Mystic Masters Pt. 01: The Beginning

It all began when humans discovered the Mystics; Centaurs, Mermaids, Vampires, Banshees, Fairies, any creature you could imagine from the old tales. Each individual species were relatively small in number. But together, there were over twice as many Mystics as humans. It was a month after the first mystic was spotted that the Mystics announced they did not consider human kind equal, and that the human race could either submit to them, or bear the consequences. There were very few humans who went quietly. Most fought back with little success. In less than 6 months, most of the human race was enslaved, there were a few who managed to escape and remain in hiding; my mom was one of those few. She had been on a wilderness retreat with her boyfriend when the takeover had started, and the news had reached them fast enough that they were able to hide out in one of the other participants doomsday bunkers. The bunker had been stocked to last a family of 6 for over 50 years, but with 11 people hiding out, and 3 babies born in the first few years, food was starting to get low.

I was one of those babies that was born, now I'm almost 21 years old. Growing up with only 2 other kids my age was rough, especially once we all hit puberty and Kailee decided she wanted Weston (the only boy) all to herself. She always found excuses for them to be off together alone. I didn't mind. I liked being alone. Especially when I didn't have any chores to do and I could sneak off and find Norma. She was the owner of the bunker and had the most amazing stories about life before the Mystics. I loved listening to her talk about the sky. At night I would close my eyes and imagine I was staring up at the fluffy white clouds against thier brilliantly blue background. Or I would picture the tiny, pinprick stars, and glowing crescent moon in the velvet soft night sky. I often though about what it would be like to be outside. But I knew how dangerous it was, and I didn't want to get in trouble, or worse, caught by the Mystics.

It was 4 days before my 21st birthday that we officially ran out of food. I was hiding out listening to the adults arguing about what to do, the majority of them wanted to risk the outside world, Norma and Weston's mom Annie, were the only ones who were adamant that no one should make an attempt.

Norma was the loudest, "It would be better to starve to death rather than lose your freedom. Look at what happened the last time one of us went outside. Poor Marie had to raise her boy without a father."

She was talking about my dad. He had gone out to look for other humans when I was 6 years old, and he had never returned. The argument was soon over, and it was decided that a small group of 3 would go out under teh cover of darkness and see what they could find. If there was noting within a few hours walking distance, they would return. No one said what we were all thinking, if they returned empty handed, it would be a death sentence.

The next night, my mom, Kaylee's dad, and another man named Paulo left well after dark. Which we knew because of the solar panels with daylight sensors hidden outside the bunker. A few hours later, the other adults were starting to get worried. They should have been back by now. There was talk of sending out another party, but no one wanted to go outside anymore. By morning, everyone had given up and there was a heaviness in the air.

We all gathered in the mess hall for a memorial. The memorial was for more than the 3 that had left; it was also for those of us left. It was a solemn affair, so when we heard to bunker door opening, we all looked at each other with hope in our eyes. Suddenly, Kaylee's mom started running towards the entrance, and soon everyone was following. I hesitated, staying towards teh back of the group. Something felt wrong. It was too quiet. if my mom was with them, she would have yelled loudly that they were back. I was mentally preparing myself for the news of her capture, but I was not prepared to see my fellow bunkmates slumped in unconsciousness on the floor, with a group of Mystics standing over them.