Beyond

Chapter Five: Cornfields

                Chapter Five: Cornfields

                        Alexandra

        Alone in the kitchen, I cut the small garlic into slices.  As I the knife cuts through the garlic, I snort at the pathetic appearance of the garlic.  Because of the bombs, food all around has been sad.  Even the meats and animals were affected; all life has been dramatically influenced by the amount of radiation sent out from the bombs that strucl the Earth by its own population.  So, now, because of the stupidity of others, I have to eat the smallest of plants, the tiniest and slimmest of meats.  The rich, mainly the leftover leaders and new ones as well, are given the best of the food, because they are an "important" member of society.

        At the end of the kitchen, at the doorway, I watch as my daughter plays with her toys.  She throws up her dolls and catches them swiftly, controlling them to walk around and talk to others.  I watch her do that, a brief smile curled on my lips.  Then, I shake it off, continuing to work on the garlic placed in front of me.  My heart pounds hard against my chest, wary of my surroundings.

        Once I am finished, I slide all the garlic slices into the boiling water that is on top of a stove.  I turn down the heat slightly, going to work on the carrots next.  I pull up a carrot and watch it dangle from my hand; my eyes wander around it, wondering whether or not it looks okay to eat.  Across the sides, odd green and purple gashes are on it.  I shake my head and toss it out, into the trash.  Who knows what could be in that?

        As I go to the front door to pick up the groceries I got earlier, I hear something thud.  Before going out, I look through the blinds and see that there is a silver, nice car waiting outside.  At the doors, men in suits stand by the car, holding assault rifles and all sorts of guns.  A jeep then pulls up, with even more people.  I watch them with widened eyes, almost immediately knowing who they are.  Quickly, I turn around to get Sadie; yet, she is already standing there.  A worried expression crosses her face as she stands there stiffly, waiting for orders.

        "Robert told me," she says through a whisper.  "He saw them out there."

        I ignore the fact that she is talking about a tree and swoop her up, carrying her right to the kitchen and placing her inside a cupboard.  A few times, we have gone over this.  So, hopefully, she'll know what to do and remain silent while I tell the patrol that they have nothing to worry about and that no one is here or around.

        A harsh knock sounds at the door and causes me to start.  I freeze for a moment, unable to move because of my absence of thought.  Then, I hear another hard knock against the door and rush to it to answer.  Before I reach it, a strong voice shouts, "Open this door or we will break it down!"

        "Coming!" I stumble through the living room and reach the door.  Slowly, I open it.  When it is opened, they aim their guns at me and I gasp, holding up my hands.

        A man in a black suit and tie walks closer to me.  He has black, dark shades on over his eyes, a mere expression on his face.  Calmly, he asks me with a neutral voice, but in some way, a very cold one. "Are you Mrs. Alexandra?"

        "I am," I shake as I say.

        "Good," he nods, but still remains expressionless as stone.  "I am Agent Waver, part of Patrol 101.  The government has noticed that we have an unchecked child living here known as Sadie.  We believe she is a gifted child, which we are sure you are informed to know that they are utterly illegal and against all forces of nature and humanity.  May we see her?"

        I narrow my eyes, acting as if I don't know who they speak of.  "You must not have known that she died as a baby.  I thought I told someone?"