The Elect: Malevolent, a Dystopian Novel by Tamryn Ward Read Free Book Online

As the other kids join us, my eyes gradually adjust.
    The woman says in a hushed voice, “Because of the danger, we travel by foot. At night. Without aid of any navigation devices. Moving from one safe house to another. Danger is all around us. The enemy is everywhere. Protecting the location of all safe houses is our first priority. Always. This is why anyone who does not, or cannot, keep up will be left behind. No matter what.” The woman swings her arm. “My name is Claire. And so begins your initiation. Follow me.”
    Claire sprints away.

Chapter 6
    Since finding out about the Elect I had tried to imagine what it would be like working for our government. Thanks to all the reading I did growing up, I have an active imagination. But never did I imagine myself running down narrow streets in the middle of a spring night, bare tree branches arching over my head like giant skeletal hands.
    Neither did I expect to be so well-equipped for the challenge. I wasn’t the best student. To be honest, I didn’t really care about school. But being the daughter of a hick meant I regularly traveled by foot or bicycle. And it seems that is working to my benefit. Even though I’m not dressed to run--I’m still wearing my school dress--I match Claire stride for stride as we travel down the road. All the others straggle far behind us. In the dark I can’t tell if we’ve lost anyone yet, but I suspect we might have.
    We run for miles. My feet pound against broken concrete and gravel and dirt. We pass ruins of massive homes, abandoned towns, and miles of wilderness. And after each step I tell myself the next one will be my last.
    My legs burn. My feet ache. My shoes have rubbed blisters on my heels. My lungs are on fire. Still I don’t slow down. I force myself to take one more step, only one more. And though I don’t look back, I wonder if anyone is keeping pace with us. Outside of the steady thump of our footsteps, the world around us is silent.
    Will we ever stop?
    Can I make it one more step?
    At last, after hours of running, we stop.
    We stop.
    I’ve made it!
    I bend at the waist and heave. Nothing comes up. A hand rests on my back as I struggle to fill my lungs with air. When I look up, my watery eyes meet dark brown eyes full of respect.
    “You did very well,” Claire says. “This way.” She leads me off the road and over a small hill. I hobble after her on bloody feet. Then she stomps on the ground. A trap door lifts, revealing yet another staircase descending into the earth. She motions me down but doesn’t follow.
    The door at the bottom hangs open. I step through, entering a well-lit open area. A person applauds as I enter. It’s the boy from yesterday, the one with the beautiful face. His smile makes my chest hurt even more.
    “You broke my record,” he says. “Congratulations.”
    His record for what?
    “Yours is the fastest time of any initiate so far. You beat my record by almost a full minute,” he explains. “I’m Jay.”
    Jay. His name is Jay.
    And I beat his record?
    My time is the fastest? Ever?
    I feel my face flush. Maybe I’m more suited to this job than I thought. Maybe I will be a real asset to the agency. Maybe I didn’t make the worst mistake of my life.
    Jay hands me a cup. “Here. You need this.”
    Our fingers briefly touch as I accept it. A little burst of heat radiates through my body. He is so beautiful. I can’t stop looking at him. I know I should. I owe it to Sam…or do I?
    Yes, or course I do.
    Then again, I doubt I’ll ever see Sam again.
    “Thanks,” I say. I lift the cup to my mouth and drink. Ice cold water. So good. The cup is empty before he blinks once.
    He chuckles. “I see you don’t just run fast.”
    I made him laugh. Me. My face gets hotter. He’s laughing at me. “That was a long run,” I tell him.
    “Yes, I remember. The first one is tough, but nothing like the next one.”
    I wasn’t ready to hear that. I swallow a gulp of air and nod. Behind me, I hear