The wind whistled past my ears, blocking out everything as I ran, arms pumping, full speed ahead. I could make it. I could get to the shelter if I tried.
And. Went. Faster.
My iPod was still in my pocket and the timer was blasting out of the speakers, out of everything the government could possibly tap into.
"One minute, twelve seconds." said a calm, mechanical voice in my ear. Much calmer than I felt.
Just a little bit faster and I could make it. Why did Grandmother have to live so far away from the city? I still had half a mile to go. I could sprint it. She was safe, though. They'd taken her out on a helicopter twenty minutes ago, the speaker in the unmanned vehicle telling me, "I am sorry. This ride is only for the elderly. Please find another means of transportation."
And what other means were there? Just my own two legs, as it seemed. That was one of the reasons I hated the anemetronics they seemed to use everywhere. A human could think, but a robot could only do what it was programmed to. Follow the rules without exception.
"One minute, ten seconds." chimed the speaker. I threw it from my pocket. I didn't need to be reminded.
The shelter was just on the outskirts of the city. I could see the shining buildings that surrounded it clearly now, less than a mile away, I was sure. I could make it. Just maybe.
Every computer, every television and portable electronic device in the city was shouting the same phrase, in the same smooth voice, all simultaneously.
"Zero minutes, Forty-five seconds."
Emotions clouded my head, threatening to burst it. Hot tears ran down my cheeks, misting my vision. The shining city in front of me was blurred. Just one dismal, chrome mess. It numbed my muscles and made it hard to keep going.
Reality was harsh. I wasn't going to make it.
"Zero minutes, twenty seconds."
The asphalt under my feet was rockier, more used. I was getting close. Maybe, just maybe, I could get there in time. It takes a lot of practice to lie like that to yourself. Unfortunately, I had none.
"Zero minutes, ten seconds."
I began the countdown in my head. The countdown until death. I stopped running, finally breaking down. it was still so far.
Three
Two
One.
I braced myself for death, and in that split second I wondered what it would be like. If it would hurt. I figured I would find out.
The voice resonated through every fiber in me. "Zero."
And nothing happened.
I waited for a long time, afraid of what would happen if I opened my eyes, but then I heard the voice again, low and smooth.
"Hello, New York City. You, outside of the shelters, have now been selected to participate in an experiment. You will be escorted to the private location immediately. Thank you."
And with click, the speaker turned off.
There was a low mist on the ground, only a passing white vapor, like dust, I thought. But it made my mind blank, like it was filled with cotton, and the strength leave my legs. And I was falling.
There were two sounds.
One was the thunk of every person trapped outside of the New York shelters as they hit the ground.
The other was the sound of the security mechanisms of the shelter kicking into action, trapping everyone inside.
And then the world went dark.
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