The Dead District (Numb, Part 6)

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

I’ve never run so fast in my life. In fact, I never needed to run. But now my shoes are hitting the ground in an unstable, panicked rhythm. I just want to get away, away from Lucifer, away from the rebellion, away from my own emotions.

Only after several minutes, I realize that something is off. The streets I leave behind, they’re all empty. Not a single human soul is outside. At this time of the day, hundreds of people should be on their way to work, the streets are supposed to be full of life.

But there is nobody around.

I stop and look around, trying to catch my breath. My lungs are burning from the unusual activity and my struggled breathing is the only sound that can be heard. What is going on?

Then it hits me. This is a dead district.

When the emotion blockers had first been introduced, many people resisted it, as they usually do with any new technology, especially when the government tries to enforce its usage. For some time, they were left alone. But when the emotion blockers became more and more mainstream, pressure was put on them again. They still resisted.

Until one day, the government decided that the people living in these districts posed a danger to the rational population and that they had to get rid of them. A plan was devised and put into action without the knowledge of anyone but the highest ranking officials. _{_{_{_{_{_{_{_{_{_@suesa}}}}}}}}}

A sophisticated radiation bomb was placed in every district that housed the resisting individuals. Those bombs were a lot less destructive than the atom bombs which had been in use before. They worked by slowly releasing high doses of radiation into the environment.

Soon, everyone who hadn’t agreed to the emotion blocker and hadn’t been moved to a safe location became sick. Very sick. Chronic diseases became common, cancer rates went through the roof. More than a couple people were found dead in their beds. Women lost their babies and those that still managed to be born were horribly deformed. It took just a year until the districts were empty. And because nobody had been aware of what the cause of all this pain and death was, nobody protested.

Only when everyone had died, the truth had been revealed.

I was taught all this while growing up. Everyone nowadays knew about the dead districts and their history. Children were told that these districts might still be slightly radioactive, although most materials should have lost their radioactive properties over the course of the past 200 years. Still, these places were not yet regarded as safe.

I had never questioned any of this.

Until now.

An abandoned city like this was the perfect place for the rebellion to hide, of course, they chose to hide here! But did they consider the dangers? Or do they just accept the fact that they’re probably all slowly dying?

Suddenly, my chest starts to hurt and I feel very dizzy and nauseous. Heat pumps through my body and I have trouble breathing as if something or someone is chocking me. This doesn’t feel like normal fear. This must be something physical! Am I having a heart attack? Is this the effect of the radiation I’ve been absorbing during the past month?

I must get out of here, out of this district. I need to get home, somehow! Maybe they will find a way to block my emotions again, maybe they can integrate me back into society. If I just show them I really want to, if I just …

A hand grabs my shoulder just as I want to start running again. I spin around and Lucifer’s face is just millimeters away from mine.

”You look like you’re having a panic attack”, he says. ”Maybe you should come back home. I think it was a mistake to let you out already.”

I try to move away from him, try to get rid of his hand on my body. He tightens his grip so that it’s hurting me.

”You need to come home, Persephone”, he says, his voice not more than a whisper. ”You can’t handle your emotions yet. We need to work on that.”

”You followed me”, I say, chocking on my tears. ”You acted like you trust me and then followed me, like a prisoner.”

”I knew that you might be confused and afraid. I just wanted to keep you safe, I was afraid you’d hurt yourself. I care about you, Persephone. I care about everyone in the rebellion. We must stick together, you know? We must care for each other. That’s what sets us apart from these emotionless machines.”

”But why?” My question seems to confuse him.

”Why what, exactly?”

”Why do we need to be different? What is so great about emotions? I wasn’t unhappy before you ripped me from my life. I was never sad, never in pain. Why did you do this to me?” I’ve become louder and louder, the last words were shouted at Lucifer. But he doesn’t flinch.

”You were never happy either. Isn’t that something you’d miss now? Happiness?”

”I wouldn’t know”, I say. ”I haven’t felt happiness now either. Just fear and hatred.”

He slaps me.

”You ungrateful bitch. Do you have any idea what we’ve risked to extract you out of this hellish life? What we’re sacrificing daily to keep you safe?”

My cheek hurts and I can almost feel it turning red.

”I never asked to be taken by you.”

References:

Panic Attack

What Is Radioactive Pollution?

World Nuclear Association

Picture taken from pixabay.com

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