A short story I made for writers jam 2025, sitting at around 2500 words exactly~.

For easier reading and proper formatting you can download and view the PDF here.

If you have any feedback let me know, and I hope you enjoy ^w^.

Chosen word: Facade.

Story synopsis: A mother daring to give her son a life that isn't a lie.

“Is dad coming?”

She didn’t hear her son, her eyes were peering through the window for anyone out past curfew or any bodies shambling down the street. She turned quickly with a sharp breath to something tugging at her shirt. Her son asked the same question. “Is dad coming?”

She sighed, looking over the street again. “Dad is busy with the parade. Get your things, we need to leave. Now.”

Her son held onto her instead. “But it’s the first parade since dad turned blue, I want to see dad in the parade.” The child pulled out a little book from his pocket. “I want to show him all my drawings. He likes my drawings. I want to give him a present-.”

“Darling.” She crouched down to her son’s height, eyes avoiding contact with his. “You’re not going to be able to see him from the window through all the people in the parade. We have to get a good seat on the rooftop walkways. Besides, you like playing on the bridges, so you get to see dad and explore the sky walk.”

The child smiled briefly before holding his book to his chest. “But how will I give this to dad? I want a hug from dad too-.”

She grabbed him, speaking quickly. “You can’t touch dad. You can’t be near anyone blue, or you’ll turn blue too.” She unclenched her hands on the child’s arms as he winced. Closing her eyes her voice dropped low and soft. “We’ll figure out how to give him your book, but you have to promise me you’ll stay near me and away from anyone blue. Deal?”

The child’s eyes dropped. “Okay. Deal.”

The women nodded. “Alright. Get your bag. We have to go.”

~{1}~

After a quick check that they only carried what was necessary they made for the roof. She walked quickly, almost dragging her son behind her, insisting they’d miss the parade to keep her son motivated and moving at pace. Halfway across a bridge he slammed into his mother. Looking up he saw her frozen in her steps, spotting an officer in a grey uniform standing on the other side of the bridge.

The man offered a tight smile. “Curfew is in effect. What might you be doing out at this hour?”

The woman opened her mouth to find no words. Her son however beamed a smile back to respond with cheer. “We’re trying to find a good spot to watch the parade!”

The officer relaxed slightly, his smile becoming looser. “Ah, I see. That’s quite patriotic of you dear boy.” His eyes shifted to the mother. “You know there’s a curfew though. You’re breaking the rules being out here. Some would find that isn’t patriotic at all.”

The boy replied without hesitation. “I haven’t seen dad for a year though since he joined the last parade. I really want to see dad.” He reached into his pocket and thrust out his book. “I want to give him this.”

The officer closed his eyes, his smile becoming genuine now. “So, your father gave himself to the state. I understand now.” He slowly approached them both, speaking to the mother again. “I must say, seeing such motivated youth is such a delight. So many parents dissuade their children from the plague parade, but this one is so determined to do his duty. It’s inspiring, truly.”

The officer stood in front of them both now, an open hand drifting forward, gesturing for the book. “Still, I have my own duty. May I?”

The mothers jaw clenched, her mind racing for a moment of what her son might’ve been drawing, anything that might cause suspicion. She forced out a word. “Naturally.”

~{2}~

The officer took the book and began to flick through it. Stopping at a page, he showed the boy a specific drawing, his father standing at a window waving goodbye and the boy himself looking sad waving as well. The officer pointed and queried. “Why were you sad on this marvellous day?”

The boy pushed his fingers together and began muddling out words. “Because he was going away. I didn’t want him to go away, but mum said he’d be back next year in the next parade, and that he had to turn blue so he could protect us.” The boy’s eyes met the officers. “I just want to hug dad again.”

The officer crouched down, eyes and smile widening. “Well, would you like to join him?”

The mother pulled her son back, speaking abruptly. “Why haven’t you joined them? Surely your admiration for the blue plague would see you apart of the parade?”

The officer stood up, smile creasing. “Because unfortunately my duties prevent such.” His eyes squinted as he leant in. “Yours, however, do not. We’ve enough farmers to feed the horde.”

The mother gripped her son with one hand while the other drifted behind her back to find the handle of a kitchen knife. The officer’s words dripped out of his mouth. “I see no issue with two more patriots joining the parade-.”

“What’s going on up here?” A voice called out. The mother relaxed somewhat as all three turned to face the patrol man walking toward them on the bridge. He nodded to the woman and child before giving a half salute to the officer. “Curfew is on. Let me escort them home.”

The officer politely raised his hand. “That won’t be necessary, these two have volunteered to join the parade. Would you mind helping me introduce these two to their new blue brothers in arms?”

~{3}~

The mother locked eyes with the patrol man, expression pleading for an escape. The patrol man winked and looked back to the officer. “I don’t mean to offend you sir, but wasting such a fine and healthy woman who could bear so many more children for the horde would be shortsighted, no? And the kid...”

The patrol man looked down, wincing for a moment. “We both know that children don’t always… take well to the plague. Why not wait until we’re sure he’ll make it through the conversion?”

The officer opened his mouth to protest only to shortly close it with a gentle nod. “Excellent points patrolman.” The officer chuckled. “I suppose sometimes we can get lost in our zeal. Stay with them and enjoy the parade. I best return to my duties.”

The patrol man smiled. “As you ask sir.”

The officer nodded before walking away. “May you all be blessed blue.”

The patrol man smiled while watching the officer leave, letting his expression fall and speaking to the mother only when the officer went around the corner. “What are you trying to do? Get yourself marked for infection? Come. Let’s get you both home. Now.”

The mother clenched, refusing to move. “We can’t go back.”

Her son looked up. “What do you mean mum?”

The patrolman sighed. He placed a hand on the mother’s shoulder and looked to the boy. “You should go stand behind that ledge. It’s the best spot to see the parade.”

The boy grinned and ran to the spot, squealing as the first bodies began to shamble in.

~{4}~

The patrol mans voice became harsh now it was out of earshot of the boy. “What the fuck are you doing. We spoke about this. Keep your head down. Keep quiet. Your husband gave up his life to join the parade so they wouldn’t suspect you. So you were seen as loyal enough to receive home schooling permits to stop them filling your boy’s head full of shit. To stop him getting himself infected and killed-.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Blurted the mother. “Look at him. He’s so excited. I’ve done everything I can, but he just wants his father. He’s starting to believe that his dad is still alive, not just a shambling corpse being used as a deterrent against invaders. He asks me every day now when he can see him again. If we don’t leave then he’ll just walk out the door into the parade one year to hold him, catch the cough and turn blue like the rest of them.”

The patrol man scanned around for anyone eavesdropping. “What’s the plan then. Wander into the wilderness until they shamble upon you, catch the cough as they wander by where you sleep in a field? You’ll die out there.”

The mother’s eyes became teary. “I know, but maybe my boy will live a little longer. Mayber he’ll get to be a boy for a few years, months, even weeks. Maybe he’ll know a life that isn’t a lie. A life that isn’t a façade of peace we hide behind to ignore this eternity of total war. To pretend the weapon that occasionally walks our streets and takes our lives so the enemy can’t doesn’t exist. We aren’t living. We’re just livestock for a machine.” She stopped, shaking her head. “I won’t let that be all he knows.”

The patrol man stood quiet for a while, looking down the side of the bridge to see blue bodies stumbling like drunks down the street. Occasionally a door opened and healthy men and woman joined the parade, expressions beaming with pride, some already starting to cough.

The patrol man looked away, taking a deep breath. His expression eventually hardened as he nodded. “Theres a ship. On pad two. Some Redren’s defected. They’ve already interrogated and infected one of them but two are still detained on the ship. Get your son and get there, no matter what. Tell them everything and convince them to take us with them. Leave if I’m not there. Do not hesitate. Understand?”

~{5}~

The mother’s eyes shot about before looking to him and nodding quickly as the words made sense. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much-.”

The patrol man ushered her to get her child. “Don’t thank me yet. We must be quick. Get your son.”

She ran to her child and began trying to convince him to leave but her son just cried out while pointing at the end of the street. “But dad! I see dad!”

The patrol man stepped forward to help the mother only to be interrupted by the officer’s voice. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

The patrol man spun on his heels only to be sent to the ground. Burning pain spread across his jaw as he blinked. As the patrol man tried to help himself up the officer brought his boot down on his hand, shattering bones within. The officer spoke over the howls of the patrol man. “Traitors like you deserve worse, but that’s ok. You can still serve, and three more in the parade is better than two.”

Lifting the patrol man he threw him over the side. Hand flailing the patrol man found the railing, holding on for dear life. The officer smirked. “Oh, you think you can fight against our mighty nation? Poison the minds of our constituents? You can watch then.”

The mother held her child close with one hand, knife in the other. The officer pulled out a stun gun. “Don’t worry. I offer you salvation from yourselves. You won’t feel a thing.”

The patrol man hung on, broken hand fumbling over his sidearm, unable to grasp the weapon. He looked down at the horde of blue beneath him, then the mother and her child. He took a few sharp breaths and let go. His good hand free it found itself on the handle of the gun. Its sights drifted over the three on the bridge. The gunshot rung out with a cloud of red as the patrol man landed amongst those turned blue.

~{6}~

The fall winded the patrol man. Instinctively taking a deep breath, he held it halfway through. Seeing a door he started to run before petering out, throwing his arms down with a shout. He felt the blue bodies brushing past his. He closed his eyes. He knew he’d be one of them soon. He looked up to see the mother looking down in horror and the boy’s eyes drifting upward to cry out. “Dad!”

The patrol man turned to see the boy’s father. He still looked mostly himself despite a year of infection, he could even mistake for a moment that it was still the man he knew as a friend despite his blue skin. The eyes though. Looking into the father’s eyes found nothing. No recognition, no agency, no life. Just another man whose biology had been so reduced in the name of combat efficiency that it was a joke to call him alive.

The boy cried out again. “Dad!” The mother held him back, the boy was waving a book at the patrol man and his father. The patrol man did his best to smile, blinking away watery eyes. “Hey kid, why don’t you throw that to me? I’ll give it to your dad. Besides if you wait any longer, you’ll miss the surprise your mom worked so hard to give you.

The boy looked down in confusion. “Surprise?”

The patrol man nodded. “Yeah. You’re going to be an astronaut kid. How exciting is that? You’re going to have to be brave though, it’ll be a big adventure. You’ll have to be strong for your mom too.” He looked to the boy’s father, then back to the boy. “How about you give me that book? I’ll show your dad and tell him all about it. Don’t worry, I’ll watch his back too, you know how he can be a little silly with too many drinks. Way he’s stumbling I think he had too many.”

The boy chuckled. He looked at his mother who held her hand out for the book. The boy handed it over and the mother dropped it to the patrol man. “Thank you. Thank you for everything. I’m so sorry it ended like-.”

The patrol man waved them off, voice breaking. “Go on. Run. You’ll miss your ship!”

~{7}~

The mother nodded and hurried the boy along. The patrol man walked beside the boy’s father with book in hand. He flicked through the pages and blurted out something between a sob and a laugh. “Oh. Oh look at this. Do you remember this?”

The patrol man showed the father the drawing. It simply continued shambling ever onward. The patrol man replied as if the father laughed. “All of us sitting at the table enjoying that meat we smuggled. Was a good night that. We were all so happy.”

The patrol man sighed and coughed. “You know I thought I was done with you when you walked into the parade. Seems I can’t get away even when your dead.”

The father did not respond. The patrol man looked at his fingertips slowly turning blue. “I guess I’ll always be stuck to you now.” He took his handcuffs, clamping one on his wrist and the other on the fathers. “No one else I’d prefer, partner. Let’s patrol for eternity.”

~{8}~