It's the year 2038 and a deadly virus has consumed the world for more than 14 years.
In Denmark, an unknown politician took it upon himself to create a safe space from the infected. As long as you abide by the 8 Obligations, you are allowed to live...
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My new job is to work in the kitchen. Everybody must work in order to stay here. It's how they make their society work. And I actually kind of like it. Everyone pulls their own weight. Everyone is treated as equals. I know these people are living hand to mouth and in constant danger of getting killed or infected but somehow life here seems so much more in harmony than in The City.
I've come to enjoy the less restrictions. I'm not exactly shaking hands yet but I'm working up to it. It's become clearer now that I live here, how much The City's laws are built on fear. My father is controlling the people around him.
I still haven't told anybody who I really am. I'm afraid of how they will react. Especially since some of them already hate me just because I lived in The City. But I can't say I blame them.
Besides it's not everyone that's treating me like an enemy. A lot of the men and women who works in the kitchen appreciates when somebody does hard work. And I'm not afraid to work hard just so I can be free. My entire life I've been waiting to be free.
"How's it going here?" One of the friendly women is looking over my shoulder to see how I'm handling the potatoes. The way she smiles at me, convinces me that my work is accepted.
"I think it's going okay, thank you." I know it's not perfect, but it's just peeling potatoes. It's not an artform.
"Nice to see that you can handle yourself. The way Lydia spoke about you, she made it seem like you never had worked a day in your life."
She isn't exactly wrong. In the new world I've never worked, but before the Outbreak, I was always the one preparing dinner. My dad worked long hours, so the chores fell on me. I don't tell her that though. I just send her a smile and continue my work.
After a while, I can't resist the urge to ask questions anymore.
"Is Lydia always that... um..."
"Protective?"
"Yes..." not the word I was thinking, but sure.
"She is very protective when it comes to the brothers."
"Brothers?"
"Our Leader Jace and his brother Alec."
"Wait... that guy that sulks all the time is Jace's brother?" I am baffled. They are nothing alike.
"All I know is that Jace is adopted. And Alec..." she lowers her voice a bit and stick her head closer to mine. I lean in to hear her better. "Alec can be very difficult to be around, and I always try to stay out of his way. I know people say there's a reason for his anger, but I'm telling you, he is downright scary sometimes. Lydia, Jace, Simon and Sebastian are the only ones who can calm him down if something sets him off. Sebastian being the most effective of them all."
"Who is that Sebastian guy? I don't think I've ever seen him."
"He stays in their room most of the time." I can tell she's uncomfortable talking about it, but I am too curious to let it go.
