As Quiet As Death

Chapter 1

 Cahya is making dinner for herself and her younger brother, Akki. He is sitting on the top bunk in their small apartment, no larger than a shipping container. There is only one window at the end of the room, a small kitchen, and a bunk bed. The room is tiny but functional for the two of them. In the compound, families are stuffed into these sorts of rooms, leaving them much less room than Cahya and Akki.

Cahya hums to herself as she cooks, picking some fresh herbs from the window garden and chopping them up for the food. After finishing, she taps the bunk to get Akki's attention, signing to him that it's time for dinner. She hands him a plate and takes one for herself, sitting on the lower bunk. They two eat in silence, occasionally signing to one another to communicate.

After the two finished eating, Cahya takes the plates to the sink and cleans them while Akki got settled in the top bunk. Cahya then climbs up to the top bunk and tucks him in, sitting next to him and running her fingers through his hair. Akki rests his head on her chest, feeling the vibrations as she hums. He falls asleep, and Cahya moves slowly so as not to disturb him, crawling down to the lower bunk to get some sleep.

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After waking up and eating some oatmeal for breakfast in the mess hall, Cahya walked Akki to his private class before going off to her own classroom to teach. The day started out as usual, not seemingly different from any day, but partway through, someone came into Cahya's classroom. They pull her to the side and whisper to her, telling her that Haven has been infected with the same blight that changed New Hope to No Man's Land. They tell her the plan for now: continue living as if nothing has happened until the ladders of Elysium figure out what to do next. Cahya is forced to go back to teaching as if nothing has happened, unable to tell the kids as they aren't supposed to know yet.

By the time the class is over, the word has gotten out, and people rush around the compound, collecting their children and many locking themselves inside their rooms. They can't stay like this for long, though, as no one in the compound has enough rations to last more than a few days.

Cahya heads to pick up Akki from his A.S.L. tutor. After collecting him, she goes to look for the man in charge of Elysium, Adrian. He is a smuggler and smuggled almost everyone who is infected into Haven himself. Elysium was created by him and a few others, giving a safe place for non-infected individuals before it gave space for those who are infected, leaving them living in close spaces. Cahya and Akki are one of the very few individuals who came from No Man's Land uninfected, as most of the water supplies were tainted.

Cahya holds Akki's hand as she walks towards Adrian's office. Cahya can hear the panic around her but tries to stay calm for Akki's sake. He pulls on her arm to get her attention, letting go of her hand to sign and ask what is happening. She shakes her head and takes his hand once more, not yet ready to tell him what has happened.

Eventually, Cahya finds Adrian and asks him what they're going to do. He repeats what he has already told the others who have asked: that they plan to stay here and keep life going as usual for the next few days while they figure out the next step. He's unsure of what that will be but hopes to get everyone to a safer place, as that's what they were originally promised.

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Cahya stands in front of her class once more, teaching as if everything is normal. The kids are anxious, and she does her best to reassure them when she's worried herself. She's especially worried about Akki and how he has taken the news. He's all but shut down in fear of what will happen to them. They haven't always lived in Haven, as they once lived in New Hope or No Man's Land now. They've fought to survive before, and Cahya worries they will have to once more. That her father's bow will have to be used once more.

After class, Adrian has a meeting with some of the elders of the compound, including Cahya, who brings Akki since no one else can watch him. He sits in her lap as Adrian speaks. He tells them that Florida Independent is allowing people to come seek shelter in their borders. Before he finishes, a sigh of relief settles through the room. People are excited that they have a chance to be safe once more. But as Adrian finishes his thought, there is a heavy tension in the room. They only will accept the uninfected into their walls. Mostly meaning they will only take in those who originally lived in Haven, before Adrian smuggled the infected in. Most have stayed uninfected, but some have become infected in that time, leaving them stuck no better off than they were in No Man's Land.

Adrian assures those that can't go to Florida that they will be cared for and that the walls of Elysium will protect them. He tells them they will find a new way to survive. They will fortify and work to become more sustainable, reducing the need for outside help. Life may not be easy, but they will make due.

Cahya is nervous about what this means for those who are infected. No one even knows how many infected have been released into Haven. If the numbers are overwhelming, even a compound like Elysium won't be safe for long.

Adrian informs those who aren't infected that they will be taken to Florida's borders in the M939s starting tomorrow morning. Those who are infected begin yelling, leading to those who aren't infected yelling back, leaving everyone in a shouting match. Some even throw punches who have to be broken up by the armed guards. Cahya covers her ears, cringing at the overwhelming stimuli. She's shocked how quickly people can turn on each other. Everyone has lived here peacefully for the last few years, working together, living together. There have been rules, but that has kept everyone safe and now it seems that all of that has been thrown to the wind in an instant.

Adrian slams his fist on the pulpit, quieting everyone down. He explains to them that this situation isn't perfect but that none of them will be. He promises those who have to stay that they will be safe here, and he will do what is required to keep them that way, that he won't abandon them. With this promise, the meeting ends, and those who aren't infected are sent to pack up their things.

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I'll keep this as short as I can and try to only mention it once. This is the second short story in the Collection of Stories from the Divided States. I'll be adding more to the series, but if you enjoy this one, I recommend checking on the main series The Divided States of America. I'm working on book two in that series, which shares the same world. It's called Worlds Divided and will be posted shortly after this one. I also recommend checking out Dust in the Wind, which is another short story in the series. Anyway, thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around for the story! have a great day!