Hold on Sun

Entering the shelter

As I stepped out of my car, gathered my camping kit, I tried to gather my courage. In front of me was the shelter, four armed men stood outside the shelter, it looked like they were deducing who was to stay in the shelter. I walked up to the shelter, it had stairs leading down and I was unable to deduce how far down it might go. 

I walked closer to see the group of people crowding the shelter, it was clearly more than 10 people, more than the shelter would hold. This would mean that some would get ushered away, how... I didn't know. 

I fidgeted, the nervousness made me sweat and shake. I tried to stand on my toes to see the front where the military men were. Before I could see them clearly because I was higher up, but it was more difficult with so many people in front of me.

When a few people had left, I was greeted by the sight of one guy talking to a pregnant woman. She was gesturing wildly to her stomach and seeming upset over something. I listened in. 

''What do you mean, there's no room for pregnant women!?''. She shouted, her hands waving frantically in the air. 

''Ma'am this is a case of your child needing more sustenance than any normal person who would enter this shelter, we can't possibly provide you with the care you may need if you'd go into labor whilst the shelter is already up to 8 people''. He tried to calm her down, speaking gently to the lady. 

''My baby won't be a burden on you or anyone else in the shelter, I hope you know that you're deliberately dooming me and the child by doing this''. She spat out, almost quivering in anger. 

''Ma'am, if we brought you in and you go into labor, there'd be more people than we can provide for, can't you see the sense in that''. He reasoned with her, I could tell he was getting more frustrated by the second.

She seemed to calm down, but when she turned around and I saw her face... I only saw emptiness and hopelessness in her eyes. She stumbled off, tears running down. The military man seemed like he was both relieved to have dissolved the situation, but also guilty for not being able to let her in. 

I went up to him, and he immediately let me in. I caught the glimpse of the pregnant lady staring at me with a forlorn look in her eyes. I looked ahead, not trying to let the guilt consume me. If this was survival, it didn't feel like I was surviving. 

Walking down a long set of stairs that seemed to go on forever, we stopped. In front of me was an elevator. Going into it, it was just as long, if not longer down.