a nightmare on the crazy ship."Hey, are you okay?" He said with a shiver in his voice. "Yeah, I''m fine. Why do you ask?" I replied. "Well for starters you''ve been screaming for hours and then you tried to jump headfirst off the bed. Good thing the sheets were covering you it could have been really bad." "Well, I''m fine now! Dad¡­ Didn¡¯t we already have this conversation?" I said sharply not even looking at him. ¡°No, we¡¯ve only been on this boat for a few hours. You..¡± He replied. ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t feel like it¡­ oh well just go have fun with Stephie in the hot tub.¡± ¡°How did you know that I was in the hot tub with Stephie?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡° ¡­ Alright, weirdo seeing how you already know where to go, just let someone else know when you¡¯re ready.¡± ¡°Okay Dad,¡± I said looking him dead in the eyes. Dystopia? : The Crescent Island - Chapter: 2 It¡¯s been three days since we got on the ship. I can¡¯t believe everything that''s happened. Every day feels like a never-ending dream and every dream feels more real than reality itself. Now that everyone has settled in I decided to take some time to meet the other passengers. There''s the Allisters, the Hendersons, the Boulders, and us the Flints. Each family gets their own floor with the ship''s crew spread out below. From what I¡¯ve noticed the weirdest out of all of them are the Hendersons. They definitely win the strange award. One of the reasons why I say that is because they are always happy. Every time I see them they have a smile on their faces and they do everything together. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, poolside, bathroom breaks you name it they have probably done it together. Our neighbors the Boulder, on the other hand, are the complete opposite of the Hendersons. All they do is sit in their cabin and do nothing all day. Once in a while, you¡¯ll see one of them by the pool or in the dining hall. The weirdest one in that family would have to be the son Malcolm. He¡¯s tall and awkward, he even hunches over a lot like a sad sloth, and he doesn¡¯t talk at all. The most you can get out of him is a nod of approval. Otherwise, it''s a blank stare. He just kinda sits there looking at all the people walking by. Yesterday I finally got to meet the captain he made a grand entrance on the stage during dinner and tried to sing Gangnam style, too bad he failed miserably. Oddly enough the captain looked kinda like Kevin Bacon dressed as a flamboyant sailor, and with a scruffy beard. All though I¡¯ve seen and talked to all the people on this ship, no one knows about the strange boy I keep seeing in what felt like a horrible dream. One thing that I don¡¯t get is this ship has thirty levels and thirteen rooms on the floor of the upper floors. From what the Captain proudly says the S.S. Last Hope could hold up to six hundred and sixty-six people. But why are there only four families and ten crew members on the boat? Are we the only survivors left? Also, how come no one''s heard of this kid? Something just doesn¡¯t feel right about this place. The next day I decided to break from the family activities and do some exploring. If I have to play shuffleboard or volleyball one more time I''m going to lose my mind. As I lock my door to the cabin I suddenly get the feeling that someone is watching me I slowly turn my head to the right and see Malcolm Boulders¡¯ Six foot-two, sloth-like body hovering over me to the point where I can feel his breath on my neck. ¡°Hello, Malcolm!¡± I say shakily. ¡°Hi...Brian¡± he said quickly. ¡°So¡­ got any plans for today,¡± I say with a nervous quiver. ¡°No not really I just wanted to get away from the stupid family activities¡± ¡°I know the feeling want to come with me on an adventure around the boat?¡± ¡°Sure¡± he snapped. We start walking toward the elevator that takes us down to the twentieth floor. ¡°So what made you want to come with me ?¡± I ask. ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know I¡¯ve just seen you walking around¡­¡± ¡° Wait... when?¡± ¡° On the day we all died¡± ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!¡± I scream at him. ¡°I said on the first day we got on the boat?¡± he said with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°Oh, that''s what I thought you said,¡± I said with a fake smile. As we get to the stairs to the lower levels. I was pretty shocked about who I saw waiting for us. It''s the hot, tan, bubbly, annoying, let me finish your sentence twins. Kaycie and Sabrina Henderson. Although they are fifteen years old identical twins it''s not that hard to tell them apart. Kaycie dyed her long hair black and usually has a red bow in her hair. Sabrina, on the other hand, has long brown hair with bleached tips. They both stand about five-nine with green eyes. Every time I see them they always either have on a red and white cheerleading outfit that says HHS. Sometimes you will see them wearing grey sweatpants and a pink or black sports bra. Besides their flawless hair and tan skin it gets hard to tell them apart they both have the same body figure. Sexy and curvy. ¡°Hey, guys what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°We''re bored¡­¡± said Kaycie. ¡°Like really bored.¡± finished Sabrina ¡°You guys want to join us on our adventure?¡± Malcolm said as he tried to cower behind me. ¡°An adventure¡­¡± said Sabrina Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°We love adventures!¡± said Kaycie as they jumped in the air giggling. As we all started walking down to the basement/storage unit of the boat. It felt strange that we haven¡¯t heard from or seen anyone all the whole way down. No crew. No passengers. No one! When we finally made it to the door to the creepy dirty basement I remembered that the only reason why I¡¯m doing this is to find out who that kid is. ¡°Well, here we go,¡± I said. I slowly reach towards the door handle. That''s when it hit me! I suddenly started to get that cold feeling again. I whipped my head around looking for that kid. While the overwhelming fear swept through me, I slowly retract my hand back to my side. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why won¡¯t you open the door?¡± said Malcolm. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re too scared to go in!¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ but I have a really bad feeling about this.¡± I say with my head in a defeated position staring down the door. ¡°Ha we should have known better¡­¡± said Sabrina. ¡°...than to believe that you would be any more fun¡­¡± Kaycie finished. ¡°... let¡¯s get out of here.¡± As soon as they turned around. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± At that moment silence fell upon everything. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! There it was again. Just three knocks then a moment of silence, again. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± I look back to see the pale countenance on all of their faces. It almost looked like someone took an eraser and tried to rub the color off of their skin. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± There it was again. Standing there struck with fear we all just stand there. Waiting! Watching! Hoping for something to happen. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± ¡°HEY, GUYS!¡± a raspy voice screamed behind us. Shakely we all whip around screaming ¡°AHHHHHHHHH¡­¡± But to our relief, it was just Yanto the captain''s assistant. ¡°Oh hey Yanto,¡± I say shakily. ¡°What are you guys doing all the way down here?¡± ¡°Nothing just wanted to see what¡¯s down here.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± ¡°S..so Yanto what bring you down here?¡± ¡°I heard a strange noise down here, so I came to check it out¡± ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± It was the same head-turning, hair standing up on ends, knocking. Just three knocks the same three knocks not a second off the same sound as the last time. ¡°What is that sound? Why won¡¯t it just stop?¡± I say to myself. Yanto looks like he¡¯s going to pass out along with everyone else. ¡°THE DOOR!¡± It slowly begins to creep open. From the rusted creaking door a horrible smell that would even make the dead puke. A figure comes flying out above us. We look up to find CoCo is Yanto¡¯s pet flying squirrel(pets are not allowed on the ship). ¡°AWE ITS SOOOO CUTE!¡± Both the girls scream in giggly joy. ¡°Oh, there you are CoCo. How did you get down here? You¡¯re supposed to be in your little cage in my room on the second floor.¡± said Yanto. Coco flies onto Yontos¡¯ shoulder. Then climbs into Yanto¡¯s shirt pocket. We all start walking back to the upper deck to see what the party planner had in store for us. But as we get to the stairs I got that feeling again that he is here. OH NO, HE¡¯S HERE! Suddenly everything just stops, it gets all cold, and in a blink of an eye, everyone is gone. The hallway suddenly has a dark tint to it. I know he¡¯s here. I can feel it. Just like last time. I¡­ I¡­ I can¡¯t stop shaking. This overwhelming feeling suddenly rushes over me. The only thing I can move is my head. It takes a few minutes for me to break free from the tight grip of fear. Suddenly it gets dark. ¡°Hello¡­ Is¡­ Is anyone there?¡± I whisper. ¡°KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!¡± I quickly shut my eyes in fear. The knocking starts speeding up. All I can do at this point is scream at the top of my lungs. ¡°AHHHHHHH¡± (sadly sounding like a little girl). Then complete silence, followed by an amazing sea breeze and the sounds of waves hitting the boat; there¡¯s a voice screaming out ¡°NOOOOO SOMEONE STOP HIM!¡± The next thing I know I can feel my body being thrown to the ground. I open my eyes¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m laying on the top deck with Yanto and Malcolm wrapped around me. Turns out the screaming I heard was Kaycie. ¡°What the fuck were you thinking?¡± Sabrina yelled as she slapped the life back into me. ¡°What the heck are you talking about? We were just downstairs and about to go back to our rooms¡­ right?¡± I tried to explain. ¡°Yeah, we were shithead, but you started screaming and running to the deck so we all ran after you! Then you stood by the guard rail for about fifteen minutes not saying anything. Next thing we know you start clinging to the rail about to jump off that¡¯s when Kacie started screaming and now we''re here.¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t remember any of that. How long has it been since we were downstairs.¡± ¡°About half an hour,¡± Yanto states trying to catch his breath. ¡°Humm¡­ well, I think I¡¯m going to bed. So we¡¯ll talk about this tomorrow during the group activities.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t join you¡± ¡°Why not because we¡¯re already dead¡± ¡°W...WAIT WHAT¡­ Say that again!¡± ¡°God, did your hearing go out as well you¡¯re sooo stupid, I said¡­ we will be happy to join you.¡± Said Kaycie ¡°Oh okay¡­ we¡¯ll meet by the pool¡± I say as I turn my back to hide my embarrassment. We all agree and parted ways. I got the lucky privilege of getting escorted to my room by Yanto and Malcolm. Dystopia? : The Crescent Island Chapter 3 It¡¯s been a few days now since I last blacked out and almost dived into the ocean. Things are kinda starting to feel normal for once on this crazy boat. The horrific nightmares went away, I haven''t received that creepy cold feeling anymore. The sun is shining and not a cloud in the sky. There is nothing that could possibly make this day go wrong. ¡°HEY BRIAN!¡± Malcolm screams as he races to me. ¡°Hey Malcolm, what¡¯s up,¡± I replied. ¡°Did you hear?¡± ¡°Hear what?¡± I say kind of irritated. ¡°We are almost to the island!¡± he said with a giant grin on his face. ¡°Really¡­ How long until we get there?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be there within the next three hours. Make sure that you and your family have everything you guys brought on the boat.¡± Malcolm said as he started walking backward down the hall. It¡¯s strange really. I''d never seen him so ecstatic before, he was almost jumping like a hyperactive teenage girl that just got asked to prom. Usually, he¡¯s shy, quiet, and guarded. Almost to the point where it was kind of scary to be around him. I guess it¡¯s true that you can never judge a book by its cover. After running into Malcolm I decided to go back to my room and start packing everything before we get kicked off this sketched-out boat. ¡°I wonder how different things will be now. Who knows I might never see these amazing friends.¡± I say to myself as I pack up my last set of hunting knives. ¡°Wow, I really need to stop talking to myself out loud.¡± The horn of the boat roars as I zip up my last bag and grab my bow. I ran out to the front of the boat standing next to Eric, Dad, and Stephanie. As we approach the entrance to Utopia. I look around and there is absolutely nothing here, just the ocean. All of a sudden a loud deep creaking sound followed by the low echoing hums of a motor vibrating the air around us. The ocean and sky in front of me begin to split vertically. The sound of decompressing air mixed with hydraulic turbines fills the air. Two giant doors fade into view before us. Utopia¡¯s cloaking system shuts down to show us the entrance to our salvation. All of a sudden the massive iron gates begin to open. A female voice recording comes on as we drift into the dark passage. ¡°Welcome to Utopia, please enter and keep all hands and feet on board for sanitation inspections. Until your vessel has reached the dock please refrain from moving. Thank you for your cooperation. We hope you have a wonderful stay at Utopia.¡° As we begin to drift forward through the dark tunnel, red lights pass by us; kind of like walking through a giant scanner at the grocery store. An ominous humming mixed with the sound of rotating motors spinning around us. Lights dance over and under the ship like thousands of fireflies. You could hear the sound of something bumping off the ship as it drifted further in. I squint as hard as I can to shield my eyes from an oncoming bright light. Suddenly everything was silent, nothing but the calm sound of the waves, some seagulls flying just above water level around the ship heading to the nearest shoreline. I look straight ahead, eyes wide open at the island of Utopia. A tear slowly falls down my face. A bright warm light begins to pass over my body. A gust of air smashes my left side carrying the scent of the ocean mixed with a fresh rainforest aroma carried by the wind. The sounds of waves caressing the ship. A single tear falls down my face as I slowly open my eyes to the most captivating view of Utopia, the crescent island. Looking around I can see beaches, mountains, rivers, hot springs, and two volcanoes. I feel something small grab my hand when I look down I see Eric. I can feel his hand shaking and he looks pale.*The speaker buzzes and music begins to play. The female voice from before begins to speak.* ¡±Eh...hmm, Welcome to the Island Utopia. Congratulations on your survival. You are now free to move about your vessel. Please make your way to doc six near the middle of the island. Follow the blue buoys to Docking Platform Six. After docking please head to the main lobby at Hotel Blue for a briefing on your stay.¡± Everyone let out a big cheer in excitement; hugging, laughing, and crying with the people they love. The ship gently changes course to the right following the blue buoys to our new home. I feel my little brother''s small hands grip tighter. ¡°Eric let go of my hand!¡± I say as I rip my hands out of his grip. He then runs up to the guard rail, pulling me by my favorite panda hoodie with him. My dad walks up and puts his hand on my shoulders while he watches Eric. He says ¡°Welcome to our new home.¡° I haven¡¯t seen Dad smile like that in a long time. Finally, everything just seems perfect. As we reach the dock I notice that there is no one here. It seems like no one has been here in a long time. Dad looks at Eric and me and says ¡°Stay on your toes, something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± We nod our heads and I ready my bow as we walk down the ramp onto the dock. On the dock, there were three small boats big enough to fit six people on each. We piled in and drove to the shore. Once we all made it to the shore everyone grabbed their weapons and moved down the ramp towards this giant blue and gold hotel. As a group, we all shuffle from the beach to the main entrance to the Hotel. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. After surveying the front we all gathered by the large blue and gold door. Still no sight of anyone. Upon entry, a few of us check out the front desk of the building. It¡¯s amazing how well this place it¡¯s painted so that everything looks like it''s covered in blue with gold on the edges. The floor has a giant blue rug with a gold border that leads from the entrance to the front desk and then splits off in opposite directions. The ceiling looks like it''s at least three stories high. There''s a giant golden chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. We all slowly migrate to the lobby. It seems like no one is here but there is a projector and a bunch of chairs for about a hundred or more people. Everyone picks their seats and the projector turns on. The female voice from earlier comes back on. ¡°Welcome to Hotel Blue. Located on a remote crescent island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Plans for the Islands'' construction started in April of the year 2048. Originally created as a vacation retreat for the top one percent of the world, the island was repurposed as a vacation retreat for the public. After the fallout of 2182, it was decided to expand the island four times its original size, also to be fully remodeled to house over two billion humans and over one hundred fifty-eight species. To ensure humanity''s greatest survival Utopia is split into three Districts. The White District located in the northern region is home to various political leaders, top engineers, and physicians. The Black District is located in the southernmost region. Home to multiple native insects, animals, and near-extinct creatures. Here you can find fresh produce, Mount Umoi, and also the end of the Lou River. The Blue District where you will stay, belongs to all guests. There is no distinction of any kind based on background, history, or social status you had before your arrival. While here enjoy the many different activities we offer. Including an indoor heated pool, surfing on Blue Hotel¡¯s Beaches, hiking on Mount Umoi, kayaking & canoeing on the Benson River, and bicycling on the Koochiet Trial. Try out Zip lining over the Lou River or tanning on Hotel Blue¡¯s Rooftop pool & bar. Feeling hungry we have a fully stocked kitchen with fresh produce and meat procured from the Black District. Need some alone time with a significant other? Enjoy the Red floor, where each room is catered to a different need. Each room is soundproof so don''t be afraid to make as much noise as you want. If you''re a music lover then check out floor 26 rooms one through eighteen are filled with CDs from throughout time. All the other rooms on this floor are designed as different chill places to vibe out and enjoy some of your favorite music. Floor 2 is an entire nursery floor. So safe you can leave your little ones there is nothing in there that can hurt them. There is a metal detector, x-ray, and thermal scanners on the elevator, stairs, and doorway, this will prevent anyone from entering with a weapon. There are no on-hand chiefs at the Blue Hotel, so all meals and cleaning will be left to you. Each resident has their own room. Each room will contain a welcome packet with the rules, a map of the island and its resources, hunting and gathering tutorials, meal prep, and ration detail. There¡¯s also a special gift in there from us here at Dentin to you. Now let¡¯s go over the rules here at Utopia. First, all cleaning, eating, and home maintenance is on you and your neighbors. Second, Clothing is optional. Let loose and be free. Third, please be sure to return any used equipment after using it. Fourth and most important THE WHITE REGION IS OFF LIMITS. You will be executed immediately upon entering this region. Rule number 5, there is no killing of the other guests. Do your best to settle things verbally instead of physically. Rule number 6, Please use all resources sparingly, you will need to be able to grow, catch and kill your own food. Rule number seven, please bring all trash to the incinerator located in the Black Region next to the chicken farm. Rule 8, if you are feeling unwell or ill please go to floor 13 room 4 there will be a form that will allow you to list your symptoms. The form will be sent to a physician located in the White Region. Once the medicine is complete you will hear this sound.¡± *Wind chimes begin to play*. The recording continues. ¡°This sound will let you know that the medicine has arrived and will be waiting for you in room 9 on floor 13. Lastly, Rule 10, be sure to enjoy your stay at Utopia. From all of us here at Dentin, we wish you a wonderful time.¡± After that oddly informative introduction, everyone split up to search the hotel for any residents or traps. All we could find was a blue logbook with a gold raven on the cover. The book had all our names in it and which room was assigned to each of us. We all decided to split up to investigate our rooms. As we''re going up I still think it''s weird how we haven¡¯t seen a single person here this whole time and it''s a little too quiet for my taste. My dad and Stephine got their own room. Eric and I got a room right next to theirs. The two-bedroom suite has a fully stocked kitchen, a living and dining room, a patio, and a bathroom. Above the bed is a sword and bow rack. To the right of the bed is a gun rack and a nightstand. There''s also a really big widescreen tv in our rooms. I can¡¯t forget about the really big and high glass windows that have an amazing view of the beach. I kick off my clothes then dive onto my bed and start drifting off. ¡°AHHHHH¡± two girly ear-shattering screams travel across the room. I jump up grab my bow and ready to fire, then the screams start again. ¡°AHHHHH¡± I blink again and realize that it¡¯s Sabrina and Kaycie standing in the doorway to my room holding each other. ¡°What are you guys doing in my room?¡± I said angrily ¡°Well we got bored and wanted to know if you want to come with us as we survey the island,¡± said Sabrina. They both start giggling. ¡°Brian before we go you should probably put some pants on!¡± said Kaycie. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sorry about that. Wait... How did you two get in my room in the first place.¡± I said as I put on my pants. ¡°Well, we ran into your little brother Eric. He was so cute he let us in and said that you were sleeping¡­¡± said Sabrina. ¡°...so we kinda convinced him to let us in,¡± said Kaycie. ¡°Yea, he¡¯s waiting in the lobby with Malcolm right now.¡± ¡°Alright let''s go,¡± I said as I grabbed my bow and quiver. As we walk down the stairs I can hear Malcolm and Eric talking and laughing. Everything seems kind of nice now¡­ it feels¡­ almost¡­ almost¡­ natural to be this happy. ¡°Alright, ready to go everyone!¡± I say with a smile on my face walking up to Eric and Malcolm. We headed towards the glass entrance doors to a huge bright light blinding us as we pushed through the doors, only to be shown a beautiful beachside scenery. I look to the left and all I see is a forest trail leading to our destination. With a deep breath, we take our first steps toward the edge of the Blue District. Dystopia? : The Crescent Island Chapter 4 As we walk down to the boardwalk we have a debate on which way to go. We have to decide whether to go around the island on the shoreline or scavenge the forest behind the hotel. After three more hours of screaming and debating, we finally decided to split the island from the blue region to the black region into quadrants. We¡¯ll scavenge as much of the forest for the next couple of days. We¡¯ll cover the forest located in the Blue region into 4 quadrants and Eric and I take quadrant one, Malcolm gets one, and so do the twins. The rest we will tackle day by day so that way we all can go out together. We said our goodbyes and began our journey. After Eric and I made it to what seemed like hours of walking (actually thirty minutes) we decided to take a break. ¡°Hey, Brian? Why didn¡¯t you let Malcolm go with the twins? Is ¡­ is it because you realize that he likes Sabrina ... right?¡± said Eric timidly. ¡°Wha-a-at would make you say that?¡± ¡°Well, ''cause he looks at her like Dad used to look at Mom. And Kaycie looks at you the same way mo¡­¡± ¡°Stop¡­ no¡­ just stop¡± I yell screaming frantically. I get up and start running. My chest is pounding and I feel like everything is going black. The last thing I remember is the hairs on the back of my neck begin to stand up and all of a sudden the sound of something moving in the brush. Then everything came to a halt. I can¡¯t move. ¡°HELLO¡­ IS ANYONE OUT THERE.¡± ¡°Ha...hahaha¡± ¡°Who''s out there¡± ¡°Ha...hahaha¡± ¡°HELLO¡­ WHO¡¯S THERE¡± I grab my bow and quickly load it. ¡°Eric!¡± I yell frantically. I hear the rustling in the bush again. I release my arrow, sending it into the unknown darkness. To my left and hear a loud girlish scream. ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHHH¡± ¡°OMG MALCOLM¡± yelled Sabrina. I ran over there and saw that Malcolm blocked the arrow before it hit Kaycie in her head. He blocked it with his tonfas like it was nothing. ¡°Holy crap Malcolm¡­ how did you do that?¡± Sabrina chirped, giggling while jumping up and down. Until her gaze targeted me ¡°YOU¡­,¡± she said with a cold and dark voice that made my skin crawl, as it echoed up my spine. ¡°You almost killed my¡­ my sister...¡± Sabrina charges at me pulling out one of her knives. Malcolm grabbed her last minute before an arrow came speeding between both of us, an anonymous thud that came shortly after. Eric comes running up screaming ¡°RUN!¡± without any hesitation he sends another arrow hurling between us. A loud gargled scream came from the direction the arrows went. As we looked in the direction of the arrow we all stared with shock and horror at a shoeless woman pinned to a tree standing about 5 ''11 with long blond hair, she was wearing a white dress covered in blood. This woman had been turned by the zombies. Before I knew it Kaycie, Sabrina, and Malcolm were all surrounding the woman. In a blink of an eye, they each smacked and hacked the corpse into pieces all before I could even reach for my arrow. Covered in blood they all came running towards me. ¡°Hey, are you guys ok?¡± Eric says heavily. ¡°Well at least we know it''s not safe here,¡± I said shakily ¡°Oh¡­ You¡¯re not safe yet¡± Sabrina said as she slowly approached me. ¡°You almost shot my sister. You are so lucky that thing popped up cause I was so close to taking one of my blades to slowly carve out your insides, then I''ll use them to lure the rest of these dead creatures and watch as they eat what''s left of you. I will not forgive you for this.¡± Sabrina grabbed Kaycie by the hand and began to storm off ¡°Let''s go without Brian. There might be more of these things out there, we better hurry and get back.¡± As they walked away I sat frozen trying to figure out where everything went wrong and what to do next. I couldn''t shake this feeling that something wasn''t right. Something is missing but what? Something I overlooked or just didn''t pay enough attention to. The laughter. Where did it come from? Was it Eric? No, it couldn''t have been. But I know I''ve heard that laughter before. But where? ¡°THINK¡± I shout while I pound my head against a maple tree. ¡°The boat. It''s him, he''s here. I know it. It had to be him. If not then¡­ No, it has to be, but He''s probably gone by now. It would probably be better if I caught up with the others. Great, now I''m talking to myself.¡± As I finally hopped to my feet everything went black. The air felt cold, I couldn''t tell which way was up and which way was down. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Ha...hahaha¡± ¡°Oh no, not again,¡± I said as I tried to look around. ¡°Ha...hahahaha, why did you miss,¡± the voice said. ¡°Who''s there?¡± I shout ¡°Why did you miss?¡± ¡°Come out at face me¡± ¡°You couldn''t even kill her, you are too weak ha...hahahaha.¡± the voice sounds like it''s all around me. I can''t pinpoint where it''s coming from. A splitting pain shoots through my head. I still can''t see anything but I feel like I''m spinning in circles. ¡°Ha...hahahaha¡± The laughter echoes all around me. ¡°Ha...hahahaha¡± the laughter gets louder. ¡°Ha...hahahaha¡± The pain in my head is getting worse. ¡°Ha...hahahaha¡± The laughter is even louder now and it feels like my ears are bleeding. Tears are falling down my face. I just want it to stop. ¡°AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH¡± a loud high-pitched scream pierces the darkness. I cover my ears but it feels like it''s getting louder and louder. I fell to the ground in sheer agony. Then it stops. Everything stops. No crickets, no birds, not even a breeze. Everything is dark. The only thing I can feel is the tears running down my face. I still don''t know where I am or what''s going on. I''m all alone. Please, someone, help. Anyone, please help me. At that moment of absolute hopelessness, I feel a warm hand touch my forehead and the sound of slow dripping. Drip... Drip... Drip. ¡°Shhh, it''s ok now, you''re safe just open your eyes. I got you now.¡± A warm soft voice said as someone¡¯s warm hands wrapped around me. I open my eyes to a random woman embracing me in her arms. Drip... Drip... Drip. ¡°Whoa whoa whoa¡­ who are you?¡± I scream wide-eyed searching for a way out. ¡°Wher¡­ Is this a¡­ ¡± ¡°You¡¯re safe now, don''t worry it''s all ok now.¡± The strange woman says. I take a deep breath and look around. ¡°Take a moment, what was the last thing you remember?¡± she says calmly. It''s dark, so dark I can''t even make out some of the details of where I am. ¡°I... I was running from the voices again?¡± ¡°The voices? I¡¯ve been here alone for three years. Everyone else on the island is dead.¡± She interjects as I stare awkwardly and wide-eyed. ¡°Yep just me and the undead here,¡± she says puzzled. ¡°Well, and the lot of you that just got here. The last I heard the government was supposed to cleanse this place. It''s so hard to keep track of I¡¯m not even sure if this place is even synchronized with the US time anymore. It''s been so long since I¡¯ve heard another person''s voice. You remind me so much of Kevin.¡± She pauses for a moment and turns away to hide her tears. My vision is starting to return. A cave? I look around the room. Lighting the room with containers of fireflies and a fireplace. Near the fire is a round wooden table and a bookshelf filled with huge books and loose paper. ¡°So how long have you been here and what the hell happened here?¡± I ask. ¡°Well same old horror story, we weren''t prepared. For some reason, the security system in the tunnel failed to detect the virus, and one by one they all got sick, killed, and burned. Normally the system is designed to destroy any ship to bits leaving no trace of survivors then flush everything back into the ocean. This dome was supposed to be a safe haven for us now look at it. Death as far as the eye can see.¡± ¡°My family and the others I have to save them.¡± ¡°Hold on little one do you really know where you are and where you have to go from here.¡± ¡°No,¡± I said while I buried my head in my knees. ¡°Ok then well if anything they should be dead by now just hope none of them have any guns cause¡­¡± ¡°OMG¡­ Yanto¡­ he had a shotgun!¡± I jumped up in shock and hit my head on a rock. ¡°Wait, are we in a cave? When did? How did?¡± ¡°All in time little one I¡¯m sure they will be safe it''s too late to go out there now. These ones seem to be a bit more fun than the last ones; the last boat didn¡¯t even make it to the dock.¡± She says with such glee. The only thing I can think now is how the hell am I going to get out of here? ¡°How can you say that and sit there and smile? What the fuck is wrong with you¡­¡± WHACK¡­ I sit there frozen feeling the sting of the backside of her hand. ¡°Well, are you done now¡­ think about it. Coming in from the tunnel, what do you remember?¡± ¡°I remember the sound of something in the water and bright lights and music.¡± WHACK. She strikes me again. ¡°What was that for¡­¡± I shout ¡°Cause you not understanding.¡± Whack, she hits me again. ¡°Really...¡± ¡°Yes really, what you heard was all the bodies and debris then. That means that the water isn¡¯t flowing out. Either everyone on your ship is clean or everyone should have died in the tunnel like all the others. So what does that mean? Dumb fucking kids there¡¯s days.¡± I gasped and smacked my forehead. ¡°THE DEFENSE SYSTEM DOESN¡¯T WORK!¡± I jump up and smack my head again. Then just when everything else seems to make sense it couldn¡¯t get more confusing the sound of gunfire explodes through what seems like a night sky. It really is hard to tell the time in this place. The woman and I jump up in fright, hitting our heads on the rocky surface and laughing. I pull out my lighter and at last, I can see. The woman that squats before me seems to be somewhere between the ages of 20-26. She had a bloody torn-up all-white outfit like the last zombie but she is in a blue dress with a logo that says BLUE DISTRICT. Her hair tied back with a blue and gold bow from one of the curtains from the hotel reached all the way to her butt, her face smothered with some. She had the most beautiful blue-green eyes that would shine in the light of the burning fire. This left me speechless, I was frozen, I couldn''t think of anything to say I was stuck. I wish I could have captured this moment in time and framed it for the rest of my life. All I could think was this is what love is¡­ then BANG the sound of guns went off again and again. I jump up screaming ¡°We have to help them!¡° but she doesn¡¯t move. ¡°Why the hell are you just sitting?¡± BANG¡­ BANG¡­ BANG¡­ More shots fire in the clear night sky. No crickets, no birds, no animals stir from the constant ear-shattering explosions. Only echoes in the dark. Dystopia? : The Crescent Island Chapter 5 I quickly get back up and rush for the door. The mystery woman grabbed me but couldn''t hold onto my small wrists. I bolt for what looks like a makeshift wooden door. On the other side of the door to my surprise, is a dim and mostly empty room with a table in the center. I notice another door across the room then begin running to the next door. Bursting into the next room there¡¯s another table just like the last room. Only this room has a single light shining down on a stone slab table with the same door on the side. Quickly I rushed to the next door. When I open the next door my body shivers instantly. This room feels even colder than the previous rooms, but this time I can hear something. Someone¡­someone''s breathing. It''s faint, but it sounds like they¡¯re having trouble breathing. I rush into the next room, this time the table is covered in blood. I slowly walked past the table and that¡¯s when I noticed there is a section that doesn''t have any blood. The missing section is in the same shape as a human body, almost like someone was laying here to protect this one section of the table, someone with the same build as me. My heart begins to beat faster and faster. I quickly walk over to the next door daring not to look back, my stomach beginning to twist and turn. I think I¡¯m about to puke. I open the door to the next room. Just like the last room but there''s no blood, only a person lying down on what looks like an old table for surgery. My throat clenches and my heat drops to my rectum as I inch my way up to the table. I let out a sobbing wail as tears and pain and panic cover my face. The only thing I can keep saying over and over again is ¡°OH MY GOD! NO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING WHY GO WHY! NO¡­ NO¡­ NO¡­¡± On the table is my little brother Eric. His entire torso is split open. His heart, kidneys, liver, and penis have all been removed. In the cavity of his chest tubes and wires are sticking out of his lungs pumping air in and out, almost giving the illusion that he¡¯s alive and breathing. Both arms and right leg are completely missing skin. His right eye is missing and the left side of his head has been shaved bald. Tears continue to fall down my face and the sound of someone else breathing gets louder. The weight of it all becomes too much as I fall down to my knees, supporting my face with my hands. When my hands touched my face there was a thick liquid that now covers my hands and face. I look down at my shaking blood-soaked hands. ¡°HA..HAHAHAHA¡­¡± I can¡¯t stop laughing. Why am I laughing? On my knees, I stare at my brother''s mangled body laying on the table and continue to laugh with tears running down my face. ¡°HA..HAHAHAHA¡­¡± I curl up into a ball as I still can''t stop laughing. Tears are still falling down my blood-covered face. The light on the table slowly starts fading. ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± the laughing continued. WHACK! A warm tingling sensation that feels somewhat familiar. WHACK! WHACK!WHACK! ¡°GET UP DAM IT! GET UP!¡± I can hear a faint voice in the distance. WHACK!WHACK!WHACK! ¡°GET THE FUCK UP!¡± The voice is getting louder. WHACK! I felt a rough firm hand strike me across the face again. ¡°GET UP NOW¡­ BRIAN¡± That¡¯s dads voice ¡°DAD!¡± I shout as my entire body springs up and I look around frantically. I¡¯m in my room back at the Blue Hotel. Dad stared wide-eyed at me. Stephie is standing by the door with both hands covering her face in shock. She looks like she¡¯s been crying all day. ¡°Dad, what''s going on? What happened? How did I get here?¡± I said in a trembling voice. ¡°Yanto found you passed out outside the day after we got here. You have been out cold for nine days. The first five days you were sound asleep but had trouble breathing. Two days after that you would get out of bed and scream for hours till you passed out. For the last two days, you would just lay there in bed with your eyes wide open and laugh. ¡± Dad says shakingly. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°WHAT-¡± I yelled. ¡°Yeah, I have never heard you laugh like that before. It creeped both of us the hell out. Poor Stephie has not stopped crying since the laughing started. We thought you would never wake up. She even tried holding you for hours on end but the screaming would just get louder and louder.¡± Dad started to calm down with my heartbeat.¡± ¡°What? No that can be right we got here yesterday¡± I said in a panic. My heart is beginning to race again. ¡°Son it''s been almost two weeks¡± ¡°Where are the others? What happened to everyone else? ¡°Who are you talking about? The only ones here are Yanto, the Captain, and us three.¡± ¡°If you''re playing a sick joke on me it''s not funny.¡± ¡°I still don''t understand who or what you are saying.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Eric¡­ ERIC¡­ERIC¡­ERIC?¡° ¡°Whose Eric? Who the hell are you screaming for, there¡¯s no one here by that name! You know what, I''m not sure what''s going on or why you''re acting this way but it needs to stop. You seem like you have the energy to make shit up then just go take a fucking shower and come back to me when you can start making sense.¡± Dad yells as he gets out of his chair then storms out muttering something under his breath as he slams the room door closed. Stephie is standing with her hands still covering her face in disbelief. Stephie ¡¯s eyes begin to tear up. With a very annoyed look I stare at this grown woman on the verge of bawling her eyes out. ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± Stephie begins to start laughing as she buries her face further into her hands. ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± Stephie begins to laugh harder. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± I shakenly say. ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± She doesn¡¯t react to anything I say. ¡°WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?¡± I shout to the top of my lungs. ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± She still stands there laughing harder and harder. ¡°STOP IT!!¡± I scream and then silence. Stephie stands there motionless. Thes air is stale and still. Staring her down I move to the edge of the bed. Stephie begins to let out a soft and quiet ¡°HA..HAHA¡­HAHAHA¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not messing around. You can stop now.¡± I said. All of a sudden the room begins to fill with a familiar coldness. Stephie''s laughing comes to an end. The room gets even colder to the point where I can clearly see every breath I take. Oddly though nothing is coming from Stephie at all. My eyes begin to water from staring so long at her. I shut my eyes as fast as I can. Once I open my eyes she¡¯ll be gone right. Nope there she is the bitch herself, zombie vomit breath and everything, Just hovering millimeters away from my bed. Her head begins to spin clockwise till her forehead reaches where the chin used to be. Her feet are just inches away from the ceiling. Her straight blond hair and blue dress still lay flat as if not affected by gravity. Stephine''s light blue eyes are now a bright pale blue. The areas of her eyes that were red are now a deep black. A few more moments go by then tears of blood begin to fall down her face. That stomach turning feeling from earlier is back. My eyes are burning from not blinking. I finally decided to cave in and blink as fast as I can then, just like that Stephie, the stale cold air, and even the sickness in my stomach are gone.