Brown's Heart

BROWN’S HEART

BY LAQUITTA BROWN

06-29-2021

As the lashes from my eyes struggle to open and I inhale a deep breath accompanied by a deeper sigh, I realize that the sleep I arose from was a privilege and I must get up. This world has been a place of despair for some time now and my best friend Enaid Brown and I have a great routine of dealing with it. We do not understand why humans are evolving into Pallinds which are plant-like creatures but after the bio-chemical war B.A.B.Y. (Bio-chemically Advanced Battle for Youths) that was supposed to control the earth’s population but instead destroyed most of humanity and re-created humans into that species. Enaid and I live with our younger siblings. I am Shatrice Brooks, and my sisters and brother are Tanesha 10, Shana, 8 and Michael 6. Enaid and I are the same age, 18. Enaid has a young sister and brother Reeta 8 and Kermine 7.

We all live in the same home that we found wandering the roads and neighborhoods searching for food. We found a place where the houses were big and very empty. There were signs of life that once upon a time families dwelled in them but no longer. We wake up and search for things necessary for survival like food, medicines, batteries, and other people that may be hiding from the Vulture Group. The Vulture Group is an army of humans that are sworn to protect the remaining human life from the Pallinds. The Vulture Group is always looking for new members whether you want to become one or not.

I never seen or heard of a Pallind get angry or harm anyone but Egrand A. Johlson, the head of The Vulture Group and my country’s Secretary of Defense stated he “will make sure no Pallind will ever get the idea!” Those that are in power are terrified of the Pallinds because no one knows what is causing this evolution but everyday there seems to be more and more of them. Iyona Pharmaceuticals pays a group of mercenaries to kidnap Pallinds and bring them to its facility for experimentations. When the leaders speak, everything is done for a better future even if we believe their practices to be cruel and inhumane. Enaid and I mostly go out on our leaving Tanesha to look after Shana, Reeta, Michael and Kermine. We gathered plenty of activities to occupy the children. The day of October 18th, 3032, Enaid and I went off to search for people but discovered something that would change our lives for good.

We heard voices coming from one of the homes about 3 miles from where we live and decided to get a little closer to see what all the commotion was about. Enaid stood outright in front of the home and to our surprise members of The Vulture Group were inside torturing what looked to be a Pallind Family. Enaid stood in fear and shock as I called to her, “Enaid! Enaid!” I yelled but she could not move. I searched for something to stand on so that I can look inside without being seen. I found a stool, placed it on the side of the home under a window near the front of the house I climbed on top and looked inside.

“You disgusting waste of breath!” I heard one of the members yell. I then saw this evil human being strike the Pallind with the butt of his firearm. The Pallind man did not fall which caused the Vulture Group member to become angry and continue to strike him. I looked around and seen what seems to be a Pallind woman and two children scream in fear. I then noticed another member of The Vulture Group walking over towards the family unzipping his pants.

With his back turned toward me, I heard him say “All that screaming should make you all thirsty, have a drink!” At that moment I was outraged. What happened to the human decency? Then I quickly remembered it disappeared with the war. As I watched the abuse go on the tears formed in my eyes causing them to burn until they fell profusely down my face. I closed them tightly to try and gather my thoughts and that is when I heard a loud pop followed by a thud.

I quickly opened my eyes and saw the blood from the Pallind man covering the family as they bellowed with hurt and anger. My heart skipped a beat and then I heard another scream, one all too familiar. It was Enaid’s voice. “Shatrice what the!” A man ran out of the house and grabbed her before she could finish her sentence. “Where did you come from?” “What did you see?” Who is Shatrice?” he roared shaking her. She took one look in his eyes and fainted. I grabbed my chest because I did not want anything to happen to my friend, we were a family and that would be truly heartbreaking.

The man dragged Enaid in the home with the others and sat her on the floor while this angry group of people beat and tied up the surviving Pallinds. I thought to myself there are no humans here, just Pallinds and monsters. I started trembling because I saw the Pallinds being carried out one by one and placed inside the Hover Van that had Iyona Pharmaceuticals Logo on the side and then the man grabbed Enaid up from the floor. “No, no, no,” was all I was thinking. “Please let her go.” I see that Enaid was calm, and she grabbed this heart-shaped locket around her neck that was a gift from her mother.

When I met Enaid, we introduced ourselves and asked where one another’s parents were? We both had the same answer, “They’re dead,” and never spoke of our parents again until she wanted to tell me the story of the locket around her neck. She said that her mother Angie worked for Iyona Pharmaceuticals as a biochemist and her dad Anton was an architect for Moorbright Luxury Buildings. My mom Stacy was a housewife, and my dad Marlo was an Industrialist. Our parents died fighting in the B.A.B.Y. War to save us. She said that before her mother left, she placed that heart-shaped locket around her neck and told her that life was inside of it.

The locket was beautiful. It was a gold heart with a keyhole in the middle of it. I always asked Enaid ‘where’s the key?” She just looked at me and grinned. I cried hard but silently as I saw the man put Enaid into the van. The only comfort I felt was that I knew exactly where they were going. Once I seen the van was up and out of sight, I ran home as fast as I could to talk to the children. I ran and I cried. I made it to the door and had to gather myself quickly as I heard the children playing inside. “Hey kids come here!” I yelled. They all ran at once trying to see who could reach me the fastest. “Where’s Enaid?” Tanesha asked. “I have to go and get her.” I replied. “We were playing hide and seek, and I wanted to come home and check on you guys.” I seen the look on Tanesha’s face, “You’ve never done that before.” I thought to myself “she’s getting older by the minute.”

“Enaid and I will be right back, ok?” “Ok!”, all the children exclaimed. Everyone except Tanesha. She had this look of confusion where you could not look at her twice without a valid explanation. I grabbed a flashlight and every ounce of faith I had and headed to Iyona Pharmaceuticals. I knew it was going to take a while to get there but I was prepared. I walked for what seemed like hours, but it was only 45 minutes. I walked up on a group of what looked like young adults. They were wrestling and running around a bush.

They saw me approaching and stopped. “Hello.” I greeted. A male approached me and then I noticed. “Hello”, he said. He had a greenish patch covering the side of his face but oddly handsome. Then another male came from behind him, “where are you going this late? “Where did you come from?” he asked. “I’m on my way to Iyona, my friend was taken there and I’m going to get her back.” I explained. I heard a young girl’s voice yell, “She’s crazy!” “Pat that’s not cool!” the first male yelled. He turned to me and said, “I’m Lee, this is Joe and Patricia, we call her Pat.” I replied with a “nice to meet you all” and started back on my way.

“Let me at least walk some of the way with you?” Lee asked. The oddly handsome boy with the green patch on his face. “Is that a birthmark?” I asked. “Naw, I think I’ll be a Pallind soon, I’ve been watching my body changing.” He replied. “What do you think caused it?” “Well, I know I spent a lot of time outside before the war and after the war I started changing. My parents were killed instantly when they got sick, but me, I got better and started noticing a greenish blemish here and there and then patches.” We talked and talked by the time he told me his life’s story, I seen Iyona Pharmaceuticals neon sign. “I didn’t mean to get so close with The Vulture Group around and all.” He said. “Here.” He handed me what looked like a key on a chain. He told me his mother’s name was Audrey and she worked for Iyona before she died.

“My mom told me if I ever find what this key unlocks, it will change our world for good.” My eyes widen and my chest inflated. Lee looked at me with the strangest look. I hugged him so tightly and whispered, “I hope you’re right.” I walked towards the entrance of the building and did not look back. I seen this large light flash on me, and the doors open. I heard Lee holler, but I could not turn back. I closed my eyes and let the tears form and kept walking. A security guard checked me and told me to raise my sleeves and pantleg as he shoved my head from side to side.

“What do you want little girl?” the security snarled. “My friend Enaid was brought here earlier, and I want to see her. As I stood there, three men passed me dragging Lee. His feet scraped the ground, and he was beaten. He looked up at me and whispered, “change the world.” The security told me to “hold on”. He picked up the telephone and mumbled and hung it up. He yelled “Come on!” He walked me to the elevator and turned the key instead of pushing a button. When the doors opened, I seen Enaid. She had tubes in her arms, and she was pale. “Enaid are you alright?” I yelled running towards her. I hugged her and showed her the key I got from Lee, “Look I have a key!” She raised her head and opened her eyes as wide as she could.

A lady scientist was walking towards us, “Hey what are doing?” she asked. “Quick Enaid let me see your locket?” I was fidgeting trying to force the key in the keyhole of the locket before the lady made it to me. She seen what I was trying to do and start to run towards us. I stuck the key in the locket, turned it and a great flash of light filled the room. By the time I opened my eyes, I was in the kitchen with my mother as she prepared dinner. “Well, Shatrice, are you going to tell me about your day or not.?”

THE END