My heart races as I close the heavy, iron door. The sound echoes throughout the room and I hope with all my heart that the acoustic panels I spent thousands on worked. I sit softly on the floor and make sure to pat at the blanket. The panels, iron walls and dirt should block out all of the sound from anyone.

I slowly take a deep breathe, trying to make my heart steady, and sing the first line,

“Silent Night,” I hold my breathe and wait. No sirens, no yelling, nothing banging against the door. I smile softly and scramble to set up the little tree I had crafted and smuggled down here. I turn the tiny lights on and sit back once again, proud of my tiny christmas tree.

“Holy Night,” I sing again quietly. I stop once more to listen, being more confident now that I thought they weren’t coming.

 “All is calm, all is bright,” 

“Round yon virgin, mother and child,”

“Holy infant so, tin-“ I stop as I hear a noise, hair standing on the back of my neck. I wait for a second and nothing happens. My eye starts to grow fuzzy and I blink, sighing at the black dot. Ever since 2078, children had been born with a coming and going black dot in their right eye. Every single child.

The stinging stops and the black dot sits there. I decide to ignore it and continue.

“Holy infant so, tinder and mild,” My smile starts to grow, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I haven’t smiled in years. Happiness had been outlawed before The Cruel One took over. He said happiness made us weak. Birthdays, holidays, even jokes had been outlawed for the past 100 years.

“Sleep in heavenly peace,” Now that I was a grown man, I wanted to sing a simple christmas song. I sigh as I finish the first verse, unfolding the paper in my pocket and looking at the second. It took me way too long and too many bribes and favors to get ahold of this information.

“Silent night, holy night,”

“Sheperds quake, at the sight,” My eye starts to burn again, and so I press my palm into it. Thumping sounds from above and I freeze, turning to look at the door. It sounds like the guards had found me, but I couldn’t tell. I stay silent for another minute when I jump. Someone threw themselves against the iron door. I scramble to my feet, keeping myself quiet.

They throw themselves again and my hand slaps up to cover my mouth, trying to make myself smaller in the corner. The door comes flying down and a guard grabs me, his glowing high tech vest glowing in my dark hole. His grib on my arm hurt and I cry out, being drug up four flights of stairs. We finally reach the surface and I see all the different guard cars, my neighbors trying to see quickly.

The guard escorted me to their prison van, and secures me in there. Another man hops on with me, and we start heading off.

“How did you find me? I dug four stories under ground.” The man just laughed, turning his head down cause it’s so funny.

“You ever wonder what that black dot is?” I nod my head before I can stop myself, wanting to know things that most people don’t know.

“It’s a camera. We saw you missing and tapped into it.” I look at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say.

“Camera?” 

“How do you think we find every single person who smiles?” The man stands up, producing a needle from his pocket. He walks over to me and I start to struggle trying to plead with the man.

“I hope you have a good heart attack and a very, Silent Night.”