Bus 114 (Part 1)

As the engine began to muffle we came to a quick stop, we were picking up new people. The bus was already mostly filled with only a few seats left. I was one of the first people on so I got my own seat. Nobody had sat down with me yet, which I was thankful for because I'm terrified of strange people. The new people were looking just as terrified as the rest of us. There were three of them: one girl, probably in her late teens, a younger brother probably a few years younger and they both had that bleak expression that we all got when the bus stopped for us. There was another one though, a younger girl, no older than 12, maybe? She was skipping about and laughing, she must not have been told where she was going. The older siblings grabbed her by each of her hands and helped her onto the bus. The three sat down in one of the few empty seats left, just diagonally to me. I heard the two older ones talk in a hushed tone.

"What are we going to tell her when we get there...?" The boy asked, looking quite concerned.
"We'll think of something, for now, just keep her happy, just like Mom said." The older sister stated bouncing the young girl on her knee.

I felt my dark-yellow, soft hair blow in the breeze as the kid in front of me had put his window down, this made everyone quite angry. I heard several grunts and swear words come from the other kids on the bus, but they had other reasons to be angry or upset.
The brisk Winter air felt like it was cutting my face but it did relieve the stench of the bus. The stench was arguably worse than anything else I've ever smelled. It smelled of gasoline and sweat, but where we were going I guess it didn't matter The interior of the bus wasn't exactly homey, there were ripped fliers and gum wrappers everywhere and there were spots of rust in the corners. I bundled up with my soft, fur coat that my mother gave to me before I left and I pretended I was back home, laying in my warm and inviting cot. I thought about what my Mother and sister might be doing at the moment.
Before I was picked up, my mother packed me the leftovers from the roast last night in a brown bag. My sister tried to explain to me how this process would go, but I didn't really listen, mostly out of terror. The few days before today I was quite unsettled, I couldn't sleep or eat and I was soon having night terrors. Eventually though, I stopped. There was no use in being afraid, being afraid would just make things worse. When the bus picked me up at the corner of the street, my Mother kissed me goodbye but I knew she was holding back tears. My sister high fived me, being strong for my sake and gave me her sparkling necklace as a comfort. As I saw them and my home grow smaller in the distance, I wonder if it would be the last time I saw them. I wondered if it would be the last time any of the other kids would see their parents.

The ride to the Government building seemed endless, but their were some interesting final stops. One Mother refused to let her very young daughter on the bus and patrols were called in. Eventually the girl got on the bus, covered in her own tears, unfortunately I don't know what happened to the Mother.

As I was about to take a nap before we got there, we made another stop and this time I heard a familiar voice shout "Hey, June!" I looked up and couldn't believe my eyes. When I was 14 my ninth grade class was split in half; one side went to the West school and one went to the East school They did this so we couldn't form an uprising against them, which was attempted several times, although none were successful and only ended in bloodshed.

I was split up from my childhood friend August, and I had never heard from him since that day we were split. For a second I didn't think I responded and he probably thought he had the wrong girl.
"August, is it really..." I said, still shocked.
"June, my gosh, its been...how long, 5 years?" He asked, as he sat down next to me in the seat.
I scanned him quickly just to make sure it was him, and he was wearing the same "Dinosaurs Rule" shirt I fondly remember him wearing, I was shocked the shirt even still fit. His blue eyes stuck out, as I always envied his ocean-like eyes. His brown hair had only grown a little bit and he still had the small scar on his chin from our childhood "adventures."He wasn't carrying much other than a torn and ripped satchel. He was much skinnier than I remember, but we've all lost weight since the Revolution.

"So, how are you??" He eagerly asked.

"Well..." I let the surroundings speak for themselves.

"Oh right..." he paused, "Are you scared too?" He gave me a genuine look of nervousness that I had never expected to see on him.

"A little. I just try to remain calm," I explained. "But anyway," I quickly changed the subject, "How were the last few years?"

"Well, the East school kids tried to kill one of the soldiers but they ended up getting killed themselves. And there was even one day where a group of kids killed themselves because they wanted to escape so bad." I wasn't too shocked by his story, there were some kids who did that at West School too, but it wasn't nearly as bad.

"I've heard some kids have been in hiding so they wouldn't have to face today," I added.

"Yeah, same..." He replied, I could tell he was more nervous than he appeared.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, concernedly.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine, I just don't feel well." He said, trying to sound brave.

"You can be scared, its okay." I responded.

"No, really, I'm fine." He replied, brushing it off.

After a few moments of awkward silence, I quickly changed the subject.

"Well, anyway, how have you been?" I tried to find a better topic of conversation but you're limited when you're on a bus being sent to your possible death.

"Uh, we've been okay... Good times and bad, I guess. Remember my dog, Jeckles?"

"Oh yeah, the great dane! How is he?"

"He was actually killed last year during a riot in my neighborhood...."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...."

"You're fine," he said it with a smile.

I looked to the front of the bus and I could see that we reached the City Limits, it wouldn't be long before we got there, as we moved closer to the city I felt my stomach become more of a knot. I also saw a girl a few seats ahead of me start crying. We tried to block out all of the pain and worry around us.
August looked like he remembered something and pulled out his satchel. He rummaged through it and pulled out an unopened chocolate bar.

"Want to share it?" He asked, gesturing me to take a piece.

"Uh...sure." I took a small piece from the corner and quickly ate it. It was the first time I had chocolate in months, the grocery stores usually only have a shipment of it every six months or so.

"Where did you get it?" I asked.

"My Dad gave it to me before I left," he explained.

"I just have my lunch with me." I said, with a chuckle. For a moment, our eyes made direct contact and it brought back all the memories from our childhood, when we were oblivious and naive. It was a better time.

"Oh, I guess I should tell you," he said as he pulled a picture out from his satchel, "I have a girlfriend now." He showed me a picture of the girl, she was just as pale and skinny as the rest of us but her hair was the most beautiful hair I had ever seen. It was so long and dark and coarse, I didn't ask how she made it like that.

"Oh, she's very pretty. What's her name?"

"Julie. I love her, we met when we were 15." He stared into the picture.

"That's sweet. Is she not on the bus?"

"Uh, no," he said with a straightforward attitude.

Suddenly we heard the bus driver, a disgruntled old man, make an announcement:

"Its a one way stop to City Hall from here!" He coughed and choked his way through the sentence.

"Sheesh, we'll be lucky if we don't die before we get there," August said.

I smiled from his joke, but no matter how much I wanted to laugh at something, I only let out a chuckle. I would just remember that this day was waiting for me and I'd let out a sigh.

I looked out the window and only saw the ruins of cities we were only told of when we were kids. No one existed outside the city limits, and if you were, the Soldiers would find you and kill you. The sky was gray and dismal. The snow was falling and so was our hope that maybe the bus would crash on the way their. Then maybe we could escape that way and head to North where people were free and happy, a feeling that was spare here. If only we could just get one chance to escape, just one...

August showed me some more pictures of his family and some things he's collected over the years. I caught him up on my life too but nothing was really different since we last talked.
Less than an hour later, we were on the Main Road. The Main Road was the only road between the interstate and City Hall. Despite the smoke and snow, you could see the silhouette of City Hall clearly. It's and tall and foreboding figure put us all in fear for ourselves. The place was probably 10 stories high, just like Elloise described it, since she already went through this. It was the only building in the area that was left intact after the Revolution, its marble structure and broken angel statue was the diamond in this soil of a wasteland.

We pulled up to the Front Gates and a few Guards stopped us. I couldn't hear what the driver and guard were saying but they opened the gate directly after. We drove right up to the steps of the building where several guards were waiting. There was a dead silence on the bus, even August, who would usually comment on any situation, remained quiet. The driver opened the door of the bus and a guard stepped inside.

"Alright, let's make this quick and easy folks: *Ahem,* 'Welcome to City Hall, today you will all participate in our Necessary Child Enrichment Test. You have all been called upon according to last names to participate. Now, we're going to do a name call, so everyone whose name I call say you're here. Ready: Pierce, Sarah..."

I looked to August who looked a little nervous. "Are you okay?," I asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. You?" He was stuttering a bit and I could tell he was scared. I was told to hide my fear and I would pass the test, at least thats what my sister told me. She took the test when she was 13 but that was when the rules were different, that was when only one child per household could take the test, but its different now. Now that we have a new President.

"Terrance, June."

"Here!" I stated quickly and loudly.

After a few more names, I expected August to be next.

"Gunnery, August."

"Here." I was surprised August replied as quickly as he did, he has a thing for cracking under the pressure.

The rest of the names were called and we all got off the bus afterward. We all stood in a straight line according to last names so August and I were separated for a few minutes. I was stuck between two strangers, two kids who I may or may not see on the ride back...or they may not see me. We all looked like a bunch of orphans: raggedy clothes and hair but some looked worse than others. Then it happened.
Once we got halfway down the line, one kid saw a moment where he could run and he took it. I didn't know the kid personally, but he did go to my school. He jumped out of line and dashed towards a group of trees. He ran faster than a jackrabbit, sprinting with all his might. The guards didn't react at first and we were all silently cheering for him. I thought for a second that the guards just didn't care, but I was wrong.


It was quick though, that's for sure. The shot was loud but clear and the kid went down quickly. Some other guards picked up his body and carried it somewhere inside. Some of us started breaking down and crying while others remained still as possible, I was in the latter group. My sister told me that they grade you on everything you do or say and I didn't want to take any chances. Even though I knew that kid wouldn't be going home today I couldn't show it and as I quickly looked down the line August wasn't showing it either.
"Sorry bout that folks," the guard said, not genuinely of course, "Happens every year, now where were we..."
Once the guard had cleared us all, we all moved in unison to the inside of the building. It was as if Death was a person and we were walking right towards him, some of us he would keep and some of us would be saved. The inside of the building could be mistaken for a post office, it was very organized and there was a lot of bustling going on. The guards instructed us to look to the large screen overhead.

A man, who I assumed was the mayor of our city, appeared on the screen.

"Good morning, everyone. Now this test should only take a few hours and then we will meet in the waiting area for the results. So good luck everyone, do your best and of course, God speed."

The man's elderly appearance was the most disgusting sight I've ever seen, my body rushed with anger.
"Alright kids, " the guard got out his checklist again, "You'll all be moved into different classrooms: M-P you're in 112, the aid will show you the way. Q-T you're in 113, U-Z in 114."

It then occurred to me that August and I would be separated again, we looked to each other as we merged into the smaller groups. We gave each other a look of some concern but mostly sadness. The group of siblings from the bus ride started panicking as they realized their younger sister, who must have shared a different last name, would be in a different room. The older sister wouldn't let the younger one go and the boy wasn't sure how to react. The guards tazed the older girl and she fell down painfully, the older boy stood with his eyes closed and held his hands over his ears. The younger girl began sobbing as she was grabbed by the guards and put in her own group. The guards picked up the older girl, who must have been unconscious, and put her in my group. The younger boy did not want to be moved, the guards tried to grab him but he was squirming around and out of their grasp. The aid was directed to get everyone to the rooms immediately. She pushed us all down a hallway with closed doors, but we all wanted to see what happened to the boy. Now I'm not exactly sure, but as were pushed through the doors, I thought for a moment.....I heard a second shot.

The aid, a tall woman in a white dress, guided us to our room, room 113. The other groups were placed into their rooms as well. The room looked a lot like our classrooms at school but a lot cleaner and more well kept and even had a separate bathroom in the back. The desks were aligned perfectly and each desk had one of our names on it. I found my desk with my name it, it was the second desk in the row closest to the door. All the students sat quietly at their desk until the Aid left, then the panic began flowing through us.

"Two kids are dead already!!" One girl said as she was crying.

"Look, we don't know for sure that boy is dead." Shouted another.

"This isn't fair, that girl and boy were really young. This test should be based on age not name order!" Another girl exclaimed.

I kept silent, I didn't want to befriend anyone I might not see ever again. Then I heard someone whisper to me.

"So, uh, what do you think happened to them?" Asked a girl, probably the same age as me.

"I don't know." I said, trying to avoid conversation. Like I said, if I did get out of here, I didn't want to think about what happened to the people who were nice to me.

"You're not much of a talker are you?" The girl's red hair shined against the fluorescent lights.

"...Not really," I said, trying to direct my attention to something else.

"Well anyway, I'm Rose." The girl must have come from a rich family, her skin was flawless and she was wearing a blue sparkling dress.

"But I guess I don't have to worry, " she began, "I'll be fine."

She peaked my curiosity, "You're very positive. How?"

"See this bracelet," She lifted her wrist to show off her diamond engraved bracelet, "My father owns the most productive farm around. Even the government came and asked him to work for them. And of course after that the money came rolling in."

"I don't understand..." I stated.

"Government worker's children automatically pass."

I couldn't believe my ears, the fact that that was true was horrible. I couldn't talk to the girl anymore.
I just sighed and looked away, unfortunately, I wasn't the only person that heard her. The large boy behind her also heard her and wasn't pleased either. He stood up and announced to everyone that she got a "free pass." Several other kids were angry as well, angry that their own lives could be in danger or that their own siblings were dead because of the government. The girl looked worried and several others were starting to remember all the pain and sadness they felt when their sibling didn't come home or the worry they were feeling right now when they looked at her. I knew this wasn't going to end well.

One student began to throw their lunch at the girl, and eventually it went from food to books to other things around the room. The girl was trying to avoid the items but it wasn't working well. She pleaded and pleaded with them to stop, but they were so angry and upset at the poor girl, who was just the target of their built up emotions. I moved to the back to avoid the crossfire, I stood and watched as the violence and the anger grew stronger. I thought maybe it was all just a bad dream and that I was still home asleep. I felt horrible that I was just standing there being useless while this girl was being attacked, I felt obligated to help but they might just turn against me as well. I've been in this situation before, at school last year. The kids were beating up this younger boy because he was bragging that his brothers both passed the test. However, that kid never came back from that fight, he just laid there, eventually a few guards picked him up though. I couldn't let that happen again, I couldn't be just another passerby.

So I ran over to the girl, whose blue dress was now ripped and mangled and was patterned with spots of blood. "Stop! Its not her fault!," I exclaimed. The other kids stopped throwing things and they were all staring at me.

"Get out of the way, girl. This isn't your fight," said the large boy from earlier.

"Look, I know you have a lot of anger built up from these guys, but it isn't her fault. " My reasoning seemed to calm them down a little bit and some of them dropped their weapons.

"Why does she get a free pass?! My brothers didn't came back from the test!!" He was very angry, but I knew if I could get him to drop his ballpoint he'd settle.

"It'll be okay, I promise. We'll take the test and then we'll all get on that bus and go home," I said. The boy's expression seemed to go from hateful to sympathetic. He dropped the pen and sighed. He and the other kids returned to their desks and I helped the girl up.

"Thank you," she said, "If they wouldn't have been stopped..."

I comforted her, "I know. It'll be okay now."

I took her to the bathroom in the back of the room to help her wash up. She splashed some water on herself to cool down. Her flawless face was now bruise and cut. Her beautiful dress however had now looked like our clothes.
"If I can talk to my dad, maybe he can get you out of here too," she proposed.
I wanted to take her up on her offer, I really did, but I knew it was unfair to me and even August. But I didn't want to make a stupid decision, so I told her I'd think about it. She got herself together and we returned together as I walked past the unused chalkboard on my right, I heard a click. Then it occurred to me, they had been watching us the whole time.
The other students gave Rose some dirty looks but no one attempted anything again. After a few more minutes of awkward tension, some proctors came in with crates.

"Alright everyone, your test has been individualized according to age. This test will determine your IQ, skills, weaknesses and things of the like. Those of you who pass this stage, will move to stage two...so yeah, lets get started."
The proctors seemed to ignore the "incident" that had happened, and passed out our tests. How Rose was still able to take the test at this point, I couldn't figure out. But I guess when you have a freebie it doesn't matter.

I opened the test booklet, which had my name labeled on the front. Page one through eight were instructions, waivers and whatnot. Then, with my distributed number two pencil, I began the test. The first part was math: algebra, geometry and whatnot, nothing too hard. There were fifty questions and we only had 45 minutes to do them, and I didn't even finish them all. I had three left. The next section was writing: we had to write an essay about why we should survive, it was a strangely narcissistic moment. I pretty much just said that I was smart, capable and able to handle stressful situations apparently. The essay was pretty easy too...and then...the test was over. Just like that, two sections and it was over, this couldn't have been it. It couldn't have been. I've heard too much about it for to be over already. I skimmed the packet just to make sure I didn't skip anything, then I looked around and saw a few other kids done too. I laid my pencil down feeling confident, and hoping maybe August was confident too. I took a deep breath and glanced over to Rose, who looked pretty still, it was creepy. The proctor gave his final speech:
"Alright everyone, the test is over. You will all move to the waiting area for the results."
Just like the aid, and guards they all sounded like they hated their job. Everyone stood up and I feel like we all took a deep breath at the same time. Rose was the first out of the room, she moved quickly to the directed room. The rest of us followed the signs but I slowly crept past August's room but I couldn't tell if he was done already or if they had all left too.
The waiting room wasn't very soothing; there was a couch, and a soda machine and a radio...that was it. A few kids gathered on the couch, some around the radio and the rest of us were scattered. The room wasn't too big, so someones conversation could be vaguely heard. I figured that if they watched us last time, they'd be watching us again. Rose was in the corner of the room alone, trying to avoid the others. I felt obligated to talk to her, but as I was going to approach her, the door opened. The next group of kids came in.

There was the girl from earlier, with her sister and brother not in sight. Among the crowd was August looking calm and collected. I saw him and smiled, we embraced as he came through the door.

"August! How are you? How was the test?," I asked.

"It was kinda hard...But I think I did okay," I replied. We found our own corner of the room to talk.

I told him the seemingly unbelievable story of Rose and the angry students. We spoke quietly.

"When do you think they'll announce the results?" August asked, sort of panicked.

"Soon," I said, "We've been here a half hour and all they have to do is run it through the machine."

"Yeah, I guess." He seemed distracted, but I guess we all were.

"Can I be honest with you?" August asked.

"Of course."

"I'm scared, June. R-really scared." His voice was quivering.

"Me too..."

"How do you hide it?"

"I try not to think about the bad outcomes, I try to think about the good possibilities. Maybe we'll both leave and continue our lives. We'll all leave here and return home--" I was interrupted by August.

"What home, June...go back to our ruined lives and try to get by day by day..I don't want to go back to that..." He was really upset, I never saw him like that before, I wasn't sure how to handle it.

"I know. Maybe its not the best life but..."

"Have you thought...of the alternatives?"

"What do you mean?" I looked at him, quite puzzled.

"You know..." He looked at me, and I realized what he meant.

"Actually...I don't know. I thought maybe it would be better, but I never really considered it."

"I have. A few times. With my sister gone and my best friend gone, its only my Dad and me. And well..."
August used to tell me stories of his father, and just like my dad they worked together in the mines. My dad died in the mines about five years ago, but his managed to escape that day. But the mines made his father sick back then, I can't imagine how sick he is by now. Then he pulled out his satchel again and retrieved the picture of his girlfriend. He kissed it and stared at it for a moment.

"Do you miss her?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I have."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been dead for eight months. Every day I look at her picture and hope maybe she's still alive but....I doubt it."