Gone: A Short Story
Gone
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live”-Norman Cousins. I think half of me died along with him too. It has been 11 years since my dad passed away. I was brainwashed when Dedicators bought me into the city. They’d said I’d never get over his death, honestly, I didn’t. He was fighting back, from what exactly I couldn’t place. I saw my face in his full of a rare savage. He was on the ground full of agony and pain. I was weeping, crying, and begging him to come back. I could smell the terrifying scent of blood and death. “Never let them take what’s yours, never forget who you are Alexia never forget” he had said to me in an uneven tone. Before his body went limp, and I knew he was gone.
I woke up the next morning …show more content…
with tears blinding my eyes. I shouldn’t remember my past, especially after the brainwashing session. Why do I remember? Should I Remember? Why is my past haunting me? All these questions surrounded me like a suffocating dark cage. I definitely couldn’t tell mom because she’s a Dedicator. She would definitely have me executed for all my “rule breaking”.
“Good morning” I heard my mom squeal happily as I ate breakfast. For a Dedicator control freak, she was in a good mood. So, I took advantage of the situation to my benefit. “Good morning mom” I responded with my 4 years mastered fake smile. “Alexia toady I got an invitation for you to be Master Eric’s assistance in the lab and test your skills for the permanent early job, they pay very well, and I need to get you off my shoulders and standing on your own” the smile was wiped off my face and replaced by disgust. “But I don-“ “Enough Alexia I said you will do it and that is the end of this conversation” I felt lava hot anger boiling up inside of me. “You can’t control me or what I do” I practically screamed to her frustrated and annoyed pale face “I can and I will because I am your mother and you are my responsibility, without me you would have ended up like your father” was the only thing she said before heading to work. I could feel the anger and frustration in her voice. My mom wanted me to work with “Master Eric”. He is the founder of our so called “perfect society”. I swear he practically lives off the souls of unicorns. Oops, I broke rule 39765 “no thinking of fantasies they put unwanted desires in our mind” like who even makes these.
I was grabbing my bag when I noticed mom dropped a file.
It was marked confidential in big red bold letters. There was no way I was not going to look inside. I opened up the file and briefly had a heart attack. There was a picture of my long dead father.
My body seemed to be on shut down mode. Under my dad’s picture in bold was the word Reidentified. I was on the verge of flooding the city with tears. My dad was alive somewhere, perhaps brainwashed, with a new identity? Why had he not come back to me yet? Does he still remember us as? Why did my mom hide this from me? I was a statue; with so many emotions I was numb. I had always let myself believe that the virus took him. But In reality, he was reidentified, without me and forgotten. Before yesterday, I had been blinded by a mask of lies. I was surrounded by questions that had no real answers. But now it was time to find some real answers.
Today was the day I busted my dad out. I made the plan last night in anger and frustration. Last night I snuck into mom’s room and “borrowed” her ID. The plan was: sneak inside dressed as dedicator using mom’s ID and get dad. So, now my plan was a go, go, go,
go.
I walked in the Dedicator building, running to wherever sector 5b was. According to the file, I read dad was located there. The Dedicators didn’t seem to notice me; I looked like them. All I had to do was get in the elevator. I was almost at the elevator when my hat fell off. All Dedicators eyes turned to me, I could taste death.
So, now one of the Dedicators had set off an alarm. My only option now was to run before they got me. There were at least 4 dozen Dedicators behind me. There was no way I could outrun all of them. So I grabbed a revolver from a dedicator and shot.
My first shot hit a Dedicator in the knee. I look up and see a gun aimed at my head. I could taste the fear of dying in my mouth. Before the Dedicator could pull the trigger something jabbed my shoulder. I felt my eyelids fall and my body collapse. I’m dying, I thought of last before I collapsed.
I opened up my eyes to a blank white ceiling. I guess the dying part wasn’t really reality. I tried to get up, but I was restrained. My hands were tied and so were my feet. I pounded until I heard someone walk into the room.
“Edwin Shane” I mumbled and shut my eyes. I despised even looking at the man who hurt my father. “It’s ok Lex” the figure spoke. Suddenly my thoughts stopped, only one person called me Lex. “Dad?!”
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live”-Norman Cousins. I think half of me died along with him too. It has been 11 years since my dad passed away. I was brainwashed when Dedicators bought me into the city. They’d said I’d never get over his death, honestly, I didn’t. He was fighting back, from what exactly I couldn’t place. I saw my face in his full of a rare savage. He was on the ground full of agony and pain. I was weeping, crying, and begging him to come back. I could smell the terrifying scent of blood and death. “Never let them take what’s yours, never forget who you are Alexia never forget” he had said to me in an uneven tone. Before his body went limp, and I knew he was gone.
I woke up the next morning …show more content…
with tears blinding my eyes. I shouldn’t remember my past, especially after the brainwashing session. Why do I remember? Should I Remember? Why is my past haunting me? All these questions surrounded me like a suffocating dark cage. I definitely couldn’t tell mom because she’s a Dedicator. She would definitely have me executed for all my “rule breaking”.
“Good morning” I heard my mom squeal happily as I ate breakfast. For a Dedicator control freak, she was in a good mood. So, I took advantage of the situation to my benefit. “Good morning mom” I responded with my 4 years mastered fake smile. “Alexia toady I got an invitation for you to be Master Eric’s assistance in the lab and test your skills for the permanent early job, they pay very well, and I need to get you off my shoulders and standing on your own” the smile was wiped off my face and replaced by disgust. “But I don-“ “Enough Alexia I said you will do it and that is the end of this conversation” I felt lava hot anger boiling up inside of me. “You can’t control me or what I do” I practically screamed to her frustrated and annoyed pale face “I can and I will because I am your mother and you are my responsibility, without me you would have ended up like your father” was the only thing she said before heading to work. I could feel the anger and frustration in her voice. My mom wanted me to work with “Master Eric”. He is the founder of our so called “perfect society”. I swear he practically lives off the souls of unicorns. Oops, I broke rule 39765 “no thinking of fantasies they put unwanted desires in our mind” like who even makes these.
I was grabbing my bag when I noticed mom dropped a file.
It was marked confidential in big red bold letters. There was no way I was not going to look inside. I opened up the file and briefly had a heart attack. There was a picture of my long dead father.
My body seemed to be on shut down mode. Under my dad’s picture in bold was the word Reidentified. I was on the verge of flooding the city with tears. My dad was alive somewhere, perhaps brainwashed, with a new identity? Why had he not come back to me yet? Does he still remember us as? Why did my mom hide this from me? I was a statue; with so many emotions I was numb. I had always let myself believe that the virus took him. But In reality, he was reidentified, without me and forgotten. Before yesterday, I had been blinded by a mask of lies. I was surrounded by questions that had no real answers. But now it was time to find some real answers.
Today was the day I busted my dad out. I made the plan last night in anger and frustration. Last night I snuck into mom’s room and “borrowed” her ID. The plan was: sneak inside dressed as dedicator using mom’s ID and get dad. So, now my plan was a go, go, go,
go.
I walked in the Dedicator building, running to wherever sector 5b was. According to the file, I read dad was located there. The Dedicators didn’t seem to notice me; I looked like them. All I had to do was get in the elevator. I was almost at the elevator when my hat fell off. All Dedicators eyes turned to me, I could taste death.
So, now one of the Dedicators had set off an alarm. My only option now was to run before they got me. There were at least 4 dozen Dedicators behind me. There was no way I could outrun all of them. So I grabbed a revolver from a dedicator and shot.
My first shot hit a Dedicator in the knee. I look up and see a gun aimed at my head. I could taste the fear of dying in my mouth. Before the Dedicator could pull the trigger something jabbed my shoulder. I felt my eyelids fall and my body collapse. I’m dying, I thought of last before I collapsed.
I opened up my eyes to a blank white ceiling. I guess the dying part wasn’t really reality. I tried to get up, but I was restrained. My hands were tied and so were my feet. I pounded until I heard someone walk into the room.
“Edwin Shane” I mumbled and shut my eyes. I despised even looking at the man who hurt my father. “It’s ok Lex” the figure spoke. Suddenly my thoughts stopped, only one person called me Lex. “Dad?!”