Earn Your Keep

Six Deaths, Five Kids

Carter hurriedly walked through the crowded halls of the Imperial Building. She weaved throughout the people who didn't even bother to look at the younger girl wearing jeans and an open red, long sleeve plaid flannel over her wrinkly black razor top. She brushed her dirty hands on her holely, faded, and frayed jeans. The laces of her black combat boots swung around her ankles making clicking noises. She quickly redid her messy brown hair in a side braid, her bangs wisping in her eyes. She pushed them behind her ear, and kept walking. She stopped at a metal door and read the title above it. Department Of Sector Security. She raised her ID badge and the door slide open with a grinding sound. She stepped in and nervously toyed with her stone pendant that hung on a silver chain around her neck. She shook her hands out before her, her leather and beaded bracelets jangled on her wrists. A woman in a blue pencil skirt and blouse waved her over. "Mr. Kites is waiting for you in execution room 8." She said.
"Where are the boys?" Carter asked.
"In a holding room waiting to say goodbye to their father." Blue skirt said.
"Thanks." Carter said heading towards execution room 8. She stopped at the door and knocked, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet while waiting for an answer. The door opened and a large man sat opposite her in a chair. His he stood up at her presence, and shook her hand, his hand engulfed hers but she returned his tight grip with a grip of her own. "Miss..?" He asked.
"Carter, just Carter."
"Last name?"
"I don't have one."
"Everyone has a last name."
"I did, then I got rid of it. It was just a reminder of who I was."
"So Carter Dean doesn't exist anymore?" Mr. Kites asked. Carter's head snapped up.
"No she doesn't. I'd prefer if you didn't use that name." Carter said.
"Fine, just Carter it is." Mr. Kites responded.
"Thank you." Carter said. "Um, where is Mr. Swallow, and his boys?"
"Saying their final goodbyes." At that moment the door swung open and two men walked through, one with his hands behind his back in handcuffs. The other holding tightly to the restrained man. "Mr. Swallow." Carter said going towards him. The man holding Mr. Swallow put his arm out to stop her from going closer. Carter glanced at Mr. Kites who nodded his head. "Let her see him." He ordered. The man let Carter pass. "Carter, you've been watching my boys yes?"
"Yes sir, I have."
"Have they been good?"
"Yes of course."
"Thank you, once I'm gone I won't be able to..." His eyes brimmed with tears.
"It's okay Mr. Swallow, I won't let anything happen to them. I promise, I'll take care of them."
"Thank you." He leaned down and kissed her head.
"Alright Swallow, times up." Kites said. Swallow nodded and offered little complaint when the black hood was lowered over his head. He was led up to the metal stage where a noose was put over his head and tightened around his neck. "Please Mr. Kites don't do this. He only stole to provide for his kids! You can't blame a man for doing that!"
"If I let him go without punishment then it shows everyone that they to can get away with crimes. I'm sorry Carter, but I have no choice." Mr. Kites said.
"You always have a choice! To put a man to death for trying to feed his family. That's a worthy cause to steal to me! This is not right and you know it." Carter shouted.
"Carter I'll ask you to lower your voice. It's the law, and I uphold it. That's what makes this sector work."
"Mr. Kites I--" the door opened once again and two young boys came through. "Nathan, Parke." Carter said while the two boy dashed to her. She engulfed then into her arms, kissing their heads. "Alright, then, let's go on then." Mr. Kites said. Carter turned to see Mr. Swallow standing with the noose around his neck, the boys at her sides. "I stand here today to declare George Swallow to hang by the neck until dead for his crimes." Carter's eyes moistened as she watched. "Dad?" Parke said barely above a whispered.
"Boys?" Mr. Swallow asked.
"Dad." Nathan echoed his brother's words.
"I love-" but Mr. Swallows words were cut off as the guard pulled the lever and and the panel fell, allowing Mr. Swallow to hang. Carter turned both the boy's head into her shoulders so that they wouldn't have to watch their father struggle as he died. Several tears slipped down her own face as she watched the man writhe. It took her back to when she watched both of her parents hang. She was fourteen when she walked into execution room 2. Both her parents already had nooses around their necks, she didn't even get to talk to them before they were going to die. She lowered her head so she wouldn't have to watch, but her guardian who stood beside her forced her chin up and roughly took hold of her arm, shoving her closer to watch. Her parents were blurs now that she was crying. "This is what will happen to you if you ever try to rob from the Imperial Building. Or if you ever get under my skin, whichever comes first." Then the lever was pulled and her parents hung and Carter sobbed loudly, while the man next to her laughed.

Carter emerged from her memories and hung tightly to the Swallow boys. Kites nodded and the body was removed. Carter dried her eyes, she stood back to look at Nathan and Parke, "Hey come on, let's go." She lead them out of the room only to have blue skirt sweep them away. "Hey wait a second I need to take them home." Carter said. Mr. Kites looked at her. "Carter, we have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"We have three more kids whose parents are being executed today, and all our foster homes are full. We need someone to take them for a while. Can you do that?"
"Three more? How many people to do plan on killing today?"
"Will you or will you not take the children?"
"Yes I will!" Carter said flustered. "What are their names?"
"Trey and Ryleigh Rolston, brother and sister. And Langston Duran, an only child. Little girl."
"Wait I know them. My mother, umm, before she died, treated them as patients at the hospital. I saw them many times when I helped her. I took care of them when their parents were sick. I watched them for sometime after that."
"Good, then they'll have a little comfort knowing who their staying with."
"Where are they?"
"In a holding room saying goodbye. They'll go home with you, and once we find a home they'll leave."
"Okay."
"Carter, I know your mother let you practice in her hospital with her, even perform some surgeries. Your mother was a wonderful doctor, so let me ask you, do you still practice?"
Carter looked up at his cold eyes. "No I don't." She said.
"You know it's illegal, right?"
"Yes I do."
"I wouldn't mind if you kept up the practice a little, just so that if one of you gets sick, you can make sure that you get better. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, now let's go see the other kids."

Carter walked into the room, both Trey and Ryleigh were standing inside, their parents already in the nooses. Trey turned around and seeing Carter ran to her throwing her arms around her waist. "Hi Trey, Ryleigh come here." She said beckoning to her. Ryleigh made her way to Carter and also hugged her, fat tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. "It's okay. I'm here." She whispered.
"Okay, let's get a move on, I've got 22 more executions today." Mr. Kites said. "Let them fall." Ryleigh let out another sob as she heard her parents fall. Carter turned both Trey and Ryleigh to her, "Look at me, just look at me. Focus on me. Both children stared at her frightened. Carter winced as she saw distantly the two bodies twitch in the air as they hung. "Eyes on me, that's right. We're going to go to my house and you will stay with me, okay?" They nodded and slowly wiped their faces of tears. "Okay let's go." But once again they were swept away by blue skirt as she was led into another execution room. "Langston." She said as she entered. The little girl with long light brown hair, freckles and hazel eyes turned around. "Carter." She said, then looked up at her mother who was already on the stand. She sunk down to the floor holding her arms close to her body. Carter rushed to her and picked her up, Langston wrapped her arms around Carter's neck and her legs around her waist, burrowing her head in her shoulder. Carter rubbed her back and smoothed her hair. "Where's her father?" She asked Kites.
"He was killed while we tried to detain him. He refused to cooperate." Carter didn't want to know anymore, she was already disgusted with Kites and everything he stood for. "Okay let her drop." Kites said.
"Mommy!" Langston yelled while trying to turn to face her. Carter forced her head back to her shoulder. "Don't look." And then the body swung. Langston cried into Carter, who watched with horror as Langston's mother struggled, a lot more than the other parents had. But finally it came to a stop. And she was dead. Immediately Carter left the room and head to the holding room she was informed that the rest of the children were. She went in, "Okay, let's go. We're going to my place, Nathan and Parke, you boys will be staying with me for good, Trey, Ryleigh and Langston, you will be staying with me until we can find you a permanent home. I know today is not a good day, and I'm sorry about what happened. I will try my best to do whatever it takes to make sure that you end up in good homes. I love you all, and I am here. So let's go home, and figure out what we're going to do."

Carter took them all to her home in the East Sector, she had extra rooms from when her family was alive, and their extra room for sick patients who couldn't afford the hospital. She had them all bathe and eat, which was done in silence and tears. She tucked the Swallow boys into bed in the extra room. Trey and Ryleigh in her parents old room. And she put Langston in her bed, who had already fallen asleep from the trip from the bathroom to the bedroom. She went back to the kitchen and cleaned up. She poured herself a cup of tea and sat down. She felt tears gather in her eyes but quickly brushed them away. She had to be strong for these kids. She had to protect them. But how could she provide for them without stealing, or ending up like their parents?

******
This is an attempt at a new story. So let me know if you like.

-MGB