Sam traveled through the frozen masses, jogging along the sidewalk toward the address listed on the card Aaron gave him. For the past three weeks, he had been living with an enormous secret and a myriad of questions. Why was he real, and what did the shells want? Hunting? There were moments in recent days were he thought he had gone crazy and hallucinated the entire experience.
The coordinates led him to the Angel Orensanz Center, which was a repurposed synagogue in the Lower East Side. From his research, it was being used as an art gallery and event space, but today it was the meeting place of the hooded ones. There was a haunting quality to the building with its gothic architecture and age.
He stood across the street with his white coat covering his work clothes, the hood up. He was finally here. Looking at his watch, the journey from his office to the synagogue was fifteen minutes. He would have a little over two hours to get answers from Aaron and perhaps others. He crossed the street and made his way into the building.
Inside, the cavernous sanctuary reminded Sam of when he visited Notre Dame in Paris a few years back, only there were no pews, and the lighting was multi-colored. Purple and blue lights highlighted the ornately sculpted walls and celestial ceiling. It appeared they were setting the space up for an event later in the evening. One or two frozen people were in the middle of arranging tables in the back.
As Sam walked into the sanctuary, he couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling in admiration. His eyes were then drawn to the altar, where the gothic detail was most prominent. Aaron stood in the center of the stage, awaiting Sam. All of the anticipation over the past few weeks led here to this moment.
“You passed the test,” commended Aaron. His voice echoed through the high ceilings of the cathedral.
“What test?” asked Sam, continuing to approach the altar.
“Not everyone we approach can handle the truth. They break down, they tell people, they get caught.”
“And what happens when they get caught?”
“They get assimilated. Erased. Shelled,” replied Aaron, “but before we get into all of that, let’s truly introduce ourselves.”
The door swung open behind Sam, and two others strolled in. The sudden sound startled Sam, but he turned to face them. They flipped back their white hoods, revealing a stunning brunette and a well-groomed businessman type. The woman approached Sam and gave him a hug.
“I’m Alyx,” she said with a warm smile, “it’s great to have you.”
The man approached with an outstretched hand, “Travis.”
“Where are Sophie and Beth?” inquired Aaron.
“I thought they would be here already,” responded Alyx. “Should we start without them?”
“Let’s walk Sam through some of it while we wait. We don’t have much time.” Aaron said.
Travis started, “So you made it. You didn’t tell anyone? Didn’t breakdown and get institutionalized? Not many do.”
“Well, it wasn’t easy. Three weeks with this on my mind and no answers,” Sam paused. “Did you all start this way?”
“Yeah,” answered Alyx, “it has been this way for as long as we know. The first step in initiation.”
“I can’t wait to see the next step,” joked Sam.
Alyx smiled.
“I’m glad we can have some lighthearted moments, but it is time to get serious,” stressed Aaron. He stepped off the stage and made his way toward Sam. “There is a ghost that has been chasing us through time. Every generation is a step forward in a staircase, but with every step, it closes in on us. Thousands of years ago, we outweighed the shells. There were more of us then there were of them. When our ancestors first discovered what it was, what it did, how it did it, they created hierarchies of secrets. No one could be trusted. We didn’t know how many there were. Who they were. But somewhere in our past, they appeared. Once they did, they quickly began to consume and multiply. You think that humanity’s population exploded in the last thousand years because of technology? Colonization? Agriculture? Not entirely. The shells have a need to expand, to find who is real, to catch us all,” he motioned to the three of them with both of his hands outstretched.
Sam stood in silence, digesting the deluge.
Aaron continued, “Modern technology was not an invention made by real people. It was created by the shells to widen the net. The internet, aptly named, caught so many of us. We’ve dwindled down, being picked off day-by-day. Now that we are moving into a digital future with all of the interconnectedness and data,” he paused, ”and AI, we have to be smarter, more cunning, and forceful.”
Sam took it in. If it weren’t for the scores of frozen people on the streets, he would have written these comments off as grand conspiracies from a lunatic. Yet, here he was intently listening to wild words and new realities. The world was not what it seemed. And he was just at the beginning of understanding it.
“Even though this is — unbelievable, it’s a relief to hear something. I have so many more questions. I don’t know where to start.”
Alyx put her hand on his shoulder and spoke tenderly, “We have to start slow. Giving you everything at once could break you. We can’t let that happen. There are too few of us. Just know that we aren’t keeping things from you in a malevolent way. It’s just… a lot.”
Sam nodded, “I get it. Can we at least start with what they are?”
Aaron began again, “It isn’t what they are — more like what it is. These aren’t individuals. They are all one, mimicking the behaviors and actions of those that have been consumed. It pulls upon a vast script of everyone real who ever lived, retooled, retold. History repeats itself for a reason. It adapts to an evolving world, but the core is old. Very old. It repeats. As to where it came from, that is something hidden in myths and legends.”
“Yeah,” nodded Sam, “I think I figured that out. I spent a lot of time looking into fiction for answers.”
“Yes. That’s a start.”
“I can’t tell who writes the truth and who is just a shell,” replied Sam.
“I can help with that before you go,” Alyx butted in. “I’ll give you a few places to start. After a while, it’ll come naturally. Becomes almost instinct.”
The door to the sanctuary burst open and two white coats ran through. Sam turned as they threw back their hoods. Both were women — Sophie and Beth. Sophie was dark-skinned, mixed, and Beth was of Asian descent. They were panting with a fearful look in their eyes.
“What is it?!” asked Aaron.
“Some of the shells started moving,” one said. “They’re searching during the freeze! We have to go! Now!”
