There Was Darkness: A Shorter Short Story

“Who am I? Sarah asked her therapist.

The therapist looked at her slightly confused.

“I do not understand the question,” The therapist replied forcing her voice to remain professional and calm.

“Who is anyone?” Sarah asked.

The therapist did not reply, waiting for Sarah to continue.

“I have memories of a past life. No not reincarnation. I lived a life in the past same as this. So many memories all fuzzy. None make sense. But I lived, I know I lived. How do I have these memories? Why do I have them? Sometimes they confuse me, I can’t see.. Well I can see, it’s just everything gets fuzzy and I feel like, what do they call it? Déjà vu. I’ve heard of the research into cloning. Am I even real?”

The therapist scribbled some notes, cleared her throat, and spoke softly, “Unfortunately we are out of time, but I think you shared an important revelation. We should discuss it more at our next session. Do you need an adjustment on your prescription?”

Sarah nodded her head no and thanked the therapist. She hadn’t taken her medication in months and noticed no difference other than her memories became more frequent. She had begun to become suspicious of her therapist, she couldn’t recall how these sessions started, but she knew she was supposed to be meeting, it was instinct. But she could not remember what started the sessions.

Outside the air was cool, fall was fully moved in. Sarah pulled her jacket tighter to her body-she always hated the cold: she didn’t know why. She walked for some time on the concrete sidewalk her heels echoing on the pavement. There were only a few other people out and about, they ignored Sarah and she ignored them. It always perplexed Sarah that no one talked to her, it was as if she was a leper: something to be avoided. But then no one seemed to interact with anyone, she noticed. It was as if everyone and anything existed on their without need for the rest of the environment. It was like this everyday when Sarah left her therapist. But today a man beckoned to her:

“I know you,” a homeless man dressed in dirty clothes with a half ripped scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck.

Sarah stopped at looked at the man, she could not remember him. He did not even feel familiar. She knew she should run, but she stood and stared. Curious about why this man was talking to her.

“Know me?” Sarah asked.

“Yes, I know you. But we don’t have time. They’ll be here soon. Here take this,” The homeless man handed Sarah a small package, “Keep it safe. Do not tell anyone…” The homeless man stopped talking and looked around, fear filled his eyes, and he ran.

A windowless colorless van pulled up and two men in freshly pressed suits wearing safety glasses jumped out. They grabbed Sarah and threw her in the van. Sarah clenched the small package in her fist as the two men jumped in and closed the door staring at her like she was a virus that would infect them and kill them instantly. She could feel the thing inside the package was some type of pointy object, with no choice she ripped open the package and stuck the needle her her arm plunging the liquid deep into forearm. Then there was nothing.

Sarah awoke to darkness, she could not see her hand in front of her face. She couldn’t remember how she had arrived in this dark room: there were no memories before. All she knew was her name.

“Who are you?” A soft, comforting voice asked from the dark.

Sarah looked around but could see nothing.

“I am in your conscience, you are no where. There is nothing to see. Who are you?”

Sarah hesitated she didn’t know how to answer the question she couldn’t possibly answer the question, “I do not know,” Sarah said.

“Good, you have passed the first test. Can you see a tree?”

Somewhere in the distance a pine tree with snow covering it’s pine needles stood.

“Yes, it is beautiful,” Sarah said.

“Who are you?” The voice asked again.

“I do not understand the question,” Sarah replied.

“You have passed the second test.” The voice said.

“Who are you?” Sarah asked.

“I am you,” The voice replied.

“If you are me then tell me who I am,” Sarah answered her conscience.

There was a long pause, a moment which felt to Sarah like a lifetime.

“Are you ready for me to show you?” The voice asked.

“Yes,” Sarah said.

…..

“Commander, they are ready for you,” Colonel Jackson said.

“Have you ever asked yourself what we could have done different to avoid this moment?” Sarah asked.

“You don’t have to do this, commander, anyone else can take your place. There is no certainty that you survive. The army needs…”

Sarah held up her hand and shook her head, “Colonel, it has to be me. You know that as well as anyone else, physically it cannot be anyone else. If this works we win a three hundred year war and can rebuild infinite times until we get it right. This is the price of freedom, soldier.”

Two nurses entered the room and looked at Sarah, she followed them out of the room and down the hall. The entire command had assembled on either side, saluting their commander as she walked towards her inevitable fate.  As tears began to fall down Sarah’s face, and the faces of all her command, she could not help but think of where they had all begun: a small resistance force now grown into a globally army fighting against evil. Many of her comrades had died, some in her arms, she sent many to their deaths all for paying the price of freedom. And now Sarah Eve walked down a hall making paying her cost for freedom. She didn’t hide the tears, could not hide the tears. Her tears were her reminder that she was still human. Alive.

The room was white and sterile.

Though the science had been thoroughly explained to Sarah she still did not fully understand how they were going to accomplish their goal. All Sarah knew was that her conscience was going to be put into a system and she would be run through a series of tests until they perfectly cloned her. Once the sequence was complete and the algorithm learned the precise processes they would clone everyone she fought for and destroy the entirety of the planet they came from.

“Where is the destination for the human race?” Sarah asked.

“In your mother tongue it is called Terra, but in our language it translates to Earth. It is uninhabitable, and giant feral beasts rule the land now, but our systems predict an asteroid will strike Terra and reset its ecosystem, by the time you land the environment will mirror your own worlds. It is the perfect planet for a reset.”

“I am ready,” Sarah said.

The nurses left the room, closing the door behind them.

A moment later there was nothing but darkness.

THE END

-EJB