The Taking

It was a busy morning at the arena. Rambunctious children spilled past security and into the concourse; flustered parents followed behind them. Ice show matinees were always good for business. Nate just wished he wasn't so tired.

He rubbed at his burning eyes. He needed a caffeine drip. Ellie had an overnight shift, so that had left Nate on toddler duty the night before. Max was going through some sort of sleep regression. It felt like having a newborn all over again.

The booth next to his had a long line. Sue and Bob were busy collecting cash and handing out programs. Time to rally, Nate thought. He suppressed a yawn and lifted a flashing green sword into the air, waving it back and forth.

"Come and get your glow toys!" Only fifteen dollars!"

That did the trick. Pleading kids dragged their parents toward Nate's booth. Good. Steady business would make the time fly by. He just needed to make it through intermission, and then he could get home to Ellie and Max. They needed the money, but between his full-time job and this side business, he really missed family time.

He focused on the line in front of him. The cacophony of excited children worked better than caffeine to revive him. If he was lucky, he would remain busy with sales until the show started. Then he could relax until intermission. Before he knew it, it would be time to go home. Maybe they could all snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.

Business was great. Nate moved a lot of merchandise. Light-up swords were the most popular item that morning, and after a while, he was down to his last few.

A young mom with a little boy around Max's age-- no more than three years old-- made it to the front of the line. The little boy bounced up and down with excitement, his left hand tugged on his mother's skirt. He hugged a glowworm to his chest with his right arm.

"I wan' a sore mama! A gween sore!"

His mom laughed. "Yes, Mattie, I know."

She put a twenty on the countertop and smiled at Nate. "You heard the boy."

"I'm sorry," Nate said. "I'm all out of green swords. How about a yellow one?"

Mattie's face fell, and his eyes welled up. Nathan knew that look. A meltdown was imminent.

"Oh!" Nate held up the sword he had been waving earlier. "I forgot, I have one green sword left."

He handed the mom back a ten. "It's my display. You can have it for ten. It still works."

She smiled and took the change.

Nate leaned over the counter and held the sword out to the boy. Mattie's eyes lit up as he reached up to take it. His glow worm tumbled to the ground.

"Oops. I drop wormy." Mattie bent to retrieve the toy.

Nate placed the sword back on the countertop. "I like your glowworm. I had one just like that when I was little. We bought one for my son. But, it isn't the same. It looks like you have an original."

"It was mine." The mom shared. "Wormy was my favorite. I can't believe it still works."

"Look, he gwows!" Mattie held the worm up and squeezed its belly. Its face glowed with a greenish-yellow light.

A man further back in line yelled, "Hey! Can you move it along?" Murmurs of agreement came from the rest of the line.

Nate bit back a retort. He was about to hand the sword to the mom when his vision swam, and everything went dark.

Nate woke up minutes, hours-- he had no idea-- later. He was on the ground, behind his vendor booth. Pain lanced through his head when he tried to sit up. He touched his hand to the back of it and felt warm stickiness. Nate blinked blearily at the blood on his fingers. What happened?

The noise in the concourse was all wrong. Nate could hear people weeping and even screaming, but it was too quiet. Before he blacked out, the volume was set to a constant roar. Now, there was an underlying silence beneath the sobs and screaming. It filled Nate with uneasiness.

He lay there on the cool concrete floor and stared up at the dancing lights from his vendor display. He remembered the night when his first order of supplies came in. The night before Max's second birthday. They wanted to test the merchandise, so Nate and Ellie had turned off all of the lights in their small apartment. Max started to cry, but he stopped when they switched on the glow toys. Nate would never forget the look of wonder in Max's eyes as dozens of glow toys lit up their living room.

His eyes drifted shut. He hoped he would wake to find that this was just a nightmare. But, when he opened his eyes again, he was still behind his vendor booth. A woman sobbed nearby. He slowly pulled himself up to a standing position, using the countertop for support. He looked around the concourse.

Before he blacked out, the space around him was crowded with hundreds of people. The security line had extended down the escalator and probably around the outside of the building. Every vendor within his sight had lines of people. Even the bathrooms had lines.

Maybe two dozen people remained. And they were all in various states of terror or confusion. Some sobbed. Others just look dazed. A couple of people looked like they may be injured like Nate.

He looked over at the program booth. Sue stood alone, crying.

"Hey, Sue," he asked, "Where did everyone go?"

Sue stared at him in despair. "They just disappeared," she sobbed. "Bob's gone."

Nate must have heard wrong. "You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head and dissolved into gut-wrenching sobs.

Nate didn't believe that everyone had vanished. But, something was very wrong. He shook his head, attempting to clear it.

"Owe," He moaned, laying his head on the counter. Nate was already in bad shape due to sleep deprivation. But, with the added head injury, he was a mess. Doctor. He needed a doctor. Nate looked up, hoping to wave down a security officer, but he didn't see any of the familiar uniforms by the security checkpoint.

He looked down at the floor in front of his booth. The mom from before was crouched there. The glowworm lay beside her. He didn't see any sign of the boy.

She looked up at Nate with wild eyes. "What did you do with Mattie?! Give him back to me, now!"

Nate's jaw dropped. He stood there, flabbergasted, trying to think of a response. He wished his brain would function.

And then, a gunshot rang out from the security checkpoint. Nate looked away from the mom and stared in horror at the man with the gun.

Gun!

His mind caught on that one word. How did someone get a gun into the arena?

Nate shook his head again, trying to clear the fog. The man was yelling about government conspiracies and how no one could control him. Nate watched in horror as the man bore down on the distraught mother and silenced her sobs with a shot to her head.

Gun!

Nate stared at the madman in front of him, trying to make sense of him. He thought of Max and Ellie and wished he was home with them. Then there was a flash and a bang, and Nate thought of nothing else.

Two Years Later:

I crouch behind the vendor booth. It is dark, but my eyes have long since adjusted to the darkness. The wound in my side feels hot and wet under my hand. I am afraid to look at it.

The arena's concourse is abandoned, like most of the world. I listen carefully for any sound of my attackers. Nothing. I am alone. I don't think they will follow. I'm pretty sure they got what they want from me. A running car with gas in the tank. Oh well. I doubt I will need it again.

Slowly, carefully, I stand up, grunting in pain. There are still glow toys set up for display. A green sword lays across the counter, covered in a layer of dust. On the floor in front of the booth, I see a discarded glowworm. It isn't one of the remakes, but an original, like when I was a kid.

When Max came along, we made sure to get him one. But, it was one of the remakes. Not the same. My heart clenches as my mind conjures up an image of Max. Long gone now. He was taken, just like eighty percent of the population.

No one left here but us chickens, I think, laughing.

"Fuck." I moan, regretting my laughter and clutching more tightly to my side. Maybe I'm finally cracking up.

I pick up the green sword and press the button. I gasp as it flashes a soft green light. I didn't think it would work. I picture Nate waving it above his head to attract buyers.

Nate.

He's the reason I'm here. I came looking for closure. After the taking, remaining government officials managed some clean-up, but they didn't bother to return bodies. If there was even a body. I know there was a shooting here that day, but no one ever told me if Nate was taken or killed. I guess it doesn't matter much either way. No one knows where the taken disappeared to. It comes down to the same thing. Gone.

Everyone was gone except for mom and me. She wouldn't let me come here. Said it was too dangerous. For two years, all I did was play it safe and survive for her. But, yesterday, she gave up. I found her hanging. I guess she cracked.

So here I am. Bleeding to death. Of course, she was right. If there is an afterlife, I will be on the receiving end of an "I told you so." Soon, I think.

I lay myself down on the floor behind the vendor booth; a shiver runs through my body as the chilly concrete kisses my bare arms. I hold the sword above my head and stare at the blinking green light.

This cart was supposed to help us escape our dumpy apartment and create a better future. I remember how skeptical I was when Nate suggested it. It wasn't a get-rich-quick scheme. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But a way to bring in extra cash. I said yes. And it was working. We were building up a savings account and looking for a new place to live.

And then the taking happened.

I wish I could take back my yes. No amount of savings was worth any of the time we lost.

The strength leaves my arm, and the sword falls to the floor beside me. The blinking green light bounces off the booth. I remember Nate and Max that night in the apartment when we tested the first shipment of toys. I remember how Max cooed. That was a good night. I can see the dancing lights. Yellow. Red. Blue. Orange. Pink. Purple. Green.

And then there is a darkness that my eyes cannot adjust to, and I think of nothing else.