SOUL WARS - Preview of Chapter One

“Soul energy is everywhere. It is the driving force of the world we live in.: that which lights a lamp or fuels the motors of transportation vehicles is the very substance that makes one a person. A soul. We, the people of the 23^rd century, find it hard to believe that oil was used as a source of energy in the past. It sounds so… primitive.”

A young man was walking on the street. His dark rebellious hair fell in front of his eyes, regardless the many attempts he had made to keep them neatly organized on top of his head. He was wearing a tailored suit that, though worn, complimented his figure well. No tie. He did not appear to be the type to wear one. A young man like many others who walked resolutely on the busy downtown sidewalks of the city: all going somewhere, accomplishing something. A more careful observer, however, would notice the one thing that made him stood out: his eyes. The expression in those hazel eyes made them shimmer: was that hate? Or an unshakable resolve? Whatever it was, that young man was up to no good. His eyes shifted from left to right, seeing everything and everyone. Nothing escaped them.

“Yet, I can only imagine what a world like that would be. A world where people believed in gods, eternal life, salvation; where the individual was put ahead of the collective and where people where praised for what made them different from others. I bet Sandy and I would be happy in a world like that.”

The young man crossed the street and stopped contemplative in front of a huge white building with no windows. A huge stairwell took almost the full length of that side of the building, leading onto the entrance of what the plaque signaled to be the NATIONAL DEPOSITORY OF SOULS.

“But don’t worry, Sandy. I am coming for you.”

SOUL WARS

CHAPTER ONE – Bank Robber

The night before…

Sandy popped her head into Tim’s bedroom window. “Hiiii”, she says with a cute and innocent smile on her face.

“Sandy, what are you doing here? At this hour…”

She looked stunning as always. Her hair falling on her back, loose in beautiful white curls and hey eyes glimmered purple in the moonlight that came from the window. Yes, on anyone else those colors would have looked terrible and inhuman. But she was perfect in every single detail: from the small pores of her skin and her beautiful pointy nose to the beautiful shape of her head and to the perfect curve of her hips. Sandy was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and yet, she was there, in his room, talking to him all alone for the very first time.

“Timmy,” she winked at him, she had this mischievous look he so loved in her purple eyes, “don’t start giving me one of your sermons! I just… couldn’t sleep …”

“I know, I know, me neither.” Then he added, “Big day tomorrow, huh?”

“Yeah”, she answered while nodding slowly. Her gaze was directed upwards to the ceiling as if lost in thought. Her nightgown was not revealing but Tim felt like he was sharing a moment with her no other boy had had a chance to before. The though made him happy and he blushed a little bit. Unaware of her reaction on the boy next to her, Sandy continued, innocence personified: “It is kind of weird that they get to decide what we will do for the rest of our lives, right?”

“Who?” Said Timmy blushed a bit caught off guard by the serious question she posed. “Oh, yeah... the government of the greaaaat FSA”, and he did a little continence (like a soldier), mockingly. Then more seriously, “How do you think they choose it?”

“I don’t know, Sandy said, pensively. “What do you think I will be?

With a spark on his eyes Tim said: “With that hair and those eyes… I think you will be a… scarecrow.” He could barely contain the laughter trying to rise from the back of his throat. Seeing Sandy faking pouty lips and barely containing the laughter herself, he continued, “I would like to add, however, that crows are very silly birds if they ever were scared by such a beautiful thing as you.” Tim said as he gently slid the back of his fingers against the smooth skin of her face. That had been so unexpected, intimate. He moved closer to her, pressing his body against hers, hugging her tightly into his arms, and lowered his head. Tim’s lips found hers parted, as if waiting for them. They kissed.

He opened his eyes and found hers looking inside his. “Tim, I am so scared. What if I don’t want to do what they tell me to? What if I can’t stand it and refuse it and they take my soul and make me one of those headless monsters, an It.” She starts to tremble and her eyes start to well up with tears at the thought.

Tim tightened his hug, reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Whatever fate has in store for us, I am sure we will be okay. Maybe you will even get to be a princess!” He said as he played with a lock of white hair that had fallen onto her face, silver in the moonlight. “I have an idea! How about we get our envelopes but wait until we are together to open them? That way I will be there, right next to you if you need me, kay?”

“Deal! She says doing a little pinky promise with him.” She gave him her little playful, smile again.

A moment later she was jumping out of his window. Tim looked at the clock and, noticing it was past midnight, put his head out of the window.

“Sandy!” he screamed a whisper as only teenagers know how to do. With a semblance of surprise she glanced back with her index finger on her lips signaling for him to not be too loud. “Happy birthday!”

She smiled and said, “You too.”

She turned around and ran on the tip of her toes through the small patch of grass that separated their houses.

Tim laid down on his bed. Sandy’s visit had calmed him. He liked being there, supporting her. He say out loud: “Good luck!”, and with that, he fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Tim checked his mail and found the dreaded red envelope in his mail box, he could see other 18 year olds going to their mail boxes with their families and opening up their red envelopes right away anxiously. Tim could hear people laughing, crying, talking excitedly or angrily depending on the assignment they had received.

He allowed himself to think about what he never thought, not for the last 10 years or so. “Mom, dad, I wish you were here.” She saw them with the eye of his mind, although he could not remember their faces clearly. “Oh well, but Sandy will be there with me when I open mine!” He tried to think more positively, brushing away any dark thoughts that tried to enter his head.

As Tim turned to go to Sandy’s house, he saw that the door opened. He did not understand what took place, as it all happened so fast. Sandy walked out, but right behind her, before he could greet her, there were…

“Souls Seekers!” Tim gasped under his breath. Did Sandy get in trouble? Why are they after her? He rushed up to her as she was being pushed into a black van labeled with the FSA’s very distinctive logo on the side. “Sandy!”

Two grunts blocked his way. “Mr. Branches, we ask that you back away. This has nothing to do with you, it is a matter of State.”

Tim did not listen. The van started and he ran alongside it. All of a sudden he was no longer 18 year old Tim, he was the 6 years old boy who had just seen his mom and dad enter into a black van and never come back. “No, not like this!” He stopped, with his hands on his knees trying to recover his breath. Then, surprised, he looked up. Sandy was trying to talk to him through the little glass window in the back of the van .He could not make up the movement of her lips, but she was pointing to her left wrist. He touched his own left wrist at the spot she indicated and felt a little lump.

“The Bank’s ID badge! The Bank?! Is that where they are taking her?”

He watched as the van disappeared taking a left turn on the road. Focus on his resolute – and not a little angry – eyes.

“Don’t worry, Sandy. I am coming for you.”