Part I: The Selected
1
At six on the dot, the gloved
cellular let out a piercing ring. A timer turned on, ticking down with each
buzz. E wouldn’t have long to remain idle. The entire pod apartment vibrated,
and his capsule bed slid open. The white ceiling drew his attention, the walls
devoid of color, a minimalist’s fantasy—nothing like a home.
Shades of the dream from last
night still lingered. His knuckles painted with blood as he beat a shadow. The
voice of the shadow belonging to a ten-year-old boy. The boy’s cries stabbing
E’s ears. He shook that dream away.
He removed the intravenous
tube that connected him to his bed and switched off the cooling mist which
allowed him to slumber for days. He stretched his old bones, his hair standing
up in a state of white shock like it had since he was a young man. Swinging his
thick legs over the side of the bed, he yawned at the morning before finally
answering his cell.
“I’ll be right there,” he
coughed into the digital eye on his gloved palm.
He removed the glove and
pushed a button on the side of the bed. Doors opening along the wall revealed a
sliver of a kitchen with a piping pot of subpar and gritty coffee brewing on
the counter— the best offered to the Scouts— and two sizzling poached eggs from
a suspect source. He scarfed down the eggs and pushed another button to raise
the shades along the lone wall facing east. The heart of The City hovered in
the near distance, its new buildings staggering on one end like giant colorful
stalagmites. Sipping his black coffee, he watched it in motion as he did every
morning.
Between the Scouts and the
rest of The City lay a half a mile of ice water. The City was made up of many
Regions, his situated on the outskirts. Sometimes he wondered what it would be
like to fall into those frosty waters and drift off to wherever it might choose
to take him, no longer having to shuttle between The City and the faraway
Outside World anymore. But instead of a dramatic suicide, he suited up and
headed through the tunnel with a suitcase in hand like he had for twenty years.
He’d convinced himself long ago that living here was better than rotting in
prison like he would’ve been if they hadn’t selected him. At least he was still
able to get lost in a bottle of whiskey or feel the sun against his cheek
during
the few instances it was
allowed to peek through the chronic clouds. Even though The City was far from
ideal, the Outside World remained definitely worse. It reminded him too often
of the man he used to be and of the terrible sins he’d committed. These
thoughts returned at the beginning of every week while he geared up for another
one, as he wondered if one day the Man in the Eye might give him a promotion
and he wouldn’t have to be a Scout anymore.
That way, he’d never have to
return to the Outside World.
Then, he could possibly be at peace, like all The City’s inhabitants wished.
this is an intriguing concept and i cant wait to read i t!
ReplyDeleteInteresting cover! It sets the tone for the book.
ReplyDeleteLee Matthew Goldberg is a new author to me. All the great books of his on Goodreads. Where has he been all my life?
ReplyDelete