Read Online Cryonic by Travis Bradberry - Free Book Online

it.”
    Alex swung the door open, and we ran for the entrance. We opened the building’s glass entrance doors and stepped outside where we were greeted by the hissing of air brakes. I grabbed Alex and pulled him over a short cement wall that ran perpendicular to the edge of the building’s façade. A large black personnel carrier climbed the curb and parked against the building’s steps. A dozen soldiers leapt from theback of the truck and sprinted toward the entrance, forming a human blockade in front of the doors.
    We hid and sat with our backs against the wall.
    â€œWe need to get out of here, now,” Alex whispered.
    â€œShouldn’t we wait until those soldiers leave?”
    â€œThey won’t. As soon as reinforcements arrive, they’ll set up a perimeter around the entire building while the hazmat crews work inside. No one gets in or out.”
    â€œAnd if they catch us?”
    â€œWe’re the exception. They’ll put us back in there until the quarantine is lifted.”
    Images of bloody teeth and fiery eyes flooded my mind. There was no way the soldiers were getting me back inside that building alive. “Well, what the hell are we gonna do? We can’t just run for it. They’ll see us.”
    With nowhere to go, we exchanged nervous glances between looks over the wall’s edge. I could hear the roar of truck engines approaching from down the block. We were sitting ducks. My newfound freedom was looking like it was going to be short-lived.
    â€œOh no, oh no, oh no.” He put his hands over his ears to drown out the sound.
    I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and peered over the wall. Two of the building’s doors popped open into the backs of the troops guarding them. Three female orderlies burst out the openings and over the fallen troops only to be tackled by the other soldiers. Groups of soldiers held each woman down. The soldiers picked the women up and carried them kicking and screaming back into the building. The women pleaded with the soldiers, pointing at the building and making biting and clawing gestures.
    â€œNow’s our chance.”
    I grabbed Alex by the collar and dragged him away from the building.
    â€œWhat’s going on?”
    â€œPeople tried to escape. Just stay low.”
    We stayed low to the ground, struggling to move quickly without drawing the soldiers’ attention. Trucks pulled up as we reached the side of the building. We stood and broke into a sprint. It was still early enough that there were few people out on the street. Still, we cut down an alley a few blocks from the building and didn’t stop running until we were a good mile away. Alex put his hands on his knees and wheezed in and out with each breath.
    â€œHere, here, put your hands behind your head. There you go, now look up at the sky—it’ll help you breathe.”
    I propped Alex up behind a dumpster and looked up and down the alley. The alley was quiet and still and there were no signs of anyone pursuing us. Even though the reeking trash was overpowering, freedom smelled sweet.

12.
    As we moved through damp alleyways and crisscrossed city blocks, I was surprised by the familiar surroundings interrupted occasionally by tall, undulating towers plated in translucent solar panels.
    â€œAre we in Harlem?”
    â€œYes, we are,” Alex answered while looking nervously behind us.
    â€œI can still recognize the place. I used to come here a lot on business. Where are we going?”
    â€œMy apartment.”
    â€œYou think it’s safe?”
    â€œBetter than staying out on the street dressed like this. We need to get you in some normal clothes. Plus, it’ll take them a while to piece together that we aren’t in the building. I know some other places we can go later on.”
    â€œWhere is your place?”
    â€œCouple more blocks. It’s over on a Hundred and Twenty-seventh.”
    The streets were bustling