Decrease

Thursday - September 23

Ted just stands before me and replies, "It was for the greater good, John. It was for the greater good."

I could only stare at Ted in disgust. Looking over my shoulder at how everyone's working so hard to save humanity, and then looking back at Ted, at the one who helped try to destroy humanity, I conclude that there is hope for us, only because the survivors want to continue to exist. The survivors themselves know that life is precious, and that to continue may be a struggle, but they will continue and beat extinction.

"John, when I took blood samples from you the other day, it was because we needed it, since the blood samples Raymond had given to Georgia from when you were reborn had to be used to revive her. Your blood is the blood that's going to save humanity, John. Your blood will cure this plague. Do you understand that, John? Do you?" Ted asks, waiting for my reply.

Not giving Ted an answer, he continues, "John, let's bicker about this later. For now, we must save everyone we can. Okay, John? Let's save who we can."

Ted's words are sincere, but does he truly care? I nod my head yes and Ted returns to the assembly line, making sure the serum's being processed as quickly as possible.

Dorsey and Aunt Ruth! She's not even my aunt. She's my mother. Damn, so many secrets.

I hear a buzzer and wonder what that is. I walk over to Ted and he says, "It's just a timer, John. There's nothing to worry about. Everything's on schedule. Everything's okay."

"I'm going down to shipping, Ted, and see how they're doing. If anything happens, and I do mean if anything happens, notify me immediately. Understood?" I give Ted such a cold, hard stare he replies with an immediate, "Yes, sir."

"Okay." I leave the lab, hoping that all goes well.

When I enter the hallway, I run into my old nemesis Julie. Wishing deep down that she would die again, I try to pass her without any confrontation, but am unsuccessful.

"John, may I have a word with you, please?" asks Julie.

Reluctantly, I stop and say, "What is it, Julie?"

"I know you hate me, but please, John, hear me out."

Not giving a shit about what she has to say to me, I tell myself to act professionally. I say, "Make it quick."

"I know things have been hard for you to understand, John, but you must realize that what happened had to happen. It was a necessity for all humankind. Natural resources, as you know, were nearly depleted. There were no jobs, people were starving. Even with sterilization there was no future to be had by anyone. The decision to decrease the surface population needed to be done, or else we would have extinguished each other in an inhumane way. Do you understand that, John? This had to be done."

"Oh, I understand, Julie. I understand that you and all the other assholes took the world into your own hands and decided to play God. I also understand that all of you decided to kill Claire and our son, which I will never forgive you for. Never! You brought me out of death's grip as a child just to torment me in the future by killing my wife, my son, and everything I loved and ever wanted. Oh, I understand perfectly, Julie."

I step closer to Julie, and with a voice so abhorrent, I say to her, "You will get your just desserts, bitch. And when you do, I will dance and spit on your dead corpse. Do you understand me, Julie? Do you?"

Julie steps back with fear in her entire being and glides pass me as she furiously heads to the lab. As I watch her disappear through the lab doors, I can only hope her demise comes swiftly and quickly.

I continue to my original destination, hoping that no one else interrupts me with their sympathetic lies of understanding.

As I near logistics, I hear diesel motors running, as trucks get ready to deliver the serum to the remaining population of Atlanta. I have never seen such teamwork before as I see right now. Men and women, working together for the "greater good" as Ted put it. But this "greater good" is politically correct. The determination to exist is the one thing that can never die in humans. No matter what our status in life is, we are determined to live, to exist, to continue on, and to be whatever, or whoever created us to be. We are the destiny of this planet, no matter how desolate and corrupt it becomes. The future of the Earth will be stronger by those remaining and will cherish life to its fullest. We are human.

"Dr. Bennett?" a young man calls out, startling me in my thought.

"Yes."

"Sir, I was wondering, would it be possible for me to go out with the trucks and help inoculate the public? I was a student of medicine at the university and would like to continue by contributing whatever I can."

I see the reflection of myself as I was in the past through this young man who stands before me. I, too, wanted to do the same; help humanity. I give the young man a smile and ask, "What's your name?"

He replies, "My name is John. Dr. John Molloy."

I extend my hand out for him to shake. He accepts with my deepest approval for him to go and help restore Atlanta back to life. Here is where the future lies, with young people like Dr. John Molloy, to make sure humanity continues. Our new hope begins.

_________________________________

Sunset returns as a cool breeze swooshes across Atlanta. I step outside for the first time since my return from the Plaza, and inhale the freshness the air deposits upon us. I close my eyes and wish that the zephyr were on a secluded beach somewhere; a beach where Claire and our son could live happily together, forever. I look to the sky and hear the sound of helicopters flying overhead. I walk towards the front gate as I watch them disappear into the sunset to help the remaining survivors of Earth, which nearly vanished by greedy, controlling politicians and scientists. No one can estimate the remaining sum of Earth's population. I wonder how many have been exterminated due to those who were entrusted to take care of them; those who took matters into their own hands and used extreme measures to control humankind. God, how did you allow this to happen?

I step outside the front gate and notice a long line of survivors waiting to be inoculated. Silently, they stand with weak knees in the frigid cold, deep snow, waiting for the cure in hopes that it won't be too late for them. Military trucks begin to roll down the road where the weary stand, with hands extended, as they each are given a ration box and a bottle of water.

Leaning against a brick wall, I notice a woman, tattered, worn, near death by starvation, hovering over two children who are barely warm enough to withstand the coolness of the early winter. A soldier brings over three ration boxes and hands them to the woman and children. So weak from hunger and being out in the elements, the woman collapses to her knees and begins to pray to God for thanks. I bend down to open her ration box and hand her a cracker and the water. As she takes a minute bite of the cracker, a tear begins to stream down her sunken cheek. She mutters, "Thank you," then collapses into my arms. She exhales her last breath.

The children look at her, and then ask, "Can we have her food and water?" I give them the box and signal military personnel to come and take the woman away. The children engulf the contents of the ration boxes. With nourished bellies, they crouch against the cold, brick wall and huddle together, not fully aware of the loss of their mother. Maybe in time they will understand.

Doctors and nurses begin to exit the CDC for the first time since this horrendous extinction began. Each of them has a backpack filled with syringes of the serum ready to inoculate the remnants of Atlanta. I step back and watch young Dr. John Molloy inoculate the two children, who gladly allow the needles to be inserted into their thin arms. Not a sound came from either one of them. They both look at Dr. John Molloy, and one of them says, "Will we be okay, now? Or are we going to die, too?" Young Molloy brushes his finger across the little ones hollow face and says, "You're going to be okay. Everyone's going to be okay."

Dr. Molloy stands and deposits the used syringes into a plastic container being held by a young lab assistant, and continues to move down the line inoculating hope into the destitute.

As I look around and see the survivors who have endeavored through their near extinction in Atlanta, I can only wish that Claire were here. I begin to hear voices giving thanks to the doctors and nurses as survivors are inoculated. The sound of their voices is something no one has heard in days in Atlanta. I step out into the street and gaze down as far as I can. I see shadows in the evening twilight as people begin to laugh, cry, and shout out in joy, praising those helping them and thanking God for His mercy.

Will God show mercy to those who brought thisdevastation upon humankind? Will God forgive us for what we have done to Hiscreation? Will God allow humanity to take such uncontrollable matters intotheir own hands again? After what the world has gone through, I look up intothe night sky and ask myself, "Is there a God?"