The Child Act

               Wednesday, April 5th, 2129

There is screaming everywhere, and the smell...the smell is terrible. Sweaty, dirty bodies are pressed up against each other. The booming sound of the loudspeakers is deafening. "There will be NO exceptions" the male voice says. How can this be happening? I think to myself. We are being pushed into each other as the large trucks move in. The sky is cloudy with ash, and the air is murky and hard to breathe in. It burns my lugs as I cry out, mimicking the others leaning against me. "For the safety of our country, and above all, for the safety of yourselves, please do not intervene. There will be strict consequences if you do not comply" the voice is ringing in my ears, silencing the other shouting that surrounds me.

A larger truck passes through and divides the crowd, but they don't stay far, just far enough from the crushing path of the bulky tires. They are banging on the harsh metal of the trucks armored shell, screaming at the top of their lungs, tears streaming down their faces. I reach up, touching my grimy fingertips to my wet cheeks. The shawl I'm wearing is whipping against my face and sticking to my tears. When did I start crying? The trucks are headed towards a massive iron fence, barbed wire curling around spires atop a 6-foot-thick barricade. Everyone knows what they are doing in there, and it is only a matter of time before they're doing it everywhere. A pair of towering gates open tremendously slowly as sets of soldiers spill out into the crowd. The screaming turns into that of terror and pain instead of pain and anger. Everyone is running. I look down, surprised to see my legs pumping beneath me, and my arms being clenched on either side by two woman I didn't know. Their faces...they are scared. I am scared too.

Friday, June 24th, 2132

"Honey, please...please. Let's talk about this." I cry. He isn't listening to me. "Daniel please," I beg, tears streaming down my face. He doesn't faulter as he continues packing, throwing clothes into a duffel bag as if in a trance. His strong muscles are clear through his black tee shirt, and his jawline is taught with tension. "Why do you have to do this?" I ask, changing tactics. "Why would you want to leave me?"

He pauses, just for a second, and then throws his toiletries into a side pocket. He isn't going to change his mind. I know that, but I just can't accept the fact that he is signing his own death certificate. I break down, my knees buckle, and I fall to the ground. My eyes are filled with tears, and I can taste the salt on my lips. There is no holding myself back as I lean over my knees and press my chest into the floor. The cool tile of our kitchen feels nice against my skin. A short, sweet relief. I feel his hands on me now, but the tears don't stop. His hands grace my back, and I can feel how rough that are through my blouse. "You know I have to do this Hannah, and not just for you. I'm doing it for me too." His voice cracks, and I know he is trying not to cry.

"Why did this have to happen?" I sob as he pulls me into his lap. He is sitting on the ground now too, and I press into his chest, soaking his shirt. I can feel his chin on my head as he shakes it. He doesn't know any more than I do how everything became so fucked up. He pulls back, forcing me to stop leaning against him, and I feel his callused fingers caress my cheek. I look up at him, committing his face to memory. His black rough stubble is overgrown and unkept. His green eyes have a bit of blue in them, like the lights that dance in the sky. His face is handsome. He is the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on.

His chest rises and falls in one big breath in through his nose, and I know he is doing the same. We both know. "I will fight for you Hannah. I will fight for you, and I will fight for the baby we have lost, and the baby we will have." He cups my hands in his face and presses his lips hard to mine. He tastes like black coffee and stale milk. He pulls away, only for a second, only long enough to say, "They can't do this to us." His eyes spark with anger as he presses into me, and we fall to the ground in a jumble of limbs.