Population Zero

Chapter Thirteen

I startled awake suddenly after a terrible nightmare. There was a flood of water coming after me and no matter how fast I tried to run or how high I managed to climb it continued to get closer and closer to me. It was all so vivid. Willie sat high up on a tree branch and his old wrinkled hand reached out to mine but I couldn't grasp it. Then, in an instant, I slipped on a large rock and hit the water face first. I almost felt the water splash me when I shot straight up panting like a dog and covered in sweat. A nearby alarm clock blinked 3:00 am. My memory quickly returned as I realized I was still in the office Van Whittle brought me to yesterday. I climbed up off the pull out sofa and slowly tried to make my way to the big desk in the pitch black room. Holding my arms out in front of me carefully I was able to reach the desk and locate the lamp. I flipped the switch and light instantly poured into the room albeit very dimly. I had one mission and one mission only; find the book. There was a book that caught my attention yesterday so much so that I had dreamt about it. "The Great Flood" was the title. I needed to find it. Van Whittle said that I could read as much as I'd like and he wouldn't have locked me in this office library if he didn't suspect I would read a little. It wasn't the first time I had dreamed of a flood either. It must serve some importance. I opened up the small drawer on top fishing for another source of light but instead I found a stick of deodorant, a pocket notebook and pen, a hair brush, a pack of gum, and a granola bar. I grabbed the deodorant stick and stuffed it into my shirt rubbing it hard under my arms. I pulled a piece of gum out and popped it into my mouth. I brushed my hair back with the hair brush and slipped the granola bar and notebook into my back pocket for later. The drawer on the left was nearly empty and only contained a small locked safe. I opened the drawer on the right where I had found the pair of scissors earlier and inside was a small keychain flashlight I almost missed because it was so small. I took it over to the large book shelves and started to look for my prize. There it sat right where I left it. I pulled the book out once more and brought it over to the big desk to take it under the dim light. "The Great Flood" by William Van Whittle. My jaw dropped. Van Whittle wrote a history book? He didn't seem like the type of person to write a book, he was all business. After my initial shock faded my curiosity took hold of me and I cracked it open and began to read. The great flood began over 80 years ago with the melting of most of the polar ice caps. There were many colorful illustrations showing the earth before and after the melting. Many major cities became completely submerged and caused a great migration of people mostly to desert lands where they wandered in search for food and shelter.Many wars were fought. Many millions died. This was all so confusing for me to read. If a great flood had occurred over 80 years ago then why were we still fighting overpopulation? It seems like the flood and starvation would have taken care of that problem. I flipped through the giant text in search of more answers. I found a chapter called "The Solution". In this chapter it explained that because there is such a small amount of land left that is hospitable, it is necessary to reduce the population further in order to ensure enough food and supplies for the survivors.  They suggest to set up compounds all across the globe for the remaining survivors and to begin to separate the males from the females in an attempt to further reduce the population which was under such severe conditions that many were starving and without basic needs being met. It goes on further to say that eradicating human life should be the end goal as punishment for the destruction of the earth and habitats of all God's creatures and the absolute solution to global warming. This will allow the remaining pieces of earth to go to other pure life forms. I shut the book immediately after that sentence. I grew up all my life believing in the destruction of the human race but I guess I never truly understood why. I never heard anything about a flood before and it had never been a topic in any of my classes. I know because I was a top student; I never missed an assignment. After sitting on the floor for a long time trying to wrap my head around all this new information I stood up and walked back over to the desk to deposit the keychain into the drawer but instead slipped it into my back pocket with the granola bar. I shut off the tiny lamp and returned to my bed. As much as I tried to rest, my mind wouldn't stop. Sleep never came.

The sun slowly began to rise around 6:30 am as light began pouring into my room. My head pounded from exhaustion and my whole body was sore from laying on the hard pull out sofa all night long. I quickly decided I needed to get the heck out of here and back to Asher and work. As it was he was probably worried about me and struggling without my help with the patients. I swore I would never leave his side and no amount of fancy unpronounceable food or private bathroom was going to change my mind. Although I had to admit the library full of books was definitely hard to let go of. There were so many books I still wanted to read and I so badly wanted to finish the book I had started last night if only I had enough courage to keep reading. No. I'll push those ideas far out of my mind and focus on getting back to the cottage. The lure of the books was not going to stop me. I jumped to my feet with my heart pounding hard in my ears. The adrenaline coursed through my veins as I reached for the door and said a silent prayer to God that it would be unlocked. A deep inhale, a shallow exhale and a flick of the wrist proved to do the trick. The door obliged and I walked out into the hallway. Thank God. I didn't get the chance to take more than a few steps when around the corner came Jason staring me down. I stopped dead in my tracks and dropped my gaze. This strange man had the ability to strip away my courage with a single look. I felt like a petulant child who broke curfew and awaited severe punishment. He walked up to me with heavy feet and I could hear him sigh in frustration. "The kid. Trying to escape. Yeah I'll hold him." I looked up confused wondering who he was talking to only to realize he had been on his telepad. "Wait here." He said to me as my gaze dropped again. I should have known it wouldn't be so easy to get away. Van Whittle arrived promptly and escorted me back into the office and back in the red leather chair. I sat silently waiting for him to speak. "Listen, Lucas. I can't make your decision for you. If you decide to stay of course you would become a permanent member of this compound. You would live and work in abysmal conditions with little to no food. I can't imagine why anyone would choose that life when they are being offered so much more. A chance to help lift others up. The youth. After all, they are vital to our mission. But if you decide to remain here, I won't stand in your way." My eyes rose to meet his and I could see the sincerity in his words. Of course I would stay here. A smile touched my lips and I opened them to speak but again he cut me off. "Of course.." he trailed and stood up abruptly. "I didn't think you would want to miss the funeral." My eyes widened. "Funeral? Who died?" Panic began to set in. He was silent for too long so I stood up and took a step toward him. "Who died?" I demanded. "Oh. You didn't know? Such a pity. I know you two were so very close." My eyes began to water but I needed to hear him say it. "Who. Died." I managed to sputter out and took another step closer so that our faces were mere inches apart. "Dustin. Suicide apparently. His funeral is Saturday. I thought you'd want to be there. We can leave immediately, of course." All at once my legs gave away and the soreness in my body and my mind took hold. I collapsed into the sofa and began sobbing uncontrollably. Shivers ran down my spine as I imagined Dustin's last moments. How could I have been so selfish? How could I have not seen this? Dustin needed me just as much as I needed him. I abandoned him by staying here. I should have tried to return straight away and find him but now it's too late. Yes, I needed to leave this place at once. Asher will be just fine. He's strong. He's resilient. Dustin wasn't. I needed to return and say my final goodbye and I desperately needed to apologize. Dustin was dead and it was all my fault. Van Whittle sat down beside me with his hand across my back. "It's going to be okay, son. What he wanted most of all was to see you become a youth officer. He can live on through you and your work for the youth. Don't let his death be in vain." He was right.