The
SPLIT
N. J ANDERSON
My eyes open when I hear the daily alarm ringing loudly. Each of my roommates wake up next to me as one of them open the curtains and the sun barge in. Outside I see the light of the rising sun reflect in the grimy windows of every buildings on the streets. Our breakfast sprout through the pipes and I grab the warm container. The 20 girls in the room quietly settle down on the tables with our foods. The wide sreen on the wall turn on automatically and fill us with the daily news. The weather was fine, no traffic on the roads, it’s a busy day ahead. I stop listening to the words which have repeated itself on the news every morning without a change. We will be continuing our works like usual. I look down at the rubbery pieces of mush in front of me and try to enjoy the tasteless food as much as possible. After I finish, all the girls line outside the elevators. I open my drawer looking for my ID card and as I was closing it, I saw the worn out diary I had found ages ago. When I discovered this blank diary covered in dirt outside the compound, it had fascinated me. I had forgotten all about it for months and so I flip to the first page and read.
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The second bell interrupt my thoughts as I am bought back into reality. I close the diary and drop it into my bag. Each of our cards were scanned as we were taken away in the glass elevator to outside the compound. I turn on my smart watch and find which area I’m clearing today. An hour into the day and my whole body was already in pain as my hands move in a rhythm. The girl next to me seems to be struggling as much as me. She drops her shovel and sits on a rock. “You should rest too”, she says. I take a seat next to her. There was a long awkward silence until she spoke up. “Every day, the remaining of us are trying to turn this ruin back into our own world. There’s no point, even if we do rebuild Earth, it will not be the same”. The look of shock was clear on my face as I look up in surprise. I can see that she was as stunned as me to have voiced her thoughts to someone.
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“I thought I was the only one who thinks that,” I tell her, “It’s too hard to accept the fact that my family is lost and there is nothing I could do about it.” The girl nods her head and stares at the ground. I glance at the open land ahead of me and think about running away. This wasn’t the first time I’ve thought about it but the security is very tight and even if I do find a way around the Officials, I don’t know if I have the guts to go out alone. I was lost in my gloomy thoughts when I hear the crack. At first I thought it was just my imagination but I was proven wrong when I saw all the other workers look up in fear. Bright red lights shine in the compound. It was clear we were in danger. My watch vibrate and I read the message.
5
I could see people running back when we hear the next crack. Lightning shatter the sky as it turns dark. My eyes skid back and forth form the compound to the open land. Thoughts run around in my head. I see myself running out to the land, to freedom, but another image flash before my eyes. I was safe and warm inside the compound. The two thoughts fight against each other in my head. I take one last look at the big buildings arching behind me and make my decision. I turn towards the open land and run.
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