The only way out

I just have to make it through today.

I kept telling myself that, over and over. From the moment my mother was killed in front of my eyes, that's all I have been saying to myself. America, the land of the free, they used to say. I guess somewhere along the lines, that changed. I hadn't even been born when it happened, the world protection program successfully captured every single criminal in the world, and dropped them all, in the borders of America. 

They built a steel like wall around it, trapping them all inside, along with all of the people that still lived there. We call them Crooks, their "bad level" ranged from petty shop lifting to outright serial killers. Those are the ones that became the problem. 

When they first arrived here, they assigned every single innocent living soul a death date, and on that day, they would track you down, and kill you. My mother died when I was only thirteen years old, now I'm thirty two, and I have my own daughter. My sixteen year old fire cracker named Myra, after my mother. Today, is my death day. Only I am not ready to come to terms with that, I can't leave my daughter, knowing that one day she will also be ruthlessly murdered, the way so many have. 

When my mother died, she left me something, a simple necklace with a long diamond attached to it. She told me, it was the key to getting out of America, once and for all. I was supposed to use it to find my way out of this hell hole, but I never could figure out what exactly I was supposed to do with it. Today, I needed to place it back in the time capsule where I found it so many years ago, before I was killed.

When my mother told me about it, she was dying, we were in the middle of a public park, she took my lunch box, and scraped at the dirt until her hands were raw. She placed the necklace inside the box and buried it as fast and as deep as she humanly could. She told me to come back and get it when I could and to get out as soon as I could and that she loved me. Then she died.

I couldn't go back to that park to get it for three more years. That park turned into the hotspot for death days, and it was incredibly unsafe. When I finally did manage to get it back, I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to use it to escape, so, I locked it in a safe, and set the timer to not open until my death day. Today. My purpose, is for her. The only thing that I need to do today, is re-bury that necklace, and pray that she can figure it out, when I couldn't.

I was waiting when the safe clicked open, I quickly snatched it and shoved it into my pocket, I went out into the living room and looked sadly at my daughter, my pride and joy,

"I have to go, Myra."

She looked at me and leapt off of the couch, throwing her arms around me and breaking down into a sob,

"No, please mom, no, I can't lose you too."

I stroked her hair,

"I'm sorry, you know I would stay if I could, but I can't, I have to keep you safe."

She looked at me, tears streaming down her face,

"How can I possibly be safe without my mom?"

I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces, I gave her one more hug before I let go and headed for the door.

"You'll find a way, I love you Myra."

Her bottom lip trembled, I could feel what she was feeling, the pain and the sadness that comes with losing your mother. 

"I love you more mom."

I closed my eyes and walked out of the door, the pain of seeing her face as I left, was unbearable. I headed out the door and started making my way to the park. No one left their houses unless it was their death day, and they definitely never went to that park. I went the back way, through allies, hugging walls, I knew that it wouldn't be long before I was spotted.

Finally, I reached it. It wasn't much to look at, a simple circle of trees and grass, the benches were all stained with blood, the wild life had been wiped out years ago. My fingers curled around the necklace in my pocket, the diamond cutting into my flesh, giving me a painful reminder that this was all I was going to leave my daughter with. A necklace. I just need her to live, and this will all be worth it, knowing that she was safe.

I took a deep breath, I had to do this quickly, they were probably searching for me right now, and I was running short on time. I took a deep breath, this was it, my final moments, just like mom. I heard a gunshot and knew that I had to move, they were getting close.

Running to the park, I dropped to the earth and started digging, she has to find it, she has to find it. I reached the lunch box, the same old black coloring and ladybugs printed on it, though the design was fading. I reached into my pocket and dropped the diamond necklace into the box. Letting it back down into the hole and covering it as quickly as I could.

"MOM LOOK OUT!"

I turned to my daughters voice, just as I felt the bullet pass through my gut. The impact knocked me over, Myra was at my side in an instant,

"Mom, no no no no."

I grabbed her hand, ripping off the locket from around my neck and placing it into her palm, there was a map inside, it would lead her to the box.

"It's ok my dear, just take it, take it and live, find the way, get out of here, save as many people as you can. I love you."

She took the locket and looked confused but put it in her pocket,

"I will mama, I will, I love you so much."

My eyelids were getting heavy, I finally gave in, and let them close. Breathing my last breath, and looking at my daughter for the last time. Holding on to the hope that she would unearth the capsule that had been hidden for so long, and find the only way out.

She had to.