Step Out

Another day and again I am in the same room. Sure, there’s a bookcase, tv, laptop, even a treadmill… but beyond that is nothing but plastic. Plastic that my very life depended on… or so my parents told me. I don’t remember the name of it but the most basic explanation is that I am “immunocompromised.” A single germ could kill me… and that’s why everything has to be disinfected and sterilized before it even gets into my “bubble” of a room. But even with that my parents still have to put on yellow hazmat suits just to be with me. Here in my bubble. I know they love me but I hate the feel of plastic and rubber. I can’t wait for May 13^th, my 14^th birthday, where my parents said I could get out. They said my “white blood cell count” was growing or something… I don’t remember what but if it means I can get out of here I don’t care. I just have to wait a little longer. Just knowing that made me happier… and I think my mother knew that.

“Can’t wait to get out, huh, Casper?” my mother asked me as she was teaching me math in a hazmat suit using a small whiteboard.

“Yeah-huh!” I said without hesitation. We both laughed.

“Just a little longer, okay?” she said with a smile in her suit.

“Okay,” I replied and we continued on with our lesson. My mother worked as a teacher before I was born so teaching me at home was no problem. Dad also worked at home as a “UX Designer” or something… I don’t really get it but it seems like he gets paid a lot for it. He sometimes comes in to play games and watch movies. Hitchcock and Kurosawa being his favorites. Not going to lie, “The Birds” almost made me never want to leave my room. Mom had to explain things to me… that dad was an idiot and that she would punish him herself. It wasn’t until dad’s next visit in his hazmat suit that I saw he had a black eye. His punishment received. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh yeah, what are you laughing about?” he said playfully.

“You got beat by a girl,” I said and laughed some more.

“Yeah, yeah I did. But not just ANY girl… MY girl… if it was anyone else… for any other reason… I wouldn’t have just taken this,” he said as he pointed to his bruised eye through his visor, “but I was dumb and I showed you that movie. I’m sorry… can you forgive your old man?” he asked with open arms… to which I ran into them without hesitation.

“I forgive you,” I almost yelled through his helmet to which he said:

“Awww, thank ya kindly,” the next part was supposed to be under his breath but I could still hear him:

“Maybe ‘Jaws’ would have been better.”

“What’s ‘Jaws’ ?” I asked him.

“What?”

“‘Jaws’!” I yelled and at this he put his finger as close to his visor and shushed me. Peering over his shoulder making sure mom was not around.

“It’s a movie. A classic,” he explained to me. Even using his arms to talk about it.

“But,” he said, his voice a bit more serious now, “for the sake of not having your mother give me another black eye and turning me into a panda… I won’t say any more… but I will promise you I’ll show you that movie when you’re older.”

“How much older?” I asked him.

“Old enough,” he answered simply as he rubbed my head. After that, he asked me what I wanted to do and I said “Yahtzee!” and we busted out the dice. Playing a few rounds before going to bed. But not before a hug and a head rub. Being stuck in this room was certainly no fun but at least my parents made me feel better. For that I will always love them… and it was as thought this that I fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up to the sound of breaking glass. With my eyes bolted right open I looked towards the door. Focusing my entire body to pick up what was happening downstairs.

“Damn it, so you finally found us, huh?” I heard my dad say. At this I heard someone walking atop the now broken glass in the kitchen.

“Where is the Gatekeeper boy?” I then heard a deep voice ask. His voice seeming to echo a little as if he were wearing a mask. And what’s he talking about? “Gatekeeper boy?”

“As if I’d tell a Collector like you,” my dad replied. Huh? There are “Collectors” now? Collectors of what? Did dad forget a payment again?

“Boskov!” I heard mom call out.

“Get back, Almira, go to Casper!” dad yelled to mom. I could hear more footsteps coming in and breaking more glass as they did.

“No! You can’t handle them by yourself!”

“I can at least buy you-”

“Oh no,” I could not help but say out loud. My body tense as I listened from the edge of the bed.

“Did you just bring up ‘buying’ ?! You can’t buy anything! You’re the reason we got in debt in the first place! That’s why I took away all your credit cards!”

“Alm- Honey… could we not do this right now? Especially not in front of the world conquering death cult?” I heard dad say as he tried to calm mom down.

“WORLD CONQUERING DEATH CULT?!” I could no help but scream in my own head. At this point … I was just so confused.

“Seconded,” the deep echo voice added, “you said it yourself… I’m a Collector… and that’s what I came here to do.”

“As if I’d let you… WAR GATE!” I heard dad practically roar… before I started hearing gunfire. At this I didn’t even think about it but I got up. Ran to the door. Opened it… and ran through. Right as I did I closed my eyes. Bracing myself for pain… but I didn’t care. My parents were in danger and I wanted to go to them. It was as simple as that… That said… I wasn’t in pain… I wasn’t even having trouble breathing… but beyond that… when I opened my eyes... I found I wasn’t at home… but in a big room with a large white screen. With tons of chairs in front of it. A place dad enjoyed talking about and told me he would take me after I turned 14.

“What? Huh?” I couldn’t help but ask out loud, “Is this… a movie theater?”