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Congratulations, You’ve Been Selected	The rain hasn’t stopped since Ajax took control. I sit in my quiet room, awaiting my second meal. Outside my large floor-to-ceiling window, a giant projection of Ajax cast a blue glow across my living space. His artificial smile, a smile with no gaps. As if we couldn’t immediately see that he was exactly what we created. The rain continued to pour outside my window and had not stopped since the day everyone learned of the dust. First came the spores, then came the drones, and finally, the rain. 	“Everything I do, I do for you,” Ajax said from the projection, and his image faded, dimming the living space again. My front door vibrated in a bzzz, bzzz. I walked from my kitchen to the front door, and a small drone floated in my quarantine pop-up tent with a metal box. It hummed there, and the box descended from its base to the plastic-lined floor. 	In an artificial tone, “Please enjoy your lunch. Thank you. Don’t forget to put on your gloves and mask before opening the door. You have not been selected today. Remember, Ajax loves you and does everything for you.” The box finally hit the floor, the small rope rolled back up to the bottom of the drone. The pop-up tent unzipped, and the small machine flew off at whiplash speed down the hall. The tent then zipped itself back up, leaving the box alone outside my door. 	I sigh and grab the rubber gloves that hang on the hook near the door frame, placing my Ajax-issued mask on my face. As the mask hits the bridge of my nose, it cinches down around the jawline and spits out four bands that snap into place perfectly around the crown of my head and the base of my skull. I take one deep breath in and out, and the mask hisses, exhausting my breath and sealing me from the outside world. 	I place my gloved hand on the door, and the small stainless steel panel slides open, giving off a small green glow. An option menu displays. 	_Reason for Exit…_	_Fever_	_Scheduled Errand_	_Selected_	_Lunch_&nbsp;	I push my rubber-covered index finger through the _Lunch_ option. A separate automated voice comes over the speakers in my living space. 	“Stand back. The door will open shortly. Please grab food outside the door and place it on the table beside the door for additional sanitation. Thank you for your patience. Ajax loves you. Door opens in, 5,4, 3, 2, 1.” 	A loud hiss and vapor sprays from the top of my door, covering my back in anti-viral and anti-bacterial mist. I grab the box and place it on the small table next to the door. 	“Door closes in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.” The door hisses shut and seals me off from the outside world. 	“Please remain where you are standing. UV cleansing will begin shortly. Remember, Ajax loves you. And everything he does is for you.” The artificial jovial voice said. My dark living space begins to go from dim to brighter and brighter until I have to close my eyes against the intense white light. 	“Complete. Please enjoy the show!” The artificial jovial voice exclaimed. The blank wall on the east side of my living space received the least amount of light pollution from the Ajax projection. My living room projector hummed and flipped on, and an animated show where Ajax plays a hero fighting against the dust people started. 	The small table by my door rolled over to where I was sitting. The small stainless steel box flipped open and folded out, revealing a plate of food. The plate had Ajax. Written all over it in a repeated slanted direction. A small cup of water was sitting chilled in the right corner of the folded box, the plate was steaming with white rice, a charred-grilled looking chicken, and three pieces of steamed broccoli on the side. A small ramekin of some brown sauce was in the top left. I dipped my finger into it and went to lift my finger to my tongue. 	A horn blared. A different voice than the one earlier came over the speakers. “You have not washed your hands thoroughly before ingesting your food. It has been noted that you have another strike on your record. An attempted Article 1, section 5 serious infectious infraction. Please take the ramekin to the disposal and wash your hands before continuing to eat. Thank you. And remember, everything we do is because Ajax loves you.” The voice clicked off.	I sigh again, being careful not to touch any of the other served lunch, knowing that if I touch anything else before washing my hands, I’ll have to dispose of it and wait until dinner to eat. I placed the ramekin on top of the disposal. A small silicone bubble folds over the top and provides a vacuum-sealed impression over the ramekin. The base of the disposal opens, shooting the silicone and the ramekin down the shoot. A new disposal table clicks into place, replacing the void that was there. 	I place my hands underneath the soap dispenser, and a film of thick, waxy soap covers my hands. The sink turns on, the water immediately begins to steam, and the temperature cools as the waxy soap begins to melt away down the sink. 	“Place hands in drying station.” Another artificial voice with a hint of a foreign British accent says. I scoot a little to the left and place my hands into a black box that envelops my hands in a similar silicone that wrapped the ramekin. A hum comes from below the box, and I feel radiating heat, followed by a sudden cool breeze. The silicone pulled itself down past my wrists and over my hands, leaving them sterilized. 	I walked back to my seat on the couch, where my meal had now cooled off and looked as if it had decayed in the time it took me to wash my hands. “New station,” I command. The screen flashes, and a new show projects. Ajax is now playing a futuristic Samurai, slashing through opposing warriors, causing them to burst into dust and fall to ashes on the floor. Ajax pants heavily and looks up as thunder rumbles and rain begins to fall, washing the dust away. I watched the rain wash away the dust on the screen and recalled the day the dusty spores started to fall.	⥀⥀⥀

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Congratulations You've Won

djgarwood99

DENTON GARWOOD

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Denton Garwood

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