Free Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

running,” she said, brushing a loose tendril of blond hair behind her ear.
    “That’s really something,” I said. Again, with the skills.
    She shrugged and walked away, over to the broken television, where the rest of the big kids were sitting and listening.
    Everyone looked up when we came over, except for Josie. She was sitting with everyone, but was just staring ahead. There but not entirely “there.”
    “He’s talking about the compounds,” Alex told me in a whisper.
    Whoever the anchor was, he had a very deep, reassuring voice. Nevertheless, what he told us was terrifying.
    “Residents of the southwestern region of the United States,” he told us. “Please be advised: There has been a breach of the chemical-weapons storage units located at NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
    “The compounds attack based on blood type. People with blood type A will develop severe blisters on all exposed skin. After prolonged exposure, the internal organs will begin to hemorrhage, leading to organ failure and death.”
    I looked at Niko. He was type A. Personality and blood type, apparently.
    “People who have type AB blood suffer from paranoid delusions and possible hallucinations.”
    Brayden buried his head in his hands.
    “There is confusion as to the effects on people with type B blood. It is possible they will suffer from long-term reproductive difficulties and sterility. But there is hope that people with type B blood suffer no consequences from exposure.”
    Alex and Sahalia had been on the roof and showed no symptoms at all. They were type B. Jake, too, as he had been exposed in the storeroom and showed no signs.
    My brother would be okay. That was some comfort to me.
    “People with type O blood, which is the most common blood type, will become deranged and violent. Avoid these people at all costs. Containing them in a closet or basement is advised, if possible.”
    I felt everyone look at me.
    My face went hot.
    I was type O. Me and the gate rattler.
    Awesome.
    “Fortunately, the compounds wear off very quickly. If you are exposed, get to a safe place and flush your skin and mucus membranes with clean water. The effects subside within ten to twenty minutes. Prolonged exposure will lead to irreparable damage to all blood types except for type B.”
    The voice went on to advise us to stay indoors and await help.
    “Like we have a choice,” Brayden scoffed.
    And then for the good news. Ha.
    The anchor told us it was thought that the chemicals would disperse in between three to six months.
    “Six months !” Astrid exclaimed.
    He then reassured us that government operatives were hard at work deactivating the blackout cloud that now enveloped the area within an eight-hundred-mile radius of Colorado Springs. It was a magnetic cloud and would hover above the detonation site unaffected by rain or wind.
    And then the anchor said this: “Good citizens of the United States of America, we are in the midst of the greatest crisis our country has ever known. But if we have courage and patience, if we persevere despite the great odds against us, we will come through this calamity. Good night, stay safe, and God bless you.”
    Then the whole report started again on a loop.
    *   *   *
    Somebody (probably Niko) had dragged beanbag chairs into the Media Department, so that’s what we were sitting on. It was me, Jake, Brayden, Astrid, Niko, Alex, and Sahalia. Niko, who, I was beginning to realize, had a hard time sitting still, was starting to clean some of the earthquake mess up, but only in our area.
    We were all just kind of sitting there together, taking in all we had heard. Everything that had happened.
    I was wondering what blood type my parents were.
    Praying for B.
    Reproductive failure and sterility. Yes, let them both be type B.
    “Hey, Niko,” Jake drawled. “What do you think about the air in here? You think it’s safe enough?”
    “Yeah, we don’t even know what type the little kids are. It’d suck to