The Dark Constellation

Allan and Brenda continued talking until around 3:00 a.m., when both of them were very tired and ready to sleep.

If it hadn't been for their conversation, Allan probably wouldn't have felt comfortable sleeping in that place. But his mind wasn't focused anymore on the fact that he was dozens of meters above the ground.

Instead, it was on the fact that Brenda was planning to volunteer at dawn to be one of the first to enter the abandoned citadel. To be honest, Allan couldn't fully understand such a desire.

Even after she explained it to him, it still didn't make much sense to Allan.

Nevertheless, he respected her wish.

"Everyone holds onto what they can to survive." If that was what motivated her during the toughest moments, who was he to judge her?

Now, they were in a zone called the Ruins. Cities of the past that couldn't withstand the wrath of the gods, perishing due to plagues sent by them, leaving only the ruins of what they once were.

The sanctuary citadels were humanity's answer to protecting themselves from the plagues and providing a safe place to live.

The large walls protected against attacks from outsiders, and the worship of the ancient gods ensured that the plagues wouldn't invade, making the sanctuary citadels the only completely safe places on the planet.

But the citadel they were heading to was different. It wasn't protected by the gods; quite the opposite, they said it had been cursed by one of them!

Some said that the curse was cast by the God of Death, and all the former inhabitants had turned into reapers!

Others claimed the catastrophe was the work of the God of Wisdom, and that predators were now wandering within the walls, just waiting for their next victim!

Whatever it was, everyone thought the cursed citadel was a place no one should enter!

And wanting to pass through its gates was like committing suicide. "Because of this, the Leader will most likely have to hold a sort of lottery to determine who enters, since probably no one else but Brenda would want to go into such a place... Now that I've turned 17, I too might be drawn for the expedition."

Most people knew that the citadel was dangerous, but life outside the protection of a citadel's walls was also perilous, which made entering such a place a potential escape for them.

"Who knows? Maybe the citadel just suffered some kind of pandemic? Maybe the virus isn't there anymore..."

Allan tried to lie to himself, searching for a way to reassure himself about the imminent danger they were in.

If they entered: They were screwed.

If they didn't: They were also screwed.

Either way, there wasn't a good choice, since even though the group had been lucky so far and hadn't encountered any plagues, they didn't know how long that would last.

"Or maybe instead of luck, we've just had bad luck? What if we haven't encountered any plagues because all the ones around the ruins fled in fear?" This thought crossed Allan's mind, and he quickly tried to dismiss it.

If he were right... the plagues had fled from something.

And he hoped it wasn't because of the curse within the citadel.

Even with these dark thoughts invading his mind, Allan eventually fell asleep.

He just hoped he wouldn't be one of the ones chosen for the expedition the next day...

Sunlight was shining through the tent, passing through some holes in the fabric and hitting Allan's face directly.

Allan's face contorted slightly from the sunlight, as if he was about to wake up at any moment. But contrary to what one might expect from someone very alert from sleep, he just kept sleeping.

In fact, he found the warmth he was feeling quite pleasant, causing him to stay asleep even though his mind was alert.

"SHI... SHI..."

The sound of static came through the radio, indicating someone was about to speak on the main channel.

Just the noise alone made Allan's eyes open.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, today we'll be conducting a special expedition to one of the citadels."

The same voice from yesterday came through the radio again.

Allan knew who the voice belonged to. Steph, a tall and strong man known as The Leader. As the nickname suggested, he was the leader of the group. So far, they had all survived because of him, who had made the right decisions at the right times. This was the only reason the group had agreed to go to that citadel – their trust in Steph.

"I know many of you have doubts about this citadel, and believe me, I have them too. Unfortunately, our resources are at a critically low point. We have no choice but to make this expedition, or else no one would risk their life today."

"No matter how I try to describe it, at the end of the day, that's exactly what we're doing by entering the citadel: putting our lives at risk. I don't think it would be fair to any of you if I tried to explain this expedition any other way."

"Because of that, I will allow those who want to volunteer to do so. In total, our team already has 5 people and one brave volunteer, but we need 3 more..."

Steph paused, and everyone understood what he meant.

If no one else volunteered, he would have to conduct a lottery to decide who would go.

All women and men of appropriate age would be included in the draw...

"I'll give another 30 minutes before I call the names."

Once again, the radio went silent, and Steph wouldn't speak again until the 30 minutes had passed.

Allan stayed in the tent, for some reason having the same bad feeling as the previous night.

A cold sensation began in his stomach, spreading through his whole body.

He looked at his arm and saw that his hair was standing on end.

"This is not a good sign..."

Time passed slowly, and every second seemed to make Allan's unease grow stronger.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the 30 minutes had passed, and the voice came back through the radio.

"SHI... SHI..."

"Unfortunately, we only had one more volunteer, making a total of 6 out of the 8 people needed for this expedition. Well, you know how we do things, I'll have to draw 2 more names... So, if you hear your name, please report to my caravan."

"The lottery will be the same as always. I'll put everyone's names in a large bag and draw the lucky winners!"

He tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible, but it was clear that it was all an act.

And for some reason, the cold that Allan was feeling reached its peak at the worst possible moment. It was as if he had just stepped into a freezing cold bath, so cold that he was shaking.

"Alright, the first name is..."

Occasionally, Allan could still hear some people outside the tent, but suddenly everything went silent.

It was as if everyone there was holding their breath, waiting to hear who the 'lucky ones' were.

"Richard Wallison."

It was almost possible to hear sighs of relief from those who weren't holding their breath outside Allan's tent when the name came through the radio.

Unlike the others, Allan just listened carefully to everything, but his back was soaked with sweat, despite feeling an increasing cold.

"What's happening to me!?" Allan couldn't answer his own question.

But more and more, he felt the coldness creeping over him.

"For the second name, we have..."

That's when Steph spoke into the radio again.

And this time, Allan felt like he had reached the end of a frozen lake, where it couldn't get any colder.

"Allan Andromeda."

"Huh?" Hearing his name on the radio, Allan couldn't believe he was one of the two 'lucky' ones.

But at the same time, the cold sensation he was feeling quickly vanished.

Knowing he couldn't contest the call, Allan just accepted his fate and grabbed his vest and rifle from inside the tent.

Stepping out of the tent, he saw Lucas a few meters away.

"Well, lucky you. Looks like the gods really prepared a birthday present for you after all," Lucas remarked with a small mocking smile.

"Shut up." Allan didn't want to argue right now, especially with someone who seemed to have disliked him from the very first moment they met.

He slowly walked toward the wagons, where the first one was leading the others. There, he would find Steph and the other people who had been chosen.

As he walked, he received looks from everyone around.

After nearly 5 minutes of walking, Allan saw the first wagon.

To be honest, the first wagon was exactly like the others, with no special accessories, but the group of 9 people standing beside it made it clear this was the first wagon.

Allan recognized two of them.

Brenda and Steph.

Especially Steph, who was nearly 2 meters tall and weighed over 100 kg. He was so tall that Allan had been seeing him for some time now, but he wasn't going to lie – he felt a certain relief knowing that a guy who looked like a mountain was going with them.

"Hello, Allan," Brenda greeted her friend, though it was obvious she hadn't expected to see him there.

"How lucky I am to be chosen for this!" Allan couldn't help but joke a little when he saw Brenda's look.

"STEPH, haven't you realized this is a mistake? What are you thinking, bringing two kids with you?" A middle-aged woman, slightly overweight, started arguing with Steph.

In fact, Allan could tell they had been arguing for some time. "It's almost written on Steph's face that he's fed up with Margreth!"

"My god, Margreth! Neither of them are kids anymore. Besides, Brenda volunteered to go alone, and Allan's case is even further out of my hands! He was literally chosen by a lottery!" Steph was starting to raise his voice, something he tried to avoid at all costs.

"NOT KIDS ANYMORE?" After nearly shouting, Margreth turned to Allan and then back at Steph. "You're right, Allan is celebrating his birthday today. How could I forget that the great ADULT Allan, only 17 years old, is incredibly prepared for this kind of expedition!"

"What do you want me to do? Go against the rules!? He was chosen, Margreth. You even helped me make those damn rules!! I'm not to blame if no one else volunteered!" Steph was about to lose his patience, but deep down, he knew Margreth wasn't wrong.

"Maybe the fact that this is the first time we don't have enough people for an expedition should sound an alarm in your head, Steph. I've been telling you for months, going in there is not a good idea!" That's when Margreth pointed to a rusty gate just a few meters from the group.

Allan couldn't help but look at the gate, which had various constellations carved into its massive steel walls.

"You know we have no choice." This time, Steph's voice was much quieter than before, showing that, to some extent, he agreed with Margreth,But he knew better than anyone that the group needed resources as quickly as possible...

"There's nowhere else to go. All the ruins are practically emptied of any kind of resource. Inside that citadel... there are resources for months! No, maybe even years! We have to get in, no matter what." A citadel is a city practically self-sustaining, combining the blessings of the Gods with the technological knowledge of mankind, creating incredible things.

Unfortunately, such technology was kept inside the sanctuary citadels, meaning that only those who die within one of the citadels have the chance to benefit from it.

"I know we're betting high... but if we manage to conquer this citadel... we'll be able to survive."

"You know what awaits us next winter." Steph spoke quietly, trying not to let anyone else hear, but Allan and the other group members could hear him perfectly.

The surprise on Allan, Richard, and Brenda's faces was clear.

Unconsciously, Brenda and Allan locked eyes for a few seconds, their minds almost synchronized.

'Conquer!?'