Let the light go out

Underground city, light is the only salvation, but what happens when the lights go out?

Let the Light Go Out

Sector 6

"Good morning, Watchers of the Light, the fourth shift will begin in 30 minutes." The voice from the speakers was almost familiar after several years here. Checking his wrist computer, he saw two missed messages that he decided to ignore, thinking he would deal with them after breakfast.

He stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked a decade older than he actually was, even with a few strands of gray hair. Being a Watcher was absolutely merciless. He quickly washed his face and began to dress. His uniform was unremarkable—a gray jumpsuit with blue stripes, typical for an electrician. He could remember the day he first put on this uniform, when he was a naive new Watcher, always wanting to protect this city.

His room was small, almost cramped, but in this city, few had personal quarters. Watchers held an important place in society. The bed took up half the room, and opposite it was a table with food and a metal sink. A single powerful fluorescent lamp lit the room, with four backup lamps and a 24-hour reserve battery in case the main one failed. Just in case.

He gathered his tools and stepped out into the corridor—long and very well-lit, the metal walls gleamed in some places and rusted in others. You could see how old this city really was. No matter how much you painted, patched, and taped, the age always showed. An inevitable race against time and the all-consuming darkness. How many more years could they survive?

Walking a bit further, he passed other Watchers from his shift, also awakened by the loudspeaker system. The cafeteria was close, and he couldn't wait for his breakfast. The large clock on the wall reminded him that it was only 19:32. His shift started at 20:00 and ended at 4:00—eight hours of wandering through dark tunnels. But who, if not us?

The cafeteria was small but well-equipped. The tables were close together, and if you tried, you could fit all the Watchers in here at once. It was amusing that Watchers didn't get vacations. The director would just declare an emergency and cancel all leaves, then rescind the emergency an hour later. They were really short on people...

Sitting on one of the benches, the same one he took every morning, he saw his breakfast—the local immortal classic: porridge with synthetic meat and mushroom soup, and of course, coffee with special additives that few knew about. The contract stipulated that Watchers must drink this coffee for a reason.

A Watcher from his shift sat down next to him. He never liked newbies, especially those who did everything possible to die on their first shift.

"Good morning," the girl said, smiling. She was so young and naive. Probably never encountered those creatures...

"Morning," he mumbled, trying to open a chocolate bar that had been in his pocket since yesterday.

"You've been working here for three years, right?"—she was already starting to irritate him.

"Yeah. Got any questions? Or are you just going to waste time with idle chatter?"—he said, taking a bite of the chocolate bar.

"Well, um... I wanted to know about those creatures."

"Didn't they show you during training?"

"I missed that class..."

"Then you'll see them soon. They love to attack during our shift."

"Don't they really fear the light?"

"Know what? That's the dumbest question anyone's ever asked a Watcher."

"Sorry..."—she took her tray of food and decided to sit at another table.

"Emergency in Sector 6, fourth shift, Watchers and Security to maximum readiness." The voice from the speakers was old and crackling, something you could never get used to.

"Damn it, no peace for a minute."

He was a bit disappointed with his breakfast of a chocolate bar but decided to quickly drink the coffee before heading to the preparation room.

Watchers moved through the corridor in synchronized movements, the forces of light mobilizing to fight the darkness. Passing by the monitors on the walls, which showed the situation in each sector, he made his way to the "armory."

Watchers didn't have real weapons, but they had tools for quick repairs and powerful lighting devices, such as the "Lightbringer" system, which provided 360-degree illumination. This had saved many lives.

The team was already gathering in the armory, and security forces had arrived. Their uniforms were black bulletproof vests with red stripes and a large "S."

"Vince Trace?"—a bearded security officer turned to him.

"Yes, number 993."

"You're under my command now. I'm Boris Dross, leader of the Red Security Team. The situation in Sector 6 is critical, and I need someone with your experience."

"Thanks for the trust. Security doesn't usually get involved, so it must be bad."

Boris pulled out his wrist computer and showed that 95% of Sector 6 was without power. Fortunately, the local residents had likely hidden in buildings with backup power and protective shutters.

Vince hadn't seen an entire sector lose power in an hour in a long time. Something was off, he thought.

Moving further, the group of 4 security officers and 2 Watchers headed to the circular tram. Three more teams with the same composition were already seated. The presence of a heavy automatic turret was unsettling.

The circular tram tracks connected all sectors of this massive underground city. Each sector had artificial lighting that mimicked sunlight, buildings that imitated small towns, and green lawns with small trees. This was how each sector was designed.

Sector 6 specialized in electronics and household projectors. If this were a full-scale war or if the creatures were capable of thinking, they would have destroyed this sector first. Vince thought it was the most protected.

The tram was spacious and well-lit. The other Watchers were clearly on edge. Over the radios, you could hear the evacuation and sector lockdown operations being organized.

"Check it out? New model, with a built-in thermal imager and a very powerful laser flashlight, and a hell of a caliber." One of the security officers slowly turned the rifle in his hands.

"Yeah, sure. You guys in the red team always get the new toys. We never got anything new, bastards." A blonde from the blue team said, turning to the window.

The tram had a screen showing the route, another 30 minutes to Sector 6. Through the windows, you could see the seemingly endless underground tunnel, with some lamps flickering. Vince remembered tram shifts where they had to stop at every flickering light, but there was no time for that now.

This tram and route were reserved for Watchers. Security usually moved on civilian trams or through central tunnels. The tram was clearly neglected, with very old wrappers and bottles under the seats. Watchers were allowed to leave their mess behind.

The conductor was an experienced bald man in his fifties, usually called Tram Joe or just Grandpa. He was a Watcher but retired and got tired of growing flowers, deciding he always wanted to drive a tram.

Vince examined the equipment of the other Watchers and hoped they could do something useful. One time, he was assigned to lead a group of newbies, and there were losses...

"Who the hell are you?"—turning to Vince, a man in his forties continued typing on his wrist computer without looking up.

"Call me Vin."

"Vin? Ha, are you the Watcher who did interesting things in Sector 1?"

"What difference does it make? You weren't there."

"Think I wasn't? I was in the yellows then, shooting the filth you guys released." The man looked into Vin's eyes and clenched his fist, which had just been typing.

"We did everything we could. Deaths were inevitable. We couldn't fix the reactor without turning off the lights."

"Watchers always think civilian casualties don't matter, as long as you save your damn Watchers, right!?"—his face was a mix of pain and hatred.

"Protecting civilians is the job of Security."—Vin tried to stay detached from the emotions.

"Are you going to blame me for their deaths?"—he turned off the device and pulled out a rifle from under the seat.

Vin decided to stay silent and look out the tram window. Conflicts with Security never ended well, and their commander clearly saw everything but chose not to intervene.

A few minutes later, the tram arrived at the stop in Sector 6. The loudspeaker was still working, and the stop was full of light, which was good. The loudspeaker announced that an emergency was in effect and that they should find shelter and wait for power to be restored. The monitors showed a map of the sector, with most areas marked as unsafe, and a brief description of the sector's activities, population, buildings, and streets. They would have to reduce the population after this.

Boris was giving commands to his team, setting up a defensive perimeter, installing turrets and scanners, and planning routes to the heart of the sector, where the reactor was located, along with the lower levels of technical rooms and tunnels. Their first task was to clear the buildings across the street from the stop. Boris would stay here and use the stop as a base.

Vin was ready to set up the lights and activate the projectors, but the other Watchers hesitated because the newbie said she heard something creeping on the ceiling. Vin saw nothing on the scanner and hoped the creatures hadn't heard the tram's arrival. Ambushes would slow down their rescue operation.

"Team A and B, you will secure these two nearest buildings and conduct a full sweep. Bring all civilians here."—Boris pointed to the sector map with his revolver.

Suddenly, a clicking sound came from the tram tunnel. Vin already had his flare gun in hand, but the scanner showed nothing. In the darkness where the tunnel lights had gone out, you could hear the sound of claws on concrete. Staring into the impenetrable darkness, you could only wonder what was really there.

"Vin, I'm assigning you to Team B. Your task is to restore power from the backup network to these two buildings and activate the projectors. Any questions?"—Boris continued the rapid organization of the operation.

"I need a weapon."

Boris handed over his pistol and took off the safety. "This is my personal one, don't lose it. It's a gift from my deceased brother." It was a standard Alpha model: 9.5 mm, 12 rounds, and its compact size made it a universal choice for self-defense in the red zones. This model had a powerful flashlight and an engraving—"Boris," serial number, and place of manufacture—Factory No. 2, Sector 2.

The bluish light from the tram stop gave hope for protection against the encroaching darkness. Ahead, their team would have to push through the darkness, bringing light. He hoped this wouldn't end like it did in Sector 1.

The first to go was the man with the thermal imager. The creatures had a body temperature of 20-30 degrees Celsius, making them visible at short distances. Team B consisted entirely of red security personnel and two Watchers.

Vin's task was to move in the center of the team, illuminating the path ahead and using the scanner. The younger Watcher connected the power cable to the outlet at the stop. This was the outer ring of the backup power supply, which they always tried to keep operational, as without it, reclaiming the sector would be much more difficult.

With each step, the darkness seemed to grow denser, and the air colder. There was a persistent feeling that something was watching them, the distant sounds of clicking on concrete, hissing, and growls. They were somewhere out there, waiting for them.

"Contact, 3 o'clock, 100 meters, approaching."—Vin noted on the scanner.

Then came a short burst of deafening shots. Each flash of gunfire illuminated the surroundings for a brief moment, tracer rounds piercing the darkness like holes in fabric. Then came screams, a bestial roar, distorted and almost human, as if a dog were trying to parody a human cry of pain. You could never get used to that horrific sound.

More sounds followed, as if the darkness itself had noticed them. Hissing from a distance, footsteps, and more screams—they were somewhere above. The building was close, but Vin was already ready to press the activation button for the "Lightbringer."

"Fire illuminating rounds!"—the officer commanded.

Three shots fired into the air, and red light began to cover the street. They could see the lampposts, the asphalt, and the lawn. The square buildings were neatly lined up along the road, a couple of small electric cars were parked, and several bodies lay in the middle of the street. When the small beam of light reached the "sky," you could see black dots scattering at high speed. At that distance, it was hard to tell if they were the creatures that had terrorized the city for centuries.

Vin saw the newbie drop the cable and was ready to run in terror. She was backing away, looking up. He grabbed her by the arm.

"Wait, what's your name?"—Vin knew he wasn't good at this but tried to calm her down.

"I'm Julia... Is... Is that... bodies?"—her gaze was fixed on two bodies 10 meters ahead.

"Yeah, those are the ones the creatures killed. Now, you need to hold this flashlight firmly and help Security reclaim the sector. Pull yourself together, damn it!"

"Okay, I... I can do it."—with trembling hands, she began to pull out the flashlight. The hissing was close, and it was unclear how long their flare would hold the creatures back. She dropped the flashlight from her pocket, and it started rolling towards the hissing.

What kind of greenhorns are they letting into the Watchers now, Vin thought. He took the pistol, took a deep breath, and with his hand on the "Lightbringer" button, made a dash for the flashlight. They were close, and the creatures could attack at any moment. They could ignore the light for a few moments, and that was usually enough to kill you.

The flashlight was very close, and it had rolled onto the lawn. As soon as Vin bent down to pick it up, he saw it. A creature stood less than a meter away, motionless like a statue. This black, skeletal silhouette with spikes and long claws was right there.

Vin aimed at the head, and... Click—misfire. The creature seemed to understand what was happening and lunged at him. The large claws and spikes on its body pierced his uniform and dug into his skin. The head, a mix of a human skull and a dog's, without eyes, seemed to look into his soul. The open mouth of the creature contained dozens of fangs, and it was about to sink them into his neck. Vin desperately tried to activate the "Lightbringer."

Then came a blow. Boris hit the creature squarely on the head with the butt of his rifle. Hissing and retreating slightly, it was ready to pounce on Boris, but Vin activated the "Lightbringer." The light was blindingly bright, like a small sun illuminating the street. From all sides came angry hisses. "It hurts them, that's good," Vin thought.

Everything happened quickly after that. Boris grabbed Vin and dragged him to the building they were supposed to clear of the darkness. It was closer than the stop. A small grocery store, with still-frozen ice cream and the body of a girl, no older than 10.

"Vin, what version of the 'Lightbringer' do you have?"—Boris asked after seating Vin in a corner.

"Version 3... It runs for about an hour, and the recharge time is 24 hours... Damn, give me a med kit finally."

"We lost our medic. I turned away for a moment and..."—Boris simply looked at the girl's body, her blue dress covered in blood.

"Where's the newbie?"

"Ran off as soon as she saw you get attacked. She panicked and ran towards the stop. I don't know if she'll survive."

"Once the 'Lightbringer' goes out, we'll be isolated in this store. You understand that, right?"

"Of course, I fucking understand! The radio doesn't work, do they have jammers now!?"—Boris hit the wall with his fist, clearly not expecting such an outcome from such a simple plan.

"There are too many of them. This isn't just a regular attack..."

"What do you mean?"

"They've never taken over an entire sector before. The reactor might already be beyond repair. The automatic system should have turned on the artificial lighting during a red alert, but they've cut all the cables in the tunnels. You understand this is a full-scale invasion?"

Boris simply wrapped the girl's body in a towel and placed her behind the counter, whispered something, and then sighed, sitting in a corner. Outside the building, you could hear the sounds of gunfire, screams, and the creatures. Teams A and B were fighting for the street, but without Watchers and in the open, they wouldn't last long. Vin hoped both Watchers in Team A were still alive.

Boris managed to find a first-aid kit behind the counter. He roughly treated Vin's wounds and bandaged him, or rather helped Vin bandage himself. Watchers were well-trained in providing first aid, primarily to themselves. It was a common occurrence for Watchers to be left wounded and alone in the tunnels.

Boris sat in the corner and continued trying to contact the headquarters or at least Team B. "Can you hear me? Over." A two-minute pause, and then again, "Anyone, answer. Over." All in vain.

"Vin, we need to check the other rooms. There could be creatures on the second floor or in the basement. According to the schematics, this building has an exit to the tunnels. In the worst case, we can break through them."

"That's a fucking terrible idea. Do you even realize how many of them are down there? Hundreds? Thousands!?"

"Calm down, I've done this before."

"Sector 1?"

Vin simply nodded and decided to check the other rooms on the first floor. In the storage room, there was the body of a seller, scattered boxes, broken bottles, and a lot of blood. She didn't go down without a fight. Vin decided that since things were this bad, he might as well drink a bottle of soda. It wouldn't get any worse for anyone. The carbonated liquid was sweet but couldn't compare to what you could occasionally buy on the black market—those bottles from ancient times when the sun hadn't gone out yet.