ABYSS

"The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room."

Reading the sentence for the second time, goosebumps run up and down my arms. My heart is racing with that Deja Vue feeling! Sweat rolls down my face. I am beyond tired.

When the government collapsed into chaos, the political elitists become the Sponges. Instantaneously and egregiously the world changes. People hide. Currency is worthless. Sponges control the shelter. Scavaging for food, there is little to be found. The Sponges control the food supply too.

Citizens have gone into hiding and have gone into survival mode. The Sponges are overbearing, wicked, greedy, evil autocratic controllers.

Recalling, there was no way to stand upright. During the earthquake, the ground wiggles and jiggles, Sponges use robots to kidnap the citizens who fall. Falling on my face, tears fill my eyes and blood drips down my cheeks. I become a prisoner. Now, I am a Donor.

Again, the ground shakes. Sending my mind reeling, instinctively my whole being knew that it was an earthquake. Reminiscent of last year, well, it's close to that time. I wonder. Can I escape?

At last count, there are 360 short lines in groups of four with a diagonal line across. Using crayons like chalk on a prison wall, one short line designating one day. Each mark on the inside cover of my book shows the number of days that the Sponges keep me physically active. While mentally spiraling into an abyss, the body and mind are in bondage. Yet, I can still think. I wonder. How much longer? That is the question.

Running on instincts, I hide my book from the Sponges. Secretly, keeping the book under my sleeping mat, it is my only possession. It's a spark of hope. I am grateful for it.

Burning books and calendars, the Sponges destroy written information. Since there are no calendars, who knows what day it is? What day or time is it? Does it really matter? There are no clocks. Horns and bells signal start and stop times.

Confining the Donors in dirty dark musty smelly crowded windowless quarters, food is minimal. Filling us with a cocktail of drugs, that numbs our senses, and gives us energy. Energy is necessary since the Donors do all the work. Working during daylight hours, from sunrise to sunset, there are no breaks.

Unsurprisingly, Donors never appease the Sponges. They always want more. And more! Dividing the Donors into military-style divisions, the Sponges exert complete control. A majority of the former military non-commissioned officers become Donors. If the Donors are remiss in their duties, all the Donors in their division are punished causing more divisiveness.

Pitting Donors and divisions against each other, the Sponges' divisiveness is working in the Sponges' favor. In addition, it keeps Donors from collaborating and forming resistance.

Kidnapping two citizens, the Sponges send them to our division.

Fake news is continuous. Rumors are endless. Witnessing atrocities, the citizens talk about the Sponges executing large numbers of citizens and Donors.

One of the citizens is a science professor. He speaks of seismic activity and a group of activists in Washington state. The professor believes another earthquake will be happening soon. The earthquake that they refer to as the "Big One." I accept this information as valid.

Our division is smaller. Twenty Donors are missing. Food is scarce and, again, in short supply. Instead of one cocktail a day, we are given two.

By creating a distraction, the professor thinks we can capture the Sponges. Capturing the Sponges, we plan on interrogating them.

Before we are able to kidnap the Sponges, the earth shakes and tremors begin. Within minutes, the ground violently heaves and separates. As quickly as it starts, it stops. Then, short tremors every thirty minutes. Finally, it ceases.

Calm, quiet silence, fills the air. The ocean pulls back from the shore. I can hear the roar of the wave. Charging toward the coast, the wave is approximately forty feet high. The tsunami is overtaking the land. There is no time to think. I run towards the mountains.

Finding a cave near the summit of the mountain, I rest for the night. In the morning, the sun is shining brightly overhead. Crawling from the cave, it's like climbing out of the abyss. A new day. I wonder if we can take back our world.