Beyond The Darkness
Physically, she is different. Her instincts feel sharpened, invasive, as if something is brewing just beneath the surface. Emotionally, nothing fits. When Cynthia looks at herself in the mirror, she does not recognize the face looking back at her, yet feels an unsettling connection to it—as if the person staring back is a version of herself she does not fully understand. From that moment on, she begins to question everything she thought she knew about who she is, where she came from, and the life she has been living.
Driven by fear and the need for answers, Cynthia is pulled into a relentless pursuit that quickly becomes a fight for survival. Fragments of a hidden past begin to surface. Her father—a geneticist she never met—was involved in a government-backed program designed to push human adaptability beyond ethical limits. When the program failed and was officially shut down, he continued his work in secret, testing on himself. The experiment ultimately led to his death. What he altered did not end with him. It passed to her.
The company Cynthia works for, Syntex, has known this all along. Their interest in her was never incidental. Her hiring, her advancement, even her proximity to key personnel were deliberate. As Cynthia uncovers the truth, it becomes clear that the accident did not damage her—it triggered her. The changes she is experiencing are not symptoms of trauma, but the activation of something long dormant within her DNA.
As Cynthia struggles to maintain control over herself, the world around her begins to fracture. A cataclysmic event erupts on a global scale, destabilizing governments, communications, and the fragile illusion of safety humanity depends on. What Cynthia believed was a personal nightmare is revealed to be part of something far larger. Around the world, dormant genetic markers begin activating in others like her. The experiment was never about individual survival—it was preparation.
It is during this collapse that Cynthia forms an unlikely alliance with June, a military operative originally tasked with hunting her down and bringing her in. June is hardened, disciplined, and conditioned to follow orders—but the deeper she goes, the more she begins to understand the cost of capturing Cynthia. As the truth about Syntex and the military’s involvement surfaces, the line between hunter and target collapses. Their relationship is forged under pressure, built on necessity rather than trust, and becomes essential to both of them as they realize they are fighting the same battle.
As the true nature of the threat emerges—an alien force tied directly to the original genetic program—humanity is pushed toward extinction. The DNA embedded in Cynthia is not merely adaptive; it is aggressive, designed to destroy her individuality and enslave humanity under the guise of survival. The entity awakening inside her is both weapon and burden, offering the power to fight back at the cost of her identity.
Cynthia’s greatest battle is not against the external threat, but within herself. Each time she draws on what she has become, she risks surrendering the person she was. Yet without her, June will not survive—and neither will the world. In the final confrontation, Cynthia embraces the transformation on her own terms—not as a subject, not as a weapon, but as a conscious choice. By doing so, she saves June and helps turn the tide against the invasion, even as the future of humanity remains uncertain.
Beyond the Darkness is a modern psychological action thriller that uses science fiction to explore insecurity, identity, survival, and the cost of becoming what the world demands in order to save others. It is ultimately a story about people—who we are when stripped of certainty, and what we choose to become when everything else is taken from us.
Cynthia Johnson is twenty-eight, capable, and grounded in a life she believes she understands. She has built a steady career, routines she trusts, and a sense of security working for a company that has always seemed invested in her success. On her way to work one ordinary morning, she is struck by a taxi. She should be dead. Instead, she wakes up in her own bed the next day—not bruised, not hospitalized, but deeply shaken by the certainty that something fundamental has changed.
Identity and Transformation: The recurring theme of characters grappling with their sense of self, often juxtaposed against physical or existential changes.
Power and Responsibility: A nuanced exploration of how extraordinary abilities (or circumstances) force characters to confront their moral boundaries and societal roles.
Survival and Humanity: Whether through post-apocalyptic landscapes or personal battles, the book delves into what it means to persevere and retain humanity in dire circumstances.
Faith and Doubt: Subtle undercurrents of belief—both in oneself and in the unknown—run through the narrative, adding layers of existential reflection.
The Ethics of Science: The story questions the boundaries of scientific advancement and its impact on individuals and society.
Special thanks to Emily Bonin for deciphering my handwritten pages and bringing the novel into digital form, and to Jason Usher for his exceptional graphic artistry in creating the cover. And above all, thank you to my wife, whose unwavering support and belief in my work make everything possible. Her dedication to my dreams means more to me than I can express.
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