Originally published in Lightspeed Magazine. Copyright © 2016

Breathe Deep, Breathe Free

Hey

Hey

No school again this week.

I know. Just heard.

So wha u doing?

I dunno

I guess talking wid u

Rolling, rolling and rising through a break in the earth, moving over the land flowing through the trees through the branches over the grass through the bushes, ever forward, a ceaseless unstoppable cloud. A strong sour scent swept in by the wind pushes its snout against the window panes, then rubs against wood sidings and door frames.

Wanna play on the game station?

Can’t. Dad said gotta save power.

Oh.

I guess I shld watch it 2.

So wha u wanna talk abt?

I dunno

Tell me what u see out the window

Even through the plastic lining stretched across it, the window pane feels cold to the touch. Outside a gas lingers near the surface of the earth. A smoke creature. It’s underside moves like a rolling tide while the top of it dissolves into the blue sky. The plastic lining crinkles as a breeze moves against it making it breathe like an animal.

When u think they will fix the leak?

They said in a few days.

They said that last week and the week before that

Yeah

I don’t believe them either

f’n liars.

Never thought I’d miss school but I do.

Yeah, me 2

An oily yellow residue remains of the surface of cars and street lights and mailboxes and anything left outside. It’s slick and smells like petrol. They say it’s been tested. They say it’s not harmful. And the cloud lingers. It flows out of the earth from a pipe dug deep deep deeper than has ever been dug. A gas that slowly moves like it’s alive and thinks and flows and flows out of the earth into every corner and crevice it can find entry, as if searching, as if curious.

Ah man! Did u see that dude from back east
gettin choked out?

Nah, man. What happened?

Look it up man. It’s intense.

Lemme find it

The gas isolates a community from the world. Those who wanted to leave, left. Those who wanted to stay, are stuck. There is no way out as the rest of the world remains purposefully ignorant to their plight.

Dayum! Why they do that guy like that???

They say he was where he shouldn’t be

That’s some BS, man.

He wasn’t even fightin or nothin

u know thats how they do.

So is he dead?

Yeah, man. They choked that mofo out.

Damn.

He said he couldn’t breathe and they still choked him

That is some serious shit right there

No joke

They got air out there and mofo can’t breathe.

Some immediately escape, run to their cars and drive. The highways, roads, streets, avenues, boulevards, fill with those rushing to get away. Some stay, cover their windows and every crack that allows in air, install biovestibules, wear masks, wear bio-suits outside—if they dare go outside, install air filtration systems, and become virtual prisoners in their own homes.

u alone?

Nah, my Dad is here.

My Moms & my sister left.

Where they go?

Up to my aunties place

My sister has asthma and couldn’t stop coughing.

That’s rough.

My Dad is always working or watching the news
so I might as well be alone in here.

Steps along the floor boards echo. The fridge hums. The air filter hums. The generator hums. The clock ticks. The quiet of the home of the street of the neighborhood of the sky brings an eerie loneliness. Like there is no one left alive. But they are alive. Everyone is alive only cooped up inside. No one dares step a foot outdoors. The air—the very air—is poison.

u ok?

Yeah

u sure.

Yeah, why?

u sound weird.

u can’t hear me, idiot.

I know dumbass

Still, u sound weird.

The power fails and all the buildings and houses and street lights go dark. The darkness of the neighborhood is as black as the grave. Can’t breathe. Can’t breathe. Touch the window pane. The cold of the glass sends chills through the hands and up the arm. Breathe. Breathe. The plastic lining breathes. One by one individual generators kick in. One by one some lights turn on, and a few houses up the street come back to life.

I need to get outta here

I know what u mean

I feel like I’m suffocating

Just calm yourself

Take a few deep breaths

Hey u there?

Hey man answer. u there?

The smoke creature roams the land searching searching endlessly searching. It finds everything and everyone in its path and covers them with itself. It spreads itself wide pushing outwards towards the borders of the community. Outwards beyond the streets of this neighborhood. It will touch the lives of others soon. The authorities won’t admit this, but it will. The people don’t know that they should all be afraid.

I’m back

Hey man u scared the shit out of me

What happened?

My chest felt all tight and I cldn’t breathe

u alright?

Yeah

Just needed a minute

Maybe u should tell your Pops

Nah

I’m good.

It happens in places like this first. It happened to people like these first. Then it spreads. It spreads far and wide. It will be unseen when it arrives. It will kill and no one will admit that it is there. Then the stink will come. It will fill your mouth and nose and lungs. It will sting your eyes. Then the smoke will slide and roll and roll and slide over everything you know, and those who can stop it will do nothing. In the end, it will be you who will have to take control. It will be you and others like you, with their eyes open and willing to see, who must clear the air.

What color the water coming out your tap?

What u mean?

What color your water? Go check.

It’s clear

Mine’s yellow.

Yellow?

Yeah, brownish yellow.

Y’all need to get outta that house

Dad says he paid for this house
and he’ll be damned if he leaves it.

Why he so hardheaded?

He thinks that they’ll take the house

What?

He says that’s how they get u outta your house

Make a problem, say they will fix it,
u leave, and they take it and not give it back.

That’s some serious conspiracy shit

They can’t do that

Can they?

The water isn’t safe to drink. It’s not safe to wash dishes. It’s not safe. A blind eye to the poison seeping into the pipes has turned the basics of life into a nightmare. The authorities have done nothing. The people are trapped. They can’t leave. They can’t stay. There is nowhere to go. This is their home. This is their prison—in the land of the free.

We gotta do something abt this situation

Like what?

I dunno but we gotta do SOMETHING!

You have ideas, let me know

I wanna burn this shit down

Wha?

I wanna burn this shit down

Burn what shit?

I’ve been thinking, the gas is flammable, rt?

Where r u going wid this?

People in white bio-suits deliver cases of bottled water. They leave it on the doorsteps of houses and the entryways of buildings. The backs of their suits have large letters spelling out an acronym for a government agency no one recognizes. They silently arrive like astronauts walking on the moon with armfuls of water for the imprisoned people.

I made some flammable bottles

u what?

I looked up how to make them. It was easy.

Stop f’n wid me.

I’ll be leaving in a few

Where u goin?

I’m gonna stop this nonsense

What u talkin abt?

I’m gonna make them pay attention

Don’t do nothing stupid

I gotta do something. Someones gotta do somethin

What u gonna do?

I’m going to the leak and gonna burn it off

What???

That’s crazy talk. Stop f’n around

u playin, rt?

u still there?

Cmon stop trippin

Where u at?

Answer me!