Re-Do

Fake house

I glanced up at the old wood house and scowl. It shouldn't still bug me this much, considering I have been living here for so long. It was made to look different from all of the other houses-they all were. Part of the "program to make everything seem as it was" as they called it. I don't care. It's ugly, and I wasn't given a choice because they didn't expect anyone forced into the simulation to have kids. At the time, it was the only one with something comparable to a nursery, and thus, the decision was made for me. My neighbor's house is a Gothic-inspired townhouse, and I have always been envious. It was just like the one I used to have before, ... everything happened. It even had the iris in the backyard. The government was trying to recreate our houses to the best of their ability to make the transition as easy as possible.

As if.

There is nothing easy about waking up to sirens. Nothing easy about being told to grab any kids and run straight to the nearest government office, while people cry over the ones who don't have the strength to make it there. Nothing fun about being packed in a room with numerous of other confused, panicked people, and then having your baby ripped from your arms and being forced into a tiny capsule and having the virtual reality helmet shoved on your face. And especially not fun when you try to open your eyes and fight back, and you are in the middle of a field, with other people randomly showing up in flashes of blue lettering. None of them knew what was going on either.

It still wasn't fun when two middle age guys in black matrix-style trench coats flashed in, along with a platform. They were identical, I could not tell them apart. And there was definitely something off about them.
One stepped to the edge, reached under his trenchcoat, and pulled out a microphone.
"Hello"
Everyone looked up at the mysterious figure.
" I realize you all must be confused. Trust me, you have every right to be." He continues. " Right now, the world you used to live in is in shambles. Everyone you see around you is those who we managed to save before the servers got over filled. I hope you find someone you know, because as far as I know, you are all that is left."
This couldn't be happening. I had to see Lillian again. She couldn't be gone that fast. It all hits me, and I dropped to my knees. Lillian is gone. My husband is gone. The crazy lady down the street, she's gone too.
"Now, if you keep walking that way" he points to his left "You will come across your new houses. They are as similar to your old ones as we could manage, however everything will need to be tweaked to your individual preferences."
The crowd goes that way, mumbling to themselves. They could have been yelling for all I know, I couldn't focus on them long enough to tell the difference.
"Mrs Roxanne"
I look up. The second henchman was standing over me, holding a bundle of something covered in a fuzzy pink cloth.
"I should have done this earlier" he says, kneeling and extending it to me. I was reluctant at first, but curiosity got the better of me. I lifted up the corner to find a baby swaddled in the cloth, with the same face as Lillian, and the same pale blond hair.
"She made it?" I finally manage to muster, barely audible.
The henchman nods, and pulls out a small silver egg shaped object, with a green button. He put a hand on my shoulder and pressed the button. Suddenly, the field disappeared, and an old, wooden house appears before me.
"This is your new home, due to a glitch in the system." He tells me.
I looked into the baby's face. Her eyes are open now, an unnatural shade of blue, with no pupil, and starting straight at me.
I feel something shake my hand. I snap back to reality, to find those same blue eyes starting at me again.
"Mommy, why are you staring at the house?" She asks, perplexed.
"Oh, nothing. I was just caught up in a memory." I reply, as I take her hand, and walk through the back door.