Explosive Blood

Chapter One - Fear

Fear. It's something we all have but try to deny. Some of us fear heights, others crowded spaces.

Me? I fear death.

I know a lot of people fear death. It's natural. Nowadays, it is at least.

We have explosive blood. Doctors, scientists, government officials, even sewer workers have tried to figure out where it came from. No one knows. Many religious people believe God cursed us after the Sixth World War. Now, any child has explosive blood until they turn eighteen. As you get older, the risk of exploding rises. It's already high as a small child. The slightest wrong move could kill you and those around you. That's why they keep us in these dirty jail cells. Just in case we do explode, then we will only kill ourselves.

Every now and then, you'll hear an explosion. Sometimes it's down the hall, others it's right next to you. We have all witnessed an explosion. It makes the rest of us fear for our lives. Literally. Any of those kids could have been us. Some of us wish it could be us. Better than prison for 18 years, right?

Some kids were allowed to stay with their families. Only if their families wanted them, that is. Of course, mine didn't. They didn't give me away right away, though. It was when I turned 10 that they sent me away. I was too much to handle. They didn't want to die. They didn't care if I did. Better me than them, right?

My name is Connor Williams. I'm fifteen years old. In three more years, I will no longer have explosives in my bloodstream. I will be free.

I don't think I will make it. I have ADD, or I think that's what the doctors whisper about. They think I can't hear them, but I can. We all can.

I can't sit still for too long. Otherwise, I run around like a maniac. I've done it before with exploding. The doctors say it's a miracle I'm not dead yet. I don't believe in miracles. I stopped believing in them when my little brother exploded. He was 6. He tried copying me as I jumped around the living room. For some reason, I never went off. He thought he wouldn't either. He did.

That's when my parents sent me away. My little brother was the angel of the household and I the devil. Or, at least that's what they said to the government officials when they came to get me. I still remember that day in perfect detail.

That morning, my lookalike that was 4 years younger was trying to imitate my moves as I ran across the house, jumping from couch to chair and back to couch. He and I could have been twins except four years apart. We had the same shaggy blonde hair that always got into our dark midnight blue eyes. He was obsessed with trying to be like me. He never actually exploded or came near to exploding until that dark day.

My parents came immediately to the sound. They hoped it was me. They didn't have to say it for me to know. When my mom saw Tex's remains splattered on the shredded floor, she screamed. She pointed at me and yelled, "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU MONSTER!" The next thing I knew, my mom was crying into the phone with the government and Dad was dragging my to my room, literally by my hair. I'm surprised I don't have a bald spot somewhere on my scalp.

Nearly two hours later, I was being hauled into the governemnt's black van and to the prisons.

Now you know how I ended up here. In this dark cell with no bed, only a blanket. The floor is slightly wet and freezing cold. There is a hole in the corner for restroom usage. It's eerily quiet down here, other than the sounds of explosions and doctors whispering. None of us talk.

Sometimes I think I hear whispers from the other Exploded that were in this cell. Maybe it's a sign I truly am going insane. Probably.

The point is, I'm going to die. Maybe soon. Maybe I'll make it to 18. Here, it's very unlikely. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever make it out of here. But how? I couldn't run away. They'd catch me. Plus, there's no escape. I'd explode in a matter of minutes.

But, that's what they all said. And I didn't. Not once. I. Never. Exploded.

Am I special? No. Could I be? Maybe. We'll see how this plays out. Maybe I'll escape. Maybe I'll be rescued. What would it be like to live out there, be a teenager, I wonder. I'll never find out. Or will I?