Dystopia

It’s dark out.

I’m not sure what time it is.

It feels like it could be 8pm but, these days it doesn’t really matter anyway. Our ‘normal’ was destroyed a long time ago. We don’t have jobs to get to or school to attend anymore. We’re lucky if we can survive through the day without any fatal obstacles. It’s just four of us now. We’re on a mission to make it to Lightfield, together. It’s gonna be tricky but, we can do it. The journey will take a couple days since we’ll be traveling by foot.

We’ll be heading out as soon as it’s light out. We’ve been trying our best to avoid the Ragers but, they seem to be multiplying at a rapid rate. These Ragers are what destroyed our lives and nation. They seemed to come in overnight wreaking havoc on a level that we hadn’t even imagined. It’s been months since that night & I can’t even recognize the place I once called home. The thing is, they are only out when it’s dark. We’ve been planning this route for months with contingency plans in place. We have backups for our backups but, also not naïve to know anything can happen. But, all the traveling has to be done in the day. I have to get us to Lightfield no matter what. Our parents are there waiting for us. We all tried to flee at the same time but, somehow got separated. When they reached safety, they got word to us so we could join them. They couldn’t leave due to the rules that had been put into place. Lightfield was created as a temporary safe haven for the survivors seeking safety from the Ragers' presence. It was only intended to last a few months but, now they're preparing it as a permanent refuge. It's accepting anyone who makes it there. Once you're there you can't leave though which is why our parents couldn't come back.

It’s getting late and we have to be up at dawn to get started on our journey. We have to sleep with all the lights on so the Ragers won’t try to come in looking for prey. We all sleep in one room just so that we’re all together. All of our bags are packed and ready to grab by the door. Our new lives are just a few hours away.

*****************

The sun is rising and we can hear the shrieking of the Ragers who are trying to get out of the path of the sunlight. They fly into dark, abandoned homes, alleys, into the sewer, just anywhere they can be immersed in complete darkness. We get dressed and try to eat before heading out.

We start walking and come across a Rager that didn’t make it back in time. It lied on the ground completely lifeless. Its once dark body is now a sickly shade of bluish-gray slime. It shrunk down to half its size and only getting smaller. In about an hour it’ll be completely gone. That was the one thing about these creatures-they die & leave no remnants of their remains behind. So, it was hard for scientists to truly figure out what they were and why they invaded our home. I push that image out of my head and grab Haileigh’s hand. She’s seven and still can’t sleep through the night because of these creatures. I tell her it’ll be okay and bend down to give her a hug and small kiss on the head. I stand up and tell the other two it’ll be okay. Sam runs to me and hugs me tight. I extend my arm for Justin to join us. He reluctantly embraces us and squeezes tight. He’s the oldest, he had just turned eighteen before everything changed. Sam feels like she’s clinging for her life, she’s thirteen. I’m the oldest girl, seventeen to be exact. We stay like that for a moment but, it felt like forever. I love them so much.

We walk until we get to our first safe house-just in the nick of time. The sun was starting to set and as we entered the tiny space we could hear the flapping of wings ready to take flight as soon as it was safe enough. The lights were already on which meant there shouldn’t be any Ragers inside. We did a very thorough walkthrough just to make sure. Once we were in the clear, we unpacked some food and water to have a light dinner. It didn’t take long before they were all passed out on the floor. I started to cry because we were getting closer but, it still felt so far. I took the locket out of my pocket that I hid there for safety. It’s heart-shaped and encased in gold with silver detailing throughout. My mom gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday. I opened it to find two small heart-shaped pictures inside. On the left was a portrait of my parents when they were younger, totally in love with each other. On the right was a portrait of my siblings and I when we were young, adorable & innocent. It always made me feel safe knowing I had them so close to my heart. I stare at them for a while before I close the locket and put it back in its hiding place. We have to make it to Lightfield. I miss my parents and I know they miss us too. I lay down and slowly begin to fall asleep.

I wake up to screaming. My heart is racing as I’m trying to decipher what’s going on. I look around the room and everyone is accounted for and still asleep. The noise is coming from outside. I peek out the side of the curtain to find a Rager in the middle of devouring what looked to be a woman. Or used to be. I’m gonna be sick. I run from the window and try to calm down. I can’t push that image out. I wanna leave now but, I know it’s dangerous. I stay up as long as I can before passing out from exhaustion.

We get a late start in the morning. I know it’s my fault because I couldn’t sleep after what I saw last night. They’re so understanding. They just hug me and tell me it’s okay. But, it’s not. I set us back and I know we need to keep to the schedule. We’re practically running as the sun starts to set and we’re not even close to our safe house yet. I start to panic. I can’t let my family down like this. We decide to implement our first backup plan. We hurriedly set up a tent as far away as possible from Ragers' normal hiding places. We set up lights all around to keep them away. Justin and I agree to take turns keeping guard with flashlights in hand. We also have two handguns that we’re hoping we won’t need to use. My nerves are getting the best of me and as soon as the girls are asleep, I feel a little relief. I can hear them flying around and just try to shake the anxiety that’s creeping up. I can’t even sleep so, I go and stand guard with Justin. He tells me he’s fine but, I ignore him. We’re both so nervous we don’t even make any attempt to talk. The lights start to flicker causing my hear rate to increase. They have to last until sunrise. Luckily, they make it through the night. As soon as it’s clear, we get the girls up and pack up as quickly as we can.

It’s our last night of doing this and we’re making good time. I wanted to make up for the day before. Sam and Haileigh are exhausted and complaining that their feet hurt. I feel the same way and let them know we’re almost there. Haileigh starts to cry and I try to comfort her but, she’s inconsolable. I take the locket out and put it around her neck. I told her she needs to be a big girl and that it would keep her safe. She seems to feel better and told me she wouldn’t lose it. I know she wouldn’t lose it.

It seems like it’s getting darker sooner than expected but, we can see the lights beaming from behind the gates of Lightfield. We’re so close. We pick up the pace. We can hear the flapping wings and the shrieks of the Ragers. They’re ready for takeoff. They know we’re out here. We start running. Justin picks up Sam and I pick up Haileigh. We’re running full speed now. I don’t know if we’ll make it. We can see them flying above now. We’re almost at the gate. We’re screaming to open the gates. I pull out flares for Justin and I to ward them off until we can get to the gate. It seems like we finally get close enough. The gates are opening and all the lights are beaming in our direction. The Ragers shriek and fall back as the light is too intense for them. We made it. The people who are already there run over to make sure we’re okay. I didn’t even realize I was crying. I was just so happy to be safe again. Someone is hugging me now and it takes me a moment to realize it’s our mom. She’s so happy and dad is right behind her reaching for us all. As I bend to put Haileigh down, she takes off the locket. She hands it to me and tells me she doesn’t need it anymore because she has me to keep her safe.