The Plague

David Farett

"This is a major security protocol, and the people must know for the safety of themselves," they argued against Mr. Samuel J Elliot. The Board was divided, with five members for and five members against the knowledge for the people. Mr. Elliot had assumed position of Leader of the against, and Jacob Leery had obtained position of Leader for those who are for. "The knowledge might cause fear amongst the society, thus causing disorder and chaos." Mr. Elliot persisted. A decision must be made, and as Board Leader, I must allow them to conclude that decision peacefully. My hammer banged with a loud thud that seemed to echo throughout the small, blue room. All 10 bodies at all 10 desks turned to face me. "Let there be unity," I declared. "We shall take a vote among the Board. All for, raise your hands." 4 hands shot up instantly, all but Mr Leery's hand. "Now, all against," All of the against hands shot up, including Mr Elliot's. Slowly, Mr Leery's hand raised as he looked down upon his desk. There was a moments silence in a room that was almost never silent. "It has been decided. The knowledge will be withheld from the community for use of unity and security." I glanced around the room. There were mixed expressions. Some were happy, some frustrated, and one face was disappointed, Jacob's. "Dismissed." The room emptied pretty quickly, and everyone assumed a calm face, as to not alert the people. I myself sat in the room for a minute, pondering over the events that just occurred. Why had Mr. Leery voted against? What will this mean for us? I decided to finally leave this tense room, and as I stepped out into the cafeteria, I spotted Jacob eating over by Selena. I strolled over to the counter, and asked for a potato. She gave me one and smiled. "How was the meeting sir?" "Oh it was splendid," I replied to her question, "In fact I was quite appalled by how interesting it was. How was the supplies brought in today?" This time, she replied, "Some good turn outs, some not turning out at all. I'm worried about a food shortage. Maybe a Board Meeting should be held to discuss this issue." I nodded. "Yes I think that shall be, as it is not only important to you, miss Selena, but also to the survival of this community. Thank you for your concerns." I turned to face Leery, but I could only catch a glimpse of him walking out the door. "If you'll excuse me, I must meet with an old friend." I walked briskly out the cafeteria doors and into the halfway. I looked right and saw him walking down the all concrete hall. He was heading to the bunks, where we sleep. "Mr. Leery!" I called after him. He turned and paused while I caught up to him. "Say Mr. Leery, why did you vote the way you did?" He hesitated for a moment, as if thinking about his decision, then said "Mr. Farett, if I hadn't had voted against, then there would have been major issues. There might have been re-election of the Board, which would have taken a few days, and seeing as how the Leader may not vote, I didn't want to risk your job due to your faults. In addition, I wanted the issue to be solved and ended." I nodded my head slightly. This man was a man who was much kinder than I had thought. Not only had he thought of the sake of time, argument, and chaos, he had thought about me. "I assume you are heading to the Bunks?" "Yes sir" "Well you have a good rest sir, and may you be blessed." We shook hands and parted our separate ways. I thought about the food issue. Selena was right, the food situation was definitely getting worse. I decided I would head to the Board room to arrange for a meeting for tomorrow. I walked through the cafeteria doors, and saw a young girl, probably no more than 6, sitting at a table all alone. I grabbed something off the counter and sat next to the girl. "Why are you all alone?" "Sir, there is not many other kids to play with, and all the grown-ups are all helping the hurt and doing big person things. And I'm hungry." I smiled and said, "I bet, if you closed your eyes and wished really hard, happiness will always come your way." She did so, and as she did, I set the soda I had picked up on the other side of her. She opened her eyes, and looked around. At first confusion, until her little blue eyes spotted the drink sitting next to him. Her eyes lit up with thrill, and the girl jumped up and gave me a warm hug. "Thank you so much!" She was smiling and pleased. I smiled and hugged her back. There we sat for a few minutes. Eventually, she let go, and I excused myself from her presence, and I strolled through the double doors into the Board Meeting room. I walked between the two rows of wooden desks, and sat in my desk. I thought about all that had occurred, grabbed some paper, which was only used by officials, and began to write. I wrote about the next meeting, the issues that must be discussed, and I wrote about Selena Kull. I signed my name at the bottom of the paper, folded it and layed it on the desk. Maybe I'd go for a stroll, I thought. I made my way through Home One, until I reached one of the shafts, exit ways from Home One to the world. I climbed the stairs, my old age providing soreness, but yet I persisted. I was on the first floor of the tower. I decided not to venture out, but instead up. I climbed a ladder, rung by rung, that lead up the tower. It was the safest way to reach the top, and it took me a few minutes till I reached the top. I pulled myself up onto the top floor. The view of the city amazed me. I walked to the edge, and peered over at the endless darkness that had covered this city. Such a shame, I thought, that no one could share this beauty with me. A broken mirror lay on the ground next to me. I stared at it, saw my gray hair, my aging face. The decision I made was the right one, I thought while on the edge of the tallest building visible.