Are you tired of the daily inflation and the rising cost of living? Are you tired of the government who is allocating the necessary funds to outrageous things?

  Well ZedTech has your back!

  Get a five-hundred thousand dollar cheque to your name

  Just by giving us your blood!

  The ads were everywhere, they littered the subway and every digital board that ZedTech could get their hands on in this country.

  The public didn’t mind.

  Who has ever cared about the government anyway? And when has the same government cared for their people?

  Never.

  Everyone ran behind money and safety

  And since everyone could see that the government will fall any day, people openly ran behind money, dumping their masks of generosity and hospitality.

  Tara Brooks followed the same suit.

  She knew her family will not appreciate this step, but she was done watching her parents eat less than they usually did to save food and let their children eat to their heart’s content.

  Tara would do anything for her family. Without any doubt, she would.

  Boarding the medical train, she looked around the sterile and painfully white compartment. The LED board above the doors displayed the stations that the train would go through, the automated voice welcomed people aboard instructing them to take their seats.

  To her surprise there were very few people on the train. She sat on the seat nearest to the door, when a girl came in and sat beside her.

  The girl was no more than a teenager and she reminded Tara of her youngest sister. She was young and extremely stubborn. Tara chuckled her thoughts drifted to how brave a teenager would have to be to donate nearly half of their blood.

  “You’re really beautiful.” Compliment slipped out of Tara’s mouth directed at the girl who sat next to her.

  The girl looked at Tara with doubt in her eyes which soon turned into gratitude.

  “Thanks, you look nice too.” She mumbled trying to hide her blush.

  Tara smiled and thanked her in return. Before she could continue the conversation, the doors of the train closed and the announcement poured through the automated voice again.

  “A warm welcome to everyone onboard the train. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude towards everyone who agreed to donate their blood to the cause. As soon as we are done with you, you can de-board without any formalities and collect your cheque from the nearest ZedTech Kiosk, which is at every station. However, if you wish to de-board without donation, you can do so at any time since the train will stop at every station. But beware, you will not reap the benefits of the cheque.”

  Tara rolled her eyes at the automated voice that tried too hard to sound customer friendly and cheerful. She looked around and could see more people aboard the train than she had previously seen. Her gaze fell onto the girl who sat next to her, but she didn’t look well.

  “I’m nervous too. I think I might back out.” Tara said to ease the girl’s nerves.

  The girl chuckled, “I hope you can, because I’ve heard the process is a bit painful.”

  “Thats why you are nervous?”

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  “I can’t be nervous or back out, not now.” The girl replied sombrely.

  Tara nodded at the girl knowing that everyone had their burdens from which they couldn’t escape, no matter the age.

  “I’m Tara.” She extended her hand.

  “I’m Faith.” The girl shook hands with her, but it didn’t escape Tara how cold her hand was.

  She took the girl’s hands in her own trying to warm them up, “Are you okay? Your hands are very cold.”

  Before Faith could answer, the medical team walked into the compartment with a trolley filled with medical equipment.

  Clad in medical gowns, face covered in mask and hands covered with gloves, the duo looked at the people with cold eyes. No empathy, or warmth, just….observing.

  Something told Tara that things might go haywire.

  “Who’s going to go first?” The woman asked, preparing a syringe as her assistant hooked a collection bag onto the stand.

  No one spoke so Tara volunteered, hoping to get off early. The doctor walked towards Tara with the syringe in her hand that looked larger than the ones she had seen before. As the coldness of sanitiser hit her skin she flinched and saw the width of the needle.

  “How much will it hurt?”

  The doctor spoke, “Till July.”

  Tara withdrew her hand immediately, just as the needle was about to penetrate her skin. Her fear of pain won, but she had no time for shame, especially not when her gut was screaming at her to run away.

  The doctor sighed and disposed the needle. Without a word, Faith extended her arm towards the doctor. Tara was shocked but she recovered and looked at the train station status, planning to get off at the next station.

  But the train didn’t stop.

  When she turned back Faith had almost collapsed on the seat and neither the doctor nor the assistant cared, greedily filling her blood in the bag.

  “She is fainting in front of you just stop!” Tara said, rushing towards Faith and supported her to sit still.

  She could see the pain and fear etched on the girl's face, tears slipped from the corner of her eyes but she didn’t protest. The doctor finally pulled away the needle and without taking the next participant’s consent, their assistant drew their blood out as well.

  Tara turned to look at the people in the train compartment. They were eerily silent and no one held any eye contact or even look around. They looked…tired.

  “Why does everyone look so tired?” Tara asked the doctor.

  When she didn’t receive an answer, she looked back at Faith, hoping to comfort her through the pain.

  “You’re really strong. I could never be that courageous.” She said to Faith hoping it will ease her pain.

  Faith couldn’t speak but only smiled through her tears, “Thank you for being here.”

  “You’re going to be okay, Faith. We have to make it out of here. I’ll get you to your home.”

  Faith shook her head as more tears welled up in her eyes.

  “And you’re going to be as strong as that girl, soon.” The doctor spoke

  “What do you mean?” Tara asked, as her voice became aggressive towards the medical workers.

  The duo signalled at someone from the other compartment. Before Tara could see who they were, Faith fainted in her arms.

  “What did you do to her?” Tara yelled, her anxious voice booming through the metal walls of the compartment.

  Stations went by.

  But the train wasn’t stopping.

  When Tara turned around there were two giant bots, their attention focused on her.

  She knew she had no chance against them but she wasn’t the one to go down without a fight. She softly laid Faith on the seats and turned to the bots, with her fists raised.

  It didn’t matter how much and how hard she fought or struck them, they were faster and stronger.

  Hits after hits, screams after screams no one helped her.

  A train filled with humans yet there was no humanity.

  And how could there be humanity when their creation had the upper hand?

  The bots held her bruised body by her arms, and the doctor neared Tara with a syringe and a collection bag.

  The doctor removed their mask, but they weren’t human, they were a bot.

  “Told you, you’ll be as strong as her.”

  Stations went by.

  The train didn’t stop.