Dead Horizon

Jackson

When the plane landed, all Jackson could see was his mom's rough, brown hair brushing against his face because he had fallen asleep when they were still on board. Jackson was so tired that even his mother asking him a question did not wake him up. His mother had rented a car at the airport. Evelynn put him in the backseat and he woke up in shock when a bomb was about to be launched by Russia again. There were people on the streets that looked half-dead and they definitely were not human, not in Jackson's eyes. The same news channel was reporting recent details and updates as the one in the nearby shelters, everyone heard the same thing.

Jackson sighted a big building with big words he could not comprehend yet. The news had said that there was going to be a pathogen or virus released in warfare to decrease the population in order for power, but no one knew that it would end up like this. Outside the building, stood a tall man holding a sign in a blue suit. There were people that looked like they came from all over the world, just standing in a huge line to get in the shelter. The shelter had windows and looked almost like a prison but not quite like how Jackson has seen it in movies. Evelynn took Jackson and the one bag she packed for him in line while the rain was pouring buckets on everyone.

A little Asian woman, wearing all black and her small toddler boy were currently talking to the man guarding the entrance, was pushed aside and so was the man after her and so on. Evelynn wondered why, but as she got closer and closer to the door, she knew exactly why he rejected so many people. She heard the man and the civilian talk about insurance, money and health records. The lady did not have health records with her, but the other man did. The man was not allowed in either. Everything in their conversation sounded normal, and the guy in the suit was checking everything off, silently and patiently while looking at the health record, until he saw that the guy looked ill. Pale, green eye bags and a small bite from something that definitely was not a mosquito or bug bite, it was bloody.

Evelynn and Jackson were second to first in line and thoughts raced through her mind once again. Am I going to get rejected? I can not live out on the streets here, definitely not here. Is this the only shelter in the world? Is that why people are being rejected? I am such an idiot.

As the rain cleared up a little, Evelynn and seven-year old Jackson looked into the guards eyes and waited for a question to come out of his mouth. They both felt like wet dogs from the heavy rain and looked exactly like how they imagined. The shelter's huge gate closed behind the line of people, yelling, protesting to get in. Jackson knew it was because of the overpopulation of people in the shelter, but he also wondered why the shelter was in NewBedford. Why here?

"Hello ma'am. Health records, please?" The guy in the suit asked. Evelynn felt lucky and thankful at the same time that she had brought the record sheet.

"Here, sir." Evelynn handed the man her folder of health records, whilst checking off checkmarks. He seemed to try and lean the papers as close to him as possible so that no one else could see, so that it was secret. To be honest it looked like he was trying to be secretive.

"Thank you, and your age ma'am?"

"Twenty-seven. My boy is just seven, sir." The guy gave an ugly glance at her while he gave back the folder and opened the door.

"Thirty dollars please. Kids nineteen and under get free service. You get two meals a day and you stay with your kid all the time. If you feel sick, stay in your cell."

Cell?! Evelynn took Jackson's hand and walked slowly into the door. A film from the news was being played over and over again. About the pathogen being released. Evelynn got sick and tired of hearing bad news that she took Jackson upstairs until they found a room with 302 painted on it. That was the number of their 'cell'.