The Black Dolphin

Outside, the air rushed gently over the streets of Ortec. The water rippled just slightly, creating a soft melodic song. The sun warmed the tops of the buildings, leaving them glistening with a simple beauty. Ortec was strangely quiet though, besides the wind and the water, not a sound was heard. Not a single child played, nor a single woman talked and laughed with her neighbors. The men were not going about their work that day.

The only activity in all of the villages was in a small room located in the council building, on the very bottom level. The inhabitants of the safe room knew nothing of the silence on Ortec. They awaited anxiously the day they would rejoin their beloved city.

The grey walls of the safe room were not much to look at. Each of the four walls bore the same dullness. The thick door remained locked, as it had been for the past eighty-nine days. It remained a steady barrier between them and the outside world. The room itself seemed to be getting smaller. After three months of being in one space with the same people, everyone was ready to open that door.

Eight people considered the small space their temporary home. They had been shut away, hiding from the sickness that had claimed lives. The eight remained healthy, but the confinement was baring heavily upon them. Why would just one day make a difference, they were wondering.

"We'll open it tomorrow," Constantina wasn't budging. She held her arms tightly across her chest. She looked kindly at Sonya and Angali, but her expression was tense. She pushed a wisp of her grey hair back behind her ears. No one would dare question her authority, but it didn't sit well with her to have to make all the decisions. She had never taken well with the role of leadership. She had always left her husband to decide for her, and she was missing that comfort. But he had left her with strict instructions to wait ninety days, and then open the door. Never did he say to wait only eight-nine days. She would not disobey him. It was up to her to remain the voice of authority and reason, despite her own desire to open the door early as well.

"What difference will one day make?" Sonya nearly whined in her frustration. Her features pinched up in her tiny face, creating a look of a whiny child. Sonya had always gotten her way by emphasizing her child-like looks. She knew her small structure and large eyes could work well in her favor. It always had in the past. She stomped her foot in aggravation.

"Really Milady," Angali chimed, "We are all very eager to meet our family again." Angali set her lips in a pout. The young beauty was used to getting her way. Her brown eyes were opened wide and she shot a pleading look to Constantina.

Constantina shook her head firmly though. "Three months, that's what we agreed on." She looked at the doctor for confirmation. He nodded his head just slightly, not wanting the attention of the two women to be turned on him. He knew he wasn't good at telling them no, especially Angali. Even when she was a girl, men fell over themselves to please Angali. "Yes, tomorrow is the day. We have to make sure the sickness is gone," Constantina continued. Her eyes softened. "We've waited this long, surely one more day wouldn't hurt."

The women gave a small smile, what choice did they have? "It's ok," Constantina continued, "we have to give them every chance to be healthy." She patted Sonya's protruding belly. It would be time soon. Her wizened eyes sparkled at the thought of a new baby. They had not had a good year for babies on Ortec. Of the seven pregnant women, five had got the sickness and lost their babies. The year before had only yielded two babies, both male. There was a great deal of importance placed on these two women, who were still with child.

Two other women sat by the wall not saying anything. They watched the women arguing, but knew already who would be victorious. They often sat like this, close to their people, but not important enough to be a part of the group. A child played nearby. He didn't play with toys, but he was able to entertain himself. Rani thought back three months ago to when the sickness had first started.

There had been such a sense of panic. The only two pregnant women had to be protected. So they had been sealed into the safe room, a room that hadn't been used in years. In the early days following the great wave, the wise men of that time had added the safe rooms to all of the cities. They had feared that another wave would wipe out the human race entirely. The men from those early days still remembered what life had been like before the wave, they still thought with minds of technology. They had built a room made of a strong metal where nothing could get in, or out. In the early days, they used the safe room often. During a storm the waters would rage and flood the cities, and so the leaders would lock their people in the safe rooms. As time passed the rooms became to small for the people so only the leaders and members of the council would go to the safe room. Now, though, the safe rooms were not used at all. Many had been torn apart completely.

Ortec kept theirs in tact though, in case of an emergency. An emergency had indeed happened to their small city. A sickness had come to the people, it infected an alarming amount. So, the leaders had ordered the safe room to be reopened, in an attempt to save the others. They would wait three months, and then rejoin Ortec.