Saving Those of Omelas

I ran through the streets with my friends on my 18th birthday. We were going to a dress shop in hopes of finding a dress for my party this Saturday. As I ran with my friend Cwens phone in my hand, in an attempt to annoy her, a man walked up to me. He had dark brown hair and green eyes, he wasn't too thin or overweight. He was an average person I had probably seen any other day of my life, but why did he seem so cold today ?

"Alyx? Alyx Ellis?" he asked, and I backed away cautiously. "Who are you?" I asked, and by my curiousness he realized that I was who he was looking for. By now my friends Cwen and Elliot had reached me. They were not as surprised as I was, they didn't even ask questions. "Alyx, would you please come with me?" he held out his right hand but I didn't move. "Go, it'll be fine" Cwen said . I guess they knew him. Maybe it was a birthday surprise. I started to walk but wouldn't grab his hand. "We're just going for a walk. Don't be nervous" he said as he walked beside me.

He started with light conversation. How was school? How was my family? The happy birthday bit. Then the conversation began to get heavy and questionable. "You enjoy living in the city of Omelas?" he asked and I nodded. Our city was as perfect as any organized functioning society was going to get. I've read of terrible cities where there was war and hate, jealousy, sadness, anger. Definitely things I did not want to experience. We walked to the gate that lead to the underground. This is where I stopped. "Come Alyx" he continued walking, "No" I said. "You've asked me all of these questions and you haven't even told me your name." He smiled as he turned around. "You never asked my name" he said and I stood silent, because he was right. "Gabriel" he simply said as he stuck his hand out once again, but this time I grabbed it.

We walked down the staircase that lead to the underground city. No one lived there, it was a working space. A place the men went during the day and would come back up to the sun late afternoon. My father had brought me down with him many times during his working shifts. Actually, he was probably there now. "Gabriel, can we stop by and say hello to my father?" I asked and he nodded. I took the lead to my fathers work Que, which was not far. It was mid day so I found him eating his lunch. When he saw me, I saw his facial expression grow disappointing. "Hi dad" I gave him a hug and he embraced me, tighter than usual. He then started walking towards Gabriel. "Why does it have to be today? Can't she enjoy her birthday?" my father seemed uneasy. "Did you enjoy yours?' Gabriel answered. "Please just one more day, keep my baby girl innocent and naive for just one mor--"
` "Mr. Ellis, I did you a favor of bringing her here before it happened. You can either waste that time with bargaining with me, which won't work, or you can talk to your daughter" Gabriel silenced my father. My father turned to me and sat me down. "Alyx, remember how mom and I use to talk to you about how when something doesn't seem right, doesn't always mean we can make it right?" I nodded. I had no idea where this conversation was going, but I tried to keep up. "Just keep that in mind sweetheart. I love you"
"I love you too dad" he reached to give me another tight hug. He explained how I was going to go with Gabriel and then come straight home no matter what. I was confused, but agreed.
I followed as Gabriel walked further than have ever gone through the corridors. "Are you ever going to tell me where we're going?" I asked but never received an answer. We reached another gate which blocked a steep staircase. "Secret Gate Underground" stood overhead in the same letters as the "S.G.U" on Gabriel's ID tag which was scanned and made the giant metal gate rise up. I stopped again, now I was getting nervous. I had heard about S.G.U before, awful rumors. They couldn't be true. I never thought it was so close to home. "Are you coming?" Gabriel called and I slowly walked down the stairs.

By the end of the flight down, the smell was unbearable. I held my nose and took short, small breaths. The horrible odor didn't seem to bother Gabriel one bit. That's when I started to hear something. Not a cry, but a whimper. The sounds of rattling accompanied with the whimpers began to get closer and closer. We left the stairs to a hallway. It was damp down here. I pulled my red scarf up a little to cover my nose in an attempt to get warm and block the smell. Gabriel brought me to a room with nothing but four rows of benches, and told me to sit. As I sat there and waited for his return, a young boy with black hair and a black pea-coat was escorted into the room and sat next to me.

"Hi, I'm Clark." he stuck a hand out and I shook it. "Alyx" I stated. Gabriel returned and stood in front of us. "So once again, Happy Birthday" he began. Both Clark and I gave thank you. I guess it was his birthday too.
Gabriel continued. "So, you are both 18 today. Which means it s time for you to know the truth, as it has come to our attention that your parents have been reluctant to tell you by now. Between your twelfth and eighteenth birthday it is your parents responsibility to bring you here and inform you of how our glorious city remains to be paradise. If they do not go through with that responsibility, it is by law that we show you." Gabriel's speech was just becoming confusing but Clark and I tried to keep up as he continued, "Behind this door, lies a creature. An imbecile to be more specific. That creatures misery is what separates our beloved city's fate of being paradise or the inferno. When I open the door, you are not to smile at it, speak to it, try to keep your thoughts of pity silent"
At that instant Gabriel unlocked the wooden door and there was ..... a child!"