Day 3 - Population

Samantha Washington, widowed mother to three, must learn to survive in a new world in which the people in charge have decided to purge the much too rapidly growing population every year and forbid families from having more than two children, exactly enough to replace the parents at death. She could never sacrifice any of her children, and hides her oldest, claiming that he was killed by tragic circumstances. But what will happen when she is caught?

Knock knock knock

Samantha shot up from her seat and placed a finger on her lips, silencing her three children. George, the eldest, knew exactly where to go, and dislodged one of the loose floor panels, crawling in the fairly roomy space beneath the floorboards, echoes and any noise from within well contained by the soundproof foam the family had set up when the two children rule had come into place. All families with more that two children were required to turn in their children to be killed. Naturally, no parent was willing to do so, and many families were eradicated, but Samantha was smarter than that.

The moment the announcement came out, she made makeshift soundproof foam and layered a ton of it in the hollow space beneath the floors of the house. It had been empty for a while, as creepy as that was. She furnished it and George, her eldest son volunteered to be proclaimed officially dead and go into hiding in the little space. They hadn't been caught yet, and anyone they had told was trustworthy.

Or so they thought.

Samantha opened the door, and was met with a surprise. At the door was a family sweeper, who was tasked with finding the people with more than two children, and Samantha's childhood friend, Mary Sue Carter. "May I help you?" she asked politely, trying to meet Mary Sue's panicked, guilty eyes.

"Let's save us both some time and get to the point. Which floorboard is it?" the officer snapped.

"I'm truly sorry sir, but I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about," Samantha casually wiped the beading sweat off her palms. So they had found out. Had Mary Sue snitched? She wasn't the type to, but when her life was on the line, she wouldn't have a problem turning Samantha's family over.

"Don't play dumb with me, woman! Where's the child! Tell me now before I shoot everyone here and find him myself!"

Samantha gritted her teeth, so Mary Sue had confessed, "No."

"What did you say?" the officer hissed.

"Never. With. Life."

The officer cachinated, his laughter echoing throughought the room, "Do you think I care if I have to shoot you? Move out of the way whilst I'm giving you the chance."

"If you had the guts to shoot me, you would have already," Samantha said confidently.

"Then on your head be it."

BANG

Thud

The kids and Mary Sue screamed as blood pooled out from a bullet wound in Samantha's head. Brutishly, the officer shoved the children aside and began stomping on the floors, searching for the loose panel. After a few minutes, he found it. Wedging his fingernails into the gap, he lifted, exposing George, who had been listening, ear on the bottom of the panel.

BANG

"Well," the officer said, "My job here is done."

Mary Sue trembled in the doorway, and the children shook, shell shocked. "Might as well get rid of you too, while we're at it," the officer said. Three more shots. As Mary Sue dropped to the ground, life slowly slipping away from her, her last thought echoed in her brain, "What has become of this world?"