Dystopian nemesis

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room. The sun shone so brightly on the outside that she could see images dancing in dust clouds in the heat. She missed the healing sunlight on her skin. It seemed like the outside was now a stranger to her, one that she had never met before.

Amethyst had no idea for sure about what was happening on the outside of her world as she stood by his door with a loving smile on her face, looking at him sleeping peacefully in his little cradle. It rocked gently back and forth the way his father had fashioned it to allow him to sleep through the night without fussing.

Her smile faded a little as she directed her gaze towards the only window in the small nursery. She entered the room, kissed the child gently on the forehead, and moved to a chair placed by the tiny window high above on the wall. Amethyst had to climb onto the chair to enable her to look through this window of which she could only get a distorted glimpse of the world outside. The area was mostly shrouded, not wanting anyone on the outside knowing that there were people still living in the house. All the windows in the house had been barricaded and covered over. Through this window a golden ray of warming sunlight always shone into the room, and she would sit in it with the baby hoping a bit of Vitamin D would pierce through to keep him healthy. Luckily for her Xia rarely cried. He was a happy baby, always cooing and constantly moving. It was all she could do to keep him quiet enough so they would not be discovered.

Her thoughts shifted focus, back to how the isolation and fear of the outside had all begun. After the Great Sickness, which had started with a glass tube breaking in a lab in Arizona, USA, everything had changed. Many types of experimental animals had escaped and humans began becoming infected with an unnamed bacteria, one which was still to be identified to date. Now every day had become a mystery. Pandemonium had spread fast. One scientist who was unaware of carrying the bacteria had innocently boarded an airplane. Every single person that he had come in contact with before and after his flight fell ill a days after first contact. The illness spread like wildfire everywhere. By a single touch the entire world had become infected. She had been pregnant at the time and worried for the safety of her child. It had taken only one year for the world to descend into total chaos.

A cure was not immediately anticipated since nobody knew for sure what they were dealing with.

People panicked, tempers flared, with almost everyone becoming ill, businesses closed their doors. Manufacturing, agriculture and all food productions came to a standstill. Electricity and communication all but stopped, except for portable radio transmissions now and then, no one was ever entirely sure of the state of things at any given moment. Supermarkets were emptied out, those who could not find food started riots and looting, with fighting and civil wars breaking out around the world. We had descended into anarchy and wanton destruction of both lives and property.

Food supply had run low in the household, water still flowed in the taps, though it's ability for use was questionable. We had to find alternate means of boiling it. Rhyden had been gone for five days in search of food and baby formula if possible. Amethyst could always improvise to feed the baby, she had learned survival tactics from a grandfather who loved the outdoors and nature. She was extremely thankful for the lessons of her formative years.

A loud banging noise awoke her from her inner reverie, startling her and awaking the baby. She picked him up immediately, soothing him gently so he would not cry. The banging persisted, Amethyst had no idea what to do. No one had knocked on their door for a very long time. They had weapons in the house, but although she knew how to use them, she had never had to do so before.

"It's ok Mommy. Answer the door". She heard a voice speaking as if in her head. Surely she was alone in the house she thought. Her child was three months old and unable to speak as far as she knew. Holding the child at arms length, she looked keenly into his face, he had his thumb stuck firmly in his mouth and was looking at her innocently. Amethyst spun around the room, not really expecting anyone to be there.

Bang! Bang! Bang!.

"Hurry Mommy. They are here to help you". The voice again. She looked into the child's eyes and could swear that she saw an urgency there which could only be her imagination.

Rushing to the door, despite her every instinct telling her to hide, she stood in front of it for a few seconds.

"Who is it". She enquired tentatively.

"Are you Amethyst? We are friends. We have your husband here with us, he is bleeding badly, and will need medical attention if we are to save his life".

"Open the door Mommy. It's ok, I promise you". In total confusion, and hoping for the best, she laid the baby on the couch, and returned to the door.

Amethyst undid the four security latches and opened the door with the chain still on the fifth one. Rhyden was taking no chances with their safety. She saw a group of people, and in the midst of them was Rhyden, he appeared unconscious and was bleeding. Hurriedly undoing the chain, she opened the door to allow the group in. After cleaning him up and examining him they found that he had no life-threatening injuries. Amethyst had done some nurses training and between them they managed to restore him to consciousness. He had been badly beaten and had a few broken ribs with cuts and bruises everywhere. His new friends had rescued him before any permanent damage had been done. They would know for sure after he had rested and could walk around.

She sat by his side until he woke up from a long sleep. The three men and four women, one the younger daughter of one of the couples were also having a well needed nap. Introductions had been made with promises for explanations later. After hugs, tears and thankful praises to the universe for life and safety, she told him about the voice. He was just a puzzled as she was about the whole incident.

"Where were you when it happened Ami"? He asked, using his term of endearment for her.

"We were alone in the nursery when I heard the knocking. Naturally there was no one else there".

"Did anyone in the group explain to you how they found you?, because I don't recall directing them to the house".

"No, not at all. I just figured that you gave them directions before you passed out".

He shook his head, no, things did seem a bit weird.

Jacintha was twelve years old. She had first heard the voice telling her to get help to rescue someone, she had told her parents who did not believe her at first, she had persisted however, and they finally took the chance going out of the abandoned house that they were then occupying. Armed and with military training, they had overcome the attackers and driven them off. After they had rescued Rhyden, she had heard the voice again in her head directing her how to take him home. A working car with gas in it had been found and she told them exactly where to go. They then loaded the food that Rhyden had been attacked over in the first place and had ended up at her front door. The car had been abandoned a few houses over on a different street after hurriedly unloading it.

Baby Xia found himself surrounded by a whole bunch of goofy looking people, eyeing and examining him like a prized possession. He gurgled happily sitting there in his daddy's lap.

"Hi"! Everyone heard in their heads.

Amethyst felt peace flowing through her body, as if she had been bathed in pure and perfect light. Without a doubt in her mind, she knew that they would be all right. The troubles would pass and their lives would return to better than it had been before. The entire group would stay together for protection until it became safe again.

She had no idea who or what her child was, or how long she would spend with him in their lifetime. She just knew that she would accept her miracle and live each day as a blessing.