Son of Sedonia by Ben Chaney

Author:Ben Chaney [Chaney, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Ben Chaney
Published: 2012-12-12T05:00:00+00:00

24

Voice

JOGUN’S ENTIRE BODY shook with fatigue as he stared the captured Themis guard in the face, clutching Doc Yugi’s bloody scalpel. Two of the new inmates, Kolpa and Rusaam, held the man down with the toned, cable-fiber muscles of Pit-hardened Cutters. They were the first Jogun had released and “healed”. He had tried to explain it to them, but Kolpa...his mother was a Blue Lady back home. The hand of God was in everything. Even this? The wet blade flashed in the blinking red light of the alarm.

The guard was nothing special. Mid-forties, expanding gut, and a brand new uniform soiled at the crotch. He hadn’t stopped babbling about his ‘first week on the job’ the entire time. Between that and the blaring alarm, Jogun could barely get a word in.

“Where—. Whe—WHERE IS THE—Goddammit! Rusaam will you slap him, please?” Jogun said, face-in-palm. Rusaam punched the fat man across the jaw, knocking him out cold. Just a Pit worker. Jogun thought, seeing the pain flood Rusaam’s scarred, narrow face. A worker ripped away from his family. Rusaam cracked the knuckles on his calloused, trembling hands. Spat on the guard.

“Get another one,” said Jogun. He rubbed at the ice—pick pain in his temples. Somewhere beyond those doors Kabbard had his little brother. But...he’s not...not for real. Oh Christ, Matteo...All these years, Jogun had almost allowed himself to forget. He shook his head, frowning. The love is real. He’s family. I’ll find him.

Kolpa, solemn, stocky, and silent, brought the next guard. The gaunt man seemed half-dead already, staring through sunken eye sockets at no place in particular on the floor. In the blinking red light of the alarm, Jogun almost didn’t notice the dark stain soaking through the uniform. The smell of blood followed. Jogun winced as he got up, hobbled closer, then clutched the guard by his sallow cheeks.

“Hear me?” said Jogun. The guard’s glazed eyes rolled. Eventually settled on Jogun. He nodded slowly.

“Good! Now. How do we open these doors?! Is there any other way outta Sector Six?!” Jogun pointed to the massive plate steel doors that had cut his group off from those that ran ahead. Too weak to keep up, he had lagged behind with Kolpa and Rusaam helping him carefully along. Then everything slammed shut. As far as they could tell, there was no way out. Other inmates beat against the doors with anything they could find. Mostly their shoulders and fists.

“No...” said the wounded guard, “Can’t open...closed from the Con—Control Room.”

Rusaam balled up a fist and cocked it back. Jogun stopped him.

“Gotta pray,” said Kolpa, “Pray for the way to open!” Kolpa knelt on the ground and started muttering in the thickest Riverspeak Jogun had ever heard. Suddenly, it was drowned out by a new sound. It started low, then rose. Started over again. Again. BowwwWOOOOOP. BowwwWOOOOOP. BowwwWOOOOOP.

“Purge!” the wounded guard rasped, “Have to get out! Have to—” A sharp hissing sound followed. Within seconds, everyone in the room started gasping. Men broke their hands and arms pounding on the plated doors.

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