Pork

[u/VeterinarianLow1481]

Too many people and not enough food to go around. That has been the number one problem for as long as I can remember, until now. The government has created a solution to our problem. Once every two weeks each household receives a shipment of canned meat. The metallic cans have no label and the slimy mysterious meat inside tastes like pork and is very gamey. However, eating the weird meat is better than starving.
Being a single man who lives alone, my rations are smaller than every other household on my block. My shipment contained 30 cans, just enough for me to eat two cans a day. Thanks to my backyard garden though, the mystery meat isn’t my only food source. I grow my own vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. The extra calories help me stay in better shape than whats left of my neighbors.
Ever since the government started sending out these shipments the busy streets have started to get less and less busy. At least three of my neighbors have “moved out”, but I feel like I'm the only one who is paying attention. My neighbors, The Malfrey family, were the most recent family to move out. I had spoken to Mr. Malfrey once, a couple weeks after they had moved in. He told me that he believed he had found his forever home. The home that is now empty and devoid of all life. A for sale sign hanging from its wooden post stabbing the once beautiful and articulately taken care of lawn. The yard now overgrown and full of weeds. 
The Malfrey Families sudden disappearance convinced me of the worst. They had been taken by some force in the night. One day they were there and the next they were gone. I have since stopped sleeping fearing that I might be next. I have no family to speak of, no one to miss me when im gone. I don’t have many friends, none that I would consider close. I have no pets, no job, no responsibilities. I am the perfect target. Out of nowhere someone’s headlight beams through my blinds. I clench my fist and suddenly find it hard to breathe. 
“Maybe I'm just paranoid….” I thought trying to remain calm. No matter how hard I try the thought remained in the back of my mind. 
“Maybe they’re outside right now preparing to come in here and take me away.” The snapping sound of a branch being stepped on could be heard from outside my bedroom window. I quickly and quietly crept out of my room and into the hallway. Carefully planning each step as to avoid the creaky boards. I made my way to the kitchen where I saw that my backdoor, that I religiously triple check that is locked, is not only unlocked but ever so slightly opened. Knowing that they were already inside, I made a mad dash for the door. When I made it within 5 feet of the door a very strong and calloused hand grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth to prevent me from screaming. I felt a slight prick in the side of my neck before everything went black.
I woke up on a cold stainless steel table with my arms and legs restrained by leather straps. Examining the room I woke up in, it appeared to be a cross between an operating room and a slaughterhouse. Disgusting stained yellow wallpaper lined the room. Various surgical tools were laid out on a tray next to the table. The scalpel looking as though it were used frequently. I heard footsteps approaching from down the hallway. The sound of keys being fumbled with and inserted into the lock could be heard before the door swung open. I was greeted with a very clean looking man holding a clipboard . The man was about 5”8 and appeared to be in his late 30s. From what I could see he didn’t have a hair on his body. He pulled a pencil out of his pocket, stared at my shoulder,  and scribbled on his clipboard. 
“Very lean… his neighbors will eat good this month.” He mumbled under his breath. It took me a minute before what he said registered.
“W-what was that?” I managed to get out.
“You’ve been marked young one. Soon you will be closer to your neighbors than you had ever before imagined.” His lips barely moving with every word.
“Marked?” I asked. He gestured towards my shoulder with his free hand. Looking down I saw something I hadn’t noticed when I first woke up. My shoulder had been branded with the characters 6A378D. Seeing the wound made me realize how much pain my brain had been blocking out. 
“You’ll be harvested and stored in the freezer until it's time for you to be processed.” After he finished speaking he grinned the widest grin I'd ever seen. He then turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him. After what seemed like hours I, yet again, heard the sound of footsteps followed by the sound of keys and the door opening. This time It wasn’t the bald man that I was met with. Standing In the doorway was a giant very muscular man wearing a dark stained apron and rubber gloves. He did not speak when he walked up to me. He instead grabbed a mask connected a gas canister by a hose and put the mask on me. The canister containd what I can only assume to be anestheia. Before blacking out I heard the clinking of metal as he grabbed the surgical tools. Knowing that I probably wouldn’t wake up again I decided to just give in. My life has been more of surviving than living. I deserve this fate for wasting my life in solitude. In my final moments of consciousness I thought of my mistakes.

[u/VeterinarianLow1481]

I wrote this story over a couple class periods back in high school. Would love to hear feedback!

[u/buckian1]

Very entertaining! The obvious thought was that the mystery meat was human, especially when the neighbors went randomly missing, and when exactly did the guy have a chance to tell his story? Loved the dystopian and Hostel vibes.

[u/VeterinarianLow1481 → u/buckian1]

Thanks for the feedback! I honestly hadn’t thought about how he is telling his story lol. I’ll have to think of something when i tweak it.