Sickness

~Part 21~

I cuss under my breath, then turn to the steering wheel and start driving. I run down anything in my sight. (Other than people of course)

It made sense now; why the sicks were afraid of me. My blood was toxic to them.

I was speeding 30 mph above speed limit before I saw the nursery van pass me. I slammed on the breaks at the same time it did. “STAY HERE.” I emphasize to our stubborn mothers.

I climb out and run to the van to greet Gale. He jumps out and runs to me, grasping me in his arms like he’d just survived the crash of the Titanic and was exceedingly grateful to be alive. “Gale.” I pull away and start shoving him towards the van. “You have to get out of here. You’re not immune. I am though. They’re gunna blow this place any minute. Where are those kids?”

“They’re all with the pregnant woman. A couple older couples made it out too. We have to get out of here Vala.” He grabs my hand and yanks me toward the van.

“No!” I pull back and run to the car. “You follow me, I have our moms.”

I pull off as the van follows me. Sick citizens hissed at the car as I drove through our crushing city. There were bodies everywhere, everything was in absolute craziness. All I could think about was all the deaths that would take place from what I was about to do.

I was about to leave my city to fall. If I had been a regular soldier, I’d go down with my city until the last wall fell and the last flag burned, but I had this magic baby. Something, I don’t know what was telling me to do everything in my power to get OUT. I drove through the city and rushed through the busted wall I had come through what seemed like seconds earlier. I turned to look for healthy citizens to usher out, but I didn’t see anyone. Everyone there, stood looking crazed, biting each other, and running into things. It was hard to believe one of them even created a bomb to blow the initial hole larger.

I was even more skeptical of my government. My government, of my city that I took so much pride in had been planning this since the first sick person was found inside the walls. And they were making it sound like I was crazy? Uh,… no. I took one last look at the city, then got back in the car, and drove.

Gale and I loaded the children and the woman in labor to colony 4. We went through the scanning process with all of the children and ourselves. In the small group of people, we assigned houses. There was a little community suburb area near a small park in town. We gave the daycare woman and large building to make her own, and we supplied her with a nice house so long that she would continue to help with the children.

Throughout the rest of the day, people (mostly adults) showed up at the walls of the city, asking for entry and housing. Gale was put on guard for that. Most of the survivors were couples that had escaped together. They were each assigned a home, and a child. Grateful to be alive, they took the child into their care, and they seemed happy. Many of the women had lost their children in the explosion and were appreciative to have something to take their mind off things. Some even decided to take two children.

Young couples and singles were assigned apartments in similar buildings to the ones Gale and I stayed in. Men took up different industries and women took up shops. There weren’t many children in the city, so the teacher that showed up only used one classroom out of the entire middle school. A surgeon showed up and opened up the little doctors office instead of opening the big medical facility next door.

The city seemed to flourish.

Gale and I took up a little 4 bedroom suburban house together. (Which our mothers were EXTATIC about)

Mrs. Mathesin and my mother took up a tiny apartment above the little sewing shop they had opened.

Gale used his smarts to set up a pad-code lock on the cities gates, and became the official city guard.

And you’ll never guess what I did.

I opened a Jr. Soldier training academy outside of colony 4’s soldier community.

Within the week that passed, we acquired more and more people, including some from the soldier community back at base. Including, Violet and Vivien. I may not like Violet, but when I saw those two familiar faces walk through the gate, I bear tackled them to the ground.

On a Sunday, I walked over to talk to Gale about dinner plans when I saw him yelling out the gate. I jogged up to see what the deal was.

“Why should I let you in our city?” he snapped cockily.

“Woah, what’s going on here?” I ask.

Gale opens the gate for me to see through. Three government guys, including our ‘mini president’ (more like mayor) stood outside the gate.

“Ha-ha. No.” I snap. “You want in OUR city? Just so you can destroy it like our last one? I don’t think so.”

“And why not?!” the mayor snapped.

“Because, unlike you, I will do everything in my power to return this city to what it used to be. Now goodbye.”