In yesterday's episode Adam began a journey into what could be a new life. Along the way he met Bear who has agreed to be his traveling companion on this trip to Ikeda’s camp at the base of Bell rock.
Before Adam leaves the city there is one last hurdle to overcome. There is one final test to prove to the universe just how serious he is about this major shift in his life. Will he succeed?
Welcome to today's episode of Alarm Clock Dawn, I hope you enjoy.
Adam said nothing and continued walking as they approached the outermost edge of the city's Safe Zone. It had been years since he had been this far away from the city's center. Although the weather had been kind so far today, there were never any guarantees of how long the calm weather would last. They approached the large signs that reminded them of the danger. “Warning: Travel Beyond This Point At Your Own Risk!”
This was the point where access to the enclosed skyways and concrete tunnels stopped, as did their protection from the volatile and deadly storms.
It used to be that people would scan their C.ID cards when they left the city limits and would be asked by notoriously lax guards the reason they were leaving. Most were just short day trippers who planned to return in just a few hours. This way if consumers were caught in a storm and went missing, the authorities would have some kind of lead. Lately, very few people had the courage to cross this line, but in these desperate and extreme times, those who did usually had no intention of ever coming back.
Adam held his breath and tried his best to remain calm as he realized they would need to get past the guards at the gate's checkpoint. As if that wasn't enough of a worry, the police helicopter began to hover right above them.
“I do believe they're looking for someone,” Bear said, looking up at the chopper. Bear slung his heavy arm over Adam's shoulder, almost totally obscuring him from view, and the two continued walking. A few seconds later the helicopter broke its hover. As soon as it sped off and disappeared over the horizon, Bear removed his arm and rested his hulking hand on Adam's shoulder.
“Okay, I have to ask. Are you the one they’re looking for?” Bear was more than smart enough to read the clues.
“I-I-I think so,” Adam answered quietly. “You s-see—”
“Never mind. I don’t want to know. It's none of my business!” Bear held up his hand as if he didn’t want to become entangled in another person’s troubles.
As they approached the Safe Zone checkpoint, a lump formed in Adam’s throat. The border guards had the power to arrest and jail anyone on mere suspicion, and not having a C.ID card to scan would likely complicate things.
“Shit. Bear, I don't have my C.ID card,” Adam confessed.
Bear paused for a moment. “Neither do I, but I obviously don't look like I should have one. You do, though, and that could raise suspicion. Drop back and let me go first. Just calmly tell them you forgot it.”
Even though it already felt like it happened lifetimes ago, the scene of the XenTek gaurds mowing Marcus down in a hail of bullets made him shiver.
Bear walked up to the small concrete booth the checkpoint. As he suspected the spindly and bookish looking guard looked up from his monitor and waved Bear right through. As Adam approached, he noticed the guard's uniform was neatly pressed and his face was so cleanly shaven it shined under the lights. He wore the stoic expression of someone who took himself—and his job—way too seriously.
“Please scan your C.ID card,” the guard commanded, not even trying to hide his annoyance.“What, may I ask, is your reason for leaving the city today?”
“Oh, I'm just going to enjoy this amazing weather and go for a short walk,” Adam said as he went through the motions of digging in his pockets for the C.ID card that he knew he didn’t have.
“Oh, where in the world? Come on! I can't believe this. I must’ve left my card in my other jacket,” Adam said, somehow managing what he felt was a semi-believable laugh.
This only further irritated the guard. He let out a long sigh, squinted to study Adam's face, and got down from his stool to reach for a clipboard hanging on the wall. He slapped the clipboard down loudly on the desk in front of Adam. “Just sign in then.”
As Adam began to scribble out a false name—Alfred Stevens—he could feel the guard’s scrutinizing stare starting to bear down on him.
The guard looked down at the clipboard. “Mr. Stevens, you look very familiar. Have you come through here in the past few days?”
“N-n-no.” Dammit, this is not the time to stutter and bring attention to myself.
“Wait! I know who you are—”
The guard didn't even finish his sentence before a massive rush of adrenaline was dumped into Adam's veins.
He panicked and broke off into a sprint towards the gate that led out of the city.
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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