The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan Read Free Book Online

redhead who danced with Mellie—are still out there. Catcher wasn’t caught by the Militia. My body begins to hum and buzz with the tiniest bit of hope—he could still be alive.
    “But the real question is, what happens next?” The Chairman pauses, as if he’s an entertainer and not the man appointed by the Protectorate to lead us. “The Council has been meeting this morning. We have heard a number of suggestions, advocates for and against those standing before you.
    “You must understand that our lives are not about the individual. Our rules exist for the collective. They are about survival and safety. Millions of people have sacrificed their lives in this battle. It is our duty to honor those sacrifices. And you must know that we, as your leaders, do not take our duties lightly.”
    These are all words I’ve heard before, all warnings we’re told over and over again. So often that they lose their power. But hearing them now makes me want to grab every person in this town and force them to see what I saw. Make them watch their friends bitten and turned. Make them see that beyond the Barrier is nothing but death and pain, no matter what dreams they might have.
    He takes a deep breath, lowering his voice. Forcing us all to lean forward to hear him. “We did not come to our decision easily.”
    My entire body is numb with fear. I swallow. I don’t want to hear what he’s about to tell us but I know that not hearing won’t change anything. The Chairman has never shown mercy in the past, even on lesser infractions than these. He will take any opportunity to set an example. To prove to the Protectorate that he can be a ruthless leader worthy of promotion.
    “We have made our decision.” He pauses again.
    My eyes flick between the two cages. At the three Infected, their arms around each other, their knuckles white. At the quarantined, who stand defiantly even though their anxiety is obvious.
    “The Infected will be taken by the Militia beyond the Barrier. There is nothing we can do for them anymore. They will be given their eternal rest.”
    A woman wails and tries to run through the crowd but people hold her back. I recognize her. She’s one of the infected boys’ mothers. Her screams become muffled as her neighbors pull her away. At least she has a chance to say good-bye, I think, wishing I hadn’t run from Catcher so fast. At least her son had time to remember what it is to be alive before he’s dead.
    At least he won’t become Mudo.
    I cross my arms over my chest, trying to hold myself together. Everything feels cold. Even the heat of the sun burns like ice. I close my eyes, wondering why Cira didn’t run away with me. Wondering what punishment she will face that I may not.
    The Chairman raises his hand to his face, wipes at his eyes and for a moment I feel relief—that he’ll show leniency, that maybe this decision was too hard on him and that he and the Council will be compassionate.
    But then his voice hardens. “The others,” he says, waving at Cira and the rest in her cage. “They will be sent to the Recruiters to serve for two years, though they will not be allowed to claim the honors that come from such service. They will not be granted full citizenship, nor will they be allowed to enter any of the Protected Zones, including the Dark City. Not after their service, and not ever.”

T he crowd explodes around me. But I’m speechless. I can only stand there in shock. My legs wobble, my muscles refusing to hold me, and I sag against an older lady. She wraps an arm under my elbow.
    “You poor dear,” she says, clucking over me. “Are they friends of yours?”
    I nod. Every city and town like ours that falls under the control of the Protectorate is required to provide a quota of goods and services, including young men and women to the Recruiters, the army of the Protectorate. In return we get protection, the benefits of a unified confederacy and the ability to trade goods with other members.