Worthless

Chapter 1

       "I'm sorry sir, but you appear to be all out." She said as the world faded to a black depression.

The words that I have been dreading for years now. I mean, I knew that they were coming eventually and yet still, they seem almost...alien? Shopping for 2 for 10 years, having to dig for scraps so I wouldn't use any that I didn't have to use any of it. And yet, that day is here at long last.

But wait a minute, I should still have plenty, unless someone had hacked...no, that couldn't be. I still had some. Their system must not be right. It must be something on their end.

"Can you check again, please." I say with a worried tone. My hand started to shake as I held it out, my index finger still hurting from the last blood payment. The black started to fade away and my location came back unchanged. I was in the checkout of a local grocery, with a line of people standing behind me, tapping their foot impatiently and wiping their hands with rubbing alcohol.

"Sir, I must ask you to move along so I can help...others." There was a pause between her words as if had to force herself not to say it. Then again, I knew she couldn't care less. I knew her type. She was about 5 foot 8 inches and was only slightly taller than I was. Dirty blond hair that came to her shoulders. I could see a slight green glint from a pair of emerald stud earrings hidden behind her hair. She obviously had spent hours on her make up alone: a grey shadow to make her light blue eyes shine, as well as a partial red lipstick that reminded me of an old Disney witch movie.

She was the kind of person who grew up in a fairly wealthy family, with a large house and large family with possibly even a pet, which is quite rare nowadays. She would always have a meal and be comfortable.

She would get to live her full life.

I could feel a man push against my back as I stood there, not fully understanding how this might had happened. I had just got in to get a bag or rice for my brother since he hadn't been feeling the best, and now I am told that this is happening, that I may not live for much longer because I am what they call "worthless".

I debate just grabbing the bag and bum-rushing the door, thinking I might be able to make it past before the security at the entrance catches me, which would result in a beating that I don't need night now. Instead, I just give the cashier a dirty look and leave defeated. Afterall, what could I do.

I was worthless.

Now, I should mention to those of you who don't know our world and situations, this isn't a self confidence issue per say, rather a kind of "oh shit, your worthless now. You're probably going to starve to death" kind of issue. You may not be getting this yet, so I suppose I should give you a quick little rundown for you.

About 10 years ago, the American population had reached a point where they had run out of space to expand. With a still rising birthrate and no space, the government tried to come up with some kind of solution. Some groups decided to remove all immigrant families from the country, which failed greatly due to, you know, the American people hating the government telling them what to do. More and more people proposing different solutions that never really took hold. Well, that was until the Locus party marched on Congress.

The Loci were a group of political radicals essentially that had proposed ideas on stalling growth that seemed outrageous at the time; an instituted death age, policies stating only the more important members of societies could have children, and many, many more. As you can imagine, the general public were outraged by these ideas. "they view us as nothing but animals and numbers" our president said shortly before it happened. But then, everything went from bad to worse.

We call it the Locus storm. Essentially, due to poor living conditions and not having enough room for waste management and to keep the population, people started to die from how cramped it was. It really was a travesty, truly, I lost family during this period. The loci then came out of the dark place they were hiding and managed to start recruiting more than ever before seen amongst them. Their rallies never had this kind of attendance. People were scared and looking for a solution, any one that they could think of. When the next election hit, a Locus was elected as president: Anthony McAlister.

Suddenly the ideas started to become a reality. The elderly were disappearing along with lower class immigrant families, even those who had immigrated generations ago. And probably the most twisted: the implementation of the Worth System.

When it took place, each person in the country was given a score given how much they were worth to society. Extra points given based on number of children, your upbringing, your schooling and grades, your job, and many other ways as well as less for felons, the homeless, the disabled, and other "useless people." You use these points to by food, find a place to live, get an education, and other things you need to truly survive. And once you are out of worth...you get the point.

Anyway, there's some background for you all. Now back to me, sitting on a curb on the outside of the store. Defeated, I sigh and walk away from the store a different person from how I entered. I entered having at least something. Instead I leave with a small, bleeding hole on my index finger and nothing. Truly,

Worthless.

*Author's notes* Hey Y'all, honestly, I've been looking for a platform to show this idea since I've had it for a while now. anyway, I hope you guys like it. If you do, feel free to leave a comment and let me know. If so, I just may add some more. Anyway, thanks again