The Day we Lost

Everything has been a hell for the last months… But there was a day… that day… It was the day where we really lost. 

We’ve been one of the strongest vaults… Yes, that’s how we are called. After our OWN houses stopped being safe, we had to move to safer grounds…

I don’t know if an abandoned subway line is safe, but it has worked for some good 3 years. In comparison, most vaults usually last 12 hours or less. And the results often haunt the nightmares of many… Until another attack, far more “creative” than the original, takes the headlines.

I didn’t know what made us so long-lived… At first I thought it was because we learned to avoid them. They are like animals… they would hunt where there is prey. Maybe we found a way to make us untraceable by their “senses”.

Then, I thought it was because they couldn’t reach us… We had our own water reserves, we didn’t have any reflective surfaces, and we learned to rely on each other so there couldn’t be any secrets or isolation…

Sadly, all my theories were met with a slap on the face. An old laptop we had suddenly began working, showing a transmission.

It was in the UN, or what remained of it. The Secretary General was giving a speech, to the vaults out there that were still alive…

“Don’t be afraid, people. We found a way. After all this years, we found a way to make it safer for us to live.  We managed to find our edge against them! We just need to be strong. Strong and patient. If we can endure a bit longer while the plan is executed, the payoff will be worth it. Just a bit more and this madness will end.”

We rejoiced when he pronounced those words… but the joy turned into horror when we saw the “edge” against them: Another of them. But this one was new… we didn’t remember seeing it in any board or bulletin.

It was a colossus, standing seven feet or maybe more. It was clad in some kind of armour, covering his chest and down to its knees. His arms and the rest of his legs were made of some kind of metal, as they seemed to shimmer with a golden light every time the camera panned over it. Its face was hidden by a mask of beaten gold, one inexpressive mask of beaten gold.

The creature was immobile, like a statue. It was in a very evocative position, his left hand to his chest, the right one with the thumb, the index and middle finger held together. Its face showed a serene smile, but to me, it seemed like a malicious grin.

“He is the Golden Emperor! He has been responsible for keeping them out from the western vaults. But now, he has agreed to extend his reach to the other communities!”

For a minute, we saw two blue orbs inside the two eyeholes of the Emperor’s mask. While the mask was facing the camera, those two orbs keep a constant look on the Secretary General. His face then changed. It stopped displaying a calm smile… but a victorious grin.