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[b][u][center]After the Gardens

For Metalr169

By Draconicon[/center][/u][/b]

You woke up one day with your head in your pillow and a buzzing in your ear. It started quiet, but as it grew louder, you realized that it meant. Sitting upright so fast that your blanket went flying from your bed, you stared at the far wall, your eyes widening, your heart racing in your chest.

“Oh god…oh god, it’s today…”

The buzzing sound grew louder as you stared at the wall, your hands shaking as you raised them to the sides of your head. You knew better than to think that it was just a noise from outside the bedroom, that it was anything but what you feared it to be, but you still tried. You still covered your ears.

It didn’t work. The buzzing was still there, and louder, even, almost as if it was trying to punish you.

“It’s today,” you repeated, shaking your head as you got to your feet. You wandered to the window of your bedroom, staring out at your little world, trying to burn the view into your brain.

The Garden, it was called. You never understood who called it that, but even back in your early years – six, you think you were, when you first heard it called that – you knew that it was not a good thing. Humans did not grow up in a garden. They were…they were…

There was something in the back of your head that insisted that it was the real way that people were supposed to grow up. Something, a memory? A story? Something that showed young kids that were allowed to grow up with a family of adults, people that raised their kids, that saw to it that the children grew into full-fledged people, who then had their own lives, and then had their own kids, and –

But that was never your life. You stare out of your window, and you see your reality.

The Garden was a cluster of small houses, each one the same as the one beside it. Each one was square-shaped, capable of holding two humans on the upper floor, two on the bottom. Each one had two bathrooms, a kitchen – which, of course, nobody was ever allowed into – and a library on the bottom floor. If one was lucky, they were given a place to live where they got along with their fellows, and if not…well, deaths weren’t that uncommon in the Garden.

The houses circled a small dome in the middle, and every year, children came out of it. They were never less than four years of age, and most of the time they were a bit older. They were a yearly crop, almost, though nobody – certainly not you – knew what happened inside of the small dome. All you knew was that the dome was where the people came from, where they were grown.

The dirt around the dome was the source of all supplies, aside from food and water, came from. Sometimes, the earth pushed up books, and other times, it pushed up clothes. There were times when the strange soil pushed up little toys, and still other times, it pushed up weapons. You had seen the last one happen once, and it had been done as a purge for those that lived within the Garden. Ten people died, that day, and then the weapons crumbled into dust, and the next crop of humanity came out of the dome.

Some of your fellows have tried to make everyone leave, but where could you go? Past the ring of houses, there was some open ground, yes, but even from here, you could make out the edge of your world. A great wall of red light burned the eyes to look at, and it slowly crept overhead, becoming the edge of the world, wall and sky, and there’s nothing that any of you could do to get away from it. All you could do was look at it and live under it.

Until today.

The buzzing got louder, and you grunted as you pulled your hands to your ears again. Of course, it didn’t do anything. It never did before, not for any of the other kids on their 18th birthday, so why would it have helped you now? Groaning under your breath, you stumble towards your dresser, hoping to at least get dressed before [i]it[/i] happens.

[i]There’s still time,[/i] you told yourself. [i]If I don’t run…if I can just…[/i]

There wasn’t much else for you to think. If there was time, then there was time. If there wasn’t, you were going to find out real quick.

Out your open window, you could hear the screaming start. Nobody was ever quite sure when their birthday was in the Garden, only a vague idea of what year it would be when their 18th finally came around. You had been sure that it was still a few months off, but at least you weren’t the only one being ‘called.’

Struggling against the buzzing in your ears, you managed to get dressed. A pair of plain leather pants, a pair of boots, a tunic that barely fit you, having been grown the year before and never quite taken in. You had lost weight in the last year, too, you realized, and that left it looking all the larger.

But better to look too big than to look too small. Bullies liked smaller targets.

The buzzing increased in volume again, and you knew that you didn’t have much time. You were due at the edge of the barrier of light, and if you were late…well, it wouldn’t go well.

You walked out of the house, holding your head as high as you could as you rounded the square. The screaming was dying off, and you could tell that some of the other kids – no, adults, now – were starting to get the picture. There was no way for them to escape their fate. They either embraced it, or they’d die. Maybe it would be through another growth of weapons, or maybe the buzzing would consume them. Either way, they were done in the Garden.

You stopped at the edge of the little world that you’ve always known. Ever since you stepped into it at four years old, forgetting whatever you had been before, this had been your world. You looked over your shoulder again, looking at the circle of houses. Despite looking alike, you could still pick out which one had been yours. The one with the little dent in the wood planks, the one with the little nick under the doorknob. That one was yours. [i]That[/i] one.

[i]Not anymore,[/i] you thought, turning your eyes back to the barrier of light.

The buzzing wasn’t so loud anymore, and that was a relief greater than you wanted to admit. It no longer felt like it was going to vibrate your head right off your shoulders, nor did it feel like it was going to rip your brain out of your skull. The odd thing was, you were starting to feel like there were different kinds of buzzing going on, like a light, high one in the back of your head, and a deeper one in your stomach, an almost playful one in your chest…

It didn’t make sense, but the Garden didn’t make sense if you stopped to think about it. So, you did your best to ignore it, waiting for whatever came next. You remembered that the barrier would open, briefly, allowing those that were of age, those suffering from the buzzing, to pass through. You hoped that you were standing in the right place. Everyone had picked a different one, and you didn’t know where the right spot was, just that it felt right to stand where you were.

You took a deep breath, almost feeling calm again when –

“AAAAGH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!”

You turned, already wishing that you hadn’t, looking for the screamer. One of the doors facing you exploded outwards, the wooden planks slamming against the stone walls. A young man your age – exactly your age, if he’s being summoned now – ran out, his eyes wild, his face…his face…

His face was crumbling. You stared, unable to look away as the skin darkened, ripping itself free of the rest of his face, turning to wings and flying away. His nose cracked, becoming some twisted, cracked beast that ripped off of his face. He didn’t even have the chance to scream before his lips did the same, his body breaking down into…into flies, and worse.

You weren’t the only one staring, either. From the windows, from the barrier, everyone that wasn’t this poor soul stared as the buzzing broke him down. His face twisted into flies, his legs into snakes, slithering and burrowing as he fell down, nothing more than an amputee. His arms cracked, then shattered, falling into worms. And then…

Then you looked away, unable to watch further as the bulges started to form in the young man’s chest. You weren’t going to watch anything else rip through.

[i]That[/i] was why you listened to the buzzing. That was why you didn’t try and hide. No matter how you fought it, the buzzing would break you in the end.

[i]I listened,[/i] you thought to yourself. [i]I listened. I’m not going to die. I’m not going to have that happen. I’m alright.[/i]

Even so, you trembled. The mere fact that it could have happened still sends shivers down your spine, and you didn’t want to think about how much that would have hurt. Bugs ripping through you. Turning into them. Piece by piece, becoming less yourself and…

No. No, it didn’t happen, and that’s all there is to it.

You turned back to the barrier, looking for wherever you’re supposed to go. This was the right spot, you hoped, but what if –

Finally, a piece of the red light disappeared, revealing nothing but blackness ahead. You hesitated for a moment, but knowing the consequences of not listening, you forced yourself forward. You left the Garden behind, and entered darkness.

No sooner had you taken the steps forward than the barrier fell again. Despite the red light that you knew was behind you, the darkness was no less absolute. You could feel it pressing in on you, and you pulled your arms up against your chest, trying not to think about what had happened to the other guy.

You were in unknown territory, now. Everything else that had happened, you’d experienced before, but this was new. Nobody knew what lay outside the Garden except those that grew up.

The tunnel stretched out ahead of you, and the darkness seemed to go on forever. Eventually, you reached out with one arm, hoping to find something, anything that might indicate that you were getting close to where you were supposed to go. Instead, you felt nothing. No wall ahead, no wall to either side. It was as if you were walking into infinity. Trying to look backwards brought the buzzing back with a vengeance, and you whimpered, lowering your head and walking forward.

Every time you slowed down, you felt the buzzing start again, felt an itch along your face, or your neck, or a stinging pain in your legs, or something under your arms. Were those the bugs? The worms? The snakes? Were you still –

You kept moving. No matter what, you kept moving, not daring to stop, not daring to let the buzzing get the better of you. You weren’t brave. You just didn’t want to die. And the darkness was a whole lot less scary than what might be in you at that point.

You walked, and walked, and walked. For all you knew, you might have been walking for hours. Days. Your eyes were starting to hurt, too. Despite being in the dark, you didn’t know if your eyes were open, closed, or somewhere in between. You couldn’t see anything, and they burned from tiredness.

The wriggling feeling in your arms was almost constant, now, and your legs felt like they were trying to split right down the middle of your feet, running up your legs to your hips, as if each limb was trying to turn into a tentacle or something like that. The thought was enough to make you a little sick in your mouth, and you gagged slightly as you fought the urge to throw up. Something told you that if you slowed down, you’d be in even more trouble, and that fear was enough to get you moving a little faster. That eased the pain. A bit, at least.

But there was only so long you could keep going. The darkness just never ended, and you clenched your teeth as you felt it pressing in on you again. It felt almost…almost physical, like it was some deep, impenetrable blanket that was wrapping you up, slowing you down, making it impossible to do anything but fail.

[i]No…no…[/i]

You stumbled, and as you did, you heard a crack. You thought of the guy in the Garden, his fingers breaking off as the worms came free, and you brought both your hands together, desperately counting them.

All ten. All ten still there. It was something else.

[b]Well, well, well…[/b]

You gasped at the strange, deep voice echoing around you, but you didn’t stop moving. Stillness was death, you had learned, and your legs were not about to give in that easily. Yet, the voice seemed to follow you.

[b]It seems that we have a determined little human this year…What’s your name?[/b]

“…I…”

[b]Heh. I. A no-name individual, hmm?[/b]

The voice was different, amused, almost, rather than affronted. It was different to listening to the voices of the other kids and teens back in the Garden. They were always a little unsure, even the most confident of them. This one…this one felt like it had been sure of itself since the beginning of time.

[b]You’re scared, aren’t you?[/b]

You shook your head, even though you knew it was a lie. Somehow, the voice seemed able to see the gesture, and chuckled.

[b]Heh. You learned to lie back there, didn’t you? To pretend. To say things to get people to leave you alone.[/b]

“…”

[b]That’s good. You learned to survive.[/b]

“What are you?”

[b]I am the only thing that will let you out of the dark. Half of the others already gave up. You, however, Mr. I, are still walking…still talking…still trying.[/b]

“I don’t want to die.”

[b]Nobody does…and that’s why I’m going to give you a chance. Are you ready to get out of the dark?[/b]

“What do I have to do?”

[b]Heh, you already figured it out, didn’t you?[/b]

You had. Nothing comes without cost. The Garden gave you everything that you needed, everything that you could ever want. The kitchen might have been off-limits, but it was always there, somehow bringing food from within the room to the bedrooms of the various children, feeding them so that they were strong, healthy, so that they could keep going. This darkness…this was different.

[b]This is what it means to be a grown-up, little Mr. I. If you want out, then you pay a price.[/b]

“What’s the price?”

[b]Oh, nothing big, this time. It’s just a little change. A little…shift.[/b]

You felt something touching your shoulder, and you had an image in your head of something in the dark leaning against you, its mouth whispering into your ear.

[b]Or I can leave you here. What is it going to be, hmm? I have more offers to make than this one, and we do hope to have a better crop than last year.[/b]

“Get me out of here,” you said without even thinking about it. “I…I want out…”

[b]Then we have a deal?[/b]

“We have a deal.”

[b]Splendid.[/b]

The pressure on your shoulder faded away, only to return against your spine. You started to turn –

“AH!”

And then, the pressure punched through you. It went through your spine, through your heart, and then out the other side. You felt it, screamed from it, but as you grabbed at your chest, you didn’t feel the hole that you swore should have been there. It was like something had stabbed you right through the back and out your chest, but there was nothing there.

No…wait…

There was something.

Something bright.

Something glowing.

Something…something that looked like a little version of you. It fell over, then got up again, standing in mid-air and then looking back at you. You reached out for it, and it took a step, standing in the palm of your hand. You could almost feel the touch of your own palm against the soles of your feet, and you shivered.

[b]There you are. A soul on the outside, instead of the inside.[/b] The other voice chuckled. [b]Now you have light…and now you can find the door.[/b]

“What happens when I get there?”

[b]Then you’ll have to make a decision, won’t you? But first, you have to make it…Good luck, Mr. I.[/b]

The voice faded, and you were left alone, but no longer in the dark. You looked down at your palm, and you slowly shook your head.

“I don’t suppose you know the way out of here?”

Your soul – at least, that’s what the voice called it – shook its head. Even that was a bit more than you expected from it, and you shook your head, trying not to think too much about what that might mean.

The darkness, however, had pulled back. You looked down, and you saw that you had been standing on a rolling pathway, one that pushed you backwards for every step you took. A simple sidestep or three would have taken you off the perpetual path, and without a second thought, you finally took them.

After that, the little bit of illumination that your soul provided gave you what you needed to find another path, one that wasn’t taking you on an endless walk. You followed it, twisting and turning through the endless dark, hoping that it would lead somewhere. Your soul glowed the entire time, seemingly pulsing with what little optimism that you had left, and you didn’t have the heart to try and argue with it.

Eventually, somewhere deep – or somewhere high, it was hard to tell – you found something. The wall was pushed in just a bit compared to the area around it, and you pressed your hand firmly against the surface. Running your free palm down along the side, you eventually found something that pushed out.

A doorknob. You sighed in relief, twisted it, and pushed.

Just like that, the darkness faded, and you stepped out into a large chamber, one with a single, wide table on the far end and nothing but white walls, flooring, and ceiling between you and them. As you looked over your shoulder, the door shut and disappeared, and your soul took on a shape more like a simple flame over your hand than anything else.

Turning back to the table, you blinked as it went from unoccupied to occupied. Three different figures sat at it, each one completely inhuman. The closest one to what you knew was a red-skinned demon, horned and muscular, with body hair that was thick enough to make him look like he had black stripes across his chest and arms. He sat with his hands folded under his chin, looking at you with what seemed to be cautious interest.

The other two were not at all human. One was a great hulking beast with bull horns and a furry body, taller than the humanoid one by three feet, and looming over the center of the table. He had a hammer over his back, one that looked bigger than any human being might ever use, and when he shifted his weight, his furred arms swelled to such an extent that it looked like he could break the table with a shrug.

The final one was a creature that seemed to be little more than a shadow, and it was the least interested in you of all three of the monsters. Every time that you looked in its direction, you felt like you were losing a piece of yourself, so you tried not to look that way too often.

As you shifted from foot to foot, the humanoid one gestured at you.

“So. Tell us about yourself.”

“…Excuse me?” you asked, your voice almost squeaking.

“You made it here, didn’t you? That means that you’re ready to be an adult.”

You nodded dumbly. The red figure sighed, rubbing his head.

“You’re a bit dumb, aren’t you?”

“Not…really, but…”

“Great. We’re going to need to explain, aren’t we?” the demon said. “Alright…Who feels charitable today?”

Considering an explanation would have been helpful, oh, however long ago you’d stepped into the darkness, you’d be more than happy to see someone else be charitable right at that point. However, neither the bull creature nor the shadow monster responded. If anything, they looked away from you, towards your…

Towards your soul.

You looked down at it again, and then up at them. If the first one was a demon, then the other two might be demonic as well, or at least, similar. If that was the case…then perhaps…

You lifted your soul.

“One percent of my soul for an answer. Who are you, and what is going on?”

“Three percent,” the bull creature said. “Per answer.”

“Heh…The human is interesting,” the shadow creature said. “And he figured out that much. I’ll take the deal…”

The shadow extended a hint of itself, darkness like a tentacle reaching out for the soul perched over your palm. You watched as the light dimmed ever so slightly, and you felt a bit of hunger, weakness, fatigue bloom in your stomach. A soft groan followed, and you shook your head, trying to keep yourself alert.

“We, or at least one of us, is your future employer,” the shadow said, smiling to itself. Or at least, that’s what you assumed that head movement was. “You seem to be a decent crop; you didn’t lose any parts of yourself in the darkness, didn’t give in and die. Definitely hardier than what we harvested last year.”

“Last year, half of them didn’t even get out of the Gardens,” the bull creature muttered.

Gardens. That meant that there were more than just the one that you grew up in. The idea of other places where humans were grown like that…

Oh god. [i]You[/i] were product. [i]You[/i] were what was being grown. For a work force? For employees?

The shadow demon smiled.

“It looks like you’re figuring it out. Perhaps you are a little more interesting than you look, human. Did you get it?”

“Human Gardens. Not just a Garden,” you muttered. “You’re growing us…for a work force? What kind of jobs do you have?”

“Hmmm…I think that qualifies as another question.”

You grimace, knowing what’s coming, and knowing that there’s something that you can do to stop it. The light dimmed that tiny bit further, and once again, that tiredness crept over you. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Not in the slightest. As the light faded, the demon took a deep breath, seeming to savor it.

“Heh…not often that we get a tithe like that…” The shadow chuckled. “But as for jobs…imagine whatever you like. Anything that you read in your books that grew in your Garden.”

“Pilots…soldiers…”

“Adventurers, magicians, pirates,” the shadow added, shaking its head. “Do not limit yourself. There are a thousand different occupations, and each door in the darkness leads to three more demons, three more employers that would be willing to take you on, for surviving.”

“…That was a test. That was the first part of…”

You remembered. There had been books that had grown in your Garden that mentioned interviews. They were usually conversations, but there were others that had tests, tests that showed off your skills for a job. You had never thought that they were real, though.

“The first part of your interview, yes.” The shadow smiled. “I like this one. It is quite a bit quicker on the uptake, once it gets started.”

“Yeah, but it’s the getting it started,” the red-skinned one muttered, grumbling under his breath. “Regardless. You got here. And we have three different companies, three different jobs. If you don’t like that, you can go back to the dark and find a different door, but we can’t promise that we’ll be here if you try and come back.”

You nodded at that, barely managing to keep your mouth shut. If this was an interview, then it was just as much up to them to talk as it was up to you. That meant that you didn’t have to ask any more questions. They had to be the ones to offer terms, to make it clear what they wanted.

And, after a few seconds, you were proved right. The red demon snapped his fingers, and a contract popped up.

“I run a…cleaning service. We go around and clean up after crimes have been committed, and sometimes, we do a bit of the criminal activities ourselves. Nothing glamorous, but you meet interesting people. And you’ll be able to stay human, too. I have a shortage of them right now. In exchange, you give me 70% of your soul. Your contract is up when you earn the whole thing back, with a retirement package of fifty Suls a month, and two hitman contracts to use as you like.”

You spluttered, barely able to process what you’ve just been told. However, before you could make any sort of response, the bull-man began his pitch. He pulled his hammer from over his back and flicked his finger against it, causing another contract to pop into existence.

“Raiders. We’re employed to whip the different settlements on the edge of the New Worlds into shape. You’ll be turned into either a minotaur or something else just as big and brawny, and you’ll be getting the chance to run wild. Rape and plunder, too, if you’re into that. In exchange, you give me 50% of your soul, and your contract is up when you can take on a settlement on your own and win. Five resurrections a month, with a pension of 80 Suls a month if you live through it.”

Another offer that was as disturbing as it was impossible. What sort of world were you entering? What kind of place existed outside of the Gardens? You were honestly starting to wonder if you were dreaming.

And then, the shadow gestured, and out of the darkness came a third contract.

“My businesses are more…” The shadow turned, looking at the other demons. “Protective than my colleagues. Under me, you will find yourself protecting other people. A cross between a policeman and an adventurer, if you want to think of it that way. A part of a traveling guard detail. You will have a list of different species that you may choose to be – outside of human, as that one is a [i]little[/i] weak for the job – and you will be provided training and access to a brothel on your off-hours. In exchange, you pay me 95% of your soul, and your contract is up when you earn it back. Your pension will be 100 Suls a month, a guaranteed education to better yourself, and a 20-year extension to your lifespan.” The shadow paused. “Looking at you, you might need that.”

“I hate it when I get the same room as you,” the red demon grumbled. “There’s no competing with that.”

“It’s the luck of the draw.”

The three contracts hanging in front of you each had different symbols on the top, which you could only guess applied to what sort of company they actually ran. You couldn’t read it, but considering the deals that were being offered, you imagined that they had to be honest at this point in time.

Deals with demons…employment…

You wondered if this was something that everyone that survived the dark had to go through, but you were pretty sure that there was only one alternative. Considering how much discomfort you’d felt in your limbs walking through the darkness, you didn’t want to go back to that.

And who was to say that you’d find a better job in a different room? They said that there were other rooms, other employers, but what if they were worse? What if you ran into one that booked assassins, or others that booked sewage workers, or something worse?

And the New Worlds? The fact that everything seemed to be possible in this strange place? Where were you going? What was on the other side of these walls? You honestly couldn't begin to imagine, but one thing was for sure. You weren’t going to find out staying here, and you might as well pick the best contract of the bunch.

No rape and plunder for you. Not when you had always tried to be a decent person, and not when one of the contracts was offering a brothel as well as a paycheck. That reminded you, you should ask what Suls were at the first opportunity. Or what was going to happen to your soul when you handed it over. Or how long it took to earn the soul back.

Tempting as it was to keep more of your soul, you didn’t want to be an asshole, didn’t want to be the sort of person that went out and made other people’s lives harder. Nor did you want to be stuck picking up other people’s messes, nor did you want to have the ability to call on hitmen just because you were angry. You remembered far too many times where having the ability to kill someone in the Gardens could have cost you a great deal, and you didn’t need the temptation now.

But being a protector…

You walked over to the shadow, and it chuckled.

“Well, it seems that you know what you want.”

“I still have enough soul, I hope. I think…I only traded you 2%.”

“Indeed, which will only leave you with 3% after I take the agreed-upon amount.”

“…”

“You want to know if it will hurt,” the shadow said.

“I do.”

“But you know better than to ask…”

You nodded.

“You’re smart, indeed…perhaps you’ll be able to work your way up my little organization.” The shadow chuckled. “But for now…what do you want to be?”

The shadow flexed itself again, and displays of different species began to appear in front of you. There were wolves that walked on two legs, well-muscled stallions that did the same. Species that were larger than humans, more dangerous continued to appear, and you couldn’t help but stare at the possibilities. There were some that were not even animalistic, but rather something out of myth, like minotaurs, or satyrs, or orcs.

It didn’t end there, either. You watched, staring as the monsters of myth became something out of science fiction. You saw robots, cyborgs, aliens of all sorts. The demon continued to offer you the choice, and you kept staring, completely gobsmacked.

“Alright, well, I’m out of here,” the red demon said. “There are other rooms to try.”

“Me too,” the bull-man said.

As they shimmered away, you slowly shook your hand, your hand hovering over the images. As if it had pulled the choices out of your mind, the shadow left a handful of options floating before you, chuckling.

“Make your choice, then, human, and start your new life.”

“I…”

You hesitated, then touched –

[b][u][center]The End[/center][/u][/b]

Summary: An unnamed human goes through a rather intense coming of age ceremony, and realizes that the world is far larger than he expected.

Tags: No sex, interview, demon, human, impending TF, selling your soul, fantasy, conspiracy, horror, creepy,