Living Life in an Hourglass

Something only I know

I don't follow rules and never have, so what makes the higher ups think someone as rebellious as me will follow their rules. I had decided that I was going to be a cheat. I will not die in the hands of someone who thinks they control my life. I control my life and I will die when I'm supposed to, not when I have to. All these thoughts were running through my head while I sat in the library. I was supposed to be focusing on Psychology study but this was related to Psychology in a way. I mean, why did people agree to this plan in the first place when a referendum was held? Did they think they'd be saved and maybe there would be a handful of people who lived longer than the rest? You're wrong there, love! If the scientists and official publicans cared about us they would have tried a new approach like maybe introducing new jobs into Ireland or maybe investing money into new housing estates and schools etc, so why is it that they decide to Purge us in their own way? Then a thought struck me. . .

I held my thought as I caught a glimpse of a group of scientists and some Government officials walking past the window I was seated beside. I looked down from the second story window and observed them. Of course, the scientists were dressed in a very pristine fashion with big huge rectangular glasses. They follow the stereotype rules, as you can see. The Government officials were each dressed in suits, black cases hung from their fingertips with unknown contents. They were headed towards the Arts Concourse, preferably to one of the lecture theatres. That was usually where they held their meetings because they had easy access to all the chairs they wanted and of course the projector and big screen if a powerpoint was involved.

This is my opportunity I thought, a little too enthusiastic for my liking. I gathered my notes and books up in a rush and threw them into my bag, not caring that I could have ripped some of the pages a little by being so forceful with them. I quickly jogged through the library, my scuffle turning a few heads to look at me for a brief moment and wonder why I was rushing? I pulled my student ID card out of my breast pocket in order to pass through the barriers of the library and the alarm went off stopping me in my tracks. Shit! "Excuse me, Miss? You will have to check out those books if you want them?" I could hear the library security say bluntly at me. Fuck the books. . .I thought as I threw them to the floor and with one beep of my card pressed against the sensor I was free and I ran, the security guy shouting at me but I didn't look back.

I ran towards the Arts Concourse, you know, the sequence of long corridors? I was just in time to see one of the final scientists who was at the back of the group enter the Dillon Theatre. Smart asses think they are so damn smart for picking a meeting time outside of college hours when the students will be busy studying in the library or when all the lectures are over for the night. Do you really think you can fool everyone? I laughed in my head. I poked my head carefully over the door where the glass panel was situated and everyone had their back turned to me, all conversing amongst themselves rather loudly. I pulled the door open a fraction and slipped through carefully and crawled along the back row of seats under the long desktops.

I crawled until I was in the centre of the row and there was a little space just underneath the desk where the back of the seat in front reaches just over halfway up to almost touch the desktop behind it. I had a good view and I was about to start taking notes. Let the lecture commence. A powerpoint started up and an image flashed up on to the big screen, an image of the VDI device. A female voice began to speak:

"Thank you all for coming tonight! As you can see here, this is an image of the one and only VDI device or the Visual Death Informer"

A few nods were exchanged between the small audience and another image flashed on to the big screen. A graph.

"As you can see, the VDI device is doing us wonders already. As you can see here on the 1st of January 2020 when the device first started up, the population was overpopulated but now *short pause* at nearly two months later the population has already gone down 35.9% which means we are making huge amounts of progress. Resources are begining to increase again because of the decrease of high demand through the remaining population"

I stared at the graph, my eyes wide with terror. The high drawn line in January was now over a quarter of the way down the graph. So many people dead, in so little time. Those murdering bastards! I screamed inside my head. One of the Government officials stood up and spoke to the scientist.

"So, Professor Brooke, how long more do you propose we utilise the VDI device for? With the rate it's moving at now I would estimate not much longer?" the official asked, his voice blunt but serious.

"Well, Mr Smyth. . .I propose that we keep on utilising the device, I mean, who's to say this kind of problem won't happen again in the future so why not just keep it?" Professor Brooke said, too cheerily.

"Proposterous!!!" a voice boomed. "This was only a short term plan, not a long term plan. It is completely unneccesary especially when people's lives are at stake! It is unfair to subject people to this kind of life, as if brainwashing them with the serum wasn't enough to make them think the VDI device would give them a better life. . ." one of the male scientists trailed off, flustered and clearly upset.

Everyone stared in shock at the man and I could feel my breath hitch in my throat. A serum? Brainwash? The bastards must have gave us the serum in the midst of our examinations! I screamed in my head, anger pushing through me in gigantic waves. I knew there was no way people would voluntarily be subjected to this sort of sick life. Professor Brooke smiled smugly.

"My dear friend! Why the sudden change of heart?" she grinned, an evil glint in her eyes. The male Professor was at a loss for words but his facial expression said it all.

"M. . .my w. . .wife" he stammered on his words, the sound of his voice filled with pain and the need to cry.

I'll admit, I died a tiny bit inside at this man's misfortune.

"I know that my dear friend, I was the one who altered her final result" Professor Brooke scoffed, her lips tugging up into an evil, filthy smile.