Laina laughs as she pushes the door open, beating me outside. I reach the door just as it slams shut and the automatic lock clicks in place. I type in the code, trying to remember the twenty digits in the correct order. 

A bang sounds. 

I frown before opening the door. That wasn’t right. The lock’s normal opening latch is a slight click… Another shot sounds. A scream comes from right outside the door. 

A large object falls against the door, vibrating to my fingers. I hesitantly open the door, surprised to feel a bit of resistance. I see two only things through the crack. Long blonde hair and a lot of blood. 

I slam the door shut and squeeze my eyes tight. I try to erase the recent events from my mind. But I can’t. It’s like the image of my sister’s blood is seared into the back of my mind.

My breaths are short and fast. A soft wetness trails down my face and I fall to the floor with it. I sit there for either hours or minutes but my last thought before I drift to sleep is about what I will tell my parents.

___

A crackling sound wakes me up. A crick in my neck keeps me from turning my head all the way but I can hear Mom in the other room with the television. The static continues until it slowly fades. 

The voice that comes from the screen seems to echo from all around me. 

“Today,” he begins, “Is the day we start converting your city to the way it’s meant to be. Anyone seen outside will be terminated.” I crawl up the few stairs so I can get a view of the screen. The camera switches views of different people all laying dead in the streets. 

The last picture I see are the dead eyes of my sister. Blank and cold. That’s when I notice the sticky substance on my fingers and clothes. I look back and see her blood seeping through the crack under the door. My gasp draws Mom’s attention. Her eyes are filled with tears and the sight her blood on me causes her to fall to the ground in shock.