Excerpt from Drawn (something I worked on)

“You have been drawn,” are a few of many words on the page. I can’t stop reading those four words. I can’t stop thinking, “I’m going to die.” I’m going to lose everything I care for. No one has survived. They can say they have all they want, but no survivor has been seen. I can’t believe I’m next. Why won’t my legs move? They feel so heavy. I need them to get to the door.  

“Parker?” my mom calls from the driveway. 

“Parker, what’s going on?” my dad asks standing next to her. 

“They… they drew me,” is all I can mutter back. 

My mother fell to her knees after hearing those words. It’s crazy how big of an effect just a few words can cause. Thes words cause me to stand frozen and cause my mom to weep on the ground and cause my dad to stand there trying to figure out what to do. 

About two years ago, the U.S. Government implemented a draft like plan. Every month, a handful of people would be drawn basically from a hat. If you are drawn, you are forced to have this experimental surgery. The surgery is supposed to help the government get a better understanding of this new biotechnology. Apparently, it’s supposed to revolutionize the way we live. Once used, it’s supposed to change everything. But the problem is, they won’t tell us anything about it. What it is, what it does, why we want it. Nothing. ` 

Everyone who gets drawn goes and never comes back. They always tell us that people survive all the time, but that is just a lie. My uncle got drawn in the first year. When he didn’t return, they told us he survived a moved somewhere else. Then every week we would receive letters from him saying how good his life was now and how his “enhancement” makes everything so much better. The problem was, he didn’t really talk to us much. So, why was he sending us letters. 

After many moments of crying and silece, we all decided to walk back inside. My dad holds my mom as she continues to cry. He carries her through the door where he lets go of her so she can go to the couch. 

“What do I do?” I ask. 

“What can you do?” my dad answers. This makes my mom weep even harder. 

“But I’m not ready to die,” 

“You won’t. Your uncle survived. I’m sure it’s going to be fine,” he tells me. 

“We haven’t seen him since he left for the surgery. We have no idea if those letters are even from him,” I yell. 

“I’ve told you time and time again, stop saying that! My brother is alive, and you know that. You will survive. We will have you back. There’s nothing for you to do,” says my dad. 

“No, I have to go. I have to run. Y’all have to take me somewhere. I can’t risk this. My whole life will go away,”  

“Run where? They’re going to find you no matter what. You have to do this. We will not let you run from this. For once in your life, you need to be responsible,” he yells at me. 

I look at my mom to see if she is willing to help. Our eyes connect, but she looks away. That was all I needed to see to know that she was on his side. At that moment I knew that I couldn’t stay there. My own parents weren’t willing to help save me. So, now I must go to a place where I can get help. 

Six months ago, not long after my uncle was drawn, I was taken to the police station after stealing a few things from a clothing store. Though I’ve been there a few more times since then, that was my very first time being arrested. I’m not sure why I steal. My parents don’t really support me in the way that I need them to. Maybe it’s for attention. Maybe it’s for freedom. I can normally get out of trouble easily, though. I’m a good liar. I use the young and stupid excuse all the time. It works like a charm.  

Author: James Ballard

Hi, I'm James but everybody calls me JT. I like to watch a lot of shows and movies. My favorite genre to watch and read is superheroes. My favorite shows include Attack on Titan, Invincible, and a lot of others that don't come to mind. I love Interstellar, the Spider-Man movies, Hancock, and too many others. My all-time favorite games are all the Spider-Man games. I've managed to platinum the Miles Morales games and I may have platinumed Spider-Man 2, but I am not sure. My hobbies are obviously gaming, watching football and baseball, and annoying my brother.

2 thoughts on “Excerpt from Drawn (something I worked on)”

  1. This is a very good draft, and I really enjoy the concept. At first I thought drawn meant like in an artistic way, but as I read I realized. I hope you’ll let me read the finished product when you’re done!

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