CHAPTER 1
Outskirts of the District of Columbia
‘Nikki, for Christ’s sake! Can you save the water? We’ve only washed in it three times!’
‘We have washed in it three times, Ryan. We. Us. All of us. You. Me,’ she snapped. Her hands waved around furiously, swatting at the bugs nipping at her skin. ‘Three times each, which equals twelve. The water’s black.’
No one was around. Not today. Thank Christ, he thought. We’re alone today.
She continued her tirade at him. ‘The kids. It’s filthy. What do you expect from us, huh? I want our house back. I want our home back!’
Sort it out, Ryan m’boy, he thought. You’re the man. Be the man and sort the damn problem out. Her hand narrowly missed his face pulling away from her angry slap.
‘I’ve had enough,’ she screamed.
Ryan looked past the angled tent to their camp fire. His hand stretched over the Glock sitting neatly behind his belt. ‘Nikki,’ he said, and sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Where are the children?’
Nikki spun her head around. The trees were thick. The sun was setting behind the distant mountains, painting the sky in its familiar red streaks since the unfortunate explosion.
‘Where are the freaking kids?’
Her hands clasped over her mouth as their eyes scanned in their dizzying panic to the trees surrounding them.
‘James!’ Ryan called.
Nicki ran past the camp fire. ‘Katie,’ she yelled.
Ryan ran to the bordering of trees behind their camp. His hand shot up for silence as the other swung out his Glock to scan down its barrel. Nikki reached him with her wide brown eyes and her full pout against her olive skin. Her glimpse caught his as young giggles stretched across the breeze from the first lot of trees. Her dimples showed when she smiled at him, and the same breeze tussled her blonde hair growing out at the roots in dark, wild streaks.
Ryan put his finger to his lips – Shhh – and tiptoed over the dead branches and crunching leaves to the first old trees towering them. ‘I think we’ve lost them,’ he teased. ‘I guess if we’ve lost them that means we can keep the water even longer.’
Nikki walked to his side and hooked her arm around his. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.
He nipped her lips. ‘It’s hard on us all.’
The children ran from their hiding spot and attacked their father’s legs, their playful grasp threatening to topple him over, and it was then that their beautiful house just miles from the Atlantic stretched into his mind on a warm summers evening, watching the kids bomb each other in the pool.
‘Did we trick you, Daddy?’ James, the youngest asked.
Ryan crouched in front of his children. The sun was still warm outside of his mind. ‘You did,’ he smiled and pressed his palm against his son’s angled expression. ‘You know you aren’t to run into the woods. You know the dangers. I don’t think you even took your hunting knife.’
‘We’re sorry, Daddy. You and Mommy were fighting again. We just wanted you to stop.’
‘We know, young Katherine. But them’s the rules. Break them again and you will sit in the tent for the rest of the day. Now, go inside and read your book, both of you. Think about what you did.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Yes, Daddy.’
Ryan straightened beside Nikki. ‘And keep your knife close by.’ The children ran into the tent. ‘We’ve probably over stayed our time here, anyway, Nickers,’ he said.
‘They’re comfortable here,’ she whispered.
‘Too comfortable. Enough that they found it easy to run into the woods. No…we need think about our next move. We can’t
risk being caught.’
And as he said that, and the words finished forming, he looked into the bright blue sky at a thunder approaching from the east. Nikki joined his curiosity and squinted in the sunlight, waiting for the growing noise to show itself.
‘Shit,’ he whispered. ‘Get the kids.’
‘Why?’
‘Get the damn kids!’ He grabbed what was left of the water and threw it over the fire. Smoke billowed in grey wafts as the planes flew over their grassy clearing.
‘Ryan, is that the military?’ Nikki ran into the tent. She came out with a child swinging under each arm.
He grabbed their emergency pack and slung it over his back. The planes circled in the distance, directing their noses back to their position. ‘They’ve seen us! Run for the trees, we need to go. Run for the trees!’
† † † † †
Noah saw it too, only he didn’t run. He ambled on the outskirts of the town, not far from where the planes circled the trees, and continued scrounging for a solid container to hold water. His last one had broken, and when he found the clear stream of water, with nothing to hold the liquid in but his own hands, he cursed.
Nearby, an aluminium container bounced a sunbeam into his eyes, within reach without having to leave the supply for more than a few steps. He grabbed its half buried body from the dirt, brushed away the grim and admired its once shiny red and blue emblem in the circle before punching it into the stream.
The dirt ran with the water, he shook it a few more times, and once convinced he wouldn’t suffer another bout of explosive diarrhoea, Noah gulped a quick, ice cold mouthful of water down his dry throat. He sat crouched, watching the planes hover in the distance, searching for something that had caught their eye, and thought for a split second only two words…poor bastards…then he thought as he looked down to the can in his hands dribbling water, the choice of a new generation, my ass.
† † † † †
Ebony ducked for cover, but it wasn’t from the birds in the sky. She had her own problems - ones that stood in front of her, searching, trying to see where it was she threw her stash. Only she didn’t throw the real deal. The real pack was under her ass, where she squatted in the bushes scratching at her pale skin, waiting for the commando boots to pass.
‘She must have gone that way when we weren’t looking.’
‘No. I didn’t see her go anywhere down that way, I was lookin’ yer know?’
‘All the same, ain’t no FEMA potentials here. We need to make tracks before the C.O. has our tails hanging from the flag poles. We’re wasting our time.’
‘The wings in the sky are seeing different.’
The girl watched the boots shuffle in the dry dirt, only inches from where she hid. One more step into the bushes and they’d kick her, for sure, she thought. One more step and I’m screwed.
‘Doesn’t matter. They’re a few miles from here and we had our orders not to go past these perimeters. If she’s here, big whoop. I’m not missing another dinner call for some harmless kid that the Nano tech will get eventually. She’s had the flu shot now.’ The soldier chuckled.
Ebony eyed the forearm still sore from when they’d injected her. Mindfully she rubbed the swollen site and lowered her head.
‘You’re the boss.’
‘Yes I am, asshole. Now let’s move out.’
The heavy boots balanced on a sharp slither of rock, rocking over its edge on its thick military sole. She held her breath. She hovered her crouch over the bag. She waited.
‘I thought you said we needed to move.’ The second soldier yelled.
She glanced through the scrub hiding her. Through the entangled, dry branches she made out the thick uniform. The capture squad, she called them. Every time a black uniform appeared, people disappeared. She leaned forward, listening for more conversation.
‘Just a feeling. I thought I heard something…unnatural.’
‘Christ, a moment ago you were itching for dinner – now you’re talking about yin and yan.’
‘That’s ying and yang, fuckwits anonymous!’ The boots stepped heavily from the rock to the dirt. ‘You’re right. Let’s go before it starts to rain again.’
When Ebony looked back, the men were walking through to the clearing. Not far from where they came were the large fences. Steel fences, cordoned with razor wire, watch towers, planes guarding overhead, drones and everything else the government revealed for the special occasion. It was the main camp in the city, the DMZ, the District of Columbia, and it was full to the brim of innocent people who didn’t believe in immunization. Her parents were included, her sister was included, but she managed to escape.
Ebony parted the branches to watch their backs stepping down the hill to the fence.
The soldier spun around again. ‘I swear I’m hearing things. She’s still here. She’s watching us.’
Sirens rang. Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo.
‘Shit. We need to run. There’s been another break-out.’
Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo.
They ran down the hill and Ebony ran as fast as she could, ignoring the scratches and bruises against her body and the throbbing in her arm. She ran deeper into the woodlands, far, far away from those cold steel fences.
Outskirts of the District of Columbia
‘Nikki, for Christ’s sake! Can you save the water? We’ve only washed in it three times!’
‘We have washed in it three times, Ryan. We. Us. All of us. You. Me,’ she snapped. Her hands waved around furiously, swatting at the bugs nipping at her skin. ‘Three times each, which equals twelve. The water’s black.’
No one was around. Not today. Thank Christ, he thought. We’re alone today.
She continued her tirade at him. ‘The kids. It’s filthy. What do you expect from us, huh? I want our house back. I want our home back!’
Sort it out, Ryan m’boy, he thought. You’re the man. Be the man and sort the damn problem out. Her hand narrowly missed his face pulling away from her angry slap.
‘I’ve had enough,’ she screamed.
Ryan looked past the angled tent to their camp fire. His hand stretched over the Glock sitting neatly behind his belt. ‘Nikki,’ he said, and sucked in a sharp breath. ‘Where are the children?’
Nikki spun her head around. The trees were thick. The sun was setting behind the distant mountains, painting the sky in its familiar red streaks since the unfortunate explosion.
‘Where are the freaking kids?’
Her hands clasped over her mouth as their eyes scanned in their dizzying panic to the trees surrounding them.
‘James!’ Ryan called.
Nicki ran past the camp fire. ‘Katie,’ she yelled.
Ryan ran to the bordering of trees behind their camp. His hand shot up for silence as the other swung out his Glock to scan down its barrel. Nikki reached him with her wide brown eyes and her full pout against her olive skin. Her glimpse caught his as young giggles stretched across the breeze from the first lot of trees. Her dimples showed when she smiled at him, and the same breeze tussled her blonde hair growing out at the roots in dark, wild streaks.
Ryan put his finger to his lips – Shhh – and tiptoed over the dead branches and crunching leaves to the first old trees towering them. ‘I think we’ve lost them,’ he teased. ‘I guess if we’ve lost them that means we can keep the water even longer.’
Nikki walked to his side and hooked her arm around his. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.
He nipped her lips. ‘It’s hard on us all.’
The children ran from their hiding spot and attacked their father’s legs, their playful grasp threatening to topple him over, and it was then that their beautiful house just miles from the Atlantic stretched into his mind on a warm summers evening, watching the kids bomb each other in the pool.
‘Did we trick you, Daddy?’ James, the youngest asked.
Ryan crouched in front of his children. The sun was still warm outside of his mind. ‘You did,’ he smiled and pressed his palm against his son’s angled expression. ‘You know you aren’t to run into the woods. You know the dangers. I don’t think you even took your hunting knife.’
‘We’re sorry, Daddy. You and Mommy were fighting again. We just wanted you to stop.’
‘We know, young Katherine. But them’s the rules. Break them again and you will sit in the tent for the rest of the day. Now, go inside and read your book, both of you. Think about what you did.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Yes, Daddy.’
Ryan straightened beside Nikki. ‘And keep your knife close by.’ The children ran into the tent. ‘We’ve probably over stayed our time here, anyway, Nickers,’ he said.
‘They’re comfortable here,’ she whispered.
‘Too comfortable. Enough that they found it easy to run into the woods. No…we need think about our next move. We can’t
risk being caught.’
And as he said that, and the words finished forming, he looked into the bright blue sky at a thunder approaching from the east. Nikki joined his curiosity and squinted in the sunlight, waiting for the growing noise to show itself.
‘Shit,’ he whispered. ‘Get the kids.’
‘Why?’
‘Get the damn kids!’ He grabbed what was left of the water and threw it over the fire. Smoke billowed in grey wafts as the planes flew over their grassy clearing.
‘Ryan, is that the military?’ Nikki ran into the tent. She came out with a child swinging under each arm.
He grabbed their emergency pack and slung it over his back. The planes circled in the distance, directing their noses back to their position. ‘They’ve seen us! Run for the trees, we need to go. Run for the trees!’
† † † † †
Noah saw it too, only he didn’t run. He ambled on the outskirts of the town, not far from where the planes circled the trees, and continued scrounging for a solid container to hold water. His last one had broken, and when he found the clear stream of water, with nothing to hold the liquid in but his own hands, he cursed.
Nearby, an aluminium container bounced a sunbeam into his eyes, within reach without having to leave the supply for more than a few steps. He grabbed its half buried body from the dirt, brushed away the grim and admired its once shiny red and blue emblem in the circle before punching it into the stream.
The dirt ran with the water, he shook it a few more times, and once convinced he wouldn’t suffer another bout of explosive diarrhoea, Noah gulped a quick, ice cold mouthful of water down his dry throat. He sat crouched, watching the planes hover in the distance, searching for something that had caught their eye, and thought for a split second only two words…poor bastards…then he thought as he looked down to the can in his hands dribbling water, the choice of a new generation, my ass.
† † † † †
Ebony ducked for cover, but it wasn’t from the birds in the sky. She had her own problems - ones that stood in front of her, searching, trying to see where it was she threw her stash. Only she didn’t throw the real deal. The real pack was under her ass, where she squatted in the bushes scratching at her pale skin, waiting for the commando boots to pass.
‘She must have gone that way when we weren’t looking.’
‘No. I didn’t see her go anywhere down that way, I was lookin’ yer know?’
‘All the same, ain’t no FEMA potentials here. We need to make tracks before the C.O. has our tails hanging from the flag poles. We’re wasting our time.’
‘The wings in the sky are seeing different.’
The girl watched the boots shuffle in the dry dirt, only inches from where she hid. One more step into the bushes and they’d kick her, for sure, she thought. One more step and I’m screwed.
‘Doesn’t matter. They’re a few miles from here and we had our orders not to go past these perimeters. If she’s here, big whoop. I’m not missing another dinner call for some harmless kid that the Nano tech will get eventually. She’s had the flu shot now.’ The soldier chuckled.
Ebony eyed the forearm still sore from when they’d injected her. Mindfully she rubbed the swollen site and lowered her head.
‘You’re the boss.’
‘Yes I am, asshole. Now let’s move out.’
The heavy boots balanced on a sharp slither of rock, rocking over its edge on its thick military sole. She held her breath. She hovered her crouch over the bag. She waited.
‘I thought you said we needed to move.’ The second soldier yelled.
She glanced through the scrub hiding her. Through the entangled, dry branches she made out the thick uniform. The capture squad, she called them. Every time a black uniform appeared, people disappeared. She leaned forward, listening for more conversation.
‘Just a feeling. I thought I heard something…unnatural.’
‘Christ, a moment ago you were itching for dinner – now you’re talking about yin and yan.’
‘That’s ying and yang, fuckwits anonymous!’ The boots stepped heavily from the rock to the dirt. ‘You’re right. Let’s go before it starts to rain again.’
When Ebony looked back, the men were walking through to the clearing. Not far from where they came were the large fences. Steel fences, cordoned with razor wire, watch towers, planes guarding overhead, drones and everything else the government revealed for the special occasion. It was the main camp in the city, the DMZ, the District of Columbia, and it was full to the brim of innocent people who didn’t believe in immunization. Her parents were included, her sister was included, but she managed to escape.
Ebony parted the branches to watch their backs stepping down the hill to the fence.
The soldier spun around again. ‘I swear I’m hearing things. She’s still here. She’s watching us.’
Sirens rang. Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo.
‘Shit. We need to run. There’s been another break-out.’
Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo. Whooo-oooo.
They ran down the hill and Ebony ran as fast as she could, ignoring the scratches and bruises against her body and the throbbing in her arm. She ran deeper into the woodlands, far, far away from those cold steel fences.
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