9
Sep
A great many things were decided that day. Who would live, who would die, and who could slip away. I was one of the luck ones, those who managed to steal into the night before the decisions were made.
You see, ‘live’ is hardly the term that it should be. Being forced to marry, to have children and then give them up, to live in a tiny cubicle under constant observation… Yeah, barely ‘living’.
Most of us who disappeared wanted to do nothing to help those who’d been stuck. Me? I thought I should, but the only thing I could do was walk in there with a bomb strapped to my chest. Death is a kind of freedom, I suppose.
I wasn’t looking to die though, so I sat on my hands and waited until a better idea came along. And like all of my brilliant ideas, it came at a bar, on a Saturday, at 2am, with a screwdriver in my hand. Double strength, naturally.
The next morning, after sleeping off my hangover, I set to work. But I needed a few other people for the job. Many hands make light work and all that crap. No, I needed an electronics expert to do some of the soldering. And a couple gunmen, but they were easy to find. They come in lots down at the five and dime.
So, couple weeks go, and we’re ready. Truck’s loaded, gears all in the back. Guess who doesn’t show? Yeah, my little friend with the soldering gun. We give him ten minutes, and then run for it. We all knew he’d turned us in.
Turns out I got the furthest, which was three blocks. Then a tranq dart took me in the right shoulder. Never even felt my jaw break as it hit the pavement.
Stuck in the hospital while I wait for my damn jaw to work again. Really funny that the guy who shot me came by and apologized. Me, a criminal, and him being sorry because he accidentally broke my jaw. This place is too damn nice.
And then I ended up back at the damn baby farm. Forced to marry, and locked in a cubicle. Of course, they didn’t tell me who I was married to, because they were still trying to figure it out themselves.
But then I wake up one day with a cute little Polynesian girl nestled in my arms. Maybe trying to get babies on her won’t be so bad…
Comments
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Michael A Tate on 09.09.2011
Wow, this piece had a lot going on in it. It was part action/triller, part literary, part dystopian. Very interesting.
The Four Part Land on 09.09.2011
Thanks. It was a fun little story to write, and a good way to get back into flash after some time off.
Very glad you enjoyed it.
Steve Green on 09.09.2011
It would seem the ‘powers that be’ have the upper hand for sure, but then again, he didn’t come out of it TOO badly, did he? 🙂
The Four Part Land on 09.09.2011
I would say he got a fairly good deal out of it. Or at least a decent one. Could get a bit bored after a while though.