All I Have Left

It's been 5 years since the sky fell on us. Well, not quite, but it sure feels like it. There was a meteor that struck the Atlantic Ocean, flooding much of Europe, Africa and the Americas. The waters boiled because of the heat of the impact, so the floods scalded everything in it's path. Must've been horrific beyond words, and what remained of those continents and the rest of the world were hit with radiation. Some areas worse than others, the unflooded surrounding areas getting hit the hardest. The radiation itself wiped out a lot of the world's vegetation and animals, slowly collapsing the ecosystem. Surviving animals and people in those regions suffered mutations from the fallout of the impact and the heated waters, and were separated from the rest of us. They're being called the Stigmas. It's a harsh name, but fear has risen of them being contagious, so they're kept out of the safe zones for our protection. Unfortunately my parents were among them. They were taken away with no regard for any of us. If they're alive or dead, I have no idea. Now all I have left is my little sister, Tiffany. No more than 6 years old. Poor thing doesn't even know a life outside the walls. A life of fun and exploration, a kid's life. Hell, even I'm not so sure what life was like anymore. I was only 14 when it hit, still a child myself. I was forced to grow up fast for her, because I am all she has left and had to take care of her on my own. A child raising a child. Sure, we would receive financial help from friends and family from time to time, but at the end of the day, it was just me and her. They could only help so much and survive themselves, after all. It's hard at the end of the world, you know? Can't hold it against them, they're doing their best. Not like the Wardens and their guards, though. They take care of the zones, but not so much the people. They say they're protecting us from the Stigmas and keeping order in trying to stabilize the regions, but all I ever see is them beating us down and feeding us promises of a better tomorrow. Heh, right. I wish I could just take Tiff and get out of here, but then I think "where would we go?" The world is dying or already dead out there, and we would be too in no time. Damn it. There's no winning.

I got off work early today and decided to surprise Tiff when she gets home from school, by whipping up her favourite meal, chicken fingers and tater tots. Kids haven't changed much, it seems. Not that it's even real chicken, or potatoes for that matter. I don't know what it is, but she likes it, so that's all that matters. Just scrounged up enough money for it too, so she better like it, haha. She's expected back any minute now, and I'm just about done. Seeing her smile is the best thing in all of this. It keeps me going. She's taking longer than usual, so I guess I'll set the table myself. She could eat immediately, this way. Plates, check. Cups, check. Napkins, check and check. Ketchup? Agh, I forgot to get more ketchup. Great. Sigh. I'm going to check outside, maybe she's playing. No, not outside. Getting a little worried now. Ah, Rob is on his balcony. "Hey, Rob! Any sign of Tiffany?"

Rob: "Oh, hey Zara. Sorry, no sightings."

"Alright thanks." I gotta look for her. I'll start at the school. "Ms. Donovan, yeah, hi. Would you happen to know where Tiffany went after school?"

Ms. Donovan: "Oh Zara, dear, we had a screening today."

"No...no."

Ms. Donovan: "I'm so sorry. She was found to be a Stigma. We tried to contact you, but..."

I started to drift and walk away. I couldn't hear anything else she said when my eyes locked onto Tiff's heart-shaped locket. Just laying there. On the ground. Like no one cared to grab it. I gave it to her for her birthday that just passed. It had pictures of our parents. Stigmas. And now, she's one too. She was all I had left.

Anger washes over me. I'm more furious than I am sad, right now. I won't let them take her from me. I'm leaving the zones. I'm gonna get Tiffany. We may not survive out there, but at least we'll be together. And right now, she's alone. The thought kills me inside. I'm going tonight. Curfew's at 9, that's when I'll go. Everyone knows they enacted curfew because there's less guards at night on patrol. I know the exact spot where to leave too. There was an escape attempt last week. The guys blew a hole in the wall that they still haven't patched up. I can squeeze through the planks set up there. Just can't let the guards see me. Shouldn't be a problem, it's kind of a secluded spot. Not much traffic from civilians, so not much protection either.

It's past 9 now. I grab some belongings, stuff them in a bag and leave. I wear the heart-shaped locket. I haven't opened it since I gave it to her. I can't think of my parents, I need to focus on her. Too many emotions will ruin my composure. I gotta go. I get to the spot. Good, no guards. Kind of dumb seeing how we can escape.

Guard: "Halt, citizen!"

What the hell, where did he come from? No time to stop. I grab a plank from the hole and whack him across the head, his helmet flying off. He starts to scream in agony as his face bubbles red, and then dies. What the heck is going on? I hear other guards coming, but their words are muffled. I squeeze through the hole and run as fast as I can. They're not coming after me. The outside world must be terrifying if they won't even come after me. All the more reason to get Tiffany. I see tire tracks with my flashlight, possibly from the truck that took her away. I follow them, all night and into the morning. I gotta get Tiff. I gotta get Tiff. I gotta get...her...

No, I must've passed out. I'm not used to this. It looks to be midday, and... what? Trees in the distance? I thought they were wiped out in the region. I run to them.

Stranger: "Stop!"

A group comes out of the woods and surrounds me in full armour and helmets, just like the zone guards. "Have you seen a little.."

Stranger: "Quiet, Stigma! How did you escape the quarantine zone?"

"Quarantine? What the hell are.."

Stranger: "Answer the question!"

"I squeezed through a hole and left."

Stranger: "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Stranger: "Must be those idiots in Zone B2. They cut funding, so now they're less efficient, or just don't care. Either way, I'll take it up with brass and get you relocated."

"No, I have to find my sister." One of them started to scan me. "What are you doing?"

Stranger 2: "Zara Abebe. Her sister Tiffany was just cleared for mass population integration."

"Mass what? There's.."

Stranger: "Enough. Your sister is safe with your parents. She wasn't a Stigma, like the rest of you in the quarantine zone. People can lose their radiation status and not be harmful to the normal populace. They get to be re-integrated into society. The world has bounced back, for the most part. The only thing left as a threat is the Stigma problem."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

Stranger: "You're fed propaganda in the zones to make you fear escaping. Like the outside world is dead and if you escape you will be too. But the fact is that you're the danger, and we're just protecting everyone else. Now come with us, you will be relocated to a stricter zone. Any other problems and you will terminated on sight. This is the final warning. After all, you still have hope for losing your Stigma status."

They take me to a truck and drive to a facility where I'm held for days, until I'm processed for relocation. I opened the heart-shaped locket in my time there, and found that Tiff took out the pictures of our parents and put in pictures of us. One day I'll see you again Tiff. Mom. Dad. I gotta hope for my days as a Stigma to be over soon. That hope, right now, is all I have left.