I have not written fictional horror since I was in high school. However, the three weeks without sun in December and other world events sent my imagination into motion. I am an avid reader of queer, dystopian horror. It helps me visualize and process the fear I feel in my body. It should go without saying, there is no pressure to read this. It is very different than much of the other writing I share on this platform. However, if you are curious and find yourself reading until the end, I welcome your thoughts.
Here is my first dystopian horror story: Sunshine Flesh
Sunshine Flesh
Jessi Joan
Note: This is a work of fiction inspired by current world events and my vivid imagination. It is not based on scientific facts of how vitamin D works in relation to the human body, or at all.
“ *** ” represents a chunk of passing time in the story line.
Year: 2031
Total days without sun: 2368
The line up goes around the corner today. I’m going to be late for work, but I can tell my body needs it. I feel drained more than usual and I feel heavy.
It wasn’t always this way. Within my lifetime I remember snow. I remember budding trees. I remember seasons. Now, everything is different. The government knew this would happen but chose to ignore it. Once again, it’s the people on the bottom who suffer.
You can pay for extra minutes but I’m low on cash. It’s rent day. I’ll have to stick to the 2 minutes allotted and covered by the Provincial health care plan.
An hour later, it’s my turn. I step into the box of mirrors - a D Box. The government staff running the controls, turn the exposure switch on. Light surrounds me. You have to close your eyes because it’s so strong. But I can feel it on my skin. This is what it used to be like before the constant fog.
This is what sun used to feel like.
I am late for my shift but feel rejuvenated. I can feel the effects of the artificial vitamin D flowing through my body providing me with energy my antidepressants cant anymore.
“You’re late”, my co-worker tells me as I walk in.
“I know. I’m sorry, but I needed a D Dose. My body was feeling really low. It was hard to walk and my muscles were achy”.
“I get that, I felt that way over the weekend. I could only get the minimum time though, rent was due”.
“Tell me about it. I didn’t have extra funds either. I wonder if they will ever increase the minimum. I feel like humans need way more than two minutes of artificial sun. We use to have full days of it”.
“Ah, sweet memories”.
I put my uniform on. A mask, coveralls and protective eye wear. I begin to grab the fertilizer from the bin, ensuring my hands are covered by the thick, stiff protective gloves. One touch of that shit and it will burn like hell, covering any skin exposed in blisters. We use is because it is effective at making the food grow quicker indoors. Food is solely grown in factories now. In part, because the air is so thick that nothing can grow. Clouds of mist lay low to the ground and suffocate anything that attempts to pop out of the ground. Its always wet and always cold. The earth has communicated that we have killed all that it has been for us humans. It had communicated to us that this was coming, but no-one in actual power listened.
I spray the vegetables with the fertilizer. I hate the work, but it is one of the few jobs that pays enough to live. Working for “the man”, is what many of us are limited to if we want to have any chance at surviving. It is a snake eating its own tail.
I walk home after my ten hour shift. I live on the outskirts of the town, but close enough to it that walking is possible. Despite the 45-minute trip, it saves bus fair. Every little bit counts. I notice someone walking towards me. They are stumbling side to side but still on their feet. As they come close enough that I can see their face. I notice gaping holes oozing with crusted yellow puss near their mouth. Their eyes are jaundice and their hair falls across their face in thin clumps. I drop my eyes to the sidewalk and continue to walk.
D Disease is something that is becoming more and more common to see in other humans. Essentially, the lack of sun leads to the body eating itself as it tries to create a solution for the lack of vitamin D. Eventually the body decomposes on the outside, leading to major infection and ultimately a painful death. Often times, people will off themselves before it gets to that point.
Why not just use the D Boxes? Well, when the government implemented the D Box program, it began in affluent areas. The rich people were provided for first. They also got more time in the D Boxes. If individuals met a certain criteria of making over 100 grand, held a societal position of authority and utilized their status to support government initiatives, they were rewarded with 10 minutes a day in the D Box. The rest of us, got two.
There were stipulations to getting your two minutes. You needed to have government registered ID and a permanent address. Many folks on the streets, predominantly people of colour and queer folks did not meet this criteria. In addition, the D Boxes were only open to the public and run from the hours of 7AM to 7PM. Anyone who worked factory or other blue collar work, had a challenging time getting their D Dose within these time frames. You also were not allowed to have your doses accumulate. If you missed your two minutes of D Dose, you were shit outta luck. This meant that some folks, only got their doses of artificial light on the weekends or the odd day off work.
The major issue with D Disease is that the sores begin to develop only after the body has hit a level of physical exhaustion that it goes into self consuming mode. Once the sores start to develop, extremely high levels of D Dose are needed - a minimum of 45 minutes every day for 4 weeks. Some speculate that it is the governments way of ridding society of the humans that are seen as “less than” by the current powers at be.
Our current government leader has created an environment in which fascism has been reignited. The economy had completely crashed after a three year long pandemic of a airborne illness which killed hundreds of thousands of humans. Rather than reassess the financial model which led to the massive recession, the government involved themselves in wars across the globe to boost the manufacturing and selling of weapons.
***
I arrive home. The house is dark with just a candle lighting the corner of the living room near the bookshelf. My girlfriend, Triss, lays like a small cat with a book. I don’t advertise that she is my girlfriend though. With the increase in fascism, what followed was a drastic increase in hate crimes towards anyone considered an “Other”. Queers were a part of that.
I walked up to Triss and placed my hand gently on her head. She looks up with me with tears in her eyes.
“Whats wrong babe?” I ask with concern.
“Didn’t you hear?”
“I’ve been at work all day, Love. Hear what?”
“They are discontinuing the running of D Dose Boxes in all Zones other than the White Zone. They are saying the funds are needed to defend the annexing of Alatruz”
80% of us, do not live in the White Zone.
“But, what about us? We need the artificial light to survive”
“The government put out a list of possible sources of the D vitamin - orange juice, green vegetables, special lightbulbs sold through government agencies”
“But, we don’t have access to those things…”
“I know” She looks into my eyes, water welling in them once more. “We are going to die, Fran. They don’t care about us”.
***
The increase in D Disease has grown exponentially. The smell of death lingers in the ongoing fog like a new killer of humans on this planet. People walk past each other with sores on their mouths, yellow staining their eyes. People of colour and queers are dying, bringing past memories of the AIDS pandemic into the present.
A group of rebels began to recruit folks most impacted by the D Disease. The people who were left behind. The people dying. We were approached and offered a purpose. If we were going to die anyways, we could do so with rebellion in our veins.
I was introduced to the rebel groups, Unnamed, by someone on the street asking for change.
“Anything to spare?” They asked, a croak in their voice.
“I’m so sorry, I have nothing on me. I do have some room on my food card and can go purchase you some smokes and a sandwich?”
“I appreciate you seeing me. I appreciate you treating me as a human. Here. Take this”. They handed me a piece of paper with a QR code. I thanked them and continued on my way. I turned down an alley way and scanned the code with my phone. It took me to a webpage with the words, “We Are Not Powerless. We Will Not Die In Silence".
An address was listed below the statement, along with a date and time.
What did I have to lose? Sores began to form on the palms of my hands. To an untrained eye, they looked like psoriasis, only if you look closely there is a twinge of yellow ready to erupt under the bright red irritation. I had a couple of months, maybe, before the D Disease advanced to facial and mouth sores. I was going to die. Triss, was going to die. Humans need vitamin D and our source of it had been robbed. They did not care. It was evident in the neutral watching of thousands being slaughtered in the Alatruz war. Displaced humans viewed as less than. They didn’t care about them, they don’t care about us. All we have, is Others like us. Others who have been disposed of.
***
Through the fog and after a connection of bus routes, I find the address. Triss had joined me as she didn’t want me going alone. I can’t blame her. The act of being given a QR code by a random human and going to an undefined address, is kind of sketchy. In my thoughts though, so was letting a huge portion of humans die due to lack of an essential vitamin. A human dressed in black, with a bandana covering the bottom half of their face stood at what I assumed to be the entrance of where we were to be going next.
“Welcome”, they say.
They guide us through a door in the brick building which leads to a hallway of more doors. After walking for about a minute, they knock on one of the doors. “Someone will be with you soon. Thank you for coming and supporting the cause”. With that, they return the way we came.
“Ok, seriously Fran, what the fuck are we doing here? We are going to be murdered”.
“Aren’t we already?”
She rolls her eyes and holds my hand. I shake it loose. “Not yet - We don’t know if these folks are safe like that”.
A woman opens the door. She is covered in tattoos with her hair split into two braids. Her skin is a caramel colour and she has green eyes. She wears dark blue jeans and a dark green jacket.
“Hey - Thanks for coming. You are welcome here”.
She hand signals for us to walk into the room. Once inside, we realize we are with about a hundred other folks. Some of them have bandages over their wounds, the smell of infection is rancid and all encompassing. Overall the energy feels uneasy and people look at each other with fear and distrust in their eyes. One can’t blame them.
Triss and I walk towards the crowd. People are sitting in chairs but many are standing. It is a small space considering the number of folks present. There is a space at the front of the room with a small platform. A person steps onto the platform. They have a strong jaw and shoulder length hair, shaved on the left side. They introduce themselves as Ziek.
“I want to start by welcoming you all here. I know that this must be scary for you all, but I promise that we intend no harm to any of you. We welcome people of any race, sexuality, gender and religion. We are here, because we believe that all humans deserve to live. We are here, because we believe that what is being done regarding the elimination of D Boxes in Zones outside of the White Zone is criminal and unjust. We are here, because we believe that if we are going to die anyways, we may as well die trying to destroy the system which is oppressing us. We believe in sending a message to the assholes in charge, that we are people. We deserve to live and that our existence will not be ignored”.
A murmur starts to flow through the room. I look at Triss and take her hand, knowing we are now in a declared safe space. She looks at me with longing eyes. I know she is worried, but we need something to believe in. I need something to believe in. Maybe this is it.
“Who are you?” Someone shouts. I am unable to pin them in the crowd.
“We are a formed Rebel group. We do not go by a name. We began as a group of individuals who work for the factories which create the D Boxes. We had been notified that the use of D Boxes in most Zones would be discontinued in order to fund the war. Several of us lost our jobs. Some of us, still work at the factory alongside the government officials who made the decision of D Box discontinuation. I understand that may lead to you feeling as though you cannot trust us. However, with our feet still partially planted in the factory and with the officials, it provides us with knowledge others do not have. We possess knowledge pertaining to how the D Boxes are connected to power sources and which government officials are making the decisions to let those of us on the bottom, die. We also, do possess a vitamin D substitute which we will provide everyone with before you leave, should you want it”.
The murmur becomes louder. People begin to ask questions, overriding one another. A sense of panic starts to become apparent.
Ziek raises their hands. Asking folks to settle.
“I know. This is a lot of information. Trust me, it is just the beginning of it. We are happy to provide any information to ease concern”.
“What do you mean you have a vitamin D substitute?” Someone yells from the back of the room. Yellow puss drooping from their eyes. They dab them with a tissue.
“We have developed a liquid formula of the vitamin, using an alternative source of vitamin D. It is not…traditional. Some would argue, it is not ethical. However, we are doing what we need to do to save people from unnecessary death. We call them D Drips”.
Ziek pauses, before continuing.
“The source, is the blood of the rich. We have obviously not had a lot of time to test the side effects, however it has been found that with only two drops of blood a day, the amount of vitamin D in the blood has been showing to reverse the symptoms of D Disease”.
People begin to stand up off their chairs and head to the door.
“This is fucked” they yell.
“Go to hell! I’m outta here”.
“Wait!” Ziek pleads.
“All I ask, is that if you were trusted to join us tonight and you feel as though this is something you do not want a part of, that you keep this information to yourselves. Give others the chance to choose for themselves. People are dying, and we have found an alternative”.
Triss looks at me. “I can’t do this babe”.
“Triss. This is the first chance we have heard of for survival. I can’t leave without knowing more”.
She looks at me, disappointed. “I guess I’ll see you at home”.
I wonder if she has noticed the pastel yellow glaze starting at the edge of her right eye.
***
Once people have left, Ziek goes on to explain that the blood is being taken from a supply held at the D Box factory. An elite group of individuals both within the White Zone and the government have blood taken weekly to build a supply for safe keeping. The blood is enhanced with extra vitamin D and other vitamins for predicted future shortages of food. With the blood enhanced, the need for calories decreases substantially while still allowing normal bodily function. This has been a side project at the D Box factory since sunlight as we knew it, disappeared. The rich knew the lack of sun was only the beginning of the adaptation that humans would need to prepare for. The only people who knew, were them and the people who worked directly for them, silenced by the threat of a lost job and legal repercussions.
Once Ziek answered questions, a follow-up meeting for the next week was provided. We were asked to consider joining the Rebels cause, as there were volunteers needed for the transportation of D Drip vials, the rich people blood, and distribution, as well as, recruitment. Before everyone left, we were offered a dose of D Drip at the door. Some declined, saying they needed more information. Some who were so covered in puss and scabs eagerly accepted the “medicine”, as their body eating itself was the alternative. If the D Drips didn’t work, they lost nothing. I was somewhere in the middle. I needed more information, but I also did not want to die.
I stuck out my tongue, as the woman in the green jacket placed a drip in my mouth. It was salty and tasted of iron. The viscosity was thin and smooth as it coat my throat with what felt like silk.
It was delicious.
***
As time went on, news media outlets began reporting what they believed to be a development of D Disease. The humans who no longer had access to the D Boxes, appeared to now be attacking humans in the White Zone in order to fulfill their body’s need of vitamin D.
The individuals in the White Zone thought that their best form of protection was to boost their vitamin D levels in order to avoid becoming an Other. Unbeknownst to them, the higher the the level of Vitamin D in their blood, the more susceptible they became to attack. Over time, the White Zone became a gated community no longer distinguishable by fancy cars, homes and wealth. Instead, if one were to walk through the Zone now, they would see smashed windows, corpses laying on the ground, blood stained cement and their ears would be deafened by the silence.
The White Zone, represented a war between the haves and have nots. It represented the rich being the cause of their own death. There are no more haves. There are only, the Others.
The sun still does not shine.
The Others continue to use D Drips - a synthesized blood supplement created from the blood of those who had more vitamin D than any one human needed.