Project: Chimaera

I awoke to the familiar musty smell of our tiny apartment and the constant dripping of water from the ceiling. The day started as any other, my internal clock wired to wake me before anyone else in the district, including the sun. I stared at the stained ceiling, taking in a deep breath and bracing myself. The thought of another laborious day at the plant made my body groan in response, feeling tension stiffen my shoulders.

There was no way I could show any of my symptoms. That would cost me my life.

I forced myself out of bed, making sure not to disturb anyone else. After getting dressed, I took my daily dose of supplements, painkillers and an immune support. Getting sick was not an option.

My mother passed down stories about the days when you could simply call into your assignment to say you were sick, stay home and still collect payment. I used to think they were just fairytales, that world seeming so distant from my own.

Everyone was taught the story of mankind's savior, Doctor Frans Freisen. There wasn’t a street corner that didn’t have his face plastered on a poster. In 2032, humanity was on the brink of extinction. Widespread infection resulted in the third worldwide pandemic in nearly a decade. The world was brought to its knees, turning to Doctor Friesan’s research.

His solution was to purify human DNA of defects. The first phase involved testing every living thing and assessing the level of risk for disease. The second phase of the eradication protocol was to separate everyone into three different districts based on the level of risk for disease. The lower the risk, the higher the quality of life, and thus access to better food and healthcare.

The last phase brought on the final act of purification. Anyone with a pre-existing condition or deemed to have a low quality of life were euthanized in an act of mercy.

Almost 90 years later, that practice still stands. This is the only world I’ve ever known. Hiding my connective tissue disorder and my mother’s congenital heart disease is just our way of life.

I squinted through the haze of fog, covering my mouth as I navigated through the busy road. Just on the horizon, the sun was starting to rise and light up the ashen sky. The sky was a constant shade of gray, sometimes darker, depending on the amount of smog and pollution.

I made my way through the check-in line at the plant, presenting my wrist as the allies scanned for my vitals. Dressing in full PPE, I started to load the vats with the various scraps of food sent from the higher districts. I finished dumping another box into the vat when I felt a sharp pain in my wrist, almost dropping the box inside.

I held my hand close, stretching my wrist when another worker looked at me with concern, “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” I blurted, faking a half smile.

He nodded slowly, going about his business as I sighed.

Later, I came to the eating area where I was given a choice between a meal replacement shake or potato skin broth. Knowing what was in the shakes turned my stomach, but I knew the broth couldn’t sustain me for much longer.

Choking down the shake one large gulp at a time, I grimaced when I overheard a conversation about the latest news from the low risk district.

“Really? Another baby born with a defect? There must be something in the water.”

The man snorted, “Good. Let them have a taste of what we have to deal with.”

“Why would you say something like that?” I shot back.

“Are you serious? My wife and I are about to apply to have a child for the third time in a row. If we’re denied again, we get sterilized. Meanwhile, the low risks are free to have as many kids as they want?”

I shook my head, “I’m sorry to hear that, I am. But I wouldn’t wish disease on anyone, especially babies. You know what happens when they’re born with defects. There’s no mercy.”

I found myself again walking through the district as the sky got dark. I came through the front door to the smell of something savory, Lorryn standing over the stove on a stool.

I took off my jacket, greeting her with a smile, “Whatever you’re making smells delicious.”

She grinned, “I call it porky surprise.”

I raised my eyebrows when she shrugged, “The surprise is there’s not really pork in it. Mainly fat and broth, but what it lacks in substance, it makes up for in smell.”

I laughed and patted her on the shoulder, “I appreciate the enthusiasm. Where’s Tori?”

She shrugged, going back to stirring the pot, “I don’t know, but Mom is running low on meds again. Time for you to pay another visit to your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

Lorryn turned to smirk at me when I noticed a silver heart shape resting around her neck.

“Where did you get that?”

“Mom gave it to me.”

“She what?”

Lorryn nodded, the smile wiped from her face, “Ask her yourself.”

I walked in quietly to the dimly lit corner, seeing Mom sitting up in bed. I stooped low, sitting on the edge of the bed, calling out softly, “Mom?”

Her eyes fluttered open and a slow smile spread across her face, “Hello, son.”

I smiled back, pausing to choose my words carefully.

“Is it true you gave Dad’s locket to Lorryn?”

Her expression darkened, “I think it’s time we talk about that plan I mentioned.”

I cut her off, shaking my head, “I can get more meds. I’ll see Gypsy tonight-”

“You have to listen to me. The medicine won’t work forever, Haven. I want you to be prepared to lose me, so you and your brother and sister can stay together.”

I shook my head, “No-”

“Haven.”

I knew by the look in her eyes that she was serious this time. She knew her days were numbered.

I felt a lump form in my throat, swallowing it down as I took her hands in mine, “Let’s talk tomorrow. Okay?”

She nodded slowly, “Okay.”

Just then the door opened, Tori walking through the door and freezing.

“Where were you?” I pressed, meeting him at the door.

He paused with a cautious look, “Nowhere.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “You were at another protest, weren’t you?”

“No!”

“Do you want to expose all of us? Get mom killed?!”

“No, I’m just trying to help-”

“If you really want to help, you would grow up and just accept the world as it is. You’re not the only one in it!”

He clenched his jaw, shaking his head, “There’s plenty of other people in this world who are tired of the way things are too. Dad was one of them.”

I bit my tongue, taking in a deep breath and sighing, “I just want you to think about how your actions affect the rest of us. Be careful.”

After dinner, I washed the day off with a long soak to soothe my sore muscles. As soon as the rest were in bed, I quietly snuck out and made my way to the clinic.

Gypsy and her Dad treated everyone in the district under the radar, collecting expired medication from the waste from the higher districts. Not having access to any form of healthcare was the coalition’s way of maintaining balance, but we all knew it was just a cheaper way to make sure the high risk died off eventually.

I agreed with a lot of what the rebellion groups believed, but the risk of being exposed was too great. My father was a prime example, being captured and brought to a secret lab under the guise of suspicion of mental illness. That was ten years ago, still with no concrete evidence of what exactly became of him.

I came to a stop at the rusted heavy door, knocking to the tune of ‘ring around the rosy’. I was immediately met with the flushed face of Gypsy, the corner of her mouth lifting as she let me in.

“Wasn’t expecting to see you for at least another week.”

I turned, shrugging with my hands in my pockets, “Mom’s almost out of meds again. And I think I formed a resistance to that last painkiller you gave me.”

She chuckled, shaking her head, “You and your ever changing endocrine system.”

I stopped in place when she smirked at me, “Good thing you’re cute, or I may have to charge you extra.”

I grinned, trying to hide the blood pooling in my face when she started down the corridor to a pantry filled with amber glass and plastic bottles, various forms of pills lining the shelves. I watched her nose scrunch up the way it did when she concentrated, her thin finger scanning the shelf.

“Here. This should work.”

She handed me the small vial, when I scanned the label with a laugh, “I’m not even going to begin to try to pronounce that.”

“It’s an anti-inflammatory. Take it with food once a day. Best in the morning.”

I smiled, “Thanks.”

After handing me another bottle for my mother, her hand lingered on mine, “You know… I think I have an ointment to treat the arthritis in your hands, and you look like you could use another adjustment.”

I took my hand back, shrugging, “I should get back. I’ve got work tomorrow-”

“It’ll only take a moment. Trust me, you’ll feel a lot better.”

I looked down at her beaming face, her hazel eyes almost twinkling when I let out a laugh and caved, “Sure.”

I took my jacket off and settled into a chair as her slender hands began to rub my neck and shoulder, melting the tension and easing my tight muscles. Her thumbs ran down my neck with a surprising amount of pressure, knowing exactly where to place her hands next.

“You know… I’ve got an extra cot in the back.”

I looked back with a smirk when just then I heard a loud popping sound coming from outside, both of us snapping our heads back towards the noise.

“What was that?”

I stood up, gathering my jacket and hurrying towards the door, “It must be another rally. I’ve got to get home-”

“Haven!”

I turned when she gave me a look, knowing that she couldn’t say anything to stop me.

“Be safe.”

I nodded, hurrying out the door and hiding in the shadows. I heard the crowd chanting as the allies began rounding them up, shouting out orders. I managed to slip by when just then I was stopped by the image of Tori in the front, chanting with a sign.

“No…” I breathed.

In a rush of adrenaline, I ran out into the street and pushed through the crowd to try to get to Tori. Just then I heard the crackle of a megaphone, a voice booming through the shouting, “Disassemble or we will be forced to take action. Return to your homes immediately.”

The crowd only shouted louder, sending me into a panic as I called out, “Tori!”

Just then there was another loud pop, followed by screaming and people scattering into the alleys. Allies began to shoot tranquilizers, gathering those they could and loading them into trucks.

I called out again when I saw Tori shot with a dart, falling at the feet of an Ally.

“No!” I screamed.

I started running towards him when I was stopped by a sharp pain in my leg, looking down to see a dart deposit a blue liquid into my bloodstream. The world began to fade as I yelled out again, an ally now standing over me, his voice sounding distorted.

“Take this one to the lab. He’ll make a good candidate for project chimaera.”

Before I could protest, my vision went black.