ZERO

ZERO

I continued inhaling deeply. Zero was shown on the electronic display. I examined the display but didn’t believe what it was saying. I cast my gaze outside the dome. The sun and the dry land were hidden by the clear clouds that covered the sky. I turned to face the inside and wondered what life was like fifty years ago.

The phone that was mounted on the wall began to ring. I gazed unconsciously since I had never heard it ring before I realised I needed to answer it. I moved towards the phone. The receiver stopped ringing, and the LED began to flicker. Two police officers rushed into the door when it flew open.

“Officer?” I turned to face the guard.

The guards slammed the door and said something into their radio as they approached, gripped me in both arms, and carried me down the hallway.

I turned around as I skidded and stared in the opposite direction. Knowing that my life will soon come to an end was an unusual feeling. The space was lit by icy lamps, which gave off a coldness. We took a few turns before we came to a complete stop. The guards dropped me to the ground and returned the way back they had come. I saw the door’s mechanisms turn and grind, and I came to the realisation that there was no way I was going back that way.

I picked myself up and got to my feet. The corridor was so clean that I had not even picked up a grain of dust, yet I continued nonetheless. When I looked back, a shorter man was seated at a desk on a black chair that was definitely too big for him.

“Are you aware of why you are here?” He enquired.

“Not at all,” I answered, well aware of my purpose for being there.

“Mr. Owen Fist, you were a superb student with an average grade of an A plus. You were born on January 19, 2056, making you 19. There are no known behavioural problems with you either. Nonetheless, a caution was given since a coworker had been threatened. You work as an automobile technician and you have no right to threaten others!” He glared at me while looking up, waiting for my reaction.

“Correct”, I said in return.

I glanced at his expressionless face and heard him say, “On behalf of our community, we are ending your life on the basis that you have exceeded your oxygen and water quota without contributing to the community.” There was nothing except the reality of what lay beyond.

“We are giving you the chance to try to survive outside, though.” I turned to face him and peered out the window. Beyond the clear, beautiful skies, in the distance, I peered. I couldn’t see much beyond the dirt mounds which haven’t been touched in years.

“I agree,” I don’t know why I did, it was just making my suffering worse. He stood up and handed me a backpack.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Good luck.”

I saw the glint of a tear forming in my eye. He ushered me towards an elevator where I went further down than I ever had before. The elevator pinged as the doors opened and thousands of years of global warming hit my face in one blast, making me stumble.

I fell to one knee and opened my backpack to find a bottle of water and a gun. I put the gun to my head…