Divided We Fall

Andy glanced down at the seemingly sporadic design of filled in ovals on his ballot sheet. The darkened points were few. The races he hadn’t cast a vote for were many. Some were left blank because he didn’t know anything about the candidates, there were so many people running for various positions and never enough time to research them all. And then there were others he’d recused himself from because after choosing a lesser evil for several years he was sick of choosing evil at all. It would be much easier of course if he could fill in one of those little bubbles at the top that said “Vote Along Party Lines”, but he couldn’t foresee that happening in any future near or far.

He sighed, shrugged, and brought his ballot to the scanner. He’d done his civic duty, at least to some extent, but he didn’t feel good about it. How much did his vote matter anyways? And would there ever be a day where he could show up at the polls and actually vote for someone he really wanted in leadership?

He was zipping up his jacket in preparation for the cold wind that had been gusting when he arrived when suddenly there were screams behind him. He tried to look back but someone rammed into him and sent him tumbling to the ground. People were running past him, some of them stepped on him. He was struggling to get to his feet when a wave of heat and sound assaulted him. Then everything went black.

***

There were voices. The speakers sounded far away, but Andy could hear them. He tried to find the source of the voices, kept following the muffled words until they became clearer and clearer.

His eyes blinked open and bright light flooded his sight. He squinted and tried to take in his surroundings. A hospital room. He was connected to machines. There was a vase of wilting flowers beside him. And the voices were coming from the hallway. He wanted to call out but his mouth was terribly dry. He fumbled around until he found the nurse call button and pressed it.

The conversation in the hall paused. A woman’s voice grew louder and a figure moved in front of the door’s window. “Something must have triggered the sensor, I’ll turn it off, give me just a moment.”

The woman pushed the door open and strode into the room. She gave him the quickest glance and then did a double take. Her jaw dropped open, “Oh my god!” Then she retreated into the hallway calling out, “He’s awake! Room 208 is awake!”

A moment later a doctor and several nurses burst into the room. The doctor approached Andy, appraising him with curiosity. Then he turned his head away and said to the closest nurse, “Go and call the Smithsons.”

Andy’s head cleared a bit at the mention of his parents. “What’s going on?” he croaked.

The doctor fixed his gaze on Andy again. “Well, Andy, there was an explosion and you received an injury to your head.”

Andy nodded. He remembered the swell of panic and confusion at the polling center.

The doctor’s expression was filled with pity, “And, well, I’m afraid there’s no easy way to say this and it’ll come as quite a shock, but you’ve been in a coma for nearly five years.”

Five years? That didn’t make any sense. He’d only been asleep for a few hours, he was sure of it. And now he felt a little sleepy again. He just needed to rest his eyes. Maybe this was all a dream and soon he would really wake up.

***

Andy heard voices again. This time they were familiar.

“I just can’t believe it, Leonard. After so long. And we almost –” a woman’s voice said.

“But we didn’t,” a man’s voice cut her off quickly.

Andy opened his eyes.

The woman gasped.

“Mom?” Andy asked, blinking as he tried to focus on the faces of the people beside him. Their faces had more wrinkles and his dad’s hair was going grey, but it was them. His parents.

“Oh, Andy!” his mom exclaimed as she caressed his cheek. “We thought you were never coming back to us. But you’re here! You’re back!!” Tears started leaking from her eyes.

“Have I really been asleep for five years?” Andy asked.

“Yes, son,” his dad replied. “Someone set off a bomb at the polling center. A lot of people died. They pulled you out of the debris and you had a pulse, but no brain activity.”

Andy was silent for a moment. Five years was such a long time.

“Where’s Craig? Is he coming?”

His mother’s eyes turned sad at the mention of his brother’s name. And his dad crossed his arms.

“I’m afraid he can’t come, Andy” his mom said. “Some things have changed while you’ve been asleep. Quite a lot has changed actually.”

“But that can all wait for now,” his dad declared. “This is a lot to process and the doctors want you to take things in gradually. They don’t want you to get too overwhelmed so quickly.”

Andy nodded.

His mom patted a stack of books on the bedside table. “We brought a few of your favorites. The doctors said it would be good to activate your mind with something familiar and comforting.”

“Thanks, mom.”

“Well, we should let you get some rest.” his dad said. “Even after being asleep for so long the doctors say you’ll be pretty fatigued for some time. We’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

Suddenly a face appeared in Andy’s mind. How could he have forgotten?

“Wait!” he called out. “What about Chelsea?”

His dad looked at the floor and his mom’s mouth hung open.

“Is she with someone else?” Andy asked though he was afraid of the answer.

“We don’t know for sure,” his mom managed. “No one’s had contact with her for a very long time. I’m sorry, honey.”

Andy thought that was an odd response. First his brother and now his girlfriend. Why had the mention of them made his parents so dodgy?

His parents moved to the doorway. His mom called back, “Rest well!”

Andy did feel tired but he didn’t want to go to sleep. His parents' visit had left him feeling on edge and confused. He wanted answers.

When a nurse came in to give him some medication he asked her if any of his personal effects had been kept at the hospital. She promised to check and returned with a plastic bag containing a singed wallet and phone with a cracked screen. He clicked the power button on the phone but the display remained black. What else had he expected? If it still worked it’d been sitting unused and uncharged for five years!

“Do you have a spare charger by chance?” Andy asked the nurse as she was about to leave.

She looked at the phone. “It’s an older model, but I can check.”

Soon she returned with a cable in hand. “Found this in the lost and found!” she declared. She plugged it in for him. A battery symbol flashed on the screen. It still worked!

Andy fought through fatigue as he waited for the phone to get enough juice. Once it did he figured out how to navigate around the cracked area and pulled up his contacts. He clicked on Craig’s name.

The phone rang several times. It seemed like no one would pick up but then Craig’s voice crackled through the speaker. A little distorted, but clear enough.

“Hello?”

“Craig!”

“Who is this? What kind of joke are you playing?”

“They didn’t tell you? It’s me, Craig. It’s Andy! I’m awake.”

There was silence.

“Craig?”

“Dang! It really is you! It’s your voice anyways! How is this possible?”

“I don’t know. They say I’ve been in a coma for nearly five years.”

“That’s right. You have been! Woah, this is just unbelievable! Just in time too!”

“What do you mean?”

“Mom and Dad had decided that once five years passed they were going to pull the plug on you. So you’re cutting it pretty close.”

That felt like a punch to the stomach. A couple weeks more and he’d have been dead. “Mom and Dad were here. They said you weren’t coming. And clearly they didn’t even tell you I’m awake. Why?”

“What did they tell you?”

“Nothing. They said they didn’t want to overwhelm me. They told me there was a bomb set off at the polling center and that I’ve been in a coma ever since.”

“Ah man, well yeah, there’s a lot that’s happened since that day. Have you been marked yet?”

“Marked?”

“I guess not. But they’ll do it soon.”

“Do what?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Then start talking!”

“Okay, okay. So the moment that explosion went off was really the moment that changed everything. It started a string of attacks by extremists in both parties. We were on the verge of an all out civil war. Then a solution was put forth to separate into two countries.”

“Like the North and South back in the 1800s?”

“Kind of but not quite so clean geographically. There are red districts and blue districts. Everyone is marked for the side they pledge allegiance to and you can only live and work in the districts you’re marked for. That’s why I can’t come see you. The hospital you’re in and where mom and dad live are both in a red district and I’m in a blue. No crossovers are allowed.”

“How do they mark you?”

“It’s like a permanent version of a blacklight tattoo that they put on your forehead. A red or blue star. There are random allegiance checks in public places that make them visible to expose anyone who doesn’t belong.”

“This is insane.”

“I’m sure it seems that way. It definitely did as everything was unfolding. Now I guess it just feels normal. If they haven’t marked you yet they will soon. You’re going to have a decision to make.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“They’ll force you to. Everyone has to pick a side. People who don’t are seen as a threat to our newfound stability and of course to the people in power in both countries.”

Both countries. It was too bizarre. The political landscape had been getting more and more polarized before Andy had gone into a coma, but how had it gone so far?

“Do you know what happened to Chelsea?” Andy asked.

Craig paused.

“You do, don’t you!”

“I said everyone has to choose, but there were those who refused. They have to live in hiding, pretty much off the grid. Chelsea was never marked. No one’s heard from her in years.”

Andy smiled. He didn’t know if she was okay or if she’s found someone else, but he felt a glimmer of hope that she was alright and that maybe they could be together again.

“What’s going through your head?” Craig asked.

“I don’t know yet. I guess I’m trying to figure this all out.”

There was a knock at the door and a nurse entered. “I’ve got to go, Craig. Thanks for helping me understand.”

“It’s a different world, Andy.”

“Yeah. I wish you were here.”

“Me too. I’m sending you my address. If they mark you and you choose blue, come find me.”

“Okay thanks, Craig.”

“Bye, brother. I’m glad you’re not dead.”

Andy chuckled, “Thanks. Bye, Craig.”

The nurse finished checking his machines. “You have a visitor, Mr. Smithson. I’ll be sending him in shortly.”

Andy nodded but felt himself start to sweat.

As soon as the nurse left he unlocked his phone. His finger hovered over Chelsea’s name. He prayed she would answer. If they were coming to mark him, he wanted no part of it. He needed Chelsea’s help.

He clicked her name and held his breath.

One ring.

Two rings.

“Andy?”