Surviving at a Cost.

Chapter 2 Chester

Everything was fuzzy, how long was I out? Couple minutes? An hour? Where was am I? Everything was white and moving, I could hear distant chatter. I looked off to my side, there were people in white suits. The suits they wore to any disease incident. Why am I here? Did I have the disease? I could hear the distant chatter.

“Next! This ones clean, next!” Just then a loud buzz went off. “We got a live one!”

“No please! NOO-” Then there was the sound of a gun going off, it was silent. Not a single sound for a moment, then it all started up again. Just like that, the line continued.

“Where am I” I spat out, my throat was dry and my voice was hoarse.

A man replied, “You’re at the Chester Disease Control Facility. Don’t worry you’re aren’t any any harms way.” I thought about the buzzing, then the gunshot that was still ringing, or was it because of other shots? Then I thought of the silence, and the continuation of the cycle. They acted like nothing had happened. Why was I here? Where’s the rest of my family?

I hear a distant voice, it sounds like Dianne! She was here too?

“Let go of me! Dylan! It’s me, Dianne! Are you okay?”

I mouthed back, “I’m alright!” Nothing came out, my voice must have faded. Along with all of my hope I had. I was next in line. This could decide my fate. Am I going to die or will I make it through? The person was done. I was moving, I could hear the loud scanner buzzing.

“Clean!” He hollered. I let out a sigh of relief. I was fine, but what about the rest of my family, I may be the only one still be alive. Once inside it opened up into a beautiful open room. Close to 20 stories up, the room was covered in grassy plains and hills. What was this place? They finally let me sit up. In the center of the room was a massive lake. It shimmered due to the light on the ceiling. The light was moving slowly, it was mimicking the sun. It was like and underground world. There was a gentle breeze coming from my left, there were hills covered with evergreens that led into the mountains. It was like a green sea. It was beautiful down here. Everything was perfect. Only one thing was missing. My family. I forgot. The place had taken my thought off of the idea of possibly never seeing them again. I began to walk down the pathway, into a town. They had created a replica of Ashcroft in here. But why? There was nothing special about it. A voice came over an intercom.

“Hello everyone! Welcome to Ashcroft II, please make yourself at home. There’s no time set for how long you will have to be in here. You’re probably wondering why you are here. If you haven’t found out yet there was a severe outbreak in Chester. We aren’t sure what caused it therefore we want to keep everyone who was not affected away from those who were. Please if you’re looking for family head to the Ashcroft Police Department. They have locations of where people are. Thank you and enjoy your time.”

Is that where I should go first? Was I finally going to be reunited? Well that is if they made it through. I began to walk down the path, it was a dirt path. The dirt was a orangy red, nothing like the stuff in the real Ashcroft. There was all sorts of different things. The trees we much bigger than those back home. The trees looked like they went to the ceiling. Maybe they did, everything seemed much bigger than it did before. I couldn’t believe what was going on. Is it the end of the world? Has the time finally come? Will we actually be taken off of this planet? I had so many questions, my mind was like a puzzle game. I was trying to fit the pieces together, but they didn’t fit.

I could hear the faint sound of car engines revving up as they began to drive around the dome. I was a lot closer to the town now. Everything looked like it had been redone, everything had the clean look to it. It look like the old Ashcroft. Only it wasn’t.. Was this my new home? How long would we be here? I had all these questions, no one could answer them. No one knew. No one. Just then a car came driving up the road. It was a small SUV, had a light grey line along the bottom, the rest was a jet black. Right as it flew past me I heard the tires come to a stop. The screech was horrendous, sound as though someone had just scratched their nails on an old chalkboard. Thousands of people all at once. The passenger door began to open, all I could see was a boot, a tan colored boot, it went just past their  ankle. Their hair was a familiar color. It looked like someone I’d known for awhile. Then they shut the door and came running over. It was ma! She slammed into me, holding me as tight as she possibly could. I finally hugged back, I didn’t want to let go.  I was watching the car for more people. The driver side opened, the back and front door. Kiley and Kenneth climbed out.

“Where’s dad and Bennett?” They all looked at the ground. As if something very serious had happened. I looked at them, I gave them a questioning look. Finally Kiley spoke up.

“Be- Bennett killed dad.” I let out a gasp, everyone looked up. I looked around, I was looking for something. Not quite sure what, but something. I may never find what it was.

After we all caught up we jumped into the SUV. Ma started driving, she turned us around and headed towards town. I was back in the town I’d grown up in. Well the closest I’ll ever be..

We all hopped out and walked up to our front porch. I looked over in the direction of Diane’s house it was dark. No one was there. Where we they? I had just talked to her. I knew she was fine. I had this feeling in me. I have never had this feeling. It felt as though the world was collapsing, but everything involving me stay still. Still. Still. Was this a dream? I could feel something deep inside of me, it was telling me the same thing I wanted to believe. I wanted to believe that Diane was still alive. I could feel it something kicking inside of me.

        We all began to carry out our old lives, like nothing ever happened. But something did happen. Something big, something beyond anyones mind. Something beyond what anyone could truly imagine. The end of the human race had finally come. What ever was ravaging through the population had absolutely no cure. Only cure was time. Time. We all wasted it throughout our lives. We never truly believe when our time will end. We all feel as though it will last forever. One thing is for certain. We never know. Dad may have deserved what he got, but he was my father. What was I supposed to feel. Relief? Joy? Sad? Ecstatic? I felt everything, it all piled together. The lights flickered. Then all at once dimmed. Not gradually. But all at once. The room began to darken. Was this the version of a sunset? Had such a beautiful thing that happened only once a day been taken away? The room began to rumble, the lights were completely off. I could barely see two inches in front of my face. All I could see was a glow. In the ceiling. The glow drew my eyes, it was a lime green. It pulsated, it seemed to pull my eyes. There was a loud crash. The light was gone. I was alone, again. It was brighter than before.