Altered: A Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure (Rogue Spark Book 1) by Cameron Coral

Author:Cameron Coral [Coral, Cameron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-10T05:00:00+00:00

Twenty

I flinched and pulled my finger from the trigger. Why him?

“What’s happening?” Rik shifted and slid closer. “Can you take the shot or not?”

“0453,” said Cecile.

I stared at the dirt. “He… he’s my guard.”

“So?” he said. “All the better to shoot him. He’s one of the guys keeping you prisoner.”

“Why? Why do they want us to assassinate someone who works here—a guard?”

“They called him a traitor,” said Cecile. “Maybe he did something bad.”

“He… he tried to help me.”

“Our mission is to kill him. He’s our target. Nobody else is here. He must be the one.” Rik peered down the hill.

The tablet rested in front of Cecile. I could see giant red digits counting down.

Rik grunted and wiped sweat from his forehead. “If we don’t do it, nobody gets to advance. We all go back to the cells and they’ll punish us. If you can’t do it… Cecile and I draw straws.”

My stomach turned. “I don’t want to go back either.” I racked my brain for a solution. “Maybe he can help us escape? He’s a guard. He would know how to get out, right?”

“0556. This is bullshit.” Rik pulled out the straws, discarding one. He shuffled and then offered first draw to Cecile.

“Please,” I said. “Don’t shoot him. He doesn’t even know we’re here. How can you kill him in cold blood?”

“One of us is graduating today,” said Rik.

Cecile glanced at me with watery eyes. “I wish I could help you, Ida, but I want out. Living in that cell is killing me.”

My mouth went dry. They refused to help me. I couldn’t change their minds.

But neither could I stand by and watch them kill Peterson. He wouldn’t know what hit him. If it were me, I’d at least want a fighting chance. A warning.

Rik drew the short straw. “Hot damn.” He snapped his fingers and reached for his rifle.

“Rik, no…” I gripped his shoulder. “He was nice. Gave me a candy bar. Peterson doesn’t deserve to die.”

“He’s a guard at this hellhole. The man deserves to die.” Rik took aim.

I scrambled to my feet, sending up a cloud of dust. “Peterson!” I screamed. I kicked sand into Rik’s face, causing him to sputter and rub his eyes. Then I ran down the hill toward the valley, but the rocks shifted beneath my feet and I lost my footing. I slipped about a meter, struggling to regain my balance and stay upright. “Run, Peterson!” I gained my balanced and jogged down the slope.

Peterson's head reared back as he spotted me stumbling down the rocky terrain. “Run, take cover!” I bellowed. Next to the truck, he flinched and bent his legs. He scanned the hill and gripped the hood. Run, you idiot!

Something large and heavy crashed into me from behind. A force sent me rolling, cascading painfully over rock and scrub. Rik’s face contorted as we tumbled down the slope, out of control. As we descended in a clumsy frenzy, he grabbed me and punched my shoulder.

From the top of the ridge, a booming shot like thunder rang out and echoed across the canyon.

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