This World

Prologue

Molly stares at the blank faces of her seven children. Choose – how was she supposed to choose which two of her children to condemn to death?

‘I could make your job easier, ma’am’ the officer grunts, ‘I’ll have these two,’ he grabs two of the littlest ones from the end of the line.

They squeal for their mother. For a minute Molly wants to sink back on his offer and nod meekly, knowing that the choice made was not hers. But then she hears her children’s screams and shakes her head.

‘Alethea, Jasper, come here,’ they run to her and bury their faces in her stomach, where her tenth child stirs. 

‘Please,’ she begs the officer, ‘you’ve already taken their father – ’ a couple of the children begin to cry ‘ – please.’

But this man’s heart has been buffered against the most emotional goodbyes. It’s hardened, and her pleas don’t even scratch it.

‘Tick tock tick tock,’ the officer taps his watch, ‘make your mind up.’

Molly wants to slap him, but she knows it won’t do any good.

‘Take me please,’ she begs again, ‘my unborn baby and me. That’s two of us. Please.’

The officer shakes his head, ‘you know this rules, ma’am. Pregnant women are not to be sacrificed.’

It’s the word sacrificed that forces Molly to choke back tears. Her eyes swim over her family. At her eldest son, Marlon, who has always taken it upon himself to provide for the family when his father was unable to work. Only he won’t need to do that anymore on the Salutem Navis because presumably everything they eat would be served as some sort of foul puree, like the rich people –

Molly stops thinking about that. She bites back tears again. She couldn’t choose Marlon, her first born…but then her eyes find the tear stained faces of the little ones and she knows she has to.

Marlon sees her eyes on him and something registers in his face. Fear? Hatred? Recognition?

Molly turns away before she can change her mind. She finds herself face to face with her eldest daughter Kelsa. Kelsa enjoys nothing more than the breeze on her neck and grass between her toes. Could she really condemn her to a life on the Salutem Navis, where even the sunlight will be artificial?

Before Molly can persuade herself not to make a decision, Kelsa steps forward.

‘Mother, you know I’d hate it if I had to leave. I’ll stay.’

Before Molly can resist the officer is clutching Kelsa’s forearm. Molly gulps.

‘Marlon, take care of your sister, will you? Please – for me?’

This seems a very poor excuse but Molly isn’t sure what else to say. Kelsa doesn’t need taking care of. Not only is she fifteen, but also honestly how long has she got left? One day? Maybe two?

‘I love you my children,’ Molly bites her lip, realising that she hasn’t even given her son a chance to say anything.

Marlon, ever humble, gives a slight nod of his head. He knows that lengthy goodbyes will only result in tears.

Kelsa glances warily at her brother before doing the same.

The officer leads them to the door. Then suddenly Kelsa wails and breaks of his grasp.

‘I love you mother! I love you! I’ll never forget you! Thank you, thank you – ’ she is tugged away from Molly by the gruff man, who nonchalantly holds a gun to her forehead. Whilst the other children begin to sob quietly, Kelsa knows that dying here would only be a day or so earlier. Calmly she walks back to Marlon and takes his hand.

It’s only when the door is shut that Molly collapses on the floor and begins to scream.