Lightless Part 1

WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO BURN,
YOU MUST CREATE. W CORPS 2060.

Janey bristled. Something about the big orange sign struck a wrong chord with her, though she could not place what was so disconcerting. She took an unsteady breath and tried to shake away her nerves.

The black glass facades of the skyscrapers functioned as huge, spotless mirrors in which Janey could view the whole city. A labyrinth of streets seemed to bend upright in the reflective windows. Janey wondered if she were to walk straight at one of the buildings, she would simply continue on up the wall and into the sky. The dark blue expanse above mesmerized her. She even thought she saw the wink of a star, though she quickly realized it was only a patrol airship speeding along.

Janey took her eyes from the sky and stopped walking so abruptly that she nearly fell down. Tens- maybe even hundreds- of the orange signs had materialized all around her. Had there been this many posters during her whole walk? Pasted on postal receptacles and waste incinerators, hung above sub-transit entryways and the thresholds of business complexes, huge black letters admonished her to stop burning and start creating for the Corps. Suddenly the cool morning air chilled her to the bone. Janey wrapped her trench coat tightly around her waist but its polyester material did little to ward off the freezing weather.

A red flash in the periphery of her vision made her turn, but the streets were as empty as ever as she surveyed her surroundings. She glimpsed at the street signs, which were partly obscured by more W Corps posters. She was on 3rd Street, and the office was on 7th. Perhaps she should turn around and head back to her apartment. The finance department could function just fine without her today, the work was so menial, and besides, she had been feeling a bit sick lately. Yes, she should go home.

But the huge neon posters seemed to stare at her from every angle. “Don’t burn away the day, Janey,” the words said, “create something for the Corps, do your duty as its citizen.” The message bore into her soul and she twitched involuntarily. She headed in the direction of the office.

On 6th Street her nervous pout melted into a smile. Waiting on the corner with two coffees in hand stood a short, very pregnant woman: Maria. Janey quickened her pace towards her.

“Here you are, chica,” said Maria, handing her a thermos. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Honestly, I have no clue,” replied Janey, “but I’m glad you’re here. I’m just off balance today, I guess.”

Maria rubbed her belly, letting out a low laugh. “You strap fifty pounds of extra weight onto your stomach and then you can talk to me about being off balance.”

“I think I’d rather just be quiet, then.”

“Bueno, mi bebé.”

The two woman walked in silence. In the distance, Janey thought she heard sirens blaring, but the noise was so faint she couldn’t be sure. The orange signs still appeared from every angle, but with Maria by her side and a hot coffee in her hand, Janey felt nothing but warm.