a better fate

The urgency in their voice was new. They were used to having panic, a whole generation permanently fucked by their parents. Now it was just getting worse. It was like the more and more kids were going missing every week. Now it was their turn.

“Mom.”

“It’ll be okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

Trying to fight back against the two armed men that were trying to take them. They hadn’t done anything wrong. They didn’t go to the protests, they didn’t even post about it. At least not on accounts that were linked to them. They went to their classes, they did their best to listen. Their dad was too involved in everything for them not too.

“Stay strong.”

“Mom!” They were pleading. The sound of their voice was heartbreaking. They didn’t really know what was happening.

Before they could process they were being thrown into a prisoner truck. They had seen these on the news. Ok people social media accounts. But now they were going from neighborhood to neighborhood rounding up kids nineteen and under. Their dad always told them they would be a part of something bigger. But this felt like an execution.

“Cas?”

“Did you dad tell you anything that was going on?”

They shook their head and hugged their friend as the truck started moving. Inside this truck were their classmates. People they saw every day. They had no idea what was going on; they wished they did. Most of the kids were still in the clothes they wore to school. Some even had their backpacks still.

“All he told me before I felt for school today was to remember what I was taught.”

“Taught?”

“I don’t know. I mean they changed so much over these last few years.”

These kids went to a school for the “gifted”. Whatever that meant. Classes they went to were like any other, but they were divided into survival classes as well. They were told it was because they showed promising signs of being the world's next leaders. They just didn’t know what that meant. They didn’t have much time to talk about more before the door opened again.

“Out.” One of the men instructed.

The kids in the back got out one by one. In a straight line, they were being led into a hospital. It didn’t look like it was out of the norm. The white walls and the smell of disinfected, however as they were passing through it were quiet. Like there was no one in the emergency room. That wasn’t normal for a hospital.

“Eyes forward.”

The man pushed them forward with the tip of his gun and they stumbled slightly. They tried to glare at him but they were five foot nothing and didn’t look scary. Shaking their head, they didn’t like this. They wanted to know what was going to happen. A guard with a red band on his arm went to the elevator. Putting in a four-digit code, it opened as the line moved again. There were only maybe ten to fifteen kids. But that still made them uncomfortable.

“Watch it.”

As a group, they all looked at the very back of the line. There was a boy holding another kid. They knew who that was. Rory Thornbrough. He was holding his little brother, the younger kid was scared. No one knew what was going on. They could only imagine how terrifying it must be for an actual child.

“He’s just a kid.” Rory's brother was clinging to him like a koala bear. His legs wrapped tightly around his older brother, scared of being separated. “He’s just scared okay? I’m sorry he didn’t mean to.”

The guard was called off by his superior. Moving again, the line continued. All of the kids squeezed into the elevator. Feeling like sardines in a can, the kids were looking around. This elevator looked nothing like a normal one. It was like a cargo elevator.

None of this was good.

When the doors opened they were instructed to get out. It looked like a basement, the walls were the same unsettling white mist hospital basements were. The floor is dark grey due to the concrete. Four doors were behind four doctors, along with the doors stood four armed men for each door.

“When the name is called follow the doctor.”

No point in resisting. As much as they had an anarchist personality. There were countless armed men. They had a better chance of just listening to what they were told to do.

The first doctor started calling out names.

“Asra Wellington.” Their head shut up. They didn’t expect their name to be called first. They didn’t step forward at first. Mostly in shock. “Asra Wellington.”

Looking at Cas, they just stepped out of the crowd. Fear was running through their veins at this moment. Convinced they were going to die, they just went to the doctor who called their name. Feeling chills running down their spine as their wrist was taken into his hand. They were trying to focus on anything else other than the pain in their wrist. They try to focus on the contrast difference between their skin. They even tried to focus on the sounds of guns shifting.

“Through that door.”

He pointed as he turned slightly. They just nodded a bit before going to walk. Looking at the bare skin on their wrist. Two thousand and one. They were just a bit confused. It only took a few seconds for it to click. A number, it wasn’t their birth year, it was their tracking number. They just kept walking.

Stopping when they heard another name called.

“Rory Thornbrough.”

Rory didn’t move. He was holding his brother. A guard tried to pull the brother off but all the kid started to do was scream.

“Don’t fucking touch him.” Asra flinches slightly as he threw a punch easily into the guard’s face.

“Stop it!” Asra yelled as they tried to run back but they stopped by a guard.

Confused, watching as the doctors all looked at them. Like their words held worth. Like they were more than just a number. One of the doctors held up her hand to stop the guard. Even more confused, they watched the guards let go of Rory and Asra.

“Is he important to you?” The doctor who had scanned the number onto their wrist asked.

Rory was a friend from school. They passed each other in the halls. He would always wave. Their friend groups never really overlapped so they just never had a reason to talk. But when they did Rory would blush, Asra always copied his reaction. They liked each other. The question of whether he was important wasn’t a question, right now he was just an acquaintance. They knew how much his little brother meant to him.

“Yes. And his brother.” They were beyond baffled. Watch the doctor's motion for these two to come forward. “And Cas.”

“Cas?” One of the doctors looked at their clipboard. Looking for the name. “We don’t have a Cas.”

“Sorry, Casey Mayfield.”

“Casey Mayfield?” He looked back at the group of kids. “Are you Casey?”

“Yes.”

Cas stepped forward. She kept moving when the doctor motioned again. Doing each wrist one by one, Rory was given two thousand and two, his brother got three. Cas was given two thousand and four.

“Keep moving down the hallway now.”

Asra just nodded. Taking the younger boy's hand, purely because Rory got hit in the arm by the guard. Accompanied by another armed man, the four of them kept walking down. Stopping at the end, they were directed into another room. More kids were sitting in that room. Kids who happened to be a part of Asra’s friend group.

“Cell Phones and shoes in the basket, please. And any visible piercings.” A nurse who looked oddly young motioned.

The group did as told as they others sitting in the room watching. Rory was taking off his shoes, he was very thankful for Asra.

“Hey, buddy. Do you have a cellphone like Rory?” Asra already got their shoes and phone in the basket.

“No.”

“Okay. Take off your shoes, do you want help?” Asra wasn't the best with kids. But they were good at comforting people in shock.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Asra asked as they just went ahead with untying his shoes.

“Helping us.”

“Of course. I can’t just let my friends be pushed around like that.”

Asra smiles a bit. Looking at Rory for a second. He mouthed the words thank you. He was beyond grateful they weren’t separated. When they got their shoes and phones in the basket they led over to beds. They were waiting for Asra to show up before they put everyone to sleep. Asra was the key for this group.

“On your backs.” The nurse instructed the group. She was wearing a mask almost like she was trying to avoid getting them sick. “You’ll feel a small pinch.”

The group of ten were all on their own beds. Asra winced a bit. She wasn't being careful like she was trying to get this done as quickly as possible. It was almost an immediate reaction. They felt their whole body become heavy. Turning to look at the others. Wondering is they were feeling the medication as fast. All they could really focus on was the fluorescent lights that were above them.

Things felt hazy. Kind of like everything was slipping in and out of what they felt was real. There were times they would hear a doctor or a head talking just above them. Other times there were quiet screams. Rooms away and far away from them. They didn’t even know what was real because it was mixed with their dreams and other thoughts that just made everything mush together. They felt off and uneasy. Something wasn’t right and they could feel it.

Then it was all just dreams. At least that’s what their brain was tricking them into thinking. They were out to sleep, frozen in time until they were needed again. Asra and the other nine were deemed important. However, none of them knew how much time would pass before they were woken up again.