Pax Pacis: A Dystopian Shortstory

Occurrentes

Ch. 4

I stand in line at the Desumo, one after the other every seventeen year old girl in Mundus stood together, alphabetized by last name, waiting to be chosen. I heard my name called near the beginning of the ceremony. Looking up I saw both Zane and Payce standing at the alter. They had chosen me in unison. 

I took each step slowly walking toward the center of the Edificium gathering room, watching my fate be decided for me. Then suddenly, I heard a loud bang. The sound reminded me of a gun shot and reverberated all through the chamber. I looked up, tears streaming down his face I watched Zane fall, blood pouring down his chest from a bullet wound. I froze in shock and looked at Payce expecting to see the gun in his hand. But to my pleasure and dismay, his hands were empty too, eyes wide. Bang, Another gun shot and Payce too fell to the ground. I looked around for the culprit, then I realized, I held the gun. 

****

"Wake up! It's time to go!" Hands wrapped around my shoulders and hoisted me out of bed. "When did you gain so much weight?! Letsssss goooo!" I blinked a few more times to clear my head and saw Eavan in my house rummaging around looking for something. Probably my other shoe that I now realized was missing from my foot.

I stood up trying to orient myself and remember what she was talking about. I was also trying to wash the image of the boys deaths' at my hand, from my mind. "A little help Ethne? Jeez. What is with you?! Come on! A cute boy awaits!" She dragged me to the door and I tripped over something under the rug. I reached down and lifted the rug up: my other shoe. Quickly I leaned on the kitchen table and shoved my feet into my canvas shoes.

"I had....a dream." 

"That's expected since you slept all afternoon! Come on! We are running late!" She slammed open the door and hit the gravel outside with more speed and energy then I had ever seen from her blond ditzy self. 

Eavan led the way until we reached the barrier between the Outer Division and the Technology Division. "Are you going to tell me what your plan is to get around them or are you just going to let me run out in front of these Contego members to my death?" 

I roll my eyes at her over dramatized expression and stepped in front of her, making sure that I stayed concealed in the shadows. The brisk nighttime walk had reminded me of my task and of the fact that we were about to go to a secret meeting that could very well get us killed. I tried not to think too much about the consequences and focus more on getting there first. 

Tonight the patrols were made up of three Contego men and four Presdillas. These lizard like creatures were, like the Gandras, created by the Pax Pacis to teach us a lesson. They speak of peace but in the beginning they used genetically enhanced humans to show us what would happen if we betrayed protocol. Depending on the severity of the crime depended on what creature serum you would be injected with. To think that these creature that prowled the streets at night were once humans, gives me chills. It is things like that, unfair and inhumane rituals like these that make me want to join the Insurgo. 

I waited until the Contego guards and the Presdillas were facing the other direction and, grabbing onto Eavans hand so that she would know to follow me, ran across to the bridge toward the agriculture division and away from the technology district. 

Eavan and I made it to the bridge without much trouble. The Presdillas rely more on their sense of smell and are almost completely deaf making it easier for the pitter patter of our feet to be ignored as long as we stayed quiet. My biggest fear is that they will pick up on Eavans overly strong perfume before we get far enough away for the wind to blow it away. 

"What are-" I put my hand over her mouth before she could ask me about the lizard species patrolling the area. She did not pay attention in our creature history class in grade school. The only thing she ever paid attention to it seems, is the back of Tarrences head and the doodles in her notebook.