My fists curled and uncurled just as another person was taken away. Almost half the crowd had been filed out and “escorted” to their death. I gritted my teeth realizing, I was no longer scared, but angry. I thought of Hal and kept my fists clenched. These people are the reason why I won’t be able to finish my book. The reason I won’t be able to see my mother again.

I decided that when it was my turn to get up, I would punch my executioner in the face. I know I’m not strong enough to do much damage, but I’m smart and-

Someone yelled and it pulled me from my thoughts. A boy, only about fourteen, screamed and struggled against his escorts. I try to conceal a grin. That’s right kid! Find your inner Hal and fight! They tried to shove him through the doors we came through, but he dug his heels into the carpet. Don’t back down! Never back down! I could hear Hal cheering alongside with me and my smirk widened.

Another man with black gloves burst through the mysterious door behind the desk and held a syringe in his left hand. Without a word, he walked behind the teenager and pulled his head to the side with ease. Everyone just watched in awe as he stuck the needle into the boy's neck and drained the contents.

I once saw a mouse get eaten alive by a snake. The mouse knew it was going to die the minute it was put in that tank. He ran around frantically and clawed at the sides of the glass for freedom. I was surprised by the sound it made as it was squeezed to death. It didn't squeak, like I thought it would, but screamed. The cry sounded so human and I couldn’t understand how a small animal like that, made such a horrific noise.

The boy didn't make a sound, he had no time to. Whatever was in that solution, affected him rapidly and his body went into rigger-mortis while he was still panicking. His eyes and mouth reminded me of the mouse who died screaming. The boy's hands began to curl into itself and with every passing second, his body shriveled, like an apple left out to rot.

It was only when Wanda nodded the "okay," that the “escorts” took the boy away. She stood by the podium as if she was deciding what color to paint the walls, nodding only when she found the perfect shade. Every muscle in my body constricted. Fear was back in my bloodstream. Wanda didn't care if we watched a boy die right before our eyes because that would be us in a matter of minutes. Did they even take us to a room and let us relax in a dentist chair like I imagined? Or did they just kill us out in the hall and then throw us in a human sized dumpster. No one would know if it was the truth because it was impossible to hear the last breath of death once the Infected were escorted out of the room.

I looked over to Blue, who threw half his body over the pew in front of him and vomited. I frowned the virus was probably affecting him. "I don't want to die." I confessed to him once he settled back in his seat. A few others watched him recompose with wide eyes, but I just stared down at my shoes.

"Screw this, I can't watch anymore." He grabbed my wrist and pushed past the people next to us.

"My bag!" I shouted only slightly relieved to be holding Hal in my other hand.

"Leave it, we don't know if that guy is carrying another syringe!" When we made it out of the aisle, the man in black was already heading toward us. Blue's grip tightened around my wrist and I bit my lip to keep from yelping in pain. He stopped in front of Wanda. "You Bitch." Blue clenched his free hand and punched her square in the face. My jaw dropped as Wanda fell backwards. Blue tugged my arm in order to grab my attention again.

"Get to the door." Blue said letting me go. He turned to face the man who murdered the boy. I ran toward the door and slammed it behind me.

It was a staircase with a door across the hall from me. It read: EMPLOYEES ONLY in red on a white plaque. Not a second later, did the door swing open and a bald man came through it. He stared at me with death in his right hand.

"Hey kiddo, aren’t you a little too excited to die?" He said as dark smile spread across his face.

"I'm not a kid, I'm a well-educated young adult." I corrected him.

"Well, not educated enough, you're pretty stupid for thinking you can escape." The bald man took another step toward me.

"Stop!" I shouted.

"Or what?" He moved closer and I took a step back.

"Or... Or I'll cough on you! I have the virus, remember!" The man furrowed his brows before his face contorted into a full-blown smile.

“You actually believe that bullshit?!” He bellowed and I stared up at him in confusion. What bullshit? Why is he laughing, isn't he afraid to get sick? What would Hal do? I gripped my book tightly. I took a deep breath while the man was still distracted and threw Hal at his face. Miraculously, he dropped the syringe, and I tried to kick him, but I am not as strong or fast as Hal and the bald man easily caught my foot.

"You brat. You cracked the solution!" He yanked at my foot and my head hit the floor, hard. My vision went black and I felt my body being dragged across the floor.

"No!" I screamed thrashing my arms and legs. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" My eyes shot open in panic as tears started to flood my vision. The bald man tried to pull me into the office, but I made it extremely difficult for him by gripping the door frame. I couldn't hold on for long because the man kicked me in the ribs and I cried out in pain while letting go of the frame.

"Hold still you little shit. I have to get another vile!" He dropped my leg and I tried to scramble away, but I didn't get very far because he grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me back into the office. I let out another scream as I pictured my mother in my head. We were back on the train. Her smile was weary and her eyes were glossy. It only occurred to me now, that my mother will be all alone. First it was my father who left her, then Phoebe and now me. I should have come home more often. I should have at least called her when I was at school.

Something silver glistened in front of me and a new batch of tears flooded down my face. The solution looked like liquid mercury. It was thick and bubbly and I lurched over to empty my insides.

"You're disgusting," The man shook the liquid before dragging me across the room to find another syringe.

"Thanks for holding my hair." I said wiping my lips with the back of my hand before, my comment earned me a head slam against a desk. My head is suddenly jerked up from the table and I noticed the room was filled with televisions. They were watching us. That's how the other guy knew when to come into the courtroom and intervene. I saw Blue in one of the screens. He was fighting a couple of the men in black gloves. I wasn't sure if he was winning or not… It doesn't matter now.

I hiccupped and wiped the blood that trickled down my nose with the heel of my palm. The bald man took a syringe and started filling it with death. I was impressed at how quickly he could fill the vile with just one hand. I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut as he tilted my head to the side. "Good bye mama," I said one last time.

*~*~*

When I was younger, I used to play in the sand pit by the schoolyard-before they claimed it as too messy and got rid of it. One time, I watched a small fire ant pick up and carry a grain of sand back and forth from the ant hill next to the pit. My eyes followed the ant three times before I decided to pick up the tiny bug. I was impressed by its strength and wanted to take the bug home with me, but the ant didn’t share the same feelings. The next thing I knew, I was flailing my hand around and around, trying to get an insect the size of my fingernail off of me. I was soon attacked by thousands of ants nipping at my ankles. Naturally, I cried until Phoebe came to rescue me.

To say that was how I was feeling, at this precise moment, would be a sheer understatement of the truth. I didn't feel the needle break through my skin, only millions of fire ants that chewed at my muscles and bones. They clogged my throat and blocked my vision.

"FIGHT IT!" Hal's voice broke through the pain and into my thoughts. "Listen to me, you have to fight it. This is not where you die!" Hal's voice sounded strange. He was worried for me and it encouraged me to keep conscience. I felt like my entire body had fallen asleep and only my brain was awake.

I groaned and opened my eyes. My skin felt like it was being stabbed by tiny little pins and needles. A pair of smart looking shoes were inches away from my bloody nose. Who knew death would dress up for such an occasion. Death kind of looked like Blue, but that could just be because my head was throbbing too loudly and I couldn't focus properly. I closed my eyes again as I felt 200 pounds of pure muscle lift off of me. This is what death feels like relief.

"Get up." I heard Blue's voice. I liked the way it sounds, strong and assertive. Right now, however, it was rushed and stressed. I opened my eyes to see him crouched next to me. Blue's hues meet mine with concern. I picked a good name for him..."Oh good, you're not dead, get up." He said as he stood up and walked away without helping me.

"Everything hurts." I said as I struggled to lift myself off the ground. Warm liquid trailed down my forehead and I bit my lip not knowing if it was mine or not. I walked over to Blue who, was too distracted by the television sets to notice me. I saw the bald man crumpled on the floor next to me, but I wasn't sure how he got that way. My eyes quickly darted away from him, afraid he might wake up if I stared too long.

I shuffled closer to Blue, who stared at the screens wide-eyed. I followed his gaze and felt like throwing up again. The escorts were almost done disposing the boy. They dragged him to a small room no bigger than a supply closet and threw his body into something that looked like a laundry shoot. My eyes shifted onto the next monitor. It was the back of an alley. Large black bags were being thrown into the back of a truck. Blue pulled out a phone from his pant pocket and started texting, while I kept watching the screen.

There was no sound so I wasn't sure what alerted the moving men that the boy arrived, but a couple of movers in grey jumpsuits and matching gloves walked over to a familiar looking shoot connected to the side of the building. One of the movers pulled out a black bag while the other opened a small latch. The boy's body crumbled into the bag with ease. The men in grey sealed the garbage bag and threw him onto a pile with all the other dead infected. For the first time in my life, I felt like a rotten piece of fruit nobody wanted.

~*~*~*~*~

Whoo! The first part is done! If you liked it, please like and comment! I really want to know what you guys think. Fun Fact: If you keep goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white.