Dissidence by Jamie Canosa Read Free Book Online

that was for sure. A series of words scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
    ‘Escaped prisoner.   Considered extremely dangerous.   Orders to execute on sight have been issued.  If you see her, immediately contact your local security agency.’
    The words ran on a continuous loop, and I read them four times before I’d recovered enough to keep moving. This time I walked. My legs felt rubbery, and I was completely fatigued. Now would have been a good time to go home. All I wanted to do was shower and climb into bed, but of course, my life couldn’t be that simple.
    I’d almost reached the end of the business district when I heard a soft whimpering sound coming from the back of an alleyway. Ignoring it probably wouldn’t have won me any citizenship awards, but considering the day I’d been having, I declared myself exempt from my good deed of the day. Too bad my conscience disagreed. Consciences, who decided those were a good idea?
    The crying got a little louder as I inched my way down the dark alley. It was definitely human, not some injured animal like I’d assumed at first. Perfect, now there was no way I could walk away.
    “Hey,” I put on my best ‘let’s be friends, I’m really not a serial killer’ voice, which ended up sounding exactly like a serial killer would probably talk. “Are you okay?”
    I peered through the dark expecting to see some lost little kid. Color me stunned when the crazy chic from the T.V. came crawling out from behind some boxes. Except, she didn’t look crazy, or angry, or dangerous like the news had said. She just looked . . . scared. What was I supposed to do with that?
    ‘Call security.’ That little voice in my head was back. I couldn’t call security on her. They had orders to execute her on sight. No way was I being a part of that. I should just leave, that was the best option. Just turn around and walk away before things got out of hand. ‘What if she is dangerous? What if she hurts someone?’ The voice was becoming disgruntled and getting more difficult to ignore, but I was determined.
    I backed away, one step and then another. Whatever happened after I left wasn’t my problem. I turned to leave in earnest, but I was already too late. The mouth of the alley filled with guards, who then descended on us like a great black wave. I pressed up agains t the wall, but they paid me no attention. All of their focus was on the girl, who was now curled into a tight ball and shaking like a leaf. She was terrified and rightfully so. The guards had all drawn their weapons.
    I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t just stand there and watch it happen. That was exactly why they got away with stuff like that; because the rest of us did nothing. Before I could over think it, or maybe jus t think at all and risk changing my mind, I lunged in front of the girl.
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
    I opened my eyes to blinding whiteness. I was shot. I must have been shot, and now I was dead.
    Struggling to sit up, I took a look around. No, definitely not paradise. I was sitting on a table in a room surrounded by white. I mean the ceiling, walls, floor, table, sheets , even my clothes were all devoid of any color whatsoever. I looked at the contrast of my hands against the pure white sheets covering my body. I may not have a solid tan, but it was enough to know that there was nothing wrong with my eyes. A hospital, then? I didn’t feel any pain though, and there was only one machine in the room parked next to the bed I was lying on. I t didn’t look like any kind of medical device that I’d ever seen before. So what? Where was I? How did I get there? The last thing I remembered was . . . being on that train. The train! How could I have forgotten about that?
    A scra ping sound startled me, as a door that I hadn’t noticed inlaid in one of the walls slid open. A tall woman dressed in white scrubs strode in flanked by two guards.
    “What’s going on?” My voice sounded rusty, as thou gh I hadn’t