Burn (Desert Deities Book 1) by G. E. Hathaway
Author:G. E. Hathaway [Hathaway, G. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-01T04:00:00+00:00
Chapter Twenty
Noah felt cold raindrops splash against his face, the water trailing down his cheeks and onto the ground. His wet clothes clung to him like a second skin. The sounds of faint sobs echoed around him. He struggled to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry.
âNoah, can you hear me?â
Liamâs baritone voice was close, but he couldnât tell where he was. A dark mass materialized before him and he felt something touch his arm. As consciousness slowly reclaimed him, the pain did as well. A low moan escaped his lips.
âDonât move...trauma to the head-â
He could hear Ellie now, her sobs coming into sharper focus. He had been chasing her, he remembered. Chasing a light bobbing through winding dark tunnels, listening to the sound of footsteps pounding against the cave floor, feeling the insatiable urge to-
âEllie,â he groaned.
She had hit him.
He remembered the touch of her skin as he grabbed her arm, her blood pulsing just beneath the surface. He remembered her scream and her face as she turned around and looked at him with fire in her eyes just before swinging and striking him hard against his head with the torch.
The dark mass moved out of Noahâs vision and was replaced by a smaller shape. Talisaâs voice drifted down to him now, muttering strange words in his ear. Then she placed her hand on his chest.
Rain soaked through his clothes and into his body, calming his nerves. The pain in his head subsided. His muscles began to relax and he lay still, breathing evenly for the first time in days. Perhaps months. He closed his eyes.
* * *
It was June 18.
He had worked on the top floor of One South Church Tower overlooking downtown Tucson. The city was alive with activity and buzzing with the latest technology news. Utopian Industries had just unveiled its latest update to its board of directors, and the shareholders were eager with anticipation as they waited for the update to come to the regional offices.
The Tucson office only had to wait a few minutes to receive the update from headquarters in San Nouveau and release it to the local infrastructures.
Noah waited in his cubicle, watching the projections of live feeds from around the nation flicker in the air around his desk. He dressed in the the customary Utopian Industries uniform- a tailored black suit with crisp white shirt and black tie, GridGlasses perched on his face. His computer pad stretched the length of his desk, integrated into the smooth, glassy surface.
âOne minute until deployment,â announced the disembodied voice of his personal computer assistant.
âYou gotta stop saying that, Hal,â Noah answered back, âitâs making me nervous!â He drummed his fingers anxiously against the table top, ignoring the prompts that came up as the computer tried to anticipate his commands.
Up until today, the Grid only existed as an evolved energy infrastructure that removed all physical limitations and placed power into the air. But after this update, the Grid would become something else entirely.
âPerhaps a different tone would best suit you?â Hal said politely.
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