Chapter 2
1534 Words
Chapter Two
The scent of stale vegetables filled Nola’s room when her lights flickered on the next morning. A faint beeping came before the computerized voice that said, “Reminder: today is Charity Day. Please dress in uniform, remember sun protection, pack I-Vent…”
“Yeah, yeah.” Nola rubbed her eyes.
“Remember,” the computer continued, “charity must be done to ease the suffering of those on the outside, but protecting yourself means the salvation of mankind.”
“I said, I got it!” Nola tossed her shoe at the wall.
Her mother’s bedroom door was open, and the kitchen was empty. “Have fun at your conference, Mom,” Nola muttered to the empty house as she ran out the door.
It was easier to go through the tunnels in the morning, when she knew sunlight filled the domes above, but still, Nola walked as quickly as she could without being glared at by the people she passed.
The bus into the city would leave from the atrium, the only place in the domes with an exit to the outside world. Five-minute walk underground, then in the outside for four hours, then class, then to the greenhouses. Nola made the list in her mind.
Not too bad. I can get through today.
“Nola!” a voice called from behind her.
Nola slowed her step without looking back.
A moment later, Jeremy walked at her side.
“You ready for this?” Jeremy’s voice bounced with excitement.
“Yep.” Nola held up her wide brim hat and gloves before patting the I-Vent in her back pocket. “Ready for a trip into the dangerous world. How could I not be with PAM’s help this morning?”
“So, your computer got a little snarky with you, too?” Jeremy smiled. “I love how it gives us the 'greater good' speech before we go out and try to help people.”
Nola shrugged. She wanted to say, How much good do you think doling out one meal a month to the people we deem worthy of our assistance really does? But Jeremy looked so hopeful she couldn’t bear to disillusion him before they had to look the outsiders in the face.
“If we get on the bus soon enough, we can call the good jobs.” Jeremy took her hand and pulled her, running down the corridor.
Nola laughed as she tried to keep up, her voice echoing through the hall. People turned to stare at them, but that only made Jeremy run faster.
Nola’s step faltered as she tried to keep up with Jeremy’s much longer stride. She laughed through her panting breath as they rounded a corner and darted past a group of their classmates.
“Last one to the bus scrubs the pans!” Jeremy shouted.
The green bus waited for them in the atrium. Mr. Pillion shook his head but didn’t bother hiding his smile as they skidded to a stop in front of the bus.
“Morning.” Nola pinched the stitch in her side.
“Good morning, Magnolia. Jeremy.” Mr. Pillion’s puffy white hair bounced as he nodded.
Nola bit her lip. He always reminded her of one of the snowy white sheep from the Farm Dome. Images of the farm workers sheering Mr. Pillion’s hair floated through her mind.
“I’d like to take ladle duty.” Jeremy turned to Nola.
Nola didn’t really care what job she had. Being out there and seeing the outsiders was terrible. Did it really matter if she scrubbed pans, too? But Jeremy stared at her, eyebrows raised.
“Ladle for me, too, please,” Nola said.
Jeremy smiled and moved to pull Nola onto the bus.
“Wait,” Mr. Pillion said, holding out a hand. “One dose each from the I-Vent before we get on the bus.”
“But we don’t use them till we’re on the road,” Nola said.
The I-Vents cleared their lungs of the smog that hung heavy over the city. There was no reason to use them in the pure air of the domes.
“There was a riot last night.” Mr Pillion’s usually cheerful face darkened. “There’s still smoke in the air, so we need to be more cautious.”
Nola pulled the I-Vent from her back pocket. Holding the metal cylinder to her lips, she took one deep breath, letting the vapor pour over her tongue. The medicine tasted metallic and foul. She shivered as the mist chilled her throat. Nola pictured the drugs working. Finding all of the impurities in her lungs and rooting them out. Forming a protective layer to keep the toxins from seeping deep into the tissue.
“Good.” Mr. Pillion nodded, lowering his arm and allowing them onto the bus.
A line of other students had formed behind them now.
“Everyone. One puff of the I-Vent before you can get on the bus,” Mr. Pillion called to the crowd. “No, Nikki, you cannot get on the bus without your hat.”
“That girl is going to fail again this year,” Jeremy whispered as a girl with bright blond hair ran back to the tunnels.
A few of their classmates had beaten them onto the bus. Their class was for ages fifteen through eighteen. Some aged into the next group before others, but really they had been together since they were little, the younger ones rejoining the older ones when they moved to the next age level. They had all split into groups of friends years ago, and nothing had changed besides their heights. Until Kieran left.
“Nola,” Jeremy said, offering Nola the seat next to his.
She should be sitting next to Kieran.
If he were still here.
Lilly, Nikki’s best friend, raised an eyebrow and tilted her head toward the open seat next to her.
“Sure.” Nola smiled at Jeremy.
Lilly winked, giving Nola a sly grin before turning back to her book.
Nola sat down next to Jeremy. He leaned casually against the wire-laced window, watching the other students loading onto the bus. Nola’s chest hummed. She kept her gaze on her hands, afraid Jeremy would hear her heart racing. How could he look so calm and handsome when they were about to leave the domes?
“Everyone ready?” Mr. Pillion asked.
“Yes, sir,” the class chorused.
“Good.” Mr. Pillion took his seat. Eight guards in full riot gear loaded onto the bus, sitting up front by the door.
“Umm, Mr. Pillion,” Lilly said, “are you sure we should be going out there if we need eight guards?”
They always had guards when they went out for Charity Day. But usually only four, and never in full riot gear.
“We cannot allow the unfortunate actions of a few to dissuade us from helping the many,” Mr. Pillion said as the bus pulled up to the giant, metal bay doors. “We must show the population we are here to assist and protect them as long as they remain law-abiding citizens. I promise you we have done everything possible to ensure your safety.”
A low rumble shook the bus roof as the atrium ventilation system prepared for the bay doors to open. Nola’s ears popped as a whoosh flowed through the bus. She pinched her nose and pushed air into her ears along with the rest of the class.
The metal door scraped open, and unfiltered sunlight poured in. Guards in uniforms and masks stood at attention outside the dome doors, their gaze sweeping the horizon for unseen threats.
“What happened last night?” Nola whispered to Jeremy.
“A bunch of Vampers,” Jeremy muttered. The people in the seats around them leaned in. “They’re ridiculous. They take a bunch of drugs that make them crazy then cause trouble for the poor people who are just trying to survive.”
“I’ve heard the Vampers are invincible,” Rayland said, his pudgy face pale with fright.
“They aren’t invincible.” Jeremy shook his head. “My dad’s Captain of the Outer Guard, so I’ve heard more about the Vampers than you could come up with in your nightmares. And my dad’s people have taken them down before.”
“But what about last night?” Lilly said.
“The Outer Guard went in to raid one of the Vamp labs,” Jeremy said. “It got messy.”
“I heard,” Lilly said, shivering as she spoke, “Vampers actually drink blood. I don’t think I could fight a person who drank blood. It would be like offering them a buffet of you.”
“Vampers aren’t people.” Disgust twisted Jeremy’s face.
“Why would they drink blood?” Nola swallowed the bile rising in her throat.
“Because they’re a bunch of sickos,” Jeremy spat. “And they're taking the city down with them. The rest of the neighborhood around the Vamp lab freaked out, like the guards were stealing food from orphans, and the riot started. They burned down a whole block before the guards could stop it.”
“Were any of the guards hurt?” Nola’s balled her hands into tight fists, hiding their trembling.
“No.” Jeremy took her hands in his. “All of our people are fine.”
“I get that life out there is a nightmare,” Lilly said, sliding back to her own seat, “but why would they try to make it worse?”
Nola looked out the window, watching as they crossed the long bridge into the city. Children ran barefoot on the sidewalks, their heads exposed to the pounding sun. Garbage had been tossed along the curb, bringing insects and wild animals to feast on the refuse. Even with the ventilation system on the bus, the stench of stagnant water and the sickening sweetness of rotting fruit tainted the air.
Jeremy squeezed her hands tighter as he followed her gaze out the window.
It was easy to forget the world was ending when you lived in the safety of the domes.
- Writer
