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2029 — What Lies Within
A teenage view of an unexpected epidemic
September 17th, 2029
“It’s everywhere now,” Mom says in panic mode, rubbing her sweating forehead. She rushes to the two-door refrigerator and commands as she opens it, “throw them all away, Aimee.”
“What do you mean, Mom?” I ask, my eyes bugged.
“It’s all contaminated,” she says. “The CDC just said so. We can’t eat any of this meat anymore. Let me turn on the TV.”
I puff. She can’t be serious.
“But I thought it was only in the ocean,” I protest while moving pounds of chicken breasts and Dad’s New York strips out of the fridge.
Mom stares at the TV and then back at me. “Throw it all away. It’s all contaminated now. Your father was right. In fact, I gotta call him.”
Samantha Hope moves relentlessly around the living room as she searches for her phone to call my dad. She shakes her head in denial so fast we can see the faded brown waves moving from left to right. My mom can be the coolest mom on the planet — except when she worries. Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight.
I blankly gaze at the full garbage can. I had just emptied it out earlier this morning. I can’t believe it’s now filled with food and not leftovers and trash.
