The elevator dinged too soon and I just stood in the cart. My mind flooded with fear and I couldn't move. Amongst my inner chaos, Hal Atkins suddenly appeared in front of me. I blinked a few times, but he didn’t disappear. Instead, he crossed his arms and winked at me.

The Hal Atkins, just winked at me.

"Go in there with your head held high and if someone pisses you off, punch them square in the face." Hal's voice was assertive, but contained playful banter that made me grin. I slid off my bag and pulled out my book. If I had to go through with this appointment, Hal was coming with me. I lifted my chin up and tried to grin as I exited the elevator. I looked over my shoulder, but Hal was gone.

A small bulletin on the wall caught my attention: IF YOU HAVE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE FOLLOW THE ARROWS. The letters were bolded in black ink and filled most of the bulletin. I followed a set of red arrows taped to a white wall until I reached a large, wooden double door. I pushed open the door with one hand and clutched Hal in the other.

It looked like a large courtroom. The floor was stained with blood, red carpeting and long wooden pews were placed in rows that abruptly stopped in the middle of the room. A wooden podium stood alone in the center of the room and behind it, were large portraits of older people I didn't recognize. On the right side of the room between the podium and portraits, was a small desk with a few stacks of papers on top of it. I noticed a small door behind the desk.

Something blue caught my attention and I realized it was the man from the train. He sat in the second row by himself. Almost everyone else tried to squish in the last three rows and there was only a trickle of people who were brave enough to sit in the front row, but even they weren’t completely alone. I walked down the aisle and plop my bag next to the stranger from the train.

"Hi," I said smiling at the man. He didn't respond so, I sat down next to him and tried again. "Hello?" The man just ignored me. His back was straight as an arrow and his eyes were stuck forward. It didn't look like a very comfortable position, but I followed his example and gripped Hal tightly against my chest.

It was subtle and almost barely audible, but I heard it. He snorted. My head snapped to meet his eyes, but I ended up just staring at his profile. He had a rather prominent nose, his lips were full, and his jaw was carved nicely, not too square and not too round. I faced forward once more and tried to suppress a snicker. Finally, someone who doesn't follow the code to a point.

"What?" He asked annoyed. His eyes never left the front of the room.

"Oh! It's alive!" I joked. Annoyed! He's annoyed in public! I felt like I had discovered some buried treasure and I was curious to find out what was hidden inside.

"Well, don't you have a dark sense of humor." Through the corner of my eye I caught him smirking.

"What's your name?" I asked casually.

"What's the point of asking?" He responded sullenly.

"Fine then I'll just call you Blue." Why won't he face me? Is the wall really that interesting?

"Why Blue?" He arched a brow.

"Because you're wearing blue."

"How very observant of you." Blue tried to be snarky, but I could see a small grin breaking through his facade. I opened my mouth to reply, however at that moment, an older woman walked into the room from the mysterious door in the corner of the room and two men followed in suit behind her. She had short brunette hair that ended just above her shoulders and the wrinkles on her face reminded me of my mother's aging face. This woman had to be in her late forties, maybe early fifties, yet her figure seemed lean and graceful for someone her age. She wore a purple blouse and a black pencil skirt. What struck me the most about her appearance was her black gloves. The men on either side of her were brute and calling them intimidating would be an understatement. They also wore a set of gloves and my head naturally tilted in curiosity.

"Hello everyone!" The woman smiled. Her voice was soft and welcoming. I found myself automatically smiling as well. "My name is Wanda Hart. I will be running today's appointment."

I bit my lip to keep from snickering. What a funny first name. She scanned the room and her eyes locked with mine. I furrowed my brows at first, but quickly shifted my face into an uncomfortable grin. No, wait. It wasn’t me she was looking at, but the man to the right of me. I turned my head slightly. Blue’s jaw was clenched and his composure looked rigid. Wanda broke eye contact first and continued her speech.

"If you could all move up, I would greatly appreciate it." No one moved. "There are enough seats in the first three rows to fit all of you." The men on either side of her grunted, like wild boars. A few people quickly stood up and moved to the front pews. Slowly, but surely the rest of the crowd was squished into the first three rows. I saw an empty space in front of me and I grabbed my bag to move.

"Don't." Blue said sharply and I froze. His eyes were still trained on Wanda and I stared at his profile wide-eyed. "You're fine where you are." I nodded slowly and press Hal closer to my chest. Somehow, I knew I shouldn’t disagree with this man.

"How are all of you feeling today? Fresh and... Clean I hope." Wanda started up again when everyone finally settles in their new seats, but she changed the expression. It's supposed to be “fresh and healthy," I could see why she changed it...

"As you probably know, you are all here to serve a very important task," Her eyes briefly glanced at me and then back at other members of the crowd. "It has come to our attention, that you have been infected." She stared back at Blue. "The air you breathe now pollutes our atmosphere and that," she paused for effect. "Breaks our first and most important code of conduct. "You are to be disposed of in order to keep our pleasant, little world safe from another virus attack." The word disposed makes me feel less than human.

Dirty tissues and rotten fruit get disposed of, not people.

*~ *~ *~

The virus Wanda was referring to can be found in any history book. It was created in a lab as a biochemical weapon, but something went wrong. Something always goes wrong when war is involved. The virus ripped through the world killing five billion people in less than six months. After Stone found the cure, people flocked from all over just to get their hands on a small golden vile. Robert Stone quickly grew popular and it wasn't long until he was running the government. The books don't specify much on what had changed from before and after the virus, but one thing everyone writes about is Stone’s mysophobia. He is the reason we have such a clean society and the greetings we say are in honor of his legacy. I am not sure if life was better or worse before Stone came into power and unfortunately, he's very much dead so, I can't really ask him either.

"We will escort you individually by name from the list for your termination." Wanda said pulling me from thoughts. She held a simple piece of paper up in the air and I saw my scribbled signature at the third line from the bottom. "Thank you for your undivided attention and remember, breathing healthy means being happy!" Her smile no longer seemed warm and comforting, but wicked and twisted. The crowd repeated the mantra in a low mumble, everyone that is, except for Blue and me.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual, but the next chapter things start to get a little crazy for our Lux and I didn't want to break that up. And I know the last two paragraph might seem a little out of place too, but trust me it's better this way! Please remember to comment and like if you like my new story it really lets me know I am on the right track and I truly appreciate it!

Fun Fact: There is a tree in Italy that is called "The Double Tree Of Casorzo" because it is actually two trees in one: A cherry tree growing on top of a mulberry tree!

(Source wtffunfact.com)