IF YOU ENJOYED “ON THE OTHER SIDE,” WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PICK UP ANOTHER OF MICHELLE JANINE ROBINSON’S TITLES. ENJOY THIS TASTE OF
BY MICHELLE JANINE ROBINSON AVAILABLE FROM STREBOR BOOKS
Practically barricaded inside of her own home, Traci Bianco looked apprehensively past the thick curtains and blinds, meant to camouflage her existence, through the barred windows and over the town she once loved. She wondered if New York would ever be returned to its former glory. She was not optimistic.
The Nation’s post-cataclysmic existence had at least spared her the most insidious of fates—for now, but only because of whom she had married long before the devastation reached full tilt. Eventually, even that would not be enough to spare her. Desperation was commonplace and the level of atrocities continued to mount with each passing day, leaving ordinary people desperate and searching for answers.
While her daughter, Caitlin, played quietly in her bedroom, Traci retrieved a metal lockbox from beneath a floorboard in her closet. Inside the box were small remnants of what remained from her former life. She carefully removed a newspaper, weathered by age. The November 5, 2008 headline read, “RACIAL BARRIER FALLS IN DECISIVE VICTORY.” Behind the iconic newspaper was another New York Times, dated November 7, 2012, which simply read, “PRESIDENT’S NIGHT.” Her fingers caressed the front page lovingly.
It was difficult to imagine that so much could have changed in less than fifteen years. It was 2025; fourteen years after the 9/11 tragedy of the Twin Towers terrorist attack and only ten years after The Empire State Building was toppled by an explosion. Thousands of lives had been lost as a result of both terrorist attacks and the media’s coverage had been vast and dramatic. By sharp contrast, slavery in America had been mostly ignored for years, except for a few organizations that attempted to warn the public of the fate of the world if modern-day slavery continued to be ignored. Women and children were trafficked into the U.S. from other countries for years, and forced into prostitution, while men served as slave labor and were kept in poor health and squalid living conditions. However, it was Hurricane Molly in 2018 and The Stock Market Crash of 2020 that had sealed the country’s fate.
Traci kept glancing at the doorway, nervously, careful not to draw the attention of her husband or her daughter. Even the black blinds and curtains didn’t seem to be enough. At only four years old, Caitlin was still young enough that she didn’t quite understand the world she was living in and the rules that were actively enforced, nor did she understand how drastically the world had changed in such a short period of time. Yet, even the young were not protected from all awareness. Children like her daughter were dying every day, simply because of the color of their skin. Traci’s husband, Bill, did, however, fully understand. He often cautioned Traci about her choices under the United States’ current regime. Traci was angry and often dangerously willful; that is why she kept the lockbox and its contents, reminders of her former world. She was well aware of the fact that Bill could never know for many reasons, not the least of which was that his awareness of her contraband would mean that he was guilty of even more than marrying and concealing a black woman. His awareness of the items she was keeping would mean treason and he would therefore be subject to punishment by U.S. Law, including imprisonment or maybe even death. Despite the obvious strain placed on their marriage, she still loved Bill and she believed he loved her as well. And, even if neither of them loved one another enough to survive their current catastrophic state, she was sure that they both loved their daughter. Bill’s survival was tantamount to any hopes for Caitlin’s future safety.
“What you got there?”
“Nothing,” Traci lied.
“You and I both know that’s not the truth. You realize what would happen if that was found?”
“Yeah, I know; the same thing that will happen if I’m found. Who would have thought that one day I’d be a prisoner in my own home? I can’t leave and I can’t stay. Ironic, isn’t it.”
“It’s only temporary. I’m making plans. We’re going to get out. We’re going to get out together.”
Traci understood exactly what that meant. For months Bill had tried everything he could to get passports for Traci and Caitlin. When he realized that might not work, even if he did secure a passport, he realized he would have to find a way to escape from the U.S. with or without a passport. The question Traci kept asking him was where? The U.S. had not been the only country affected. For quite some time they believed the only alternative they had was to somehow make it to Germany, where her brother and sister-in-law were. Unfortunately, over time it had become apparent that even Germany was a dangerous gamble.
Bill observed the forlorn look on Traci’s face and searched for the words to fill her with some small remnant of hope. “There has to be somewhere we can go. The entire world can’t be affected by this madness. There’s always been some other place, some small corner of the world to go to, even in light of the greatest despair.”
The frightening and intrusive presence of what sounded like a battering ram pounding against their front door signaled the realization that, for Traci and Bill Bianco, time had run out.