Always

I woke up an hour ago, got ready for school and ate breakfast, only to find that the Government locked our doors again. They do this when Hitosis, the virus dropped in the air thanks to Europe, gets a little bit worse.

         Just six months ago, America got into a war with Europe. We sent troops over and killed a large part of their population. In spite, they concocted a bomb, but the bomb wasn’t created to explode and kill us all at once, it released a virus into the air, a virus that only gives you a month to live.

         It’s rare that someone survives Hitosis, but every now and then, someone survives. Eleanor, my friend Emmalynn’s mom survived, but she needs help doing everyday tasks.

         Scientists researched the virus, spent agonizing days and sleepless nights analyzing. They came up with a name, Hitosis. They figured out that it only gives you a month to live, and if you’re infected with Hitosis, you should report to Colorado where they quarantined you. Now, each state has its own VS, virus station.

                                                                                    ***

         Brenna’s footsteps snap me out of my daze, “Morning,” I mumble. Brenna’s dirty blonde hair, which is only a shade lighter than mine, is pulled into a high tight pony tail, and she’s fully dressed.

         “Where do you think you’re going?” I ask.

         “To school, why?” Brenna questions, she doesn’t know that the locked our doors.

         “Hitosis…” I start to say, but Brenna interrupts.

         “Yeah, what about it?”

         “It’s gotten worse I guess. They locked our doors again.” I sigh.

         This has been happening too much lately, our doors are being locked every other week or so. That only means that Hitosis is getting worse.

         Just as my father walks into the room, there is a deafening click-the locks are now unlocked. “How does that work, Dad? Don’t we usually get locked in for a day or two?” Brenna asks.

         “Not sure hon, maybe there was just a loose one.” My dad blankly answers.

         “Well, I guess you girls are going to have to go to school.” My dad sips from his mug and the aroma of black coffee invades my smell.

         I walk upstairs to my bedroom and get dressed into the required school uniform. I braid back my dirty blonde bangs and secure it with a navy colored rubber band. I snatch my book bag and run downstairs.

         Brenna is waiting for me at the door with a brown paper bag. “I made you a lunch,” She hands the bag to me and I take it and offer a smile.

         Ever since our mom died three years ago, Brenna and I split up her old responsibilities. I usually handle the cleaning while Brenna handles the cooking. 

         After school, I walk home with Brenna. We walk into our house and drop our bags on the cedar chest. “Dad can I go over Emmalynn’s?” I call.

         I don’t hear an answer and I give Brenna a look on confusion; I wait.

         I hear a cough from upstairs and relief flows through my body. I run upstairs taking the steps two at a time.

         His door is ajar, but I peek my head in. “Dad?”

         He coughs in response and I walk over to his bed. His forehead is damp with sweat and there are tissues sprawled across the floor and bed. The tips of his fingers are purple.

         “Dad, are you okay?” I’m scared, honestly scared. We’ve never been sick; he’s part of the Government so we get vaccinations unlike the average citizen.

         “Kaya, honey I have Hitosis.” He chokes out. Tears are welding in his eyes and he can barely tell me.

         My lips quiver and I start to cry. “Daddy, no!” I scream. “You can’t! No! You can’t!”

         “Kaya calm down, it’ll be all right.”

         Brenna must’ve heard me scream because she walks upstairs. “What’s going on?” She asks. The look in her eyes says it all. She knows. Just by looking at our dad it’s no secret that he’s going to die.

         That’s how it starts out-you get a cold; only for a day or two. Then, your body starts to really ache. After that your major organs start to shut down and you’re left unable to talk or walk. After a month, you die. There’s not a flat line or a “He’s dead!” It’s simple, we’re used to it now, but I never thought that I’d have to go through this.

Brenna runs down the stairs and I call her name but it’s too late, she’s already gone. I walk out of my dad’s room, go downstairs and sit on the couch. I hold my head in my lap and sob.

         I jump when there’s a click, a loud click, the click of the lock. Brenna. Dad.

         It hits me-Brenna is stuck outside and I’m stuck in here with my infected dad. Should I break a window and go find Brenna or risk staying in the house with my Dad?

         My mind scrambles for a solution, my body freezes. Without thinking, I run over to the kitchen and grab a chair. I hold the chair above my head and thrust it at the window. Glass shatters everywhere.

         I climb out the window, careful not to touch any of the glass remaining in the window frame. I franticly call Brenna’s name, screaming for her, she doesn’t answer.

         I run around town, passing the shabby market, closed Laundromat, Tina’s Diner, and the playground. As I pass Tina’s Diner people in the diner gawk at me, as I scream Brenna’s name over and over and over again.

         Just when I am diffident, I hear my name being called. I spin around looking for the source. My mind is too jumbled to distinguish voices.

         “Kaya!” Brenna runs towards me and I embrace her with my arms. “I was locked out!”

         “It’s okay, it’s alright. I know.” I soothingly promise.

         I run my hand over her hair again and again. “I broke a window to come and find you.”

         “Kaya, that’s against the law,” She pulls away from me, her eyes wide.

         “I don’t care, as long as you’re safe. Now let’s-” I get cut off by a pounding sound. Brenna and I both turn around to see Emmalynn inside of her small wooden house, banging on the windows. Her expression is frantic and she’s beckoning Brenna and me.

         We run over to her house and stand at the window. The glare on her dark olive skin makes it hard to see her. She’s mouthing something and moving her hands around wildly.

         Emmalynn walks over to her door and by the shaking of the door and frame, I assume she’s trying to open the door despite that they’re locked. “Don’t worry about it!” I shriek.

         As if she’s gained super strength, the door flies back and throws Emmalynn onto the floor. I gasp as she just lays there; her older brother Jackson comes racing into the room. I invite myself in. “Are you hurt?” Jackson helps her sit up and she shakes her head.

         “What were you two doing outside during a lock down?” Emmalyn rubs the back of her head.

         “I didn’t intend to,” I shoot Brenna a look but she’s already staring at the floor. “but I had to get out of the house. Our dad has Hitosis.”

         Both Emmalynn and Jackson take a small almost unnoticeable step back.

         “Don’t worry, we don’t have it.” Brenna comments. “I was upset and ran out of the house. I didn’t know they were going to do a lock down. I was scared, but I ran into this boy who also got locked out. His name was Thomas or something. He held my hand and told me it would be alright.”

         Thomas? If it’s the Thomas I’m thinking of I don’t think he was locked out on accident.

         “Brenna,” Jackson’s face turns white. “Thomas Opal has Hitosis.”

         Brenna stiffens, “What?”

         Jackson walks over to the fire place and puts on his shoes and then his jacket. His jacket is worn, torn from use. Emmalynn’s family isn’t rich so they don’t have all the luxuries that we have.

         “Where are you going?” Emmalynn asks her brother.

         “To take Brenna to the VS. She’s probably infected, she’s gotta be quarantined. And I’m gonna tell them that her dad has it too.” He says it like it’s not going to faze me.

         “No you’re not,” I position myself in front of Brenna.

         “Kaya, don’t make this any harder than it should be.” Jackson walks around me and grabs Brenna’s upper arm.

         “Get off her!” I swing my arm around and try to pull him off of her. He shoves me out of the way and I push Brenna out of the way. I swing and try to punch Jackson but he ducks.

         “Emma, take Brenna!” Jackson yells as he’s trying to get me off of him.

         Emmalynn hesitates, but Jackson yells at her again and she coaxes Brenna out the door. Brenna’s crying, Emmalynn’s holding back tears.

         “Stop! Get off me! I need to go get her!” I sob.

         I’m trying to get to the door, but Jackson is preventing me. He picks me up and I flail my legs. I’m tired, tired of crying, tired of throwing this juvenile fit.

         “Please,” I whisper, too weak to talk. All of my energy was put into trying to get to the door, but now I’m weak and tired.

         “Listen, whether we take her or not, it’s not going to make a difference.” Jackson’s face is close to mine and I don’t even know what room we’re in.

         “I want to move,”

         “Move where?”

         “Another country,” I stare into his eyes and realize that we’re still in the living room, just on the couch.

         “Like what? Canada?” He blinks and his long dark eyelashes entrance me.

         “Maybe,”

         Out of nowhere he gets closer and so do I. Before I know it, I’m kissing Emmalynn’s brother. The fact that his lips are full and soft tramples over the realization that I’m kissing my best friend’s older brother.

         The door opens and I pull away. Standing at the door with her mouth open is Emmalynn.

         “Em, listen, I can explain.” Jackson gets up and distances himself from me.

         “I don’t want an explanation,” Emmalynn smiles, but it’s not her usual happy-go-lucky genuine smile. Her smile is twisted with the tears that are streaking her face. “I want Kaya to get out of my house!”

         I stand up and avoid her eyes, but I fail. Her dark brown eyes are full of anger and hate. “Emma,”

         “No! Don’t talk to me, whatever you want to say, I don’t want to hear it.” She widens the door and steps aside.

         I walk out, not wanting to cause any more problems, but I can’t resist. I turn around and face their house. “This is your fault Jackson!” I scream. Emmalynn slams the door in my face.

         I don’t know where to go. I surely can’t go back to my house with my dad there, but I don’t have any other choice. I start to walk towards my house and kick the dirt and stones along as I go.

         When I reach my house there are vans outside of it, VS vans.

         “What are you doing here?” I’m jogging now; they can’t take my dad too.

         “Stay back!” A guard yells. Multiple guards are escorting my dad out of my house, all of them wearing suits with modernized gas masks. His eyes catch mine and I know better than to lash out like I did when Jackson tried to take Brenna. His eyes say it all, he knew it was coming…but how? I keep my eyes locked on my dad’s and he mouths something. I only catch “living room” and “drawer”.

         They load my dad into the van and drive away. I run into my house and straight into the living room. I rapidly begin to aggressively open every single drawer in the living room. I come across the drawer on the very bottom of a dresser. Papers.

         I rummage through them; there are pictures stuck in with the papers, pictures of men in army uniforms wearing helmets and gripping large guns. All of the men look different, one has pale skin and a freckled covered face, another has dark brown skin and wide set eyes, the last man has light skin and round eyes, round eyes that would only belong to my father.

         I’m shocked and dumbfounded; my father was in the army? I turn the picture over in my hands and written on the back is a date. 05-22-30. That wasn’t long ago.

         There’s a knock on the door so I shove the photograph in a drawer and close all of the drawers.  I walk over and open the door; it’s a Guard. “There’s a meeting at the Center, we require every citizen to attend.”

         The Center is packed and I have no one to stand with. I make my way to the front to get a good view. Not long after I arrive the mayor taps the microphone. “Welcome, I’ve called you here because the war in Europe has gotten worse. I have to ask the youth a favor. I need ten young adults to travel to Europe and complete a brief mission. If you are willing, please step forward now.”

         Seven kids from my class go up including Emmalynn and Jackson; that makes nine. I consult whether or not to volunteer. I decide to stay quiet.

         “I need one more youth.” The mayor calls into the microphone. “If I do not get a volunteer, I will have to choose one of you myself.”

         Please someone volunteer.

         No one volunteers and the mayor scans the crowd; I lower my head.

         Finally he shouts, “You! Come up here,”

         It’s not until I look up that I notice he’s pointing at me. He waves his hand until I walk up onto the stage. He smiles at me while at the same time Emmalynn glares at me and Jackson avoids my eyes.

         We’re transported to an air plane that will take us straight to Europe. It seems to me that they aren’t wasting any time. I take a seat near the window and Jackson and Emmalynn sit next to me.

         “I thought you hated me,” I say without looking at them.

         “If we’re going to probably die together, now’s not the time to ignore people.”

         The plane takes off and we all sit in silence, too nervous to sleep.          

         When we arrive in Europe they order us to walk off the plane in a single file line. When we reach the door, a man named Adrian stands there and explains to us that he is our guide and that we will do as he says. He hand us a gun and a bullet proof vest. The vest if heavy in my hands and the gun makes me rigid.

         I don’t recognize the land, there are tents set up with tarp roofs in an ally, but there are large buildings and a small bridge over standing a body of water.

Immediately there are gun shots and Adrian shout for us to take cover. Emmalynn runs over towards me, leaving her brother behind and I know better than to yell and ask her why she’s all of a sudden next to me.

         While running I throw the vest over my head and Emmalynn does the same. We all reach an ally way and we’re instructed to put on our vests and get our guns ready. Emmalynn looks at me, “I’ve never held a gun before,” I look back at her and swallow, “Neither have I…”

         A man comes into the ally way and Adrian tells us to hold our fire because he’s with us. “He’s with us, everyone, meet Ethan.”

         Ethan looks straight at me and I look at him. A smile creeps across my face and I quickly conceal it.

         “Adrian, we need to go in now.” Ethan warns.

         Adrian stands up from his crouch and tightens his vest. “Alright,” He stretches and faces us. “Listen, most of you haven’t fired a gun, let alone held one. Just aim and pull the trigger, hold the gun with both hands, and please, don’t be a sissy.”

         We all get up and that’s when I notice Emmalynn wiping away a tear. I don’t bother to ask, she’s not one for crying but we’ve been through so much in the past days, I don’t blame her.

         We all star running out of the ally; gun shots fly towards us and Renee, a girl I used to know falls to the ground, blood pouring from her thigh. I shoot over to where the bullets came from that hit Renee. I freeze and run to her. “I’m sorry,” I mutter and grab her gun leaving her unarmed on the gravel.

         I catch up with Emmalynn again and she looks crookedly at the gun, “Renee got shot, I took her gun.” Emmalynn looks at me with horror. “She might need that!”

         “No she won’t, we need it more than she does.” And with that, she stops talking and continues to run. Ethan slows down and runs next to me. “Follow me; we can get out of here.”

         “Follow you? I barely know you,” My voice shakes with each stride.

         “Yeah, if you want to vaccinate your sister then you’ll follow me.” Without warning, Ethan runs to the right and I follow him, Emmalynn trails behind me.

         Adrian notices us straying from the group and yells. “Hey! Ethan what the heck are you doing?”

         “Ignore him; he has to stay with the group.” Ethan leads us to a shabby lean-to. “Stay here, I’ll be back with a Jeep. You guys will climb in and I will drive you to an airport, your sister will be there. The plane will take you to Canada. On the plane will be a small black box, inject yourself, your sister,” He points at Emmalynn, not knowing her name. “…and her.”

         He leaves without a goodbye and I inspect the room I’m in. “How does he know you have a sister? And how does he know you want out of the country?” Emmalynn questions.

         Actually, I don’t know, I didn’t think of it; I shrug.

         “We have to get out of here!” Emmalynn tightens her vest for the first time and starts out the tarp door.

         “No,” I stop her. “He can save Brenna!” I think of Brenna, sick and withered in the VS, wondering why this happened to her, wondering where her big sister is. “You can leave, but I’m not going to.”

         She considers it, thinking it through. She’s always been like that; think before you act for your words are worse than actions. Her father would always say that before he went into war and died. “Emma, wasn’t your dad in the war?”

         “Yeah, why?” Her words are brittle and her eyes are glassy.

         “I found a photograph of my dad, he was in the war too I guess.”

         “I thought you knew, I thought you just didn’t like to talk about it.” She doesn’t look in my eyes.

         “Knew what?”

         The tarp opens and I aim my gun, but it’s just Ethan. “I’m ready,”

         We pile in the Jeep and it smells faintly of cigar smoke. “You can drive?”

         “I learn fast,”

         The drive is fast and Emmalynn’s face has less expression than a brick.

         “We’re here; your sister is waiting inside the plane.”

         I jump out of my seat and I pull open the car door. I run towards the plane and Emmalynn and Ethan are close behind. My gun rubs up against my side but I push the thought aside, thinking about Brenna. Her bright little face will light up when she sees me.

         I reach the plane and climb up the stairs to get inside. “Brenna!” I shout. I see her head in one of the seats near the back. “Brenna?” I hear muffled sobs. Her muffled sobs. I walk to the back and find her sitting, tears welled in her eyes. “Kaya don’t-”

                   “Don’t what?” I turn around to find Ethan, but he’s right behind me. “Why’s she crying? Where’s the box?”

         “She knows where the black box is…ask her where it is.” Ethan laughs.

         Brenna pulls a small black box out from under her seat. She extends her arm, offering me the box. Emmalynn moves toward me curiously.

         “Open it,” Ethan presses a button near the door and the door closes. Emmalynn runs to the door and bangs on it, begging for it to not close.

         Brenna’s hands shake as she lifts two silver flaps and opens the top. Inside lays one syringe with a fat top, a clear liquid inside. “Where’s-?” I start.

         “There’s only one,” Brenna cries, she places the box down on the seat next to her and places her head in her hands. “Only one of us gets vaccinated.”

         I lunge at Ethan, my hands reaching for his throat. “You lied!” I scream. “You told me there were going to be three!” I squeeze my hands around his throat and he pulls my gun off of me. He aims it at my head and I duck. I duck right as he pulls the trigger.

         I whip my head around and see Emmalynn falling to the ground, a hole in her head. “No!” I wail.

         I try to yank the gun off of him but he shoves it towards me and it hits me in the jaw. I fall back and hold my face. I reach into my vest; wedged between my vest and my shirt is Renee’s gun. I hold my arm out and aim it at Ethan, “There’s only one bullet left in that gun.” I nod at the gun he’s holding. “I shot four times in the ally, you shot once at Emmalynn, there is one left. On the other hand, this gun has all six bullets.”

         He analyzes it; he grits his teeth and I shoot him in the calf. “Slide your gun across the floor.” I order.

         “Hate to break it to you, but your sister over there; she’s dying of Hitosis right now.” His eyes travel over to Brenna who’s having trouble breathing.

         “Brenna! Inject yourself!” I keep my gun trained on Ethan, but I turn my head to her for just a moment, long enough to see her shake her head. “Brenna, I love you, inject yourself, now!” Again, she shakes her head.

         “Hitosis has evolved; it gives you less time to live. Before I brought her on the plane I injected her with a more lethal form. She’s going to die in three minutes.” He laughs and sits up. Without thinking I shoot him right in the chest, knowing he doesn’t have a vest.

         He slumps over and I rush back to Brenna. “Please, inject yourself. Hurry.” I plead.

         “I’m going to die anyways, you-you’ll live. I won’t.” She pushes the box in my direction.

         “You’ll live if you do this,”

         “Fine,” She reaches for the box, picks up the syringe and flicks it, bubbles float to the top. She smiles and I smile back. “I’m sorry,” She says.

         “I love you,” I whimper.

         “Always.” She cries.

         She pulls up her sleeve and out of nowhere she springs towards me and stabs me with the syringe. She pushes down the top and I feel the liquid flow through me. I back away and cry, “Why did you do that?”

         The Hitosis is getting to her, she’s drifting off. “Isn’t it obvious? I love you.” She smiles despite she’s almost dead.

         Finally, she stops breathing and the plane lands.

         I realize that love is powerful, whether you’re doing it for love or out of love. Brenna, although she’s only twelve has taught me a lot.