The Twenty Five Percent Rayanna

The Genetix Lab

        A little over two hundred years ago, the planet was in a worldwide war and was under a constant threat of nuclear attack. People from all nations fled the planet to escape the mounting death tolls. It was a good thing they did, eight years into the war nuclear bombs were dropped on almost every single country. The entire planet was wiped out, plants, animals, humans, everything. One hundred years passed and the descendants of those who left decided to try and repopulate Earth.

      But the problem they soon encountered was the planet was no longer the same. Mutated beasts now roamed the planet looking for flesh to devour. Even some of the plants had undergone mutations and were hungry for flesh. At least half of the water on the planet was now brown and dead, no longer suitable for drinking. And the sky had a constant hazy look to it, preventing the sun from shining as bright as it once did.

       It wasn't until the ships were taken apart and used for the people's survival; that the people discovered that Earth was now inhabited by a strange race of beings called the Ghemin. At first, the Ghemin didn't seem bothered by the people, but after a few years the Ghemin forced their leadership on the humans, and soon the lotto was born. No one understands the point of the lotto, if extinction is the key, why not just wipe us all out as we sleep? Why not wipe us all out at once? We have no weapons. The Ghemin have been known to help us out now and again, shooting the wild beasts that occasionally rampage through our streets. I intend on asking them why they do this before they kill me. I don't know if they will answer, but I'm hoping they will grant me that last request.

        Once everyone is inside, we all spread out, just inside the door. There are enough of us to block the glass windows. The inside of the  is a lot brighter than I imagined. At home, we have a few dim light bulbs and outside the sun barely shines through the hazy mist. In here, my eyes hurt  from the bright fluorescent lights.

        As my eyes adjust, I see that we are in what appears to be some kind of waiting room. There is a strong sharp smell in here, which makes the whole place smell "clean". The lights seem to glint off every available surface, from the glass behind us, to the extra shiny floors. My mouth drops open slightly in awe. There doesn't seem to be a speck of dust, anywhere. At home, we can't seem to keep the dirt out. We are always cleaning and still have dirt laying in the corners of the room. It gets frustrating, but here, that doesn't seem to be an issue.

       Hanging on the wall, in front of me, is some sort of large window. Wait, not a window. Screen? I think the word is screen. I've never seen one before, but I have heard of them. Ancient humans used to watch stuff on them. I think they are called JP screens. LQ screens? No, TV screens. It's fascinating to see a Ghemin soldier on that screen, but I can't make out what it's saying. It's speaking in some language I don't recognize.

      A Ghemin soldier steps out from behind a counter, in front of us. "Now that you are all inside, I want you to split into two groups. Males over here." the soldier says, pointing to his right. "And females over here." This time he points to his left. People slowly start to scatter to the proper side indicated by the soldier.

      I guess this is it. First, they separate us, then they kill us. I panic and grab ahold of Wolfe's arm. I know it's a childish reaction, but I really don't want to die, alone. "Wolfe!" I cry out.

       "Shh. It's okay Rain. It will all be okay." Wolfe says, patting the top of my head.

       A soldier comes and forcefully pulls me away from Wolfe, dragging me down the hall, backward. "Females, follow me." He barks at everyone else.

       I hear another soldier barking orders at the males. Wolfe runs towards me and tackles the soldier dragging me away. One of them walks to Wolfe, hits him in the head, and shoves his gun in Wolfe's side, screaming orders at him. Wolfe throws his hands in the air, in submission, and follows his line in the opposite direction. Although he is doing what he is told, I can hear him shouting threats.

        Something about killing every single filthy Ghemin if he ever gets a chance. Something about not laying a hand on the sister he has worked so hard to save. I even catch a few curse words coming from him, before we are too far apart. I don't know what he is thinking. They aren't ever going to give him that opportunity, but I guess everyone handles their impending death, differently. And it is nice to know that my brother is willing to risk everything to save me, even if it is a complete waste.

         I am violently flung into a small room. As I unsteadily climb to my feet, the Ghemin soldier leaves the room and slams the door behind him. I hear the click of a lock, sealing me in here. I look around me, the floor, ceiling, and three of the walls are all the same color. The remaining wall is some sort of see-through plastic, a sort of glass and plastic mix. I start to get dizzy and have to take a couple of deep breaths. It feels like the walls are closing in on me. I know it's silly, walls don't move but I've never liked tight spaces and this room is smaller than my room back home. The brown color of the walls doesn't help matters any, because it reminds me of the river and the time I almost drowned.

       I sit down on the bed a moment. You are not in the river; you are safe on dry land. Maybe not safe, but defiantly on dry land. I notice the bed is up against one wall, and there is just enough space to stand up next to it. I stand up and find that two steps get me to a toilet, and another two get me to the clear wall. At the clear wall I find what appears to be the outline of a door. I touch it, feel a warm but painful sensation, and jerk my hand back. The word electricity comes to mind, another ancient human technology. We have electricity at home, but it only lights our rooms and helps us to cook food. I've never seen it used as a way to keep people in. And our electricity back home is very dim, unlike here. I move away from the door and try touching the clear wall, it's safe, no painful buzz. I press my face to the wall trying to see what's out there, I'm surprised by what I see.