Read Online Walking Ghost Phase by D. C. Daugherty - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: D. C. Daugherty
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that resembled nothing close to caviar or wine.
The sidewalk began to disappear under a layer of undigested food as the pungent stench overpowered the fan s. Emily's eyes watered, stomach twisted; a nauseous sensation crawled up her chest.
“ Going to make it?” Matt asked, and moved behind her. “Need me to do anything?”
“ I haven't eaten in three days. Couldn't puke if I tried.”
“ Why do you think I'm still standing?”
“ If you're nervous, you had me fooled.”
Soon the last of the gagging receded below the fan's humming, and the sidewalk became vacant. Emily pushed between four girls, reclaiming her place in the new driveway line. Matt squeezed in beside her. As he stared ahead, over the heads of the shorter girls, Emily caught herself glancing at him. She'd only known him for a couple of hours, only heard him say a few words, but a nagging sensation in her stomach, an emotional twinge unlike the sickness she experienced during the pukefest, made her wonder. What real reason did Matt have to stand up for her on the transport? His excuse was downright pathetic. And the way he asked her if she knew him seemed planned. Did they know each other, even in passing? They were from the same town, after all. But she couldn't place him anywhere in her past. Now more than any time in the last three months, she despised her memory loss. Still, she tried to remember.
Then a scream in the distance broke her thoughts.
“Don't do it,” someone shouted. Emily and Matt stepped on the grass and stared up the disjointed line, where, about fifty feet ahead, the crowd swelled over the driveway and courtyard. A girl, part of the dress-wearing group Emily passed earlier, pushed through a mass of people who tried to hold her in line. She swiped at their hands, knocking down three girls, and broke free of the grips on her arms.
She sprinted toward the entrance gates. “I can't be here.” Her scream silenced the line, and in a moment of perfect unity, anyone who hadn't already noticed the commotion turned to witness the girl's dash for freedom. The tower guards also noticed; their gun barrels glistened in the sunlight.
“ No,” Emily whispered.
A voice boomed from a loudspeaker. “Return to line immediately.” But the girl pushed ahead, as if the order were meant for someone else. Her sobbing pleas grew fainter with each stride.
Gunfire crackled across the complex, and everyone ducked l ow on the driveway. Grass and mud erupted in front of the girl.
“ Warning shots,” Matt said.
The girl ignored them. She stumbled, her body wobbling, as she continued toward the gates.
“ Return to line immediately,” the loudspeaker voice boomed again. “This is your last chance to comply.”
The girl didn 't slow.
She was about fifty feet from the gates when the gu nfire rang out again. This time the guards didn't miss. Her chest exploded with blood, and her legs coiled around each other, sending her diving to the ground and sliding across the grass. She looked dead before her body came to a full stop. Emily covered her mouth and turned her head. Screams and cries filled the air. The vomiting began anew.
A young, scowling MP jogged along the grass. “Let this be a lesson for everyone. You signed over your rights the day we saved your lives. If you violate your contract, you will lose the benefits of it.”
“ I don't think they're letting us out of here knowing what we just saw,” Matt said under his breath. He didn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular, but it appeared everyone heard him.
Raven buried her head in Emily 's shoulder. “We're never going home.”
The setting sun dropped below the fence as Emily took her final breath of outside air. Sobs and whispers of a thousand voices bustled in the annex. Armed MPs patrolled the outer walls, silencing anyone they neared with their mere presence. Even the air-conditioning seemed to have little effect on calming the on-edge stomachs. Inside, however,
The sidewalk began to disappear under a layer of undigested food as the pungent stench overpowered the fan s. Emily's eyes watered, stomach twisted; a nauseous sensation crawled up her chest.
“ Going to make it?” Matt asked, and moved behind her. “Need me to do anything?”
“ I haven't eaten in three days. Couldn't puke if I tried.”
“ Why do you think I'm still standing?”
“ If you're nervous, you had me fooled.”
Soon the last of the gagging receded below the fan's humming, and the sidewalk became vacant. Emily pushed between four girls, reclaiming her place in the new driveway line. Matt squeezed in beside her. As he stared ahead, over the heads of the shorter girls, Emily caught herself glancing at him. She'd only known him for a couple of hours, only heard him say a few words, but a nagging sensation in her stomach, an emotional twinge unlike the sickness she experienced during the pukefest, made her wonder. What real reason did Matt have to stand up for her on the transport? His excuse was downright pathetic. And the way he asked her if she knew him seemed planned. Did they know each other, even in passing? They were from the same town, after all. But she couldn't place him anywhere in her past. Now more than any time in the last three months, she despised her memory loss. Still, she tried to remember.
Then a scream in the distance broke her thoughts.
“Don't do it,” someone shouted. Emily and Matt stepped on the grass and stared up the disjointed line, where, about fifty feet ahead, the crowd swelled over the driveway and courtyard. A girl, part of the dress-wearing group Emily passed earlier, pushed through a mass of people who tried to hold her in line. She swiped at their hands, knocking down three girls, and broke free of the grips on her arms.
She sprinted toward the entrance gates. “I can't be here.” Her scream silenced the line, and in a moment of perfect unity, anyone who hadn't already noticed the commotion turned to witness the girl's dash for freedom. The tower guards also noticed; their gun barrels glistened in the sunlight.
“ No,” Emily whispered.
A voice boomed from a loudspeaker. “Return to line immediately.” But the girl pushed ahead, as if the order were meant for someone else. Her sobbing pleas grew fainter with each stride.
Gunfire crackled across the complex, and everyone ducked l ow on the driveway. Grass and mud erupted in front of the girl.
“ Warning shots,” Matt said.
The girl ignored them. She stumbled, her body wobbling, as she continued toward the gates.
“ Return to line immediately,” the loudspeaker voice boomed again. “This is your last chance to comply.”
The girl didn 't slow.
She was about fifty feet from the gates when the gu nfire rang out again. This time the guards didn't miss. Her chest exploded with blood, and her legs coiled around each other, sending her diving to the ground and sliding across the grass. She looked dead before her body came to a full stop. Emily covered her mouth and turned her head. Screams and cries filled the air. The vomiting began anew.
A young, scowling MP jogged along the grass. “Let this be a lesson for everyone. You signed over your rights the day we saved your lives. If you violate your contract, you will lose the benefits of it.”
“ I don't think they're letting us out of here knowing what we just saw,” Matt said under his breath. He didn't seem to be speaking to anyone in particular, but it appeared everyone heard him.
Raven buried her head in Emily 's shoulder. “We're never going home.”
The setting sun dropped below the fence as Emily took her final breath of outside air. Sobs and whispers of a thousand voices bustled in the annex. Armed MPs patrolled the outer walls, silencing anyone they neared with their mere presence. Even the air-conditioning seemed to have little effect on calming the on-edge stomachs. Inside, however,
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