The Virus of Plainsville

The Bright Girl

The light did shine through the leaves this morning, but not in a beautiful way. The yellow did not show up on the green leaves, the sun did not illuminate the town of Plainsville.
The greyness spread as far as the little girl could see. She walked down the street and saw all of the shops open at the same time. All of the doors flung open as the owners shouted "Good morning! Welcome!" in unison.
The girl shuddered. This was all normal, and she knew this. She just wanted something different. She watched as nearby shoppers gave her strange looks and veered away from her like she was a toxic disease.
Anyone straying away from their daily schedule is seen as an outcast until they return to what they are supposed to be doing at that specific time. Everyone knows what everyone else is supposed to be doing without actually knowing the person. This is why she was so surprised she hadn't been approached yet. But then it happened.
"Layla?" A strange woman walked toward her, stepping out of her daily duties to put Kayla back in line.
Layla paused. Should she run? Should she stay? Should she reply? While she was thinking, the strange woman placed her hand on Layla's shoulder and asked, "shouldn't you be baking a nice warm crisp apple pie for Mrs. Bells?" The fake look of deep concern sickened Layla,  and she shook the woman's arm off her.
"No," she replied. "Shouldn't you be shopping for your children?" The words angered the woman, and she walked away, clearly annoyed.
Layla then ran through the street of markets, busy with people shopping for food or clothes. She wouldn't give anyone time to ask about her again. She didn't want to be reported to the council before she escaped Plainsville.
She ran for what seemed like hours, passing nothing but grey cornfields and the occasional house.
She ran over the bridge going through the grey river filled with dull salmon. She then came to the end of the city.
She reached out and touched the wall. This wasn't the first time she had run away, and each time she had gone a different direction and reached the same wall.
It was stone. Grey, boring, smooth stone that reached as far as she could see. She sighed. She decide that she had better head back, even though she knew she would be met up with the council. But as she turned around, she noticed a change in the wall. Well, the place where the wall and the ground connected. It wasn't grey. It was a bright vibrant color that all grass should be. She walked back to the wall, kneels over, and touched it. Then everything went black.