Deadly Rain

I kicked an empty can and listened as the metal was the only real sound I could hear. I was used to the quiet as it was the only world I had ever seen. The can got caught on these bright plants every once and a while, but I just kicked it off. A few decades before I was born these plants started growing everywhere. They didn’t get hurt from the acid, it also intrigued me how even with the dark hue over everything these plants still looked so bright. They just one day started growing out of control, and you couldn’t get rid of them. Shattered glass littered the floor from these plants shattering windows or the rain cracking many of them before the plants. I was glad for my thick boots as I walked over broken glass and noticed a few sticking out my the sole. I leaned over pulling the shards out and continued walking. I heard footsteps behind me, “Kid you’re not allowed to be here, this place is off limits.” The thing about my boots is they had wheels folded into the shoe, this was clearly someone I didn’t want to deal with.

Of course I knew places like this were off limits, people said the plants would kill you, so any place with a lot of them was off limits. I turned around and a man with a gas mask stood behind me. “Did you hear me correctly?” He took off the mask, “Kid, you know you shouldn’t be here. Go home or something, there are places that you’re allowed to be.” The cold voice was one I had heard before. “Did you know you’re not allowed to be here? You look pretty prepared for a landscape like this.” The gas mask was used for the fumes the plants give off when it rained, that’s what brought the population down a large amount. I had one around my neck and a thick jacket and pants. This man knew how to spot a trespasser and knew I had no intention of coming with him.

“Kid, you’re under arrest for trespassing.” I turned and started running, in an area that was smooth I would use my skates, but with the broken glass and cracked sidewalks it was too dangerous. I was pretty fast on my feet and knew the area well enough to keep a safe distance between us, but he was a trained professional. Trained to capture people older and more well trained than me. I stayed pretty far ahead of him for a while but he soon caught up pushing me to the ground. “Don’t try that again.” I reached my hand into a pocket in my coat and pulled out a vile. It was small, but full of rain. I threw it at the man and he used his arm to block, giving me time to stand up and start running again. This time instead of him running after me I heard the sound of a stun gun being drawn and stopped,


“So you know our weapons by sound? I turned around, “Well if you know that, then you know that this can do some lasting damage if it were to hit the wrong spot. Head, back, neck, even the chest can have some nasty after effects.” I stood my ground not running, but not backing down. He stepped closer, but I didn’t back up. He held the gun at chest level, but not shooting me yet. “Allow me to repeat myself, you’re under arrest for trespassing.” I didn’t move as he grabbed my arm. He put the gun away and pulled his gas mask on. “And for attacking an officer.” He pushed my own gas mask onto my face, “Even if you are breaking the law, you aren’t about to die from the rain.” He pulled out a pair of handcuffs. “Now, what are you even doing in a place like this?”

He clasped my hands into the restraints, “I thought most people knew better than to come to places like this.” I said “Well I guess I don’t.” “You’re fast, most people wouldn’t make it ten feet before I caught up. This isn’t your first time is it?” He hadn’t recognized me yet, I was almost sure my picture was posted on every building. My hood fell carefully over my face and the officer didn’t have his on, but it was draped over his shoulders. The hood like most things now was a safety precaution. Even with the hoods you still had to hurry to get out of the rain. It hadn’t rained all day, so I had been in an area with next to no cover from it. The gray hue of the buildings was depressing, but the colorful plants made it a lovely sight to look at. You could hear the sound of shattered glass with every step as we got closer to the metal fence surrounding the abandoned city.

A sign in bright red and white read “Do not enter! Unsafe for human entry. Trespassers will be prosecuted.” Of course there were officers that patrolled areas like this, only three at a time, as most people wouldn’t come close enough to read the sign; I just ignored the sign and fence. “How did you get in here?” “I jumped the fence.” He tensed, “You aren’t making a good case for yourself.” The other officers came over and I knew it was a shift change for patrol. “I didn’t think people were still hanging around here.” “Neither did I.” The woman got closer, “Why is his mask still on?” “In case it started to rain, don’t need him dying to the rain.” “Right, so what is a kid like you doing in a place that you are most clearly not allowed to be?” “No noise, no people.” “Just get the kid in the car, we’ll see what the boss thinks about this.”


I was shoved into a car and the officers got in the front and one was in the back with me. “So, a thief, commit treason, serial killer? What did you do?” “Nothing.” “People just don't break into places like that, for no reason.” I rolled my eyes, “It’s quiet, and no one goes there, so I can relax.” The car stopped and a security guard said “Anyone in the back?” “One officer and a kid.” “Bring them out.” I was dragged out of the back seat. “Haven’t seen you enter the city using the gates before.” “We found him trespassing in one of the old cities.” The guard said “Well, just hand him over to me.” They did and once they left the man said “You look too well prepared to have done it by accident.” “I get that a lot.” He took off the handcuffs, “Care to take off your mask, it can’t rain here.” I unclipped my mask and put it in my bag. “So finally decided to let them arrest you?” I laughed a little. “I got bored.”


“You've made quite a name for yourself. Got quite the reputation for trouble.” I leaned back onto the bus stop-like area we stood under. “So can I leave?” He grabbed my shoulder as I turned to leave. “As much as I would love to let you leave and pretend this never happened, I have a job to do.” “I didn’t do anything that bad this time!” “Listen, I’ve given you way more chances than anyone deserves.” “You have.” “You know what I’m going to say. You know the rules.” I rolled my eyes, “That place is stupid, it shouldn’t exist.” “Listen, I don’t really have a choice anymore. It couldn’t be that bad. Let’s go inside to talk.” He led me into the small room connected to the stop.

“You're not giving me a choice anymore. If I let you go one more time, I will lose my job.” I glared at him, “I’m not going to some preppy school.” “You don't have a choice. So don’t try to talk your way out of this.” “I’m not going, Ren.” He slammed his fist on the table. “You should be in prison right now! You know this right? The only reason, I’ve been being so nice to you, is because your parents were my friends! If I wasn’t you would be in prison right now. The government has made it clear, you should be.” I was shocked he brought that up. “It is a school to help people like you. It’s not that hard to stay out of the rain for most, why is it for you?” I smiled and looked in the mirror across from me, my skin having a slightly grayish tint to it. “You know why.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re a wanted criminal Jax. This has to stop, you know what they do to people like you.” I looked at the table. “I know.”


“You know they will kill you once you become old enough.” I smiled, “They have to catch me first.” Ren motioned around the room, “As you can see, you are in a room, where I would normally hold criminals. Jax, at first it was ok, not anymore. You don’t have a choice in matters, you’ve lost that chance. You should’ve lost that chance before you became a criminal yourself.” I looked around the room and he tapped his finger on the table to get my attention. “I’ll drive you there. It’s for people around your age, eighteen to twenty-one.” “So a glorified prison?” I stood up and I knew I was pushing his limits. “If it is, then maybe it will teach to just take the world as it is. To respect the people in charge, stop creating so much trouble for the government!”

I laughed, “You really want me to respect the people that are the reason my parents are dead?” “Jax enough. I’ll drive you there today, they give new students a week to settle in before classes start for them. If it makes you feel better it’s near one of your hideouts. They have access to the area, I’m surprised you haven’t seen any of the students yet.” I stood up, “We’re going right now?” “You really think I’m letting you leave before you even see the place?” He led me into his car leaving the one other guard alone for a shift. I was in the front seat and we drove through the city and the buildings were lit up and you could see people acting like nothing was wrong.

Of course they couldn’t see it, it was the world we were all born into, most people didn’t leave the main areas. The people that did worked for the government. After the main storm killed many people and then not being able to stop it, people with money put themselves in charge knowing no one would stop them. This was over fifty years ago and still no one stopped them because they had the ability to take away the safety bubble they built to keep the rain from killing more of us. Even if there were a fair amount of people, they just watched through crimson glasses. They are the only reason functional cities still existed, but the rules were so strict. Learning that is so specific that you couldn’t learn about the world before the rain started.




A little chirp came from my pocket and Ren said “What was that?” “Nothing.” He looked at me annoyed, “Jax, what is it?” Another chirp, Ren pulled over the car. “What is that sound?” I looked at the little moving lump in my pocket. “Promise not to tell anyone?” “Fine, what is it?” I unbuttoned my pocket and a tiny bird flew out. It landed on the dashboard. “What the heck?” “It’s a bird, right?” Ren grabbed it and said “Where did you get this?” I lifted the bird from his hand, “I found her. She’s pretty right?” “You need to turn that over right now, how is it still alive?” I pet its head, “Found it a few weeks ago.” Ren looked at the small bird in my hand, “Fine, just put it away for now.” I put the bird back in my pocket and we got back on the road.

“Does it have a name?” “Snow.” He took the exit and I looked confused, “The city is that way?” “It’s not in the city, before you ask, they do have a rain protocol, follow it. Please, it’s not that hard.” We got to a gate and he stopped, “What can I do for you today officer?” Ren said “I’m just bringing a kid to the school. I’m sure you remember Jax.” The woman sighed, “Right, please step out of the car.” I got out and she looked me up and down. “I see the rumors were not lying. First of all, how old are you?” “Nineteen.” “From what I heard about you, the only reason you are not in prison is because Ren here is favoring you.”

Ren looked at her, “Lian, now is not the time for that.” She looked at me, “One, second I have something for you.” She went into the building, and I was expecting her to come out with a rule book or something, but instead she came out with a bottle of foundation. “Just in case the gray doesn’t go over well with anyone.” I took it from her, “Thank you?” I tried to keep the question out of my voice, but she heard it. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you or anything like that. It’s my personal one, it hasn’t been opened.” I tucked it in another pocket and she again looked at me like an experiment, she was ready to study. “I’ll get the school rules.” As soon as she turned her back Ren said “Don’t worry, she isn’t like that. Trust her.” I scoffed, “Not on my life.”

She came back out handing me a small book and what looked like a uniform. “Ren knows this place pretty well, he’ll show you around. I will warn you, this palace doesn’t take kindly to people like you. Not your looks, more like your record.” Ren said “C’mon kid, I’ll just show you around.” We started walking and he pulled my hood down over my head, “Mask on, now!” I put a cloth mask on, “Why?” “No one can know about you, I know you have your own right?” “Yeah, it works really well.” He looked at my jacket, “How much contraband do you have in your pockets? Hand it over before you get in trouble. We were still walking as I reached into one pocket pulling out my rain water and knife. “That’s about it, I don’t like to keep stuff on me, you know this.”

“To you this may be a prison, some people want to be here to learn. So don’t even think about trying to get expelled. They won’t let you leave for causing trouble. What they will do is report everything to the government, don’t add to the list of reasons to have you arrested.” I nodded and looked around, “It doesn’t look half bad, a bit too bland if you ask me.” The school was light gray and had small neutral colored accents, but nothing that pretty. “Why do people have something against colors?” Ren motioned to my outfit, a greyscale jacket with a bright patterned shirt underneath and plain blue jeans. “I know you normally wear more color than this, did you go into the city recently?”

I smiled, “Yesterday, I was trying not to draw that much attention to myself.” He laughed and his eyes landed on my brightly colored shoes, “You did those yourself right?” I looked away, “My dad got them for me, all I did was make them fit me.” He stopped walking and caught my shoulder so I would know. “The office is in here, don’t get in trouble right away.” He led me into the building and it was just as boring on the inside, “Really, no color?” He glared at me, “Ok, listen don’t mention that in front of teachers. Do what they tell you, don’t fight, follow the rules! I don’t care if you don’t want to, if you don’t want them to kill you, you will listen.” We got to a door and Ren knocked. “Come in.” We walked into the room and I again didn’t see any colors.

“Is this a new student?” He stood tall, “This is Jax, he is here as a last chance for him to try to follow the rules, before he’s old enough to be arrested.” The person behind the desk typed for a little bit, “Wow, seems he was ordered to be sent here last year?” Ren said “He’s pretty good at running, and sneaking off.” The man behind the desk looked at me, “Look for the building that says Dorm five, only one room left. The other three students that live there are at classes. You are not to leave the dorm, until one of them comes back. The first one to come back should be Cas, he will show you around a bit more.” I kept my eyes on the ground, “Of course.” He cleared his throat, “I like to be looked at when I’m being spoken to.” I lifted my head a little, meeting his eyes.

“I said, of course.” He held my gaze for a moment before returning his eyes to the computer he was working on. “Ren will show you.” We left and he said “Listen, don’t fight. Cas seems nice, don’t ruin this for yourself.” I looked around as we walked and I looked up to the walkway above us where kids were going to their last class of the day. “This is the last chance you have, you messed this up, I can’t promise they won't kill you.” Even as he said this I could tell he knew it would be. “I’ll be fine.” “Let’s hope so. Here we are. I know you won’t listen to me, but at least try not to get yourself in trouble.”

“I’m an adult, I can handle myself.” He sighed, “And for the love of god, stay out of the rain.” I smiled. “I’ll do my best.” I walked inside the building and heard Ren walking away. I looked around and it had the same colors as the outside of the school. A few doors lined the hall, four looked like they were the doors to the rooms and three had names on them. I looked at the first one, it read Jason. The second one on that side read, Mike. I walked to the other side and saw Cas’ name. Even so barely any color on the name plates. I walked back to the main area and saw another door, it must have been the bathroom. Looks like every kid got their own dorm room. I opened Cas’ door and saw it was neat, but with a few things scattered around.




“You know, it isn’t polite to look through other people’s rooms.” I said “You must be Cas.” “You must be the new kid. So, do you have a name or a callsign?” I laughed at that, “Callsign really?” He stepped in front of me, “Yeah, you look like you work for someone.” “My name’s Jax.” “What’s with the mask?” “Was told to keep it on for now.” “Oh, so you do work for someone? Who?” I sighed, “No, I don’t.” “C’mon take it off, what’s the worst that could happen?” I tapped the bracelet on my wrist, and it turned on. It projected a normal skin tone onto me, so no one would know about my secret.

“Fine, I’ll take it off.” I slipped my finger behind my ear pulling the mask off. I shoved it into one of my pockets and said “Happy Cas?” “Not quite.” He pulled my hood down. “Wow, you don’t half bad.” I smirked, “I know, so if you’re Cas, that means I’m stuck with you until when exactly?” “Rude, well dorm mates always have the same classes, so indefinitely.” I looked at the door without a name in it, “Do you get to make your own?” He walked around me letting go of my hood, “Yeah, but only get to use the colors the supply.” He opened my door and on the desk there was a name board. “If you need help…” I smiled, “Yeah, show what I’m allowed to do.

I sat down at the small desk and quickly sketched out my name. There was some paint, but very muted colors. I brightened them up a little and made a messy background before letting it quickly dry. “You really like color don’t you.” “Do you prefer gray or something?” “No, just colors this bright aren’t common, only on the death plants.” “You mean the pretty plants, that no one goes near?” “Are you crazy?” “No, I don’t go near them, but they look cool.” I colored my name in gray, “There now your favorite color is on here.” He sighed, “So Jax, what brings a person like you here?” “What do you mean?” “Well, you clearly are not here by choice.”

“What makes you say that?” “Have you looked in a mirror? You are wearing a jacket with way too many pockets, ripped jeans, and a bag that looks way too old to be regulation. ” I laughed, “It’s not that old.” I let my bag fall from my shoulder into my hand and tried to toss it onto the bed but it slipped and a few things fell out. I quickly grabbed the picture frame and Cas said “Are they your parents?” “Were.” “Oh what happened?” I looked at the picture, it was taken seven years ago, it was the last one I had of all of us together. “They were like me, couldn’t seem to take the world as it was. One day I woke up to hear they had been arrested.” He looked at the photo “Oh, I didn’t know.” “About a week later I hear they’re both going to be killed. They didn’t even let me say goodbye before they killed them!”

I was shocked by the amount of emotion that had slipped into my voice. “After that I was living by myself for about a month at that point, and had realized that if I stayed much longer they would take me to an orphanage or something.” He grabbed my hand, “So, you ran away. And from the looks of things,you’ve been on your own since?” I pulled away from him, “I was pissed, I knew my parents were good people. I decided about five years ago to start causing a bit of trouble. I mean I was almost always trespassing, but I also would provoke officers to waste their time following me.” “So you worked alone?” “I work alone.” I corrected. He smiled, “I’m going to warn you, Mike and Jason are preppy brats.”

He smiled, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the main room. “Woah, what the heck?” “Sorry, I just saw Mike and Jason outside. Pretend I just finished showing you around.” “Ok, so that’s everything in the dorm?” The door opened. “Yeah, that’s all you really need to know.” “Cas, are you done showing the new guy around yet?” Cas looked at my confused expression, “Yeah, he might take some time to get used to it.” Both looked at each other then at me, “What are you wearing? That isn't a school uniform.” I leaned on the table, “I can see that.” “So, are you going to change or something?” “Yeah, give me a sec.” I went into my room carefully, took off my jacket and took out a box from my bag, “Just wait in here for a little while, I’ll let you out later.” I whispered, Snow hopped out of my pocket into the box.

I pushed the box under the bed and sighed, such a lack of color. I looked at the uniform on the chair and rolled my eyes, “I’m not wearing that willingly.” I dropped my jacket on the bed next to my bag and looked at the picture on the desk. “No way I’m just waiting for permission.” I walked back out and Mike said “You just took off your jacket. Couldn’t you have done that out here?” I smiled, “I mean yeah. I just don’t want to forget it out here.” Jason looked at me, “I don’t think that’s appropriate for school.” I sat down, “I don’t really have anything else right now.” He sighed, “So rules are simple, curfew is after nine and you can’t leave your dorm until seven.” Cas sat next to me, “Lighten up you two, he’s an adult. He knows.” I looked at the wall, “Yeah, sure, I understand.” I groaned sarcastically. “At least I think he is.”

Jason looked at his watch, “It’s around eight, let’s go.” Cas pulled me to my feet, “Come on, you aren’t ditching me this soon.” I leaned back onto the couch and he fell on top of me. “Don’t be such a child.” He laughed and stood up pulling me with him. “Don’t make me agree with Jason.” I groaned, “Ok dad.” Cas dragged me out the door, “Come on, don’t be like this.” Once we were outside I smiled, “Thank you.” He glared at me, “So I’m sure someone showed you around at some point.” Jason rolled his eyes. “You are breaking so many rules right now.” “I’ll make sure to check which ones when we get back.” We walked in silence until we ran into more people. “Mike! So, you got a new friend?” I said “No, we are not friends.” “Ari this is Jax.” Ari smiled, “Jax, that’s a cool name. You know, I’m surprised those two haven’t had a heart-attack yet. So colorful!”

I laughed, “So people are allergic to color?” “No, well I think some are. Some teachers are going to be mad about this one.” “That’s good to know, this should be fun.