Growing up in the District 1

The faint sound of fluid being released woke him. Newly formed lungs expanded and deflated, taking their first deep breath. His brain started functioning, synapses fired.  Dormant muscles came alive and flexed underneath his shiny carapace. He took another breath. His legs and arms moved outward only to bump into soft, squishy walls all around. He halted his actions. Very slowly, an orange eye peeked open followed by a second.

It was dark but a faint light managed to light up the cramped area. His pupils adjusted and cleared. He tried again to move but the brown walls were hugging him tightly. Another breath made its way into his lungs. Antennas twitched, breaking through a clear membrane like sheath that lined them. A squeak escaped his throat but would remain unanswered. He was alone.

Whatever small amount of air he had was running out, for every breath he took, the walls around his face moved in closer. He began to panic, tossing his small frame from side to side in the narrow area. His feet searched for sturdy footing but every kick would get him nowhere, always landing in sloppy wetness. Instead, he used his head to push upwards on this warm prison he was trapped in. He jerked his head backwards and arched his back. This action was followed by another wet, liquid filled sound, and a release from the embryonic sac. He remained still for a few seconds and when no fresh air met his mouth he bucked back again, harder this time, slightly pushing the thick outer skin of the walls open.

He pushed out with his arms making a few more centimeters of room for his body. The effort made him  call out another squeak, letting precious air out of his already hungry lungs. Bucking and arching his back again he could hear small snaps and moans emitting from the walls as the skin was stretched past its limits. Still, no air flow was felt. Now a more crippling panic set in as his lungs forced him to take another deep breath and a rush of liquid filled his airways. He choked and gagged up the offensive juices, but every time he spat fluid up, more would enter in. He was drowning in the same vessel meant to keep him alive for the past 3 months.

Adrenaline poured into his bloodstream. His instincts kicked in and the will to survive sprang forward like an enraged beast. Kicking, thrashing and biting, the tiny being fought with all his remaining strength against the trap.  One foot suddenly caught hold of a hard object. He used this to his advantage and placing both feet firmly against whatever it was inside the area with him, he pushed with his legs upward.

There was a ripping noise and out into the cool night air, popped the infant head of a poleepkwa. Fresh, inviting oxygen wafted up to meet his face. Immediately he spewed forth the embryonic fluid trapped within his lungs and took in a ragged breath of air. He was in the clear. For fifteen minutes or more only his head stuck out from the top of the egg. The struggle had drained him of his energy. He rested peacefully, eyes shut and antennas waving in the breeze. Eventually his eyes opened and gazed up into a dark sky ablaze with stars.  To the left of his vision, a bright shinning orb shed soft light onto his face. He was actually looking through a slotted grate that had been placed over top of the egg to protect it from outside influences. This world was strange and bizarre to him, and much colder than the womb he broke free of.

He looked all around and realized that his body was still enveloped inside his egg. He brought his hands and arms up under his chin with the new found strength he had and pushed his fingers through the seam he had opened. The top of the egg split open. Suddenly, his chest and torso were no longer supported and he fell backwards slightly, hanging out of the egg at a forty-five degree angle. He growled, finding this position most uncomfortable. He grabbed either side of the split in an attempt to pull himself up when he felt movement by his feet, still trapped deep inside his egg.
He halted. Listened. He wasn't sure if it really was something moving or just the contents of the afterbirth shifting. He craned his neck and turned his head so that his right ear was closest to his feet. When he listened hard enough, he could make out small gurgles and clicks. He tenderly pushed on the hard object he had used moments before to make his escape.

The quietness of the night was broken by the shrill squeaks and shrieks of the infant poleepkwa, for the moment he pushed on the unknown mound, it pushed back. Now he was thrashing and kicking, rocking the egg back and forth on its foundation in an attempt to get away from the unseen thing beneath him. His wails continued until he pushed the egg so far that it fell onto its side, unhooking itself from the feeding device and spilling the fluid filled contents all over the dusty ground.

The poleepkwa flopped out onto his belly where he then crawled forward so quickly and blindly that he bumped his tendrils into something rough and cold.  His tiny little hands felt their way in the darkness and pulled him up to his knees as he scooted into a corner, breathing heavily. He turned, placing his back on a cool stone wall and stared back at the egg that now lay on its side. It no longer made noise. It didn't even move an inch as he gawked at it in the darkness. Its black outline sat still and lifeless  before him. Now he wondered if the movement was simply a figment of his young mind overreacting to something harmless. But as he sat and stared, the light from the full moon overhead illuminated the ground. His eyes took in all the light they could and soon  he was able to make out a shape in the overturned egg. Small as it was, it was getting easier and easier to see. It was light colored and unmoving, dead looking even.

The baby poleepkwa kept his eyes on the object until his eyelids felt heavy with sleep. Right before he closed his eyes he thought to himself how much he hated this darkness. Despite being a bit frightened, he pulled his legs underneath his chin as he drifted into unconsciousness.