[ WP ] Two children need to enter the last known civilization on earth . Their kind is not allowed into the city , and it is heavily guarded .

It made sense that they were n't allowed in but that did n't change tuberculosis. 
 
 Crawling through a forgotten storm drain, Sarah practically dragged Joseph along. His profuse coughing had become a tired death-rattle, which bounced pathetically off the walls of the claustrophobic space. It was nearly too dark to see, but Sarah knew that both of their clothes were streaked with the mould and rot that covered the perimeter of the drain. They would stick out like anything now, if they already would n't have before. At least it was n't raining. 
 
 Joseph was the hunter. If he died, then so did she. She could n't catch or clean rabbits or squirrels like he could, all she could do was read the book. 
 
 `` COUGH COUGH.'' He sounded worse. 
 
 As panic took control, Sarah sped up her crawl along the slimy floor, to weak wheezes of protest behind her. She did n't care, he would thank her when they got through. 
 
 Through the darkness, she could see rusted out remains of a steel grille. They were under the walls. The drain widened, and Sarah got to her feet, carrying Joseph up with her. She looked up, and through the two holes in the manhole cover, she could see stars. 
 
 `` Joseph, I'm going to give you a boost.'' 
 
 Above, in the Liberated City, darkness well concealed the two dirt-splattered orphans emerging from the sewers. Sarah looked around the city, it was just as ugly at night as it was during the day. Only a few lights lit up the city at night, resources were too precious to waste. Lights lined the wall, the lanterns dotted a huge oval through the darkness, tracing the boundaries of the city like purposefully scattered stars. 
 
 `` Whose there?'' 
 
 A uniform emerged from the darkness and began walking toward them. Sarah grabbed her half-conscious friend, 
 
 `` Joseph run!'' 
 
 The two started to make an escape down the street, but Joseph almost immediately shuffled to a halt and doubled over coughing and cringing with pain. The policeman approached, 
 
 `` It's past curfew and you need to- heavens what happened to your clothes.'' 
 
 The officer looked at the two pathetically soaked kids, and Sarah's heart began to drop as the mans eyes followed the glistening trail they had left, winding all the way back into the sewer. 
 
 `` Miss, what is your name?'' 
 
 Sarah froze, she grasped for any name, any lie, there were a million names, and yet the one her mouth chose to involuntarily spit out was the real one. 
 
 `` Sarah.'' 
 
 Even in the darkness she saw the mans face lose color. 
 
 `` Come with me Sarah.'' 
 
 The officer hurriedly shuffled the strange children into one of the nearby buildings, an ugly brick townhouse. Once they were inside, the policeman turned on the lights and sat down heavily at his dinner table. Sarah nervously spoke first, 
 
 `` Where are you taking us sir?'' 
 
 The man did n't look at her, he looked like he was thinking. 
 
 `` This is my home.'' 
 
 Joseph coughed quietly, it sounded like there was nothing left for him to give. They could n't move anywhere else. 
 
 `` Please... my friend his dying, we never would have come if it had n't been life or death.'' 
 
 The officer did n't seem as scary as he had in the dimly lit street. He had the kind of face that you could n't be scared of, and kind eyes. The man looked scared, and ran a nervous hand through his hair. 
 
 `` I could be executed for harboring you two.'' 
 
 Sarah did n't know what to say, but instead of feeling bad, she became angry. She frowned and shook with exhaustion from her hour long ordeal in the tunnel. She needed this man's help, but she snapped at him, 
 
 `` We ca n't help the way we were born! The city abandoned us! We're kids, how are we supposed to stay alive by ourselves?'' 
 
 The policeman looked up at her now, 
 
 `` Be quieter, the neighbors will hear.'' 
 
 Sarah looked down, and bit her lip angrily. The man was risking his life. The officer spoke again, 
 
 `` I did n't know think were any of you still left out there. The last ones they found died a year ago.'' 
 
 Joseph's parents. Hers had been gone for five years. 
 
 `` Were they executed?'' 
 
 Neither of them had ever known for sure. 
 
 `` Of course. They almost converted their jailers the first night they were caught, they could n't be allowed to live.'' 
 
 Sarah almost smiled. She remembered the night that Peter and Jessica had been taken away by the raiding party. They had died fighting the good fight. And now it seemed she would as well. Outside the house she could hear an alarm begin to wail. The policeman looked down in despair, 
 
 `` You did wake a neighbor, or someone saw you from the wall.'' 
 
 Sarah thought about running for it, but she would be trapped the second she went back into the sewers. And Joseph would die if they ran. The call of a speaker outside cut through alarm, 
 
 `` COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP. DO NOT RUN, THE EXITS ARE COVERED AND WE WILL SHOOT.'' 
 
 Tears began to roll down Sarah's cheeks as she thought about their campsite in the woods, and the thin blanket covering her books. After she was gone, it would only take on rainfall to destroy the pages. The last book of the last religion on Earth would be erased, and the end of an era would finally come to pass. Maybe it would be for the better, the God Wars had killed billions and poisoned the Earth forever. But something would be missing. She could n't quite tell you what, but as she looked around the policeman's home on her way out of the door she thought she might know what it was. Boring brick, cot bed, two or three white flowers in a dull vase on the small dining room table. There was no life, no humanity. She walked out of the door and dozens of men fell onto her and cuffed her hands. Then they went in for Joseph. 
 
 
 

