Nefarious Yellow Light, Walking up Walls, and Other Such Happenings

On the fourth day of the fifth week of the eighty-second year, a youth walked up the wall of The Factory.

Was it a boy or a girl? Neither. It was a worker –-- number 2685. Presumed to be about thirteen years old, but nobody could say for certain. Sometimes the others called them “Charlie.”

#

Bright, bright, bright. How could a little beam like that be so blinding? And why was it yellow? Was light not supposed to be white?

Whatever it was, every worker of The Great Assembly Line stopped what they were doing just to stare at it. Even the conveyor belt stood still; Old Pete was too busy gawking to pull the crank and keep it running. Nobody moved. Maybe nobody even breathed. Certainly nobody worked.

Gazing, like everyone else, at the yellow beam, Charlie tried to grasp Jude’s hand without looking. They missed and then missed again.

“Jude.”

No response. This was enough for Charlie to peel their eyes away from the light and look around. Everything else seemed so dark in comparison, especially the gap in between Charlie and Billie, where Jude should have been.

Charlie stifled a cry as a great awfulness gripped their bowels. Jude, gone! And this light –-- this damn yellow light! What did it mean? What was happening? Charlie whipped their head around, frantically searching for Jude. But there was only The Great Assembly Line, the walls, and...and the beam of yellow. Coming from the wall.

This made no sense. The walls protected them from the darkness, they didn’t make light. And yet, there it was. It shone down on the conveyor belt, so bright and so yellow. From the wall. And Jude wasn’t there. Oh God!

Charlie almost didn’t hear the loudspeaker when it came on. The words were simple and plain, and perhaps in different circumstances this return to normality would have consoled Charlie.

“ALL WORKERS TO FACTORY NORTH.”

It took a few moments for everyone to obey.

#

Charlie had never seen these types of workers before, if they even were workers. But what else could they be? You were either a worker or a Superior. And nothing in the white suits covering every inch of their bodies or skull-like masks seemed Superior.

Who were they? Another question that remained unanswered. Charlie squeezed their eyes shut. Where was Jude?

Charlie and the others watched, pressed up against the North Wall, as the workers in white continued to file into The Factory, waving around beeping contraptions and talking in mutters to one another. One of them with particularly large boots nodded and then promptly began to walk up the wall.

Astonishing! Charlie had never thought to try and walk on the wall before; and why would they? The Great Assembly Line (in other words, all that Charlie could ever possibly want or need) was on the ground. And near the walls were...the Corners.

But really, now that Charlie thought about it, walking up the walls made perfect sense.

The worker with large boots carried a tarp up with them and quickly covered the beam of light. One moment it was there, shining down on the Assembly Line, and the next it was gone. It should have made Charlie happy.

The loudspeaker came on again.

“ALL WORKERS RESUME REGULAR OPERATIONS.

EMPLOYEE NUMBER 2685, REPORT TO SUPERIORS.”

Employee number...oh God.

#

Charlie had only been in the presence of The Superiors once, exactly two days, seven weeks, and three years prior. They had been especially productive and, by the immense grace and generosity of The Superiors, were permitted to partake in a meal.

Charlie still dreamed about the way eating felt. But that was two days, seven weeks, and three years ago. Anyways it was very unproductive to dwell, and silly fantasies would not be able to help Charlie now. They consoled themself with the knowledge that the Superiors would, surely, know what was going on.

They in fact did not.

To the credit of the Superiors, the room they directed Charlie to was very well lit. The lamps did not falter in gracing Charlie and the small desk they were seated at with the safety of sight, and --- the room was small enough for this --- there were no shadowy Corners. In fact there were no shadows at all.

The comfort of this was, however, dispelled, when the voice of a Superior came through the speaker in the desk and asked:

“Employee 2685. You are close to employee 2686?”

Jude. Charlie nodded slowly.

“Do you know their whereabouts?”

So, even the Superiors had no idea where Jude was! The awfulness gripped Charlie again. If even the supreme beings that were The Superiors could not find Jude, then ---

“Employee 2685, respond.”

“I–--no. I don’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“...Yes.” Charlie hung their head. Shameful.

“Did they speak of anything recently that seemed abnormal? Out-of-the-blue? In any sense unproductive?”

Charlie frowned. Jude was always saying silly things. They constantly insisted on the existence of a four-legged creature that liked to run around and had hard, round feet with no fingers. A “herse” or a “hose” or something like that. How ridiculous! A creature with four legs and no fingers? How would it get any work done at all? But that was just Jude. Charlie should have told Jude to quit that kind of talk, but somehow listening to them was almost more fun than working. Almost.

Charlie sniffed. “No.”

There was a period of silence. Eventually The Superior spoke again.

“Employee 2685, you were close to the beam of nefarious light which has since been contained. How did that make you feel?”

Charlie started. This made such little sense, it prompted them to make a show of their own shameful ignorance. “Nefarious? But --- is light not good? It protects us from the shadows.”

“You are correct, employee 2685. The true light provided by The Company is good. But that beam was not true light. It was bad and yellow. Yes, it was bright, but in its brightness it cast many shadows. This is evidence of its badness.”

Charlie nodded. Yes, this made sense. The factory did seem darker when the beam of light was there. And it did cast many shadows. Shadows lurked in the Corners. And the Corners made people disappear. Certainly this was bad. What if...

“Employee 2685, respond.”

“I understand now. Thank you. Well, the bad light made me feel –-- bad. Yes, very bad.”

“Good. Thank you, employee 2685. You may go now.”

“I –-- well, alright, thank you. Uhm, do you mind if I ask, will the yellow light ever come back?”

There was no response.

#

Really, everything was fine. Absolutely fine. Charlie knew now about the yellow light, and maybe even where Jude was. Would it matter that Charlie had not gone back to their designated post at The Great Assembly Line after they had rescued Jude from the nefarious yellow light and its accomplice, the shadows? No. Charlie would be a hero.

Besides, the voice had only said “you may go.” It never specified where.

Charlie had figured it all out. Certainly, Jude must have been swallowed up by the shadows. It made perfect sense. Only when the bad light came and the shadows increased did Charlie notice Jude was gone. And it was common knowledge that shadows made people disappear. So, all Charlie had to do was find where they might have disappeared to. Easy enough. Maybe.

The halls were long and bright. The light was very good and white. All was well so far. Nothing out of the ordinary. All was in proper –--

Charlie gasped. Charlie stopped. Charlie stared at the door that was ajar in the wall next to them. They could just see the room inside, a room full of ...

Shadows. Oh God. The shadows were spilling into The Factory! Perhaps this was how the nefarious light was able to make its momentary escape.

Charlie looked around, looked back, and licked their lips. This was uncharted territory. Perhaps they shouldn’t go any further. Perhaps they should keep looking for something else.

Then Charlie asked themself where and for what, and there was no answer. Really, there was no plan.

So. What else was there? Nothing. This was it. This was how Charlie would find Jude. The only way.

All Charlie would let themselves think of was Jude as they plunged into the room of shadows.

#

What! The Factory!

This was Charlie’s first thought upon emerging from the shadow. Well, actually, it was more like –-- Air! Air! (Charlie concluded it would not do well to breathe a shadow in, and so had held their breath when they jumped in.) But, yes, this was their second thought; for in front of them was the sprawling Factory floor, and in the middle of it all, The Great Assembly Line. They could even see their station from where they were, and Jude’s, both empty. But –-- where were they? Charlie looked around and found they were in the northwestern Corner of The Factory. But this made no sense! Charlie had been walking the halls in the opposite direction of The Factory floor. And how could the shadows lead to Jude, if the shadows led to The Factory, but Jude was not on the Factory floor...?

Charlie stopped contemplating in time to see Old Pete glancing around. They sunk back into the shadow; it would not do to be caught. Charlie stumbled and after a brief period of black nothingness found themselves once more in the room by the hallway.

Aha! So the shadows were a gateway, of sorts. How did they manage to transcend space? Well, did it matter? No; the only important fact was that they could transport someone elsewhere, to a place with other shadows. In a way it made sense.

Charlie laughed. Ha! So they had conquered the mighty shadows! No longer could they loom over the dedicated worker, threatening them with their hidden power.

“I know where you take people,” Charlie said grinning, hoping the shadows could hear. But...then where was everyone who had disappeared? Where was Jude?

Charlie stumbled around, running their hands along the walls, and quickly felt the cool metal of a doorknob. Another secret conquered! Charlie, puffing out their chest, did not hesitate to turn the knob and throw the door open.

Immediately it was evident this was a very bad decision.

All of them were dead. They were lying there on the floor, very dead; Old Mindy (missing for two weeks and three days), George (missing for five weeks and six days), and Ursula (missing for one week and four days). Charlie could barely stifle a scream. The eyes of the corpses (if they still had any) were glassy and their mouths were agape. The room smelled faintly of chemicals and strongly of rot.

This was not part of the plan.

Charlie stood there. It was all they could do. That and not scream.

They failed, even at this, when they felt a hand touch their shoulder from behind.

#

Charlie wasn’t sure when they started crying; they only realised they were when they pulled their face away from Jude’s shoulder and a trail of snot followed.

“Jude! Jude!”

“Hey, kid.” Jude always called everyone kid, even though they were probably only seventeen. Usually it was followed by a smirk and some story about a thing called grass or trees or free will. But now their voice was low. Mournful. “How did you get here?”

“Juuudde!” Charlie howled. “Jude, there was this light! But it was yellow and nefarious, and you weren’t there --- and I was looking for you and I found this place, and there were shadows and, oh my God! Ursula and George and --- and Old Mindy!”

“I know. I know, kid.” Jude rubbed Charlie’s back. For a while they stood there like that, Jude rubbing and Charlie crying. Eventually the sobs died down into sniffles and Charlie composed themself.

“Jude, what -- what’s going on?”

Jude sighed.

“I didn't want you to find out like this. I wanted to break everyone out first, and then I would tell you...”

“What? Tell me what? Break out of where?”

“Of here. The Factory.”

Charlie blinked. Was this another story?

“But...there’s only shadows outside The Factory. That’s why The Superiors built it, to protect us. And what would we do if we couldn’t work?”

Jude shook their head and smiled sadly. “Kid, if only you knew. Look --- you’re just going to have to trust me, okay?”

Charlie furrowed their brows. What in the world was happening? Nothing made sense, nothing at all. Their head pounded, and they could taste the rotten smell of Old Mindy and George and Ursula.

Old Mindy used to tell the best jokes. Charlie loved listening to her husky laugh...

“Jude?”

“Hm?”

“What happened to...them?” But Charlie already knew the answer before Jude opened their mouth.

“The Company happened.”

Charlie squeezed their eyes shut so more tears couldn’t escape. “Why?”

“They were getting old. They weren’t...productive enough anymore.”

Charlie didn’t say any more. They couldn’t.

Jude sighed again.

“I’m sorry, kid. But not everything The Company says is true. Actually, most of it isn’t. Like, that yellow light? It isn’t nefarious.”

“What? It’s not?”

“Nope.”

Charlie opened their mouth to ask more questions, but was cut off by the thudding of approaching boots. Jude’s eyes widened.

“Charlie, do you trust me?”

Charlie inhaled another whiff of the bodies. They nodded.

“Great. Okay, look. I need you to do something for me. You remember where that beam of light came from, in the wall? I need you to go there and make an even bigger hole. Go crazy. Got it?”

Charlie stared. The boots got louder.

“I...but...”

“Charlie! Please, you have to believe me. I know it’s scary but it’s for the best.”

“But –-- how would I even do that?”

Jude pursed their lips. “Well --- I hadn’t figured that all out yet. But I know you can.”

The boots were outside the room.

“Go, go Charlie! I believe in you!”

Before Charlie could say anything else Jude shoved them into the shadow. The last thing they saw before the blackness was a horde of workers in white suits and skull-masks swarming into the room and forcing Jude to their knees.

#

If you were to ask Charlie what their first thought had been upon falling back into the Factory, they would likely omit that they had genuinely considered asking the yellow light to break through the wall itself.

Perhaps it was listening! One never knows such things. In any case it didn’t work.

Charlie clutched their head, searching for another plan in their mind amidst the images of Old Mindy, George, and Ursula. And Jude, forced onto the ground, right next to where the bodies were...

Jude needed help. Come on, Charlie! Think! But all they could see when they tried was Jude and the workers in white suits.

The workers in white suits...

One of them had walked up the wall earlier that very same day. Of course!

“Billie!” Charlie shouted across the Factory floor. Billie looked up in bewilderment from their station at the Great Assembly Line. “Billie, throw me our glue! Trust me, it’s important!”

Billie blinked. “Charlie?”

“Please! It’s for Jude!”

Billie looked away and down at the glue. They didn’t look back before they threw a canister over to Charlie.

“If it’s for Jude.”

#

Really, walking up the wall was easy. It was just like walking on the ground, but vertical. Ripping away the tarp was also easy. By the time the workers in white --- and Jude following with hands tied behind their back –-- had made it to the factory, the yellow beam was already shining down again.

“Employee 2685, cease this instant or there will be serious consequences.”

The youth looked down at the worker and then Jude. They locked eyes and smiled.

“My name is Charlie!” And then they punched the wall.

More, and then more light began to spill out; Charlie could hear something like cracking, voices clamouring, and the light shining --- bright, bright, bright!

#

“Is that...a hose?” Charlie kept their voice to a whisper, even though the hose, and all of the other people gawking at the workers, were on the other side of heaps of rubble. It had taken a while for Charlie to even be able to see in the bright, warm, yellow light. The air was surprisingly cool and sweet, and there was a startling amount of green everywhere. Jude said those were “trees”.

“A horse. Yeah.” Jude nodded and smiled. After the factory had exploded (or somehow otherwise fallen apart) Charlie had cut the rope around Jude’s wrists. The two stared at the hose --- the horse --- and felt the warm light on their backs.

“I knew you could do it, kid,” Jude whispered. “I’m so proud of you.”

Charlie found Jude’s hand without looking. They just smiled at each other for a while. They were only brought back to themselves as more and more people and horses clamoured around them.

“Uhm, Jude?”

“Yeah?”

“What do we do now?”

“I have no idea.”

Charlie exhaled slowly. “That’s okay. We can find out.”

Jude laughed. “Yes. Yes, we can.”