Peace Out (The Futures Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

SAMMY AND BECCA

Look, in the animal kingdom there are predators to cull the old and sick from the herd. In olden days when times were tough didn
’t the Inuit stick the elderly on an ice floe and push them out to sea? And here we take the majority of our resources and pour them down the old fogey drain? [Laughter.] That’s a technical term people. Look, they’ve bred. They’ve worked. They’ve finished. The last contribution they can make to society is to, um, leave it. Right? Here with me today is author Lamont Seldon, his book The Young Republic in stores now.

The Daily Show with Wyatt Dirks, 12/1/2023.

“Quiet children,” Mr. Eggers said. “Today is Peace Out Education,” he said. “If I call your name, you may go to the library for the day. I think Mrs. Jefferson will let you watch a movie if you ask nicely.” He pulled out the stack of permission slips and flipped through them. “Valerie Jones, Faith Morales, and Pierce Fairweather. Everyone else, please remain seated.” The three students gathered their things.

Becca raised her hand. Sammy poked her in the side. Hard. “Ouch,” Becca said, lowering her arm. Mr. Eggers hadn
’t noticed anything. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

“What do you think?” Sammy whispered. “I fixed the permission slips. We
’re going to do PO Ed.”

“Why didn
’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you
’d spill the beans.”

“If Mom and Dad find out they
’ll kill us.”

“I don
’t care,” Sammy whispered vehemently. “All we hear about is how evil Peace Out is. I want to hear the other side of the argument. Isn’t that what Daddy is always saying? That we should hear both sides of every argument?”

“Sammy Bishop, quiet down,” Mr. Eggers said. “Our guest will be here any minute.”

Sammy slumped back into her chair.

Becca didn
’t know what to do. If she told Mr. Eggers, Sammy would never forgive her. But they were going to get caught for sure. Christy would mention doing PO Ed with them to her mother. Her mother would tell their mother. It was all going to fall apart. Better to end it now, right?

A message appeared on the desk. A plea from Sammy. Becca sighed and wrote back.

Becca: We’re going to get caught.

Sammy: It
’s worth it.

Becca: Are you sure?

Sammy: If you are worried about Christy, she knows. She won’t tell.

Their screens went dark. “Thank you to the Bishop twins for reminding me to trigger blackout,” Mr. Eggers said. “You will give our guest your undivided attention.” There was a knock on the classroom door. “And here she is.” He opened the door and a tall woman with curly black hair came in. “Class, this is Ms. Alfano,” he said. “Please welcome her.”

“Hello Ms. Alfano,” the class chorused.

“Hello,” she said. “My name is Angela Alfano and I am a Peace Out Educator. I go to schools all over Washington to teach sixth graders about Peace Out. Now it will probably be a very long time before Peace Out is an option for any of you, but I wanted to ask you all something. What do you know about Peace Out?”

Nobody raised their hands.

“Come on,” she said. “Do I have to call on somebody?”

Nobody raised their hands.

“Alright,” Ms. Alfano said, “How about you?” She pointed at Christy. “What do you know about Peace Out?”

“You kill people,” she said. “You bury them under trees and sell the corpse fruit.”

“Christy,” scolded Mr. Eggers.

“No, Mr. Eggers,” Ms. Alfano said. “Christy doesn’t use the same words we like to use, but she is right. Peace Out helps people end their lives. Not all Peace Out Centers are like Bellingham, but here we do bury those who wish under trees and we do sell the fruit. For those who have died, the trees serve as a way for them to give back to the living. Anyone else?”

Mike raised his hand. “My grandma Peaced Out,” he said.

“Why?” asked Ms. Alfano.

“She was really sick,” he said. “The doctors said they couldn
’t fix her. So she Peaced Out.”

“Thank you for sharing that,” Ms. Alfano said. “Anyone else? Yes, what
’s your name?”

“I
’m Piper. I heard anyone on BL for more than five years has to Peace Out.”

Ms. Alfano
’s smile stiffened. “That is completely false,” she said. “No one is ever forced to Peace Out, regardless of whether they are on Basic Living.”

“James told us he found a toe in a corpse peach,” Catelyn said, waving her hand in the air.

“Did not,” James said.

“Did too,” she shot back. “He told all of us that.”

“Children,” Mr. Eggers warned. They quieted down.

“Well,” Ms. Alfano said, “I see that I have a lot of misinformation to dispel.” She reached into her briefcase and took out a stack of pamphlets. “Take one and pass it back,” she said.

Sammy, Becca, and Christy sat together for lunch. The twins had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, and grapes. Christy had a turkey avocado wrap, apple slices, and a chocolate chip cookie. After some dickering, half the cookie and two apple slices were exchanged for a bag of chips and five grapes.

“Hey Mounds,” Levi Mazzo called from a nearby table, “I think you
’ve got Ms. Alfano beat!”

“Shut up, Levi,” Christy said. “I
’m going to sue you.”

“Yeah right,” he said.

“I’ll get an affidavit.” Christy liked to throw around legal terms she overheard from her mom.

“What
’s that?” asked Levi.

“Something that will end up on your Index,” she said. “Call me Mounds again, and I
’ll file with the court.”

“Jeez,” Levi said, but he left them alone after that.

Christy hunched her shoulders and took a bite of her wrap. Sammy and Becca started eating too.

“I don
’t see what’s so bad about Peace Out,” Sammy declared, crunching on a chip. “It makes sense.”

“They kill people,” Christy said.

“Only people who want to die. And you have to be old or almost dead anyway,” Sammy countered. “It’s not like I could walk in there and get Peaced Out.”

“Why is your mom letting you do PO Ed if she
’s so against it?” Becca added.

“My mom always says know thine enemy,” Christy said. “That
’s why I’m not turning you two in.”

“How are they enemies?” asked Sammy.

“Peace Out is suicide. It’s an offense against God.” Christy said. “Our bodies are temples.”

“
What if that temple is old and crappy?”

“Sammy! Don
’t talk about God like that.”

“My parents don
’t believe in God.”

“He still exists.”

“Whatever,” Sammy said.

“I
’m excited for the field trip.” Becca changed the subject before Christy could start preaching. Sometimes she felt like Christy was only their friend because she saw it as her duty to convert them. “I’ve never been to the Peace Out Center.”

“It
’s beautiful,” Sammy said knowingly.

“We
’ve heard,” Christy said, rolling her eyes.

The bus ride to the Peace Out Center was short. The children filed off and crowded around Ms. Alfano and Mr. Eggers.

“Welcome to Peace Out Bellingham,” Ms. Alfano said. “This mansion behind me is the very first Peace Out Center in the United States. When the Kellers first bought this property back in 2026, it included about five acres of uncleared land. Since then, Peace Out has purchased neighboring properties and prepared the land for the orchards you see today. They chose not to alter the original footprint of the mansion and instead expanded the facility underground. Of course, all of the rooms above ground are reserved for those who are observing our required waiting period.” Ms. Alfano led them around to the back of the mansion and followed a neatly maintained path through a flower garden. There was a gardener trimming the bushes and two elderly people playing chess at a wrought iron table. The children stared at them until Mr. Eggers gave them a stern look. Ms. Alfano stopped them at a gazebo. “Does anyone remember how long the waiting period is?”

Levi raised his hand. “Seven days,” he said.

“That’s right. Why do we have a waiting period? Sammy?”

“So you can make sure the person really wants to Peace Out.”

“That’s right,” Ms. Alfano said. “The person goes through Facilitation. Peace Out doctors independently confirm any terminal medical diagnosis. We also review their Index and see if an Enclave might be a better solution. Sometimes people lack information about their options and Peace Out wants to be sure they know what they are.”

“My mom says there are really long waiting lists at all the charitable Enclaves,” Christy said.

“That is true,” Ms. Alfano agreed. “But most people have enough to join a regular Enclave. Some of the less expensive ones are working farms and each member is given a job that helps them meet each other’s needs.”

“My mom says those ones require a Peace Out Directive.”

“Actually, most Enclaves do,” Ms. Alfano said. “End of life care is very expensive.” Ms. Alfano paused. “Where was I? Oh yes, so the above ground rooms are for those in the waiting period. Who remembers the prerequisites for Peacing Out? Just shout them out.”

“Terminally ill,” called out Piper.

“Permanently unconscious,” said Becca.

“At least sixty-five years old,” said Levi.

“Those are all right,” Ms. Alfano said. “But our age requirement only applies if the applicant doesn’t fall into another category. There is still one more category. Anyone remember?”

The kids shuffled. No one answered.

“Come on,” Ms. Alfano encouraged. “Think hard.”

“Mental illness,” said Sammy.

“Not just any mental illness. What kind?”

“Permanent?”

“Close,” Ms. Alfano said. “Irreversible and incurable, and is or will be severe enough that the person can no longer take care of him or herself.” She paused to let it sink in. “Does everyone understand that? Yes? Great! So Peace Out Bellingham is also corporate headquarters for all of Peace Out. That means our executives work here. These are the people who make sure Peace Out everywhere is running the way it should. Remember, Peace Out is a non-profit. Does anyone remember what that means?”

“It means you can
’t make any money,” Piper said.

“Kind of,” Ms. Alfano said. “Peace Out actually makes a lot of money. The Kellers left their fortune in a trust for Peace Out and our financial folk have turned that into a lot more money. But instead of distributing any extra money to shareholders, Peace Out puts
it back into Peace Out. That is why we can offer our services for free for any who need them. It is how we have expanded from a single Center here in Bellingham, to sixty locations. We recruit and retain only the best of the best. Even our gardeners have advanced degrees. Right, Alex?”

“That
’s right,” Alex said. “These gardens are more than just pretty plants or a source for food. They are an important part of my research. We are working on crop yield, developing new fruit varieties, and sometimes we genetically modify just for fun.” Alex walked over to a plant and picked a flower. “Smell this.” He passed it around.

“Chocolate!” Piper said. “It smells like chocolate.”

“Pretty cool, right?” Alex said. “You should take some time to explore the gardens. I’ve also got some roses with really crazy colors.”

“Thanks Alex,” Ms. Alfano said. She looked at her watch. “I
’ll give you about twenty minutes to look around. But please don’t pick any more flowers.” Ms. Alfano pointed at a bunch of small bags on the gazebo bench. “These are for you,” she said. “You can each fill a bag with fruit to take home if you like.” The children chattered excitedly. Ms. Alfano raised her voice. “When you hear that bell ring,” she pointed at the brass bell hanging in the gazebo archway, “come on back. We have told our applicants that you will be here today, but please do not disturb them. Mr. Eggers said you were a trustworthy bunch, so I know I can trust you to behave.” The kids ran up to grab their bags then dispersed, leaving Mr. Eggers chatting with Ms. Alfano.

Becca and Sammy took the path to the orchard, holding their bags.

“I don’t think we should pick any fruit,” Becca said.

“How about just one each and we can eat them before we get home?”

“OK,” Becca said.

“I wouldn
’t eat corpse fruit if you paid me,” Christy said. She hadn’t taken a bag.