Red Sun and the Book of Dawn E-Book

Neeko Jetson

• Herausgeber: Spines
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The story follows the journey of four teenagers brought together by circumstance as they traverse a pre-dystopian Earth descending into chaos. The ozone has mysteriously ruptured, causing massive climate change, planetary storms and earthquakes. In addition, the sun has turned red- releasing new radiation into Earth’s atmosphere and, on top of all the unnatural disasters occurring globally, the four teenage protagonists must locate their parents- whom have gone missing along with thousands of other people from all over the world. As the teenagers begin the search for their parents, they start to uncover monumental secrets about the true history of the people on Earth. The group uncovers a connection between the new red sun and their own ancestry that gives them power in ways they would never have imagined. Initially, the teenagers are ignorant to the true potential of their newly acquired power, but, when mysterious men in black suits start abducting people and ravenous monsters begin hunting and lurking in the shadows of their city, they bond together and embrace the power, using it to fight for a truth buried deep in humanity’s skeleton closet.

Leseprobe

Red Sun And The Book of Dawn

Neeko Jetson

Red Sun and the Book of Dawn

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2024 by Neeko Jetson

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Published by - Spines

ISBN: 979-8-89383-183-2

Red Sun And The Book of Dawn

Part 1

Neeko Jetson

Contents

1. *Solar Crisis*

2. *Reckoning*

3. * EXTREME DISPOSITION*

4. * CUTTING THE CORD

5. * Release*

6. * Connect the Dots *

7. * Science Like Magic *

8. * A New Day *

9. * Evolution *

10. * Revolution *

11. * Destiny *

*Solar Crisis*

The Millennia Solar Crisis transformed the world into an extremely unstable place to survive. The crisis, itself, represented the innate volatility of the planet and the volatility of true human nature. After two polarizing elections and a global catastrophe hit the planet consecutively, the indistinctness of the world’s ethical and moral capabilities became ever present- ever more.

       My name is Jediah Morris and I was born four years before our world’s two most infamous leaders took office- President Proud and President Glenwise. Before President Proud’s two consecutive terms, his predecessor, and our first melanated President, President Marcus Glenwise, led the free world. He also served two consecutive terms. Characteristically, they were two completely different types of leaders and this legislative opposition created a social divisiveness across the land that instigated racial tension.

     My mother would tell me that, before the sun crisis, and in the midst of President Glenwise’s campaign, melanated ones were treated much like second class citizens, as they had been for many years prior. She would speak of systematic oppressions put in place to stifle our progression. As a result, my mother told me that we had forgotten the knowledge of our true culture and heritage and that melanated ones had no welcomed or original place in the world today.

     Views on race had changed since before I was born. You were either considered Melanated or Anglo. Melanin was the word from which melanated was conjugated, but I would, eventually, learn that is was much more than that. Melanin would become one of the single most coveted things on the planet- equal to food and shelter for some. The original discovery was that melanin possessed a unique chemical composition that allowed for the neutralizing of the harmful UVC rays produced by the sun, but it’s affects were even more evolved than that.

     In the very beginning of President Proud’s second term, the planet’s ozone layer cracked and formed a hole the size of a small city. The small hole spread, gradually, over the course of two years until, eventually, only fifty percent of the planet’s protective layer remained. I remember these times vividly. They were angry, depressing, strenuous, and extremely difficult times. These times would build a new land and shape a new kind of people. 

     The cracks and holes in the atmosphere appeared suddenly, but spread at a steady pace. At first, everything seemed normal. The sun still glowed a bright golden yellowish- orange and the sky still changed from dusk to night to dawn as usual. The seasons on the western hemisphere of the planet were transitioning from summer to fall and the holiday season would soon be around the corner. Everyone was getting ready to celebrate Halloween. I was seventeen when it began.

     The average temperature for the first week in October jumped twenty degrees higher then the historical average for that same week in the past. As uncomfortable as this was, the degree change went fairly unnoticed. However, the temperature elevations that followed could not be ignored. The temperature jumped thirty degrees, that week, reaching a sweltering one- hundred degrees the entire week everywhere above the planet’s equator.

     Although the Eastern hemisphere was supposed to be experiencing pre-spring exposure to the sun, the heat that had seeped through the planet’s atmospheric rips had begun to evenly distribute itself. Some vegetation began to suffer. Many animals were in danger and tried to adapt. The equilibrium of the entire planet was destabilizing.

*Reckoning*

The first set of hurricanes were massive and came at the end of the second week in October. The storms completely annihilated most of the southern half of The United States and northern Mexico. Miami, Corpus Christi, Houston, Mississippi, Alabama, San Diego, San Francisco and most other major cities that lined the southern coasts of The United States and it’s southern borders had all been flooded or severely eroded. Millions of people were killed, lost, or had been displaced. Animal displacement was also prevalent. Animals, all over, were being found in places they shouldn’t be. The strike was so sudden that the American government could barely respond in time before the second set of hurricanes hit the other side of the world.

     The second set of storms hit the northeastern hemisphere of the planet the third week in October with as much as power as the first set. The storms decimated entire countries: France, Spain, Portugal, and Iceland were all reduced to  crumbled and mangled remnants of society and country- unrecognizable. Refugees flooded mainland European countries with incalculable impact. The entire west coast of Africa was completely eroded off. The world was devastated. The Southern Hemisphere of the planet and, all places unaffected, scrambled to help those who had been displaced. Families and loved ones all over had been disconnected.

     I can remember the panic in our household as we watched the disaster and turmoil unfold- the fear and desperation on my parent’s face as they tried to contact my grandparents and cousins and aunts. Power was out most places south of us. My parents lived in Atlanta which would turn out to be one of the better places to be. The city was far enough inland, so the storms hadn’t reached us- only the outer rings. We were also the closest and largest metropolitan city south of the Mississippi River that had remained relatively unscathed. The weather was bad but not debilitating where we were.

     It didn’t take long for the multitudes of refugees to flood our city like rain water. People were everywhere within days- children, parents, odd singles, random teenagers, elderly. Most were homeless. Some slept on street corners, in parks, or under overpasses. Others found relatives or very kind strangers that would offer assistance. The wealthy locked themselves behind automated gates. The middle class did what they could. The government set up camps and bases and had the military and its other various operations administering aide and voucher cards, but the sheer volume proved to be overwhelming for any and everyone. There was chaos, but not anarchy- yet.

     The same week the hurricanes hit Europe, on a Wednesday, my parents went out to get water, non perishables, and other supplies we might need. I stayed home and patiently waited for them to return. When they did, I listened as they approached the front door and could hear a third voice I didn’t recognize.

“ Y’all really don’t understand how much this means. Y’all are the angels I prayed fa.”

     When my parents entered, they did so with three faces I had never seen before. A shorter melanated woman wobbled in after my mother. She was round but not obese and she walked slightly slumped over. A red scarf wrapped her naturally puffed hair and she had a, larger than average, mole on her right cheek. The woman had a backpack on and a tote and stuffed plastic grocery bag in her hands. When she spoke, she did so with a strong southern drawl that I recognized as a New Orleans accent.

 “ How you doin baby?”

“ Good.” I replied.

My mother introduced me to the new guests.

“ Jediah, this is Ms.Price and this is her son, Phillip, and her daughter, Cheyenne.”

 “ Hi. “ 

I replied and the siblings responded in unison.

“ Hey.”

 “ We ran into the Prices at Kroger. They’re from New Orleans but had to evacuate here to Atlanta because of the floods and, after hearing her situation, and, since we are blessed enough to have food and shelter and power ourselves right now, we are gonna try and extend that blessing to them and help them out a little.”

Ms.Price replied with gratitude.

 “ And, once again, we really preciate you fa openin’ yo home to us like this. I only had enough fa two nights at the hotel until Friday when the vouchers reset... so this is a blessin.”

My father chimed in to reassure Ms.Price.

“ Stop. It’s no problem at all. Nobody expected these storms to hit or for our sky to just open up like it did and especially not that everything would happen so quickly. Well maybe the government did, but not us regular people.”

     The brother, Phillip, was taller than me by a few inches. This made him the tallest one in the house. He was athletic and sturdily built. His sister was dainty with a slight edge. Ripped up skinny jeans, and fresh make-up made her pop with an interesting appeal. They both seemed generally normal. Inside, I was curious and a little lonely and bored. I welcomed the idea of teenage company and, of course, since we only had one guest bedroom, it only made sense that Phillip and I would now be sharing a room.

“ Well, Jediah, help Phillip get settled into your room. You two can pull up the extra cot from the basement if you want. Me and your mom will get Cheyenne and Ms. Price set up in the guest bedroom.” My father decided.

     Phillip had a backpack on and an athletic bag clutched in his right hand. I grabbed his bag and led him upstairs to my room.

“ So where y’all from? Y’all got accents... like West Indians or some shit.”

 He probed.

“ We do? I thought you all had the accents.”

“ I mean, yeah, but erybody know a Newalins accent when they hear it... but them West Indians and Caribbean’s and Africans... can’t eva tell da difference. Yo shit sound mo American though.”

I let out a tiny smirk.

“ My dads family is from Texas. He was born in Dallas and my mom is from Zambia, but she was raised here in Atlanta. I was born and raised here.”

“ Fasho. Y’all all exotic and shit. We ain’t never been no where but Newalins and Houston... back and forth... and both them gone now.”

“ Yeah. That’s crazy. These storms are messin’ everything up. I can only imagine what those people are going through. Shit seem like it’s gon get worse befo it gets better too.”

Phillip responded with a stale look.

 “ They goin through the same shit we goin through.”

I handed Phillip his bag, and pointed towards the closet.

“ True... well... atleast y’all can chill here now. Welcome to my room. Make yourself at home bro. Here... you can put your bags in the closet. We can get the cot a little later. Got the PS7X there... the new virtual simulation joint... if you into gaming.”

Phillip dropped his bags by the closet and sat down on the floor against the wall.

“ Cool. Nice room brodie. U got the PS7X already? Damn that’s wsup.”

“ Yeah. I pre-ordered when they first gave the option. Just got it right before the storms hit. Don’t no how long it gonna matter though.”

“ I know right. I pre-ordered too but shit I guess I didn’t do it quick enough. Gamers like you was on it.”

     We both laughed. Phillip was right. I truly was a “gamer”. I loved the challenge and mental stimulation a good “battle royale” style game could create. The fantasy I could live in for a moment was empowering. Gaming taught me focus, coordination, tact, and how to critically think in an intense situation. Phillip calling me a “gamer” reminded me of a big brother I never had, even though we were the same age.

“ You give me lil brother vibes.” poked Phillip as he laughed.

“ So is yo fam okay and everything... yo extended family... or they fucked up like us?” He continued.

“ We could only get in touch with my grandparents.”

“ Both sides?”

“ Yeah, but we haven’t heard from any of my cousins or aunts or uncles so... nobody really know shit about what’s goin on for real.”

“ Shit... at least all yo grandparents good. Man our whole city gone. We ain’t seen nobody. Just had to pack up what we could and go man. Seen some crazy shit tryna get up this way too.”

     Phillip put his head down and let out a sigh. I could feel his stress, so I decided to switch subjects.

“ So you play sports bro?” I probed.

Phillip wished that I wouldn’t have reminded him and kept his head down.

“ Did... I did play. Was gonna play... but now that’s just another thing ruined by the fuckin hole in the sky. I swear bro... I hope the Creator of the Universe is comin back bro because it’s like I’m losin my whole purpose.”

“ Cmon... not your whole purpose. What did you think your purpose was?”

“ To play football for a D1 school. To get my family into a mansion. To pay my lil sis way through college.”

“ You tall as fuck for football. Thought you was a hooper.”

 “ Shit... i can hoop too, but naw brodie I’m not too tall for free safety. I’m perfect for that shit. Had three schools lookin at me too. I would say look me up, but the shit don’t matter no mo.”

Phillip put his head down and sighed again. I attempted to change the subject again.

“ Well maybe the universe has a different plan for you now. For you and your mom and sis.”

Phillip lifted his head and replied.

“ Yeah no shit. The damn sky is rippin itself open. I think the universe got a different plan for all us. You included. What about you? You play?”

“ Who me? Yeah I play... play video games. That’s my sport. Naw but foreal ima die hard Falcon’s fan... even though they had a rough season last year.”

“ Rough... Brodie the Falcons were skid marks last year... straight up shit stains… they sucked ass.”

“ Yeah, I know.”

     We both begin to laugh, but we were interrupted by a small clearing of the throat from behind my cracked bedroom door. Then a female voice spoke.

“ What’s funny? I wanna laugh.”

Cheyenne revealed herself from behind the door. This was the first time I was able to observe her entirely close up. She was intriguing. Her style was audacious, but subtly urban and feminine all at the same time. Her hair was dark and curly and voluminous and fell at her shoulders. Her lips were quaint but full and her skin was the color of autumn oak. Phillip replied to her question.

“ Sports and video games. That’s all that’s funny over this way, but you’re welcome to join us lil sis.”

Cheyenne scowled and replied.

 “ Sounds boring. Nice room though.”

 “ Thanks.” I replied.

I realized I was staring.

“ Whole house is nice. Melanated folks living good in Atlanta I see.” rambled Phillip.

“ Fasho they is.” Inserted Cheyenne.

“ You and yo mom settled in the guest bedroom aight?” I inquired.

“ Yeah, yo folks set us up nice... but I didn’t wanna hear no more adult talk about the storms, or floods, or the weather... the heat. It’s just all so much.”

 “ I bet, but wait you say more floods though.” Replied Phillip.

 “ I mean... yea... that’s what his pops said.”

Cheyenne pointed at me in reference to my dad.

“ Something about the heat rising and the polar caps melting.” She continued.

     My eyes got big. I had read this a few days prior. The temperature was at a steady ninety-eight degrees. This immense temperature change at this time of year was causing the northern polar ice cap of the planet to melt. More floods were inevitable. I spoke up about what I knew.

“ Yeah I did get an alert about that on my phone. They basically was saying that if we can’t get the temperature down below eighty-four degrees in less than than thirty days, that they would start preparing evacuations.”

Phillip chimed in.

“ Damn… evacuations... again...”

Cheyenne had started scrolling through her phone, once I mentioned my alerts and added to my explanation.

“ Check this out... news says that they already started expansion preparations on five major hub cities for evacuations and refugees here in the states. Chicago, Philadelphia, Vegas, Dallas, and, of course, Atlanta will all be expanded and further accommodated for double the city’s current population. All smaller towns and cities in between can accommodate to capacity. This is if the polar caps keep melting.”

Phillip looked especially surprised and responded.

 “ Damn man... this is so fucked up. Might as well not even unpack my bags and just get used to this shit. I just wanna play ball and get the chance to do something real.”

“ Atleast you got to see your senior year. My freedom from this teenage prison is bitter sweet.” Replied Cheyenne.

 “ Yeah, but I didn’t officially graduate. After twelve stupid ass years... the finish line just disappeared. That’s bittersweet.”

I decided to join the banter.

“ Shit... I don’t think ima get to graduate either and I had plans too. So trust me when I say this is fucked up for everybody.”

     That night the siblings and I played my virtual simulation game and got to know each other through random conversation. I learned that the sibling’s father had been in prison for the last ten years for a possession of narcotics charge. Their mother was an office clerk for the state.

When the floods hit New Orleans, the siblings described it as “like nothing they had ever seen”. Once the levy broke, the city was almost immediately and completely submerged. They each packed up what they could easily carry and were able to catch a ride out of the city. They were dropped off in Little Rock and, subsequently, caught a hoverbus to Atlanta. They had family in Atlanta, but couldn’t get in touch. The siblings described dead bodies floating pass, as children and elderly ended up stranded on rooftops. There was crying and screaming. It was all permanently emblazoned in their memories.

     After dinner, we lugged the cot upstairs from the basement. Cheyenne fell asleep in it . Phillip fell asleep, horizontally, across the foot of my bed and I eventually fell asleep the same way, but sprawled across the head of the bed.

* EXTREME DISPOSITION*

The next two weeks were eerily and awkwardly mundane. Things in the world were hardly normal, but everyone did their best to pretend like they were or, at least, like they were going to get better. The truth was that it was hotter than ever outside- never descending ninety-six degrees fahrenheit. The nights were usually cooler by a few degrees, but, still, never descended ninety degrees. A notable breeze came faithfully every night due to the new water levels on the planet. This aided a great deal in making the temperature more bearable, but only at night.

     The heat almost immediately changed most people’s daily habits and affected the general health of the public. If your skin tone and texture enabled you to burn from exposure to sunlight then things had become extremely uncomfortable for you.

Anglos were the opposite of melanated ones and were known to have less than fifty percent of the melanin needed to be considered melanated. These skin types were beginning to show adverse reactions to the sun. Sunburn was more intense and painful. Blisters and rashes were becoming common. SPF values had been raised exponentially and were still having little effects on some skin types. Mostly, all Anglos were staying indoors during daylight hours. Businesses had to adjust to accommodate nighttime access.

     The siblings and I continued to build a relationship and, sometimes, would sit on the back porch and bask in the sun’s rays. The daytime rays were beginning to darken in color from a bright yellowish-orange to a vibrant reddish-orange. This gave the daylight hours a new seductive type red haze in the air when the sun was shining at its brightest. It was hotter than we all were used too and heavy sweat was inevitable, but there was also the weird tingly feeling I got from the warmth. It was a different warmth since the sky had opened up- more invigorating. It almost seemed to be reacting with my skin. I felt energized after interacting with the rays. Phillip and Cheyenne seemed to thrive as well.

     Our parents tried to maintain a steady livelihood. Most adults were not working anymore. The only people who worked were select essential workers. Government officials and officers all still worked. The government issued vouchers to purchase all essential items. Our parents would go out twice per week for these items. When they went out, they would usually do so around dusk and only be gone a few hours.

     On the day that Ms.Price went missing, she had been gone for five hours before we all began to worry. She was intent on making a traditional gumbo for the family and went out for ingredients. She should have been back within a couple hours, but hadn’t returned. 

     Understandably, Phillip was the first to notice and react but, by this time, it was already getting dark outside and, lately, the police had been spread so thin and response times were longer than usual. Phillip’s impatience was palpable. He insisted that we not wait and search immediately. Nobody in the house objected. 

     As night approached, the five of us prepared to search the areas around the market where Ms.Price shopped.

The marketplace was lit up with very bright iridescent lighting to accommodate night shopping. Things were busy and moving as if it were the middle of the day. Most Anglos had started shopping at night to avoid direct sun contact. We didn’t see any other melanated ones. My father decided it would be more efficient if the siblings and I split from him and my mother and searched separately.

“ You guys check out the pharmacy and park area and your mother and I will check the grocery stores. Asks the clerks... even people on the street.”

We agreed.