Carbon Copy 1 - The old world

Dan stopped and cocked his head, moving close to the wall and listening carefully. He was about to move further through the ruined streets when the scream came again. His heart rate increased, but he saw nothing and hoped it would stay that way.

Two blocks further, he turned around the corner and froze. A group of thugs blocked the road ahead. They hadn't seen him yet, preoccupied as they were with a small group of fearful refugees. The thugs were ransacking through the bags while the group of mostly elderly people stood shaking in fear.

A few weeks before, he might have charged forward in outrage, but a lot had happened. He had seen too many similar situations and jumped back, hoping nobody had seen him yet. He almost made it around the corner when a brutal voice shook him to his core.

"There is another one at the corner, don't let him get away!"

Fear clenching his throat, Dan ran for it, knowing he had very little chance. Was he seriously going to bite the bullet even before the world ended? Footsteps came from behind and rapidly drew near. To the left was a shop with a broken window, and he darted inside, cutting himself on some glass. He disregarded the burning sensation from his arm and looked around for somewhere to hide.

There was a door in the back!

He ran forward and moved inside, slamming the door closed and bolting it. A moment later, a loud pounding caused the door frame to shake.

"Open up, loser, or things will get nasty when we get in!" a youthful voice howled, then the banging resumed.

The door was sturdy, though, and it was obvious it would hold for a while at least.

Sweat dripped in his eyes, and Dan wiped it away as he looked for a way out. He was in some backroom with broken computer screens on a table, a coffee machine, and a small window. The window would bring no hope, however, being barely large enough for a toddler to squeeze through.

Finding no other way out, Dan dragged the table to the door, then everything else that wasn't bolted down, and piled it all in front of the door.

The hammering stopped, and he heard some muttered obscenities before footsteps moved away. With a sigh, he dropped down in a chair, shivering and wiping his face with his arm. He wasn't going to open that door until he was sure they had left. As the memory of the helpless people in the street came back, he rested his face on his palms and rubbed his eyes. The memories of the last weeks, unbidden, played through his mind.

It had started with some amateur stargazers flooding the internet with images of a vague mist obscuring parts of recent space photos. Within hours, prominent figures began speaking out, saying it was likely some solar flare or a supernova. The scientists debunked this quickly, explaining that a solar flare would have been registered and a supernova was just a stupid idea.

Then the first dot appeared, minuscule and traveling in a straight line towards Earth. Before anybody could identify it, more showed up. Nobody even listened to the few hopeful voices that shouted -meteor storm-. Earth's forces, limited as they were in space, were deployed. Old shuttles, armed with missiles, and secret satellite weapons, were aimed at the incoming things.

There was no need for any of it: a wave of glowing energy that moved faster than light engulfed the solar system far before Earth could resist. As soon as it did, everything changed. Lights went out all over the planet, planes fell from the sky, and the shuttles in space became coffins for those unfortunate enough to be trapped inside. Panicking people tried to find shelter from what was to come, rushing out of cities and towards places they perceived to be safe.

In the midst of all of this, the first dot appeared uncontested in Earth's orbit. The few people still paying attention were stunned to see an ancient-looking, wooden ship. It resembled the vessels used during the days of the East India trading companies but dwarfing those in size. Easily capable of holding tens of thousands of people, it landed close to one of the most densely populated areas.

Nobody knew who spread the information, but stories began spreading that there were beings like humans on the ships. They were offering passage on their ships to get clear of the planet before the cleaners came. The stories said the cleaners followed the wave of light across the universe and killed every form of life they found, removing infrastructure and anything unnatural. On these cleaned planets, new life was planted. Monstrous and dangerous, constantly vying for dominance. Earth would soon be one of those, and everyone left on it would die. But, not all was lost. There were safe havens! The places that the cleaners had visited would not be revisited.

There were many more civilizations in the infinite universe, and as the wave passed further and further, some had managed to get away in time. Fleeing into the depths of the universe, away from the wave and the cleaners, they found worlds inhabited by monsters. They discovered that killing the monsters on these planets gained them points, and at certain points, they would become stronger. Eventually, some lucky few became powerful enough to contest the rulers of the planets, and they began making kingdoms and countries.

But the truth was hard. There was only a limited amount of space on the ships, and the beings on them were closer to slavers than saviors. They were willing to bring people along, but only those with potential. They showed humanity ways to see the changes that had happened, how to look at the abilities and skills the wave had forced upon them. As they did, they announced that only those with certain skills and abilities could come. People tried lying, only to be cast aside when the beings showed they could validate their claims.

Dan took a deep, shuddering breath as the memory of the first time opening his skill list came back. His wife had tens of skills, with ability levels ranging from four to ten. His two daughters each had one golden-colored, level ten skill. And he? A single white line had welcomed him on the black screen hovering on his palm. Carbon Copy: an orange-colored level one skill. Nothing else. He had a single chance left, the tall brute-ish woman blocking his way on the ship said, without any pity. After hearing he had but one, she hadn't even wanted to know what skill it was. The amount of experience and growth of a person was random. He should go kill some things and see how much experience he got. If it was more than twenty for a level one creature, he could still come. They had room for fast growers, even if their initial skills were horrid, she had explained before waving him away. No such luck for him.

Wiping the tears from his cheeks, Dan cursed under his breath. Since when did he become such a weepy-eyed sob? Grabbing a piece of cloth from a table he blew his nose, cursing when he smeared dust across his face. Needing to get his mind off things, he raised his hand and traced the archaic circular pattern etched in it. Those had appeared soon after the wave of light and functioned like some kind of menu, giving him access to a holographic hud that hovered above his hand.

Still feeling the user interface was unwieldy, he managed to select the skill option, and a list with a single item and three empty slots appeared. He knew it was unlikely, but he had hoped he would find something new, but it was exactly the same as before. Selecting the skill pulled up its information.

> Carbon Copy

Change into another form. The user needs to touch a recently dead subject. Can only change into beings of the same level or lower than the user and with roughly the same amount of matter. Currently useable on level 1 or below.

Such a drag,  Dan thought. The skill had great potential if he could just level up and find things that were worth changing into. He had tried it with a dead dog they found, but that had already been level three. Only a scurvy mouse in some building was level 1, but that had given an error. 'Matter on the target subject to low.' If he didn't have so much experience with games, he knew he wouldn't have been able to make heads nor tails from all of this.

--

When night fell, he knew he needed to get out fast. The ships would be leaving soon, and that meant the cleaners were not too far behind. He hadn't heard any noises from outside in hours and gingerly opened the door, taking a peek outside. The small metalworking shop was empty, everything in it smashed and broken by looters.

Stepping through the glass and debris, Dan scanned the dark and empty street outside the shop. Finding nothing moving, he hoped nothing was hiding in the shadows. But he had no choice and walked out into the dark night, shivering a bit from the chilly air. It was close to winter, and the nights were getting colder.

Through Hargriv park, he decided, before moving forward, trying to find a balance between speed and stealth. This time he made it through three city blocks before hearing cursing and crying. Whomever it was, they were blocking his way. Looking at his watch, he saw it was twenty minutes to midnight. That left him with less than an hour to find a safe spot without any buildings. Cursing, he snuck forward, taking a quick peek around the corner from where the crying was coming from.

Six teenagers, covered in tattoos and wearing mismatched clothing, were dragging two girls towards one of the buildings. Looking at the frightened faces, Dan froze. They reminded him of his daughters, the same hair color. Grinding his teeth, he felt his anger stir, and he wished he could rush forward and just beat them all up so bad. Counting the thugs, he stopped at four. What was he doing? He had no chance against these guys! Two of them had upper arms the size of his legs, and they were bound to have abilities far beyond his.

Cursing himself when he felt tears form again, he played with the idea of just going down fighting. How was he going to live with himself after all this? Before he could continue the line of thought, one of the girls shouted something and metal flashed.

"Damnit, she has a knife! Fuck, man, I'm bleeding. Get her and hold her!" One of the thugs was backing away, holding his arm, while screaming. The girl with the knife was running away through the street, heading away from Dan, who was praying she would make it out. The wounded thug and most of the others rushed after her, leaving one with the second girl.

Seeing the situation unfold, Dan moved without thinking. He grabbed a brick from the ground and rushed forward, forgoing stealth. The thug was looking in the direction of his friends, but the girl saw him coming. She opened her mouth but closed it quickly again. Then she began wailing, and in a flash, Dan realized she was covering his approach. Three steps from the thug's back, he heard something and turned around.

Dan didn't stop, but, ignoring the look in the widening eyes, hit him with the brick on the side of the head. Without a sound, the thug slumped to the ground, and Dan wondered if he had killed him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." The girl, younger than he had thought at first, grabbed his hand, crying for real now. Looking around, Dan didn't see the other thugs yet and dragged the girl up. "We have to go before they come back!"

"But what about Britany?" Sniffing and wiping out tears, the girl looked at him in horror.

Dragging the girl along, heading to a small street that would take them to the park, Dan shook his head. "We can't help her. Pray she gets away from them!" He felt the girl resist a bit before following him, a dead look in her eyes.

"What will they do with her?"

Dan shook his head, shivering at the images his over-imaginative mind was coming up with. Reaching the end of the street, he stopped and looked at the dark cobblestones leading all the way to the entrance of the park. "Listen, go to the park. Find somewhere to hide! Whatever you do, don't hide in any buildings!" Pushing the girl forward, she stumbled and looked at him.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

Sighing, Dan shook his head. "I will see if there is something I can do for your friend. Now run and hide." The girl began crying again; soft sobs stifled quickly so she wouldn't make too much noise. She nodded and ran through the streets.

What are you doing, you idiot? Cursing his own stupidity, his lack of a proper skill, and the whole situation in general, Dan hid behind the corner and waited. He kept an eye on his wrist. He would leave if there were ten minutes remaining. He jogged through here daily and knew he could reach the park in under ten minutes.

Laughter, mixed with cursing, came from the street the thugs had run off in, and he watched to see what would happen.

Five of the thugs walked back into view, one carrying an unmoving shape over his shoulder. When they saw the other one on the ground, they stopped before one ran forward.

"Shit. He is alive, but someone knocked Sean out cold. Who the fuck?"

"Don't worry! If they're still here, I'll find them!" One of the thugs, a muscular youth with his hair in a black knot, stood still for a moment.

Dan felt his heart rate spike, and he began slowly backing up through the street. Fuck, were you kidding?

"Over there, towards the park!"

Hearing the scream, Dan began sprinting down the alley. Within moments he heard footsteps coming after him, followed by shouting.

"You better run! When we catch you, we will break all the bones in your body!"

Three minutes later, loud cursing and heavy breathing came from behind Dan, and he felt his fear abated a bit.

"The hell… is wrong… with this… guy?" A soft shout came, mixed with hard breathing, and most of the footsteps stopped. "You guys go back. I can take care of this idiot myself!" Only one of the thugs was still following him, and he could hear the footsteps that he was closing in.

Another two minutes and the park entrance was in view, but Dan could almost feel the breathing in his neck.

"I will catch you and make you pay for ruining my fun, old man! I have always wondered what it would be like to choke somebody!"

Feeling his heart skip a beat, Dan felt fingertips stroke along his back. He was already going as fast as he could; the other would catch him soon. Gritting his teeth, Dan stopped in his tracks, raising his elbow behind him. Something cannoned into him, knocking him off his feet. Rolling forward, he scrambled back up, looking at the thug. It was the one who had the tracking skill, and he cursed.

Getting up from the ground, the youth wiped his bleeding nose, getting blood all across his face and hand. "You are going to pay for that, ya old fart."

Swallowing, Dan looked around for a weapon, but there was nothing. Something hit him in the face, and he saw stars, feeling bloodstream from his nose.

"Don't look away during a fight, you stupid idiot!" Grinning, the other walked forward, kicking him a few times. Dan tried to roll away, but the other just kicked him again before sitting on his chest.

Feeling the weight crush the air out of him, Dan struggled, but the thug pinned his wrists with his knees, slapping him across the face a few times. Then he felt two calloused hands wrap around his neck and begin squeezing. Struggling and kicking with his legs, the sides of his vision began going dark. His mind grew fuzzy, and part of him knew he was about to die.

A loud scream was followed by a sense of release. The weight lifted from his chest, the fingers withdrew from his throat, and he drew in a ragged breath. Coughing, he struggled on one elbow, looking around. The thug was lying on the ground, clawing at his throat. From a long gash below his chin, a stream of blood poured across his chest, dripping on the cobblestones. Seeing all the blood didn't bother him, but the idea that someone was dying next to him was something he still hadn't gotten used to.

"Are you ok? Hurry, we need to run!" Dan stared at the girl he had saved, wondering when she even got here, before scrambling to his feet. Taking a last look at the dying thug, he nodded and let her pull him towards the entrance of Hargriv park.

The park gates were on a hill, giving a free view of a large part of the park. Looking down, Dan saw that only a week of neglect had already caused the plants to grow beyond their boundaries. Seeing the large forested area in the middle, he pulled the girl towards it.

"We need to hide inside the forest. We don't have the time to leave the city anymore," he said in a hoarse voice and out of breath.

She pulled herself free and began running next to him. "I'm Synthia. What's your name?"

"Dan. The other girl was your friend?"

Sniffling, the girl nodded, easily keeping up with Dan's pace, and felt a pang of jealousy. Youth. If only he was still twenty, or thirty even, he could outrun them all. Now, no matter how much he trained, every year, he was slower than the previous.

"I am sorry we couldn't help her. But when they followed me, maybe she managed to get free?" Dan wasn't too hopeful, but he tried sounding sure.

"Yeah... perhaps."

They fell silent; the only sounds were their running footsteps and Dan's laboursome breathing. Ten minutes later, Dan felt like vomiting. It had been years since he ran this fast and long, and between being chased, choked, and almost killed, he was completely out of energy.

Arriving below the first of the trees, he placed his hands behind his neck, trying to keep his chest expanded. If he bent over now, he would throw up the little he had in his stomach.

"Are you ok?" Barely breathing any faster, Synthia stared at him, a look of worry on her face.

"I will be fine." He managed to say while gulping in oxygen like a fish. When he finally caught his breath, they walked into the woods at a more moderate pace. The park was one of the largest ones in the city, part national park, part wildlife resort. It spanned an area half the size of the city and bordered the continent's largest river.

Sounding tired, Synthia was the first to break the quiet of the rustling woods. "What do we do now?"

"We have to find a place to hide. If what I've heard is true, the cleaners will wipe out all constructed things, replacing them with monster-infested jungles and woods. Anything caught within will be destroyed alongside the buildings." Dan sighed, wondering what Synthia's skill was that caused her to be left behind.

"But didn't they say they would kill everyone?"

"Yes, but at least we have some chance, right?"

A soft, sly laugh startled them both, causing them to look up in a tree they walked past. In it sat a short-haired, petit woman with prominent tattoos covering one side of her face. Backing up, Dan saw she had bare, taloned feet and claws on her hands. Staring at him with slightly glowing eyes, she climbed down as graceful as a leopard.

"What do you want?" Dan felt his hackles rise as the woman came closer, walking almost on all fours. The woman didn't answer, just smiled at him, showcasing a set of large canines.

"We don't mean any harm. We are just looking for a place to hide!" Synthia was backing up, sounding terrified.

"You're adorable; we are going to have so much fun!" The woman's voice was soft like a purring cat, and she stared at Synthia with hungry eyes. "But first, let's get rid of this distraction!" As she spoke, she moved faster than anything Dan had ever seen before, pouncing toward him.

Backing up, he jumped to the side, barely evading her first attack, but not all of it. He felt some nails scratch his shoulder and burning pain flare up. Looking around for a branch or a stone to defend himself with, the feline female attacked him again, knocking him over. Covering his face with his arms, he felt nails slice across them. Vaguely he heard Synthia scream, but something knocked him against the head, and he almost blacked out.

As if in a dream, he heard the purring voice laugh. "Look at all that blood! It's magnificent! Bleed out here, and enjoy your last moments." Then some sounds of struggle and Synthia calling his name.

It felt like a blanket was covering the world, all the sounds muted. Not even sure if his eyes were open or closed, he somehow managed to roll over and began aimlessly crawling forward. He had no idea how long he crawled, first through rough sand, later across some sort of moss, and into the bushes, only seeing flashes. The only thing he wanted now was a safe place to rest, a place to curl up and let his weary body fade into oblivion. All other desires and wants had vanished. As if by instinct, he followed the roots of a tree, partially buried towards their base. Barely feeling the sharp branches scratch his neck and face, he felt a hollowed-out space in front of him. Barely awake, he crawled inside, his body only just fitting. Placing his back against the wall, he felt a semblance of security and closed his eyes.

Dan slept like the dead, his heartbeat growing slower and softer. The congealed blood on his arms and face made him resemble a sleeping zombie from some old horror flick. His burrow, perhaps some old lair of a badger, was nestled below an enormous old pine tree, inside a thick undergrowth not too far from where he had fought for his life.

As he slept, the only thing Dan dreamt about was finding a safe place to hide.

--

As Dan slept, the ships in the sky left, disappearing into the depths of space. Many people saw them go, and panic ensued. Those who failed to leave the cities hid in old bomb shelters, metro stations, and anything they could. Without any law, and with the prospect of their imminent demise, a small but loud part of humanity showed itself from its most ugly side, plundering, killing, and raping, changing the cities into horror houses.

Outside of the cities, people spread out, hoping to get away from large population clusters, hiding in national parks, wildlife resorts, and desolate areas.

--

Inside one of the still remaining observatories, Jakob looked through a telescope at the night sky. He had seen his grandchildren disappear aboard one of the ships, easing the pain in his heart. They might yet survive. He waited and looked and was the only one to see the wave of darkness approach. It resembled a sinister and dense fog, hiding all the stars and constellations, and seemingly swallowing everything in its path.

When the darkness spread through the solar system, the old man began muttering intelligibly, only the last sentence anywhere close to understandable. "Ah Sarah, please be safe." Moments later, the entire world went pitch black. The observatory began shaking, dust falling down, as an immense earthquake began.

In the dark, Jakob looked up from the telescope and took a single step toward where he knew the window must be. Feeling sweat covering his forehead, he shuffled around, trying to find them, when he froze. From the darkness, glowing yellow eyes stared at him, the only points of light anywhere. Before he could scream, something touched his head, and he crumpled to the ground.

--

Ten minutes after the darkness covered the globe, something moved through the darkness in the park where Dan lay in a stupor. An inhuman entity spread its senses around, feeling for anything living as it moved between the trees. It noticed a small life close by, and looking at it; it found a terrified groundhog staring around, too afraid to move. The entity inspected the groundhog for a moment, but noting the primal consciousness, it left it alone. It wasn't here for intelligent things, it thought, before wishing it wasn't here at all.

Continuing, it found and left alone hundreds of creatures, eventually arriving at a small cave close to the center of the park. It hovered outside a bit longer, examining a brown bear staring silently at the entrance of her cave. Close to her was a single cub, sleeping blissfully unaware of what was happening. She had wandered into the city a day earlier, looking for food, eventually making her lair in the gravity-filled cave in the park.

Feeling the protective and primal nature of the large creature, the unknown entity left her unharmed, continuing on its search. It would be finished after this nature area, which it had left for last, knowing it needed some reprieve from the killing and slaughtering inside the city. Close by, it sensed something similar in size to the bear, hiding underneath a tree. Scanning it quickly, it felt only a single desire for a safe nest to hide in. Noticing something peculiar about the mind, the entity was about to investigate when a mental connection came, trying to determine if everyone was finished.

Listening, it quickly noted it was the only one still not done. The prospect that it could leave, finally going home, made it hasty. Taking another look at the thing under the tree, it convinced itself that it must be another bear. Happy, it announced it too was done and that they could commence before disappearing without a trace.