The Heart Shaped Locket

The Heart Shaped Locket

By Tracey McKenzie

In the distant future, the world as we knew it was not the same. People as we knew them years ago, were packed up and sectioned into groups, tattooed, and were told not to coincide with other groups. Each group was sectioned by religion, race, political views, and of course wealth. Each group had their own type of branding to identify each other.

With the labeling of people, we all knew what we could and couldn't do. It was like a concentration camp, if you weren't white, rich, or a politician, you weren't accepted in society.

There was a curfew for everyone except the high society, elite personnel. For they had their parties every night. If others were found on the streets , they were jailed or killed on the spot.

For years , people barely survived, but a small group of teenagers who were not marked by their clans at birth as they were supposed to be, came together and created their own group. They didn't care who or where you came from.

If you choose to love, care, respect, and fight for their cause you are all welcomed. They had roughly 80 or so members from all different groups. Their births were all secret and not recorded. They all decided one day at one of their own meetings to give themselves a name and a brand.

"We fight for justice, love, freedom, and peace. What we feel in our heart, what we feel is right and true, is what this group is about. So our brand or label will be, The Heart Shaped Locket. Because what we keep inside that locket, no one can take that away from us. We are free no matter what anyone says or does to us. Our heart shaped locket will remind us we are FREE."

Over the years, Politicians got word and put out a crew to hunt down The Heart Shaped Locket Group to bring them to justice or kill them if they don't comply.

Years went by, the group was getting more and more people coming into the group. They had to relocate 3 times due to the size and housing everyone. The parents were sending money with the children to support the kids, the wealthy sent thousands of dollars which helped.

Everyone was teaching each other, education was a big thing in the group. No one was weak, no one was looked down upon. We had different cultures but we had people with different skills too. Doctors, scientists, herbalists, carpenters, etc. What we didn't know we learned.

Some of us were still allowed to use the library and they took advantage of it. I think we had some of the most gifted minds in our group. Yet we were self taught. All we had to do is believe in each other, ourselves, and The Heart Shaped Locket.

Everyday we signed in and out to keep track of everyone to make sure of their safety. Jackie and Cole, a couple in the group, went out to get supplies.

They left in the morning but by supper they still had not returned. The group became greatly concerned and decided to form a search party to look for them. By morning the group put out 4 search teams , one for each group so as not to be detected by the Politicians.

By day's end, all groups would return with no results on where Jackie and Cole were. The group knew something bad had to have happened to them, each night we would say a blessing for their return or finding. The leaders would go over the maps of the city that were searched each day.

After 3 weeks of searching for Jackie and Cole we knew they were dead. We just had to find their bodies. We had searched all the areas of the city except one , the Devil's Swamp. This place was a dark forest, nothing but marsh and swamp. It smelt like death. It felt evil and haunted by the sounds you'd hear going into it.

We all knew we had to check it out to find them. Even if it was bones that were left. See, not only did we get the Heart Shaped Lockets tattoos on our chests but we also had them surgically embedded to one of our bones. Just in case all we ever found were bones. We wrote something on a piece of paper and sealed it in the locket before it was bedded. Usually it was our identity and a goodbye.

Next morning at 6:45 am we set forth to the Devil's Swamp to find Jackie and Cole. Four groups in different directions. We kept in contact by radio, but only used it if we found something or in need of help so as not to attract politicians' radar. As we walked slowly into this swampy area the haunting sounds began. Howling, growling, high pitched screeches, it was so unnerving.

The ground was damp, squishy, and the smell was horrid. Between rotting flesh , fresh pig shit, and black mold.You had to wear a mask to be in there or you couldn't breathe. After searching for two hours Hector came over the radio, "I found them, over."

"Where are you, we will come?" Jessica replied.

"West end, close to the centre." Hector replied.

We got to him as fast as possible, not paying attention to the sounds that increased as we got closer to him. When we reached Hector, he was kneeled down beside them. We were all out of breath, but when we looked down and saw them, we were confused. They have been missing for three weeks yet they were like as if they were the day they left.

"Someone had them for the past three weeks. Or they were hiding out. Either way, we have to move our camp in case they told

where we are." Hector said.

Jessica agreed and we headed back to the camp. We couldn't put our camp at risk, we had to move them. We just didn't know where. We talked quietly when we heard,

"Move your camp here, they won't find you here." Said the voice.

We stopped in our tracks, looked around, then at each other. Then two people came forth from the Swamp.

"Who the hell are you? Did you have anything to do with our friend's death, or see who killed them? " asked Hector.

"We are not here to harm you, no we did not hurt your friends, but we did see who killed them. It was the Politicians. " they replied.

"We live here on the other side of the Swamp. We try to keep outsiders from coming here by the sounds, smells, etc. The politicians bring their dead here, we give them burials. We had just found your friends and were coming back to take them to give them a proper burial but you showed up first." They explained.

"We have plenty of room, friendly people of all kinds. You are all welcomed." They stated.

"We have hundreds of people back home, we need to move quickly, is there a safe way we can get to you?" Jessica asked.

Hector wasn't thrilled with the idea but what could they do if the Politicians knew where they were, they all would have been killed.

We would always remain The Heart Shaped Lockets group, that would never change. We are just joining another group for now until we find another safe place.

So when they returned, the group was told about Jackie and Cole. We said a blessing in remembrance of them. We were told about the move to the other side of the Swamp, it was only temporary until we found a bigger place where the Politicians couldn't find us. We would be moving in a day or two.

While Jessica was figuring out the map and the different directions the groups would go, Hector's gut feeling told him that something wasn't right. He took it upon himself to check out the other side for himself. So while everyone was sleeping, he set out after curfew to the Swamp.

As Hector walked quietly through the Swamp he noticed there were no sounds, no howling, growling, screeching, nothing. This seemed strange. If they were protecting the Swamp why are the sounds only during the day and not at night?

As he continued, he heard other noises instead. Machines, talking, motors and some he couldn't figure out. So as he got closer, it all came clearer. This was no village like the guy said it was, it was like a concentration camp.

Hector was furious and took photos of everyone and everything he could before returning to the group. It was nearly sunrise when Hector returned home, Jessica was furious that he was out all night. Hector showed her the proof that the Swamp was a hoax and that they need to move quickly to another place before they realize they are not coming.

The only choice they had was to ask one of their rich benefactors to give up their child to them. A couple of them sent them press on tattoos so that if ever needed, they could use them to disguise themselves as rich society to get them.

That night Hector and Jessical dressed up like they were rich in society and put the tattoos on where their bodies were supposed to go. They used makeup to cover their own tattoos. As they mingled they spotted two of the couples that sent their children to them and kinda gave them a nod showing them that they needed to talk. The two couples went outside with Hector and Jessica so they wouldn't be heard, but they also wrote everything down before they came so that if they were listening, all they would hear is a normal conversation, while they were writing notes back and forth.

After an intense conversation, they ended it and returned to the party. Jessica and Hector said their goodbyes and left. While they were headed back to the group, one of the politicians asked them why they were leaving. Jessica replied to them that she wasn't feeling well and needed to return home. He asked where their home was, because he thought he knew everyone in the city. Jessica said that they were from out of town and were just visiting friends here.

Then Jessica grabbed her stomach in pain, and told the gentleman that they really needed to go so she could lay down. She was pregnant and she was not feeling well. The gentleman agreed to let them go and offered them his doctor for any assistance, but she declined.

They hopped into the cab and took it to the hotel, they told the gentleman. Then they paid for a room but never stayed in it. They quickly left on foot back to the group and told them of the buildings that were abandoned but we're ok to go to.

They were way out of the city, large lots, we could build on them. The best part, the politicians can't touch them. There was a catch, they would all have to move quietly during the night and day to make sure everyone was moved. By train, bus, and foot they would travel. But before they left they all had to make a pack so that if any of them ever were caught, they had to take their own life to save the rest. No one knew exactly where we were going except the four leaders. So if they died we were on our own.

The Heart Shaped Locket Group was on their long journey to hopefully their last home. For me, I'm Josey, of the Leaders and Founders, this is my diary.