A Collection of Stories

The Slaughtering

I remember when the first Slaughtering arrived. Red eyed Life Preservers killed every person with eyes whose colors deviated from the allowable shades of blue, green, brown, red, and hazel. I was supposed to be killed. With one eye a piercing blue, and the other seaweed green, I was on the kill list, but my mother, a blue eyed Royal, saved me by running a knife through my green eye, sufficiently hiding my true features. And so I was able the avoid the Slaughtering; my mother said that I had two blue eyes, but that one had been cut in an accident. Somehow, the monsters believed her, and I was spared.

Leader says we are the only humans on earth. We are the strong ones; the ones that disease and rebellion couldn't kill, but we still have to have Slaughterings to ensure that we remain unscathed by the horrible diseases that previously ailed our world. The scientists discovered years ago that eye color determined personality, ability, and health. The brown eyed people are more suited for manual labor, like construction. The green eyes have a gift with plants. They can make crops grow in deserts. The black eyes lead our economy and scientific exploration, and the hazel eyes educate children. The blue eyes lead us, as they are Royals, and only occur now due to a mutation, as all natural blue eyes were eradicated centuries ago by chainocytidn, which only affected those with eyes shades of blue. People born with two eye colors are killed at birth, because tests have shown them to be volatile and weak. I am supposed to be dead.

The rain was hot and hit my face providing no relief from the unbearable heat. Soon I would be called back inside to the grand castle in order to finish my training, but until then, I will maintain as much freedom as possible. I stomped my foot in a near puddle, and watched as the rings of water distorted my red curly hair and large eyes. I could have been beautiful, but with only one normal eye, my other features commonly went unnoticed.
A small voice in my head told me that I would never be beautiful, because I am only meant to die. I am the weaker race. I am the mouse surrounded by rats; disgusting and horrifying beings to destroy all purity. The sound of thunder brought me to my senses, making me realize that my thoughts were uncalled for. No one in Iron, my entire province, had guessed that my eyes were not safe. My mother helped worm me into the top Royal society. One test was left. Every year during the Slaughtering, the Royals undergo a test to see if they prove worthy of leading the nation. This year is my turn. And I am ready. I straightened myself up in the rainy hot weather, and reached up towards my right eye. Running my fingers over it, I reminded myself of my mission, and knew I wouldn't fail. I would survive, and make my way to the top.

••••• •• •••••••
"Alright. The rules are simple. Each of you will enter your respective rooms and complete the task at hand. Your tasks are assigned due to what we feel could be your greatest setbacks as Royals." I'm pretty sure this woman had been droning on for over an hour, but for the last 30 minutes, I had been counting the various freckles on this guy's neck. I just wanted to get this over with. Outside the castle walls, today was the annual Slaughtering. Families were being torn apart, children killed, Royal contestants harvested, and blood spilled. But inside the castle walls, you could almost forget the world outside. Today was the test, and I was ready for it. The gray haired Educator looked pointedly at each of us. "You may enter your doors when you are ready. After entering, you may not exit until your task is complete. If you exit prior to completion, you will be disqualified. Know that you have 2 hours to complete your assigned tasks. Thank you for your time, and be strong." She blinked her large purple eyes before stepping off to the side, pressing a large blue button that started a timer.  Freckle boy immediately went into his room, but within a few minutes he stumbled back out, crying. The purple eyed woman went over to him, smiling. "You did not complete your task. I'm sorry for your fate." She spoke through gritted teeth, and pulled a vial out of her pockets, putting a drop of red liquid into each eye. I entered my door just as I started to hear him scream, and hear the Educator order guards to dispose of the boy, as he was now blind and wouldn't survive in this world anyway. A cold shiver ran down my back as I scanned my surroundings. I was outside, in a village, and in front of my sat a tiny child; a little girl with blonde curls and a doll in her hands. She was unstained by the pain of our world. I looked around her, wondering what I was supposed to do. I assumed that I would be protecting her from any people who wished to harm a child. I reached down and lifted the toddler into my hand, and smiled as she giggled. I looked at her face, and saw a blue eye looking back at me; the same shade of blue as my eye. I shifted my sight to her other side, and saw her tiny sparkling green eye staring back at me. My blood ran cold as I realized what my task was. I was to participate in the Cleaning. I was to rob a family of their child, and a life from an innocent. The toddler laid her head on my shoulder, and silent tears began to stream down my face. The tasks had a duty: to infiltrate our greatest weaknesses and allow us to overcome them. The tasks were supposed to make us ready to be Royals. I looked around, trying to spot the Law Keepers that were no doubt watching me to make sure my task was thoroughly completed. My watcher was sitting across the street inside a small business, his amber eyes staring unapologetically at me. I didn't want to do this. I looked at the child, and saw a mirror of myself. I felt tears streaming down my face, and the small girl wiped them with her chubby hands. I put my forehead against hers, and whispered how sorry I was, before taking a gun out of my back pocket. I shut off the safety and held it towards my target. The girl was innocent. She didn't deserve to die. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath before shooting my watcher in the head.
••••• •• •••••••

Alright, I hope you enjoy!
-Green

Blue, you're on deck!