Present Day, September 02, 2152

I used to believe that life has no meaning. All the wars, political rouses, and climate change that led to mass poverty and starvation, had left earth nothing but a desolate rock waiting to be abandoned or destroyed. 

People stopped believing there was a God, because his mercy was hardly shown, but I knew He was there somewhere. My friends joked I was the last believer. Hundreds of us were dying a day from lack of food, shelter, and water. Not to mention the infertility epidemic that has seemed to span for decades. The rate at which we could produce new human life versus the rate we were losing each other and ourselves was far more outweighed. It gave people a lot of reason to not believe.

It was 2122, and the last time a human was naturally born was a distant memory. We weren’t made the way we were meant to. Sometimes, when I thought about it too hard, it made me crave a different life. One where my body could produce the life of another out of love. There was no love, only needs, and love in that world was far from one of them. Our bodies and souls which used to be capable of so many beautiful things were just as barren as the earth.

June 6, 2122

“Minerva…hello is anybody home?” 

Caught deep in my thoughts I slowly and unfortunately come back to the present, to a room which smelled like rotten milk and vinegar although no food had seen these concrete corridors in weeks.

“Yeah, sorry I was just thinking.” I stated glumly.

“Or were you praying?” Quill asked concerned. “Either way cut it out, we have more cells to clean out and I don’t want to be stuck down here for one more minute than required.”  

My friend and coworker Quill never was the type of worker to drift out into an endless thought. He was all about getting the job done as quickly as possible even though there was no real reward. He was hardly the type to believe that there was a God, but sometimes he would ask me questions that were so inquisitive he could be mistaken as a person of faith. One time when I entered his house unannounced, I even caught him kneeling with his mother’s old cross in his hands. Although he would deny that he was speaking to the heavens anytime I would ask.

Death chambers, where we worked, are the underground concrete corridors where people were sent to death for the crimes they’ve committed. It doesn’t take murder to end up down here like you would imagine. Something as simple as stealing a piece of bread from the market or an extra bowl of mush at the meal hall would be enough to get someone sentenced to death. In the world that we live in stealing an unrationed share of food meant the death penalty for someone else in the same regard. The work that we did allowed us to receive ration tickets that fed us for the day. Work before food and water. This is how the Enforcement ensured the classes were separate and cities barely stayed afloat, by bribing us with basic human needs.

“My back is killing me, but my stomach hurts much more.” Stated Quill as we finished cleaning the last chamber of the day. 

Forty-eight chambers are what we cleaned out today. Not just the urine and the feces, but the bodies of the damned souls that occupied the small five by five cell before its inevitable departure from this hellscape. Forty-eight was a good number.

“Well, at least we have enough tickets now to get bread and mush.” I said, trying to remind him that the small reward that he worked so tirelessly for was only a staircase away. 

“Okay, well, what are we still doing down here talking about it then, let's go. Maybe we can gamble our way through to earning a brew or two, like we always seem to do.” He smirked at me while punching me simultaneously in my boney shoulder.

“Like YOU always seem to do.” 

I pushed him as payback for the bruise I will no doubt have in the morning.

Quill was an expert briber, gambler, game player, and swooner. If he wasn’t cleaning death chambers, I would be convinced that he could get anything he ever wanted. There was no way he should be cleaning out dead bodies for a living, when he was much smarter and more equipped to take on more complex jobs.

“What’s mine is yours, M. Plus, I wouldn’t want to have the finer things in life without a partner.” Quill smiled softly at me like he usually does.

A partner, I thought. Does Quill even understand the depth of that word? He wasn’t much of a reader, but I was. Any time I could find a moment to relax and breathe you could find me curled up with a book that I found in the death chamber. 

People down there are allowed to bring one personal item. Many brought nothing at all because they didn’t have much to begin with, but some brought books from another time that contained stories of acts of heroism, love, betrayal, crime and even some that described a world that we are currently living in. I don’t quite know the word to describe the longingness for a connection like the one Jane and Charles had from “Pride and Prejudice”, but I wouldn’t know something like that could even exist if it weren’t for the stories that I’ve found. Then again, maybe they are just stories after all.

We made our way into the meal hall on the main street of the city where all workers went to spend their tickets from the day. It was hot, crowded and overall a rundown joint. Even with those considerable downsides, it was still nice to be around everyone to know that we are not completely alone. Sometimes I would walk across the street however to enjoy some silence at the mostly empty chapel, then find my way back to the hall where the patrons would antagonize me about wasting my time in an abandoned building.

“What are you asking for in there anyway?” Most would ask.

“Peace. Just, peace.” I would reply.

There was a small television set that hung from the ceiling and played mostly news and announcements from the Enforcement. The walls were washed out gray, and the tables were old cafeteria style that were probably recycled from one of the burned down schoolhouses on the outskirts of the city.

As we walk through the steel doors, we could already see our friend Donny, beers in hand. He spent his tickets on four pints a night and didn't even bother with the mush. Donny was so skinny that his jaw line could cut the rocks that surround him in the mines. Our friend was a tall handsome man, with a head full of dark hair and a beard that could look somewhat decent if he tried. He will argue that his body gets more nutrition out of the pints than a bowl of mush, but I know the truth. He just wants to escape.

Instead of his normal extroverted self, Donny was strangely engulfed in the television set. His gaze was so focused on the message he didn’t even see us walk in.

“What do you think has got him so entertained on that old screen? A surprise holiday and free tickets?” I asked jokingly. Everyone knew that there was no such thing as a holiday or free anything.

“Minerva, look around. Everyone is watching. It must be important, so I suppose we shouldn’t be joking yet.”

Quill was always so serious, sometimes I wish he would laugh with me about how ridiculously bad of a situation we were in, just to make it more bearable, but he never did. That was the only downside of him. He had a calming demeanor to rationalize everything when I started spinning out of control, and my mind was running away. We quickly walked over and when I was close enough to read the words on the screen, I was almost in disbelief. I blinked to try and see if it was sick illusion or if I was hallucinating from all the fumes, I inhaled in the death chamber all day. No matter how many times I blinked, the words never changed. 

ALL WORKERS WILL REPORT TO THE DUTY ASSIGNMENT YARD TOMORROW AT 0600. NORMAL DUTIES ARE SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY.

No one seemed to know what this meant, but also there was no panic. The whole hall seemed lifeless; workers spent all their tickets on pints. In the matter of hours, a world that was full of rules, regulations, and rations all seemed to be lost.

We started walking to the assignment yard and I couldn’t help but be a nervous wreck. I silently prayed for peace as I moved, but it’s never come before why would now be any different.

“Calm down M. They are probably just reshuffling the workforce. Perhaps they realized they have some workers lacking talents placed in positions where others would be better fit.” Quill suggested.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Quill, when have they ever reshuffled the workforce? That is just something you decided to make up in your head to ease your own anxiety. And what are you insinuating? I know that you think you’re too good to be working in the chambers, but you’re the one who purposely flunked the tests!” I said in a whispering shout. I felt bad for taking it out on him.

The usual heat felt heavier and more deadly than normal, finally arriving at the center of the city where there was a tan clearing of mostly dried up dirt and a few weeds we saw President Shank and his cabinet lined up on their podiums ready to present us with the news. All around us were screens and cameras projecting the audiences from several major cities around the world with their mayors on their respective podiums. If you hadn’t known any better by the look of it, you’d assume we all lived in the same geographical area. Every corner of the earth was a dried-up dessert.

President Shank was a short thick man, with hair lacking on his head. All the hair that would have been covering his burnt scalp somehow had replaced itself on his face and grew about a foot in length. Although you would think he was old by the amount of gray he had in his beard, and the wrinkles on his forehead from the constant scowling, Shank was only 37. His authority stretched across the deserts and water alike. No one questioned him, and with that he acted like God in his own regards.

The President is chosen from within the counsel, and I suppose they saw something in him. Whereas I saw nothing but an evil man, perhaps even Satan himself reincarnated.

He stood up and stepped to the microphone that was positioned too high, irritated by this he adjusted it down before speaking.

“Members of The Old World.” He paused.

“You must be wondering why I have called for work to stop, and for you all to meet me here in your respective Assignment Yards. All of you have stood in these yards before when you become of age to work looking forward to the exciting opportunities ahead. For those of us on this stage, we recognize your sacrifices have made life possible, and for that your efforts will not go forgotten in the long voyage that we are about to embark on.”

There were many confused looks in the crowd and the noise started to rise. People began whispering in each other's ears trying to assume what Shank was getting at. We knew that the Enforcement had secret projects going on, but no one ever heard of them, and now out of nowhere, it’s like we were about to hear the biggest secret of all.

Someone had bumped into my back so hard that it almost knocked me to the ground. I spun around viciously ready to give them an ear or maybe even a fist full of what I was feeling. But then I realized Donny, still half drunk, stumbled up on us from the crowd.

“Hey mates. This is getting weird right?” He is whispering over what the President is saying, and I’m trying to listen to both. Quill is zoned in on Shank.

“M look around you. What do you notice? I’ll give you three guesses.”

“Just out with it Donny.” I snapped.

“Who is standing in the courtyard packed like sardines and who ain’t. Shank is going on and on about how hard work is a payoff while he has never lifted as much as a fork to feed that fat face of his.” Donny said sharply.

I look around carefully. Workers covered in coal, oil, dirt, food, blood, with a combined stench that would make the intellectual workers nauseous. The intellectual workers were those who scored high enough on their placement tests to get assignments as engineers, peace officers, biologists, doctors, nurses, teachers and most importantly creationists. That's what we called the position that created humans in the lab and grew them to a viable point before having to disconnect them from their bags of fluid to be given to the nurses, doctors, and teachers to raise. Although they had more prestigious jobs, better housing, and more tickets, they still are required to mingle with the workers because they are not part of the Enforcement.

My mouth was dry, and my throat hurt. “The intellectuals are missing.” I mouthed this ever so slightly squinting in deep thought of what this meant. 

“BINGO! You see M, maybe Shank found a way to live forever and the need for creationists ain’t needed and neither are the caretakers. I bet we are going to get injected with some freak shit that makes us eternal labor slaves.” Donny sounded crazy.

“Shut up Donny, you have such a wild imagination just listen to what Shank has to say. Oh, and your breath is rancid.” I never liked Donny, and I especially didn’t now because he was scaring the hell out of me. 

“Holy shit he is inducting them into the Enforcement.” Quill said shockingly. It made me turn back towards the podium and look.

Walking across the stage were engineers, creationists, nurses, doctors and teachers alike. Dressed in fine cloth, clean as those on the stage behind the podiums. Their skin was washed and by the look of their cheeks you could tell they have been eating like those they were joining forces with.

“Today is a special day!” Shank exclaimed with his arms stretched out as high as they would go. “This has never been done in the history of the old world. When the rain stopped, life was hard to create, and the wars raged on. The founders of this world, my family, knew that we had to keep the classes separate, but now that is a token of the past. Today, we look towards the future. I would like to officially induct the following…” Shank spoke as if he was a God himself.

The names trailed off and my ears began to ring. Quill looked furious, as if he realized only now how much of a mistake he made when flunking the tests. Donny was laughing and smoking a cigarette he found on the ground as if he couldn’t get enough of the mass chaos. After all the new members of the Enforcement were standing on the stage behind the podium of Shank, the crowd was silent and waiting for the rest.

A deep rumble came up from the canyons behind the city. The ground was vibrating as if there was a massive earthquake that would engulf the entire audience of this show. Shank just smirked as if he was pulling the biggest trick of the century. The hot air was blowing towards my face getting the dirt in the crevasses of my eyes. I ducked in the crown behind Quill and put my head between my knees wondering if I was going to open my eyes again. I prayed for us all, and I might have been the only one doing so, everyone else had lost hope.

The ground stopped shaking, and we all just stared. It was the largest piece of metal that we have ever seen. Bigger than any building in the concrete jungle, but it was seemingly floating through the air light as a feather. The now quite rumble beneath the vessel kept it afloat like a ship in water. The chrome shields on the outside were reflecting light so vigorously in different directions some of the cameras that were streaming to other parts of the world were blinded.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with the most extraordinary build of our times, The New World Arc!” Shank threw his arms up and his head back relishing in this moment, but no one cheered. I wonder if he imagined applause in his head. After a long pause he came back to the microphone with a low solum tone.

“This is the way forward. This is how we will save humanity and continue to make our mark throughout the galaxy for years to come. We will be in search of a new viable world to grow our society, one more perfect than ever. One that we can create from scratch with our wealth of knowledge. Although, it is clear, that not all of us will be going. The passengers of this craft have already been notified and are in the staging area preparing for departure, to include our new inductees and the panel on this very stage.”

A funny thought that a human could create a perfect world while being massively imperfect ourselves, I thought. That much was clear. It was also clear that Shank had lost his mind.

Shank took a step back from the podium and another counsel member stepped up to the microphone, looking less enthusiastic and almost depressed.  The words he spoke seemed to flow out in slow motion.

“The Enforcement is abandoning all hope on earth. There is a major mass traveling towards our planet that is intended to make impact in less than three days’ time. Unfortunately, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to destroy and separate this mass in order to prevent impact. It is of my deepest sympathies that I must give you this news. Make the most of your short time left and may the idea that your sacrifices made the continuation of humanity possible bring you comfort. Thank you.” The last words to our death sentence were short and sweet. He stepped away and followed the rest of the Enforcement down the ramp towards the staging area to board the Arc.

Present Day September 02, 2152

“You see dear, everyone left behind believed those three days to be the last days of our lives. People were so terrified of a slow painful death; they were found jumping from the tallest sky scrapers in the cities and using left behind weapons to make a swift exit. I was almost one of them.” I said shakingly, recalling the scenes of the dead.

The little girls’ eyes got widened. It seemed the story was almost too much for her to hold. “Then when the world survived, Quill and I vowed to never forget the truth, and to make sure that our children and our children’s children always knew. God was real and the power or prayer was unbeatable.”

Vivian was twelve today and she asked why life must be celebrated every year. So, I told her the story of how God restored the earth and gave us a second chance.

There was a mass that impacted the earth, but by remarkable odds, the mass had struck the Arc the Enforcement left in, leaving an explosive streak across the sky. The impact of the Arc was so hard that it had split the mass, shaving off a quarter of its size. The largest portion of the mass still impacted the earth causing multiple natural disasters that many people suffered and died from.

The whole year after the impact was treacherous. However, on the first day of the second year the light beamed through the haze of ash. As the sun cleansed the earth, we begun to see the sky, bright and blue as ever. Plants began to grow in places that used to be just dirt, and at night for the first time in years, stars were a glistening sign from above that we hadn’t been alone. The waters of our oceans, the planes of our earth, and the air of our world were rejuvenated with creatures of all kinds.

All of this was part of a rebirth that we never believed could happen. Then a real miracle happened. A child was born. Not in a lab, but in a colony, between two people that had found love and comfort in one another. Communities were small now, but strong, and the power of love and faith filled them all. The miracle of children happened more often than not, and it even happened for Quill and me too.

“Now you must see, that even when things seem to be dark and impossible, there is always hope. Nothing is ever the end really, but a new beginning. Life will never be easy, but it will always be interesting my dear. Goodness will always win over evil and life and freedom are nothing to be taken for granted.” I whispered softly holding her hand.

“What is it that we say Viv?” I asked.

“When you need, God Knows. When you ask, God Listens. When you believe, God works.” Vivian said proudly with tears running down her eyes. Sitting so close next to my bed she leaned over and gently kissed by forehead.

My lungs were too damaged from breathing the ash from the first year, just as Quill’s were when he passed. I vowed to live long enough to tell my grandchild this story, and as I took my last shallow breath before being reunited with Quill, my partner, and my God I knew I was a woman of my word who accomplished everything I was meant for in life.