There is still light despite the darkness

There is still light despite the darkness

Jessamin sighed as she looked at the window of the two story town house. The dark clouds filled the sky, pregnant with droplets and the wind brought the smell of ozone and rain into the room. She longed to danced in the rain; wash away the despair that cloaked her body. She thought back to the days before.

The days before covid hit, the days before the virus mutated. Scientist warned that they didn't know the full effects of the virus. They warned us to vaccinate. People rallied against being "forced against their will" and "how their freedoms were being violated"... Little did they know.

The C15 mutation- the mutation that wiped out half the population of the world. It came with a vengeance- scientists could barely warn us. It wouldn't matter- it was too late. Everyone unvaccinated died. Those vaccinated but with weak immunities died. There was no longer an elder population left in the world… nor are there any children left under five.

And then came the fertility rates. Fertility had been falling for years, but now, only three in five women could become pregnant.. And the males- only one in two. Mandatory fertility tests were required for anyone over the age of 18. Anyone lucky enough to be fertile lives my life…

Jessamin sighed again as the rain began to pour. She reached her arms through the bars, trying to touch the cold droplets as they fell from the sky. She just wanted to go outside. What she would give to be able to shed her hospital gown and go dance in the rain,feeling the cold mud squish through her toes and having the rain wash away the touch and smells of the 3 clients she had already this morning.

As she reached her arms through the bars, she suddenly felt a shift in the bar. Startled, she pulled back her arms, realizing the bar was loose at the bottom and felt it shift again. She quickly pulled at the bar and it gave way! She pulled the bar into the room and analyzed the opening left in the window. She was tiny, a scant 5'0 and slim. She could fit!

Hope and excitement died when she realized she would never get past the armed guards that surrounded the town house, nor the 10 foot tall fence… but maybe, just maybe, she could feel the rain. She quickly made her way through the window and sighed as the ice cold droplets pelted her body. For the first time in 5 years, she was outside!

She shed her gown and laughed, spinning around until she grew dizzy and fell onto the ground. The rain coated her skin, washing away the smell of men, cooling her bruised skin, and bringing relief to her battered soul.

Suddeningly, the shrill scream of an alarm pierced the air. They spotted her. Despair filled her as she knelt in the mud and knew that she would soon be dragged into her room, where she ceased to become a person, where her body would ceased to become her own.

She grasped her gown in one hand, and grabbed a handful of cold mud with the other. Suddenly, she felt a hardness… what's this? Not having time to investigate it, she quickly hid it in her gown. Just as she has she hid it in her gasp, she felt hands grab her from behind.

The guards dragged her back into the town house, chained her to the walls in the shower, and washed the mud from her body. The force of the hose almost blew the gown out of her fist, but she held tight, not wanting to lose the treasure she clutched in her fist.

Finally, the guards turned off the water and released her hands from the shackles that held her body firm while she was bathed. Her arms tingled and burned as the blood returned to them, but she still kept her fist tightly clenched.

The guards quickly walked her into her new room and threw her onto the cold tile floor. Clearly displeased with her, they left her with her cold and dirty gown. For once, their lack of empathy and concern worked in her favor.

As the lock clicked on the door, Jessamin quickly looked at her priceless gift she earned from her adventure outside. Using the damp gown, she wiped away the mud to unveil a beautiful small gold locket. She held it up to the fluorescent hospital lights to see all the details of her treasure.

The locket was about an inch and a half long, a gold heart with intricate vines outlining the heart and a single delicate rose in the middle with a diamond in the center. As she held the locket in awe, Jessamin noticed a latch. She pressed the locket to see a beautiful picture of a sunrise with the words, "There is still light despite the darkness." In tears, Jessamin fingered the words, memorized by a view she hasn't seen in years.

Suddenly, Jessamin heard the sounds of the guards walking towards her room. She quickly ran to the pillow on the bed and stuffed the locket under the pillow. The lock turned in the door and the guard entered her room. "Lets go, the headmaster is not pleased with your antics and is waiting for you in the blessings room," the guard says as he grabs her by her arms.

He takes Jessamin to one of the blessing rooms, where she is forced to lay as her wrists are shackled to the top of the bed. "There is still light despite the darkness," the words whispered through her head as the guard tightened the shackles that spread her arms over her head.

The door opens and the headmaster walks through. "Your behavior is disgraceful 101255! You know the importance you have in society and this organization in particular. We can't risk your health. I will be your client this hour and you will have another 3 before bed tonight. We must make sure you remember your place and your worth to us."

Jessamin watched as the headmaster began to undress himself. Tears began to stream down her face. She tensed as he rubbed her arm and worked his hand down her body. "There is still light despite the darkness," she said softly. She felt the weight of his body press the mattress down as he moved towards her. "There is still light despite the darkness," she thought as her body tense as he tightened his hands and forced her thighs open.

There is still light despite the darkness.