Author Bio: Liv) is 13 and lives in Waterbury. She has two dogs
Blurb: This story is about fourteen year old girl named 78273, supposedly the last human on earth or so she thought...
Number 78273 was fourteen years old. The last human being on earth.
“Good morning 78273.” An automated voice said. This was 78273’s Bot. A bot was a robot who took care of you. Bot stood for Biotech Observation Technology.
78273 woke up from the loud booming voice of her bot. “Good morning bot.” 78273 was very tired she turned to her side and looked at her silver bot who was shaped like a human but was shinier.
“It is Monday, October 13, 3012, 7:42 in the morning. The weather in your dome is slightly rainy, sunset is at 6:34 and bedtime is at 11:00.” Her bot proposed.
“Thank you.” 78273 said quietly yawning.
“I will leave you alone to get dressed and take your pills.” The bot scurried out of her room and the automated door slid shut. 78273 sighed and got out of bed. She looked up into the skylights and saw a tinted dome above her. She put on a dark blue vest and a button up shirt underneath. She then put on her stockings and a plaid skirt.
Why do I need to dress up if I'm not seeing anyone but robots? She thought. 78273 has never seen herself. She is not allowed to see herself it is highly against the rules. She grabbed a new needle and walked over to her blood testing machine then pierced the two-inch needle into her skin. She got enough blood to fill a full 4-inch syringe. She put the dark blood into her testing machine and the results told her she needed iron and she will for the next month or so. She had to test her blood every 2-3 weeks, she had to stay healthy, 78273 had a long past with seizures. 78273 took out her pill box, it was filled with bottles of medicine, vitamins, and minerals to put into her water.
She walked into the kitchen and turned on her oxygen fan to make it habitable outside, of course still in her biodome. Another rule is never to go outside of her biodome. 78273 is the last human being, she must not get sick. 78273 walked into her ASR, automated school room, to work on school. When she sat down at her desk in the small shower-like room, put on her goggles and a bot was set up in front of her when she put them on.
“Hello welcome to the ASR experience. You are 78273 the last human on earth. You are fourteen. Ninth grade starting now.” The screen transitioned to the outdoor history class a robot on the screen greeted me.
“The outside world is dangerous and will kill you if you ever go outside. About 993 years ago it was 2019, everyone lived outside they would get sick very easily but had medicines and vaccines to help, people started to stop using those vaccines and everyone got very sick and the world started dying because of pollution. What is pollution?”
“Pollution is a harmful consequence of human nature, we would use fossil fuels which would pollute the air.”
“Good. Now we will be talking about our history. You, 78273 were born year 2998 on August 16 that day was a day to be remembered. The government chose you to be the last human. The entire world died because of fires and you were put in a dome with your bot who has taken care of you your entire life.”
78273 kept working on school for about four hours. She then got out of her ASR and went to her front door. Oxygen level was at 100 and she could go out. When she exited her biodome a blue sky with a false sun spraying vitamin C greeted her.
“Bot!” 78273 screams.
“Yes 78273?” Bot called back.
“I want to go outside.” 78723 says crossing her arms.
“You are outside.” Her bot was reading a book in a lawn chair.
“No, I'm not. I’m inside of this tiny biodome. I’m lonely and I, no offense, want to talk to a real person.”
“None taken, but you cannot go outside. There is no oxygen outside and you will die.”
“How do you know that? Have you ever been outside? No!” 78273 Got up and went back inside.
“It is a common fact in my programming. It is time for tube eating.” Bot said following behind her.
“I’m not hungry,” 78273 said quietly, “I'm ready for bed now.”
“78273 that is no way to talk to a bot.”
“Suck it up, you don't have feelings.” She says snapping.
“Yes I do, I have a full program of feelings.”
78273’s bot walked to the food holder and got out a bag of frozen smoothie like liquid, the bot put the liquid into a jar and mixed it up with iron pills the mix eventually got warmer. The bot clipped the tube onto 78273’s stomach the bot put the liquid in a large syringe and connected 78723’s.
After her feeding, 78273 powered her bot off and went into her room. She put back on her silk pajamas and quietly started to read a book about a girl who was thirteen and would go to the city with her friends and parents. 78273 longed for a friend and the loving arms of a parent. 78273 then realized she forgot to plug her bot in.
She got up and grabbed a flashlight as all the lights where off at 8. She walked into the kitchen and saw her bot powered off as she went to turn it off she suddenly had a thought and opened her bots control panel only for it to spark up and brake.
“Shit,” She screamed, “no no no this can't be happening. I just broke my bot what the hell was I thinking!”
The last human broke her bot. The only thing for her to do was escape, even if she would die. A small piece of paper fell out. 78273 opened the slip of paper and sees Sage Dawn Lively written. It was her birth certificate she sees under her name. BORN TO UNKNOWN.
“My name is Sage,” She thought.
She got up from sitting on the floor and walked into her room. She grabbed a clean oxygen mask for emergencies and put it on she then grabbed a laser thrower, laser throwers were like flame throwers but much hotter and they were put in her dome for extra protection against anything. Mostly if there where any germs it would burn them clean off. She grabbed a small bag and filled three water bottles with water, and brought a few frozen food bags.
Sage flipped on the switch to her Lazer thrower and a warning screen popped up. DO NOT POINT AT WALLS OF DOME WILL MELT AND YOU WILL DIE. The bright white walls suddenly started blinking red and the dome started melting away, Balls of dripping dome started falling behind her as she ran out to darkness. Fresh night air surrounded her lungs and the adrenaline pumped through her veins.
Sage started running through the soft ground, breathing in the crisp night air. When Sage looked back she saw her dome that was once her lie of life, was burning away. The clear night sky soon becoming cloudy with smoke. She sat, watching the flames climb up into the sky reaching for the moon and stars. “I haven't died yet,” she quietly mumbled watching her dome go up in flames.
The next morning she woke up with the bright real sun in her eyes. The sun had been out for a while based on her bright red flesh.
She slowly got up and drank her warm water. She felt her warm skin hoping she doesn't have sunburn on her face.
“Hey?” A boy with light sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes walked towards Sage.
Sage looked at him and screamed, “What the hell!”
“Shhh,” he shushed her, “it’s ok, I’m Liam and your safe now. I know what you're thinking why are there other people-” Sam I can't do this script it’s dumb.”
A girl runs up from behind him. She has short brown braids and green eyes. “Whatever go off script.”
“Okay hello, I’m Liam and you are?”
“Sage.”
“Hey, Sage!” Sam smiled.
“Anyways so you must be pretty scared because you thought you were the last person or whatever.” He laughs.
“Anyways how did you figure out your real name?”
“Birth certificate.”
“Did you break your bot.”
“Yeah.” Sage laughs.
“I thought so,” Liam says.
“Sage we are gonna take you back to the cave so we need to pass you out.”
“What?” Sage asks while sam inserts a needle into her arm.
“Sage wake up, its dinner.” Liam said softly. Sage woke up rubbing her eyelids and noticed that she was wearing nice scrubs. “Oh here haha,” Liam gave Sage a light blue shirt and some leggings, “Sorry about that I forgot to give you these, here I’m gonna wait outside.” Liam got up from the foot of Sages hospital bed and walked out of the room. Sage slowly untied the ribbon and put on the leggings and shirt. She touched the cold doorknob and opened it finding Liam outside.
“Sage I forgot to tell you to grab your medicine and duffel bag you need to move into a room.”
“Okay.” Sage walked back into the room finding a large duffel bag. Everything was moving so fast Sage was confused. She grabbed her medicine and medicine schedule and walked out the door. Liam and Sage walked to the elevator and got in. A voice loudly spoke
“FLOOR NUMBER.”
“Thirteen.” Liam calmly said. The elevator became filled with silence.
“Are my parents still alive?”
“I don’t know.”
“I just want to meet them and have a physical connection with someone.”
A loud buzzer noise sounded and the doors opened. Sage went out first and Liam followed behind her and made his way in front of her. Leading her to a room, white walls and white bedsheets greeted Sage. She put her medicine down while a shiny object caught her eye. She looked at it and saw a girl with medium dark hair and blue eyes. It was Sage, she was seeing herself for the very first time. Her hair was a bit of a mess and her face was burnt and very dry. Then the fate of what might happen hit Sage caused her heart to pump faster. Blood rushed to her head and she fell to the hard wooden floor.
Liam ran over, “what happened?”
“I’m gonna die.”
“No your not bots tell you that, it’s not true.”
“Not about the mirror I’ve been having seizures for years. Just caused by shock.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah just grab my medication it will help.”
Liam scavenged through all of Sage’s pills, “Which one?”
“Orange bottle with a purple cap.”
Liam grabbed the bottle and handed it to Sage. Sage dry swallowed two pills they both got up and Sage cleans herself off. They walked down the hall to the large dining room. The high ceilings were laced with gold, it looked to be hundreds of years old, yet it was only 14.
They both entered and the fumes of sweet hard real food surrounded Sage’s nostrils.
“Okay table 7A,” Liam says reassuringly.
Sage and Liam walk to a small table with 7A written on it. Sam is sitting there writing medicine schedules on her computer.
MONDAY: 1 Tablet of Mythacall TUESDAY: 4 drops of sugarphyline WEDNESDAY: Nothing THURSDAY|
Her cursor rests on Thursday. “Hey guys,” Sam says softly.
“Hey Sam,” Liam says, “I’m gonna take Sage to get food.” Sage and Liam walked over to the sandwich area and start with a tray. Liam got a Ham sandwich and Sage got a chicken sandwich. They then walk back to the table and sit down.
“Okay, so this is your first ever sandwich?”
“My first ever hard food.”
Sam's head perked up, “wait, Sage, I need to give you a pill so your digestive system can handle real food.”
Sage took a small white pill then her teeth seep into the warm chicken patty. Flavors spread to every corner of her mouth. “Damn, that’s good.”
“I knew you would like real food,” Liam said.
“Where are all of our parents?” Sage asked out of nowhere.
“Well, they are either in Bd’s, here or dead,” Sam said typing again.
“Would we be able to find mine?”
“Yeah probably, Not sure.”
“We do need something to do while not doing our missions.” Sam shrugs.
“Yeah okay, Sage we will talk more about this tomorrow morning,” Liam says
“Where are your parents?” Sage asked both of them
“We have no idea but I do know that a few kids have found them.”
********** ********** ********** **********
Later that night
* * * * * *
“Sage we have a lead.”
It is Tuesday, October 13, 3013 6:50 PM. ‘The gang’ as they call themselves has been looking for Sage’s parents whilst going out and saving others who have escaped their domes. The government is after them because of a mistake they made by getting caught on security cameras.
“Wait really?”
“I found them.”
“Where?” Sage gets up and looks at Sams computer and sees two people on her screen DANIEL JONAS LIVELY There is a man with dark black hair and light eyes smiling for his ‘last’ picture. STACY JEAN LIVELY a woman with blonde hair and light eyes smiling for her ‘last’ picture.
“Wow, I feel like I have a connection to them,” Sage says, a smile forming.
“So I just need to find both of the biodomes but that might be hard. Who knows how many Stacy Lively’s and Daniel Lively’s there are.”
Sage takes Sam’s computer and goes to findadome.org a website government workers use to find and patrol all of the domes. When humans escape from their domes the government thinks they die due to never being in the open so they shut the cam’s off and send patrol to look. The cave society puts flesh and a scent of death in the air so they won't even go close.
Sage clicks on a search button and puts in Daniel Jonas Lively. Multiple domes come up but only one from Southern California. Sage immediately clicks on the dome. A short message is all that pops up;
We are sorry but we cannot reach this dome! DANIEL has been put into special care because of his attempted suicide.
Sages heartbeat drowns the sound out of Liam and Sam reassuring her.
They go back to the search and look up Stacy Jean Lively only two pop up and one of them lives in Vermont. She clicks on southern California and sees a woman that looks like her mother on the floor.
Sage furrows her brows and zooms in and sees a red puddle slowly forming around her. Her mother lays with her eyes wide open trying to make out the words help. It is something straight out of a horror movie. Suddenly a popup comes onto the screen with the words; YOU HAVE BEEN CAUGHT REBELS
Tears fall down Sage’s face slowly making their way to her lips as she starts tasting the salty taste of her own tears.
“Sage I’m so sor-” Sam starts to say but bright red lights start flashing.
“ALERT ALERT INTRUDER ALERT Please exit the building from the back.” The same sequence of words repeats loudly in Sage’s ears yet she lay there crying. “Sage get up we have to go.”
“It’s the second apocalypse,” Sam mutters under her breath
“The what?” Liam says
“The government figured us out. It’s all our fault we have been using their websites. We messed up big time. We have to go now before we get caught by them.”
All three got up and ran through the halls, many people followed along with them. Once most get outside some don't make it, being taken in front of all the hiding witnesses. The sounds of the newborns screaming crying echo throughout while the four wheelers with government officials pass by. Thinking that the hundreds they took were all. There are now 40 humans left who have escaped. Most crying and scared for their lives. A few start puking blood up due to anxiety.
“We need to get far away,” Sam suggests.
“Okay, I know a stream four miles north,” Liam says.
“Alright.”
“Um Guys?” a girl about ten, points in the direction of the cave.
It was on fire, big red flames sprouted left and right making the grey sky light up. Fumes started spreading to the group causing many to grasp and start coughing.
“This can’t be good for our lungs.”
They set off on the walk all dying of heat. Sage had a sudden feeling of deja-vu when she fell to the ground. Liam pulled water out and chucked it on sage.
“Little sips we don't have that much.”
Sage drank most of the water. The water felt silky as It slowly made its way down Sage’s throat. Walking to the small stream was no easy task. Until they met a forest, with tall trees and the damp thick air embraces her automatically hydrating her skin. Everyone in their group runs to the stream.
“Guys, from my knowledge in this we will get sick soon. We have nothing to do.”
“I’m gonna collect some wood, it might be wet but I brought my lighter and I saw some dead grass a little while ago.” Liam sadly smiled.
“I’ll come,” Sage says quietly, her voice is a bit horse.
“Okay sounds good,” Sam says as she grabs two drinks of water from her bag and gives them to Liam and Sage.
When they start walking Liam says, “Sage I am really sorry about your mom.”
Sage gets reminded of the sight of her mother laying on the floor with thick blood pools around her, “Liam I would enjoy it if you could not talk about that.”
“Sorry, I just-” He sighs, “I’m foolish and I have never felt a connection to anyone, I am not an empathetic person.”
“I can tell,” Sage says glumly.
“You didn't even know her though so I don’t get the big deal Sage.”
“Why were you crying then?” She snapped at him.
“Because it was gross,” Liam picks some wood up and pulls grass out of the ground, “I’m going back to the camp.” Liam walks away slowly. His blonde hair getting smaller and smaller until he is hidden in the trees. Sage picks up sticks and pulls grass out until she hears a sputtering noise from above her. She looks up and sees a helicopter, a helicopter. Sage drops her sticks in fear and runs as fast as she can, running into trees until she gets back to the camp.
“Sage you look terrible!” Sam says.
“Hell- Hell”
“What? Spit it out!!”
“HELICOPTER!”
“What? Where?”
“Sky, Sky!!” They all look up and see troops coming down from ropes on the helicopter yelling;
“Stay put!”
Sage starts coughing and in her brain, she feels like a rubber band snapped off her brain and she falls to the ground. She starts vigorously shaking and she faintly heard,
“SAGE!”
“She’s having a Seizure!!”
“Why?”
“She gets seizures a lot hold on Sage just hold on.”
The voices of Liam and Sam get quieter and more muffled as time goes on.
Blood comes pouring out of her mouth. Her head feels like it’s on fire. Her head feels like there are yellow jackets stinging her brain.
Sage Lively’s last words are “Run.”