Zoned Off

Chapter 3 Part 1 - Osmun

A/N: I felt like this chapter was really long so I split it into two parts. Part one below :)

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TODAY - MIDDLE ZONE

The lower classes were bouncing back in population, or so my father said. It was cause for celebration, and because of that the rest of my family were a few blocks away having a celebratory dinner at a burger place.

I opted out to go to work, which was empty besides me. With it being my first year working, I had to put in extra hours to climb the ranks. At fifteen years old, mail boy was okay, but I had to impress my family and earn more money.

Sticking folders into cabinets, I hummed to myself, breaking the monotony. Year one worker, the youngest that can. La, La, la. Fifteen for a month, la, La, la. 71 hour week,... almost over

I was completely absorbed in the tuneless song, feeling kind of drowsy, when a voice rang out across the huge empty room, making me fall. "Oz!" Papers spilled everywhere.

"Anita!" I hissed, looking at the girl flouncing past me. "What are you doing here?"

"Now, now, Oz. Is that any way to greet the boss's daughter?"

Not looking at her while I cleaned up, I forced a calm voice. "Sorry. What are you doing here, Miss?"

She giggled at the formality, but I knew she wouldn't be here unless something important was going on. "I'll wait until you look at me." Slowly, I cleaned the papers while she clicked her heels against the tile. "It is kind of important," she spoke tensely, impatiently.

"So important you have to tell the company mail boy?" I retorted, finally straightening up with an organized pile of files in hand.

"Rude. But yes. Important enough for me to personally tell all block 2 through 7 workers." She tapped her heel a few more times as I put the file away. Sighing exasperatedly, she asked a question she already knew the answer to. "You live in block 5, correct?"

"Correct." Despite myself, I smiled at her annoyed face when I finally met her brown eyes.

"Spend most of your time in block 5? Your family....?"

"Yup, all of us, living in block 5."

"Okay, you have to pay attention. After I talk to you I'm going into conference with all of the others I have to tell. I only have a few minutes." Leaning against the filing cabinets, she spoke softly. I leaned in to hear her properly. "The plant is going down. And it's going down soon."

I paled. "What do you mean?"

"I overheard my father talking about an energy crisis in the c4 ring. Block 4 is going to explode." With every word, she spoke faster, repeatedly glancing at the clock behind me. "The plant can't keep up. There will be blackouts before it happens. That should give you some warning to escape." Her lips pressed together. "I'm sorry, Oz. Just get your family out of there. Now would be best?"

"You're lying." I whispered, refusing to believe that the plant could explode. Refusing to believe that no one would tell us.

Anita laughed harshly, smoothing her skirt to avoid looking at me. Her voice was cold when she spoke again. "What benefit would I get by lying to you? Seeing those people dead, that's something I'm trying to avoid." I looked down at my feet, ashamed of myself for saying that. Voicing his thoughts as she frustratedly ran her hands through her hair, "And apparently I'm the only one who cares enough to try to warn you. You have to fix it, Oz."

She stepped back, raising her voice to a normal volume. "Hey." Anita put her hands on my shoulders, shaking me at arms length so I looked up at her. "I'm trying to help you, but if you really don't believe me, just show up to work tomorrow." Dropping her arms, her voice gained an authoritative quality. "As of right now,..." She stopped.

"What?"

"Shhhh." Clicking her bracelet on, a holographic screen popped up. I moved to continue working and she grabbed my wrist, keeping me still. I waited and watched as she joined a conference with all of the workers that needed to be warned, all of them that weren't here right now because it was Sunday night and they deserved peace with their families for tonight.

I almost began to tear up as Anita angled the screen so it was between us. Focusing her eyes on me, she stood as the conference began. "As of right now, all workers in blocks two through seven in the c4 ring have tomorrow and Tuesday off." She let go of my wrist, her focus shifting slightly to the processor of the bracelet, and I silently walked away.

Numb, I continued working in a different area of the building. I believed her, but I wasn't going to ruin the celebration tonight. I would tell my family tomorrow, but I doubted they would believe me.

Tears fell as I put the final file of the night in its proper place. I don't know how much time passed, but I just sat there. The handles of the filing cabinet pressed into my neck, but I didn't move. I just sat, the coldness of where I was finally seeping in as I shook with sobs.

A few minutes passed before I calmed down. Wiping my tears away against my standard white clothes, I frowned. No one else is here, right? I watched the tear stains on my clothes fade away.

So, the world is ending.

Correction: my world is ending.