What They Want

The green plant with little yellow flowers will save me. I scurry around in the forest, almost crawling in the dirt in order to see the plants in the fading sunlight. What little time I have is running out.

A frustrated growl rumbles in my chest as I dig around, still unsuccessful. I'm getting Called tonight, and I can't go without the plant. My fingers shake as I push aside bushes looking for those bright yellow petals to stick out.

The nightly bell rings in the town center. My time is up.

Pushing off of the forest floor, I run through the trees praying that Selina is still covering for me. All women in the head quarters need some time alone every now and then. Selina thinks I'm doing what the rest of the women do, finding a moment to myself in some dark corner where no one will hear me cry.

That's what I used to do.

It's said that before the war, before women started becoming infertile, that women had equal rights to men. A derisive snort escapes me at the thought. Equal rights. What a joke. Any young women who are still fertile are kept in head quarters, and brought out nightly to be paraded in front of what the government labels as "Optimal" males.

Those thoughts fly out of my head as I trip over a root that had been sticking up. I barely have time to stick my hands out in front of me before I crash to the ground. Rocks dig into my palms, and my knees are scratched up.

Groaning, I roll over on my back, and stare up at the trees. Why even bother going back?

That thought circulates through my mind every time I step foot outside. But I know better than to try to run away. They put tracking chips in us, like animals. They will find me no matter where I go. And after they drag me back to head quarters, I'll get handed over to the cruelest "Optimal" male they can find.

I roll back over, and pull my arms under me to push off of the ground. Leaves brush my hand and I look down to see delicate yellow flowers sticking out between my fingers. A broad grin spreads across my face as I recognize it.

I found it.

The only thing that can help me rebel. The only way for me to defy the government. An herb to stop pregnancies. I close my fist around it, and kiss my fingers after I pull it from the ground. I may have to be continually given to those men, but I will never truly give them what they want.