Never Again
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
“I’m not going to lie,” said the man, “you’re a little scary.” He was in his late twenties and looked like he’d been working out for years. His arms were huge, but so was his gut; it hung over his belt buckle as if there wasn’t enough room inside him to hold all of his body fat. The muscles on top weren’t much better: they flexed when he moved, making them look more impressive than real. I could see why my father had told me never to trust anyone with that kind of physique.
The man stood up from behind his desk and walked around toward us. It took a moment before I realized what he wanted—he didn’t want to shake hands or give an introduction. Instead, he came right at me. I felt something cold touch my neck. My skin crawled and I tried to pull away, but the grip tightened until I couldn’t move anymore. Then he turned to face my mother and reached out again. This time she flinched back as far as her chair would allow. She grabbed one of the handles on either side of her seat and held onto it tightly while staring straight ahead. Her eyes darted nervously between the man’s hand and mine.
He pulled off his gloves slowly, letting each finger fall into place by itself, then slid them down past his wrists, leaving his bare hands exposed. They were covered in thick black hair and had long nails. When he brought his fingers close together, they made a clicking sound against each other. As soon as he let go, the noise stopped.
“You can relax,” he said. “I don’t have any diseases.”
My parents both nodded their heads once, as if trying to convince themselves.
The man sat down across from me, leaning forward slightly. He put his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his clasped hands.
“Now, you’re probably wondering how we know your name?”
I shook my head.
“We’ve been watching you since the day you arrived here. We knew about your background and everything else. But I think it’s important to understand who you really are. You may be confused now because you thought you were just another kid growing up in New York City, but this is different. Everything has changed for you.”
His voice lowered even further and became softer than ever. “In a few days’ time, you’ll be gone forever. There will never again be anything called ‘New York City.'”
I stared at him in shock. For some reason, I hadn’t expected him to say something like that. I guess I should have known better. After all, I had already seen the signs everywhere. Even though most people wouldn’t notice them, I saw them every single day. In fact, I noticed them so often that I began to feel like I was the only person left alive.
There were no cars driving down the streets. No buses rumbled along the sidewalks. Only bicycles rode through the city, pedaling quickly and silently. Most of the buildings were empty except for a few scattered families living in small apartments. Occasionally, I heard someone walking on the street below our window. But whenever they passed by, they always kept their voices low. And it seemed like everyone wore masks. Not all of them, mind you. Just the ones who worked outside. Those guys and gals were too busy to worry about hiding their faces.
But the rest of the population? Every last human being in the entire world had taken to wearing the same type of mask. Some were white, others gray. There was one that looked almost exactly like the one I saw on television every night after dinner. The only thing missing from those masks was color. All of the people who wore them were completely expressionless.
And the strangest part of it all? Nobody needed to wear these things. Everyone did it anyway.
When the man sitting across from me spoke again, his voice sounded louder than before. “It’s true: the city you live in isn’t New York anymore. That’s where it used to be, but it doesn’t exist anymore. What you call Manhattan Island is now called New Atlantis. And it’s the center of the new world order.”
“What do you mean?” asked my mother.
“Don’t you remember hearing about this? Your government has been talking about it nonstop lately. They’ve announced plans to build a wall around the island and turn it into a fortress. A safe haven for everyone. Or at least, that’s what they tell us. But I’m sure you know better than that. Don’t you?”
She hesitated for a moment, looking at him carefully. “Yes…”
“So why aren’t you there with them? Why are you still here in the city?”
“Because…we don’t believe this is the way we should live.”
“That’s not good enough. If you don’t agree, then you’ll be sent to a concentration camp somewhere. At the very least, you won’t be allowed to stay here any longer. Do you understand? You have to choose. Either you accept the changes happening around you, or you leave.”
My father nodded his head slowly. “If that’s the case, then we have to decide right away. Where should we go? How far must we travel to find safety? Will we be able to survive wherever we end up? We might die out there.”
The man stood up suddenly, turned toward the door, and opened it. Then he stepped outside and closed the door behind himself. My parents followed him downstairs without saying a word.
As soon as they disappeared, I jumped up from the chair and ran over to the window. From my vantage point, I could see the two men standing next to each other in front of a large van parked on the sidewalk. One of them was holding a clipboard while the other held a briefcase. Both of them looked nervous.
After a few moments, the man with the clipboard walked back inside the building. When he returned, my parents were waiting for him.
He handed the woman a stack of papers and she started reading off the information contained within.
“This is an official document issued by the United Nations. It states that the island of Manhattan is now under the control of the UN. Anyone found living in the area will be arrested and detained indefinitely. This includes anyone who owns property on the island. Any weapons discovered during the search will be confiscated immediately.
“Anyone caught trying to escape the city will be shot. Repeat offenders will be executed. As long as you cooperate, however, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
My dad took the paper from her hands and read it aloud. “Doesn’t this seem strange to you? Why would the UN want to take over such a small island? Wouldn’t it make more sense to just use the whole country instead? And what does ‘indefinite detention’ even mean? Is that supposed to scare us?”
The woman shrugged. “You’re free to interpret the meaning as you wish. But if you refuse to follow orders, you’ll be punished accordingly. Understand?”
Dad shook his head. “No. Absolutely not! We can’t let them do this!”
“I thought so,” said the woman. She reached into her bag and pulled out a gun. “Now, listen closely. You have five seconds to get your belongings together. After that, I’ll shoot you both dead.”
***
We spent the next several hours packing everything we owned onto small plastic crates. Our house was filled with boxes, suitcases, and bags of clothes. Everything we didn’t need went into storage. Anything we couldn’t carry ourselves got loaded into the van.
By then, the sun had set and darkness covered the city. The streets were empty except for a single patrol car driving through the neighborhood. By the time we finished loading our possessions, the police officer had passed by three times already.
Once we’d packed everything, Mom and Dad told me to wait outside until they were ready to leave. I wasn’t allowed to come along because I was too young to be trusted. Instead, I sat down on the curb and watched the sky change colors as night fell over the city.
A few minutes later, Mom came out of the house carrying a suitcase. She stopped when she saw me sitting there. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s all right. Go ahead.”
Mom smiled and headed toward the street. Dad stayed behind, watching me from across the road. He waved goodbye before heading after her.
They left the city that same evening. Neither one of them ever returned.
I never learned exactly where they ended up or how their lives turned out. All I knew was that they weren’t coming back. Not unless someone else did first.
The End