Trapped (The Trapped Trilogy #1) by K. Weikel
Twenty-Six
Justin
Everyone around me falls to the ground. I bring the gun down and stop shooting at the sky-lid.
What’s going on?
I look at all of the bodies on the ground, every one of them are knocked out. I feel the pulse of the closest person, and I can feel their heartbeat. They’re alive. But why am I still awake?
I run down the street, jumping over people, and I look in each house and around each corner. No one is awake but me. I go through the underground hallways to the Home Dome to see if anyone is awake there, but no one is. I go back under and work my way into the Dame’s Dome. Maybe Eenie is awake.
I step out into the Dome and run down the streets and then I see something move.
Hemmings.
He’s rubbing the back of his neck and looking around. I run up to him and hold out my hand to help him up.
“What happened?” He asks, standing up.
“I don’t know. Everyone just kinda passed out.”
“Why are we awake?” He asks, rubbing his neck again.
“I don’t know.”
“Gah,” He says as he moves his back. “Stupid stun gun.”
“Where’s Eenie?” I ask.
“The President has her. He took her with him. I don’t know what for though.”
Suddenly, three people stand up around us. They each grab another person and take them inside a house. A few seconds later, they return and grab another body and repeat the process. They do it a third time as we stand and watch. Their faces are blank and they make no sounds. They say nothing to each other or to us as they pick up people and put them away. They look like zombies.
“We’ve got to find Eenie,” Hemmings says.
I follow him as he jogs to the doors of the Government Building. We go through the passageways again—and by now I’m out of breath and have to stop for a few seconds to catch it—and then up into the Home Dome’s Government Building. There are a bunch of people doing the same thing that was happening in the Dame’s Dome inside of the building.
Hemmings walks over to a wall to read a map. I look around. The Dome is so much bigger than I thought it would be. And to think that there’s an even bigger one circling these four… My brain hurts.
“This way,” Hemmings says.
I catch up to him and we take a lot of left turns and a lot of right turns before he stops. He shushes me and moves his ear closer to the door.
I do the same.
There’s the sound of feet moving and the sound of a door closing. The sound of something moving. Then a voice. Typing.
What’s going on in there? I wonder.
Hemmings places his hand on the doorknob and slowly twists it. He pauses for a second, listening, and then barges in.
The President stands over his computer, typing something. He looks up at us, surprised.
“What are you two doing awake? You are supposed to be resetting.”
“Is that what you’re doing to all of these people?” Hemmings almost shouts. “Resetting them like they’re a computer game?”
“Isn’t it marvelous?” The President smiles. He types something else in and stands up straight. “And you two should be out in three, two…”
He brings his hand down and Hemmings falls to the ground.
The President looks at me sideways.
“You weren’t born in the Domes were you?” He asks, stepping towards me. “Interesting.”
Before I can do anything, he grabs my arm and twists it behind me. He forces me forward and presses a button on his desk. It’s camouflaged to look like the wood.
One of his bookshelves near the large screen on his wall across from his desk slides sideways, a clear box big enough for three people stands behind it. It has a big, red button on it that says RESET. He pushes me in it and the clear door closes.
“Don’t press the button. Or everyone will reset again. And you don’t want that,” He smiles. “I’ll be back to get you later.”
The bookcase door shuts and I’m left alone in the darkness, the red button staring me down.
Justin
Everyone around me falls to the ground. I bring the gun down and stop shooting at the sky-lid.
What’s going on?
I look at all of the bodies on the ground, every one of them are knocked out. I feel the pulse of the closest person, and I can feel their heartbeat. They’re alive. But why am I still awake?
I run down the street, jumping over people, and I look in each house and around each corner. No one is awake but me. I go through the underground hallways to the Home Dome to see if anyone is awake there, but no one is. I go back under and work my way into the Dame’s Dome. Maybe Eenie is awake.
I step out into the Dome and run down the streets and then I see something move.
Hemmings.
He’s rubbing the back of his neck and looking around. I run up to him and hold out my hand to help him up.
“What happened?” He asks, standing up.
“I don’t know. Everyone just kinda passed out.”
“Why are we awake?” He asks, rubbing his neck again.
“I don’t know.”
“Gah,” He says as he moves his back. “Stupid stun gun.”
“Where’s Eenie?” I ask.
“The President has her. He took her with him. I don’t know what for though.”
Suddenly, three people stand up around us. They each grab another person and take them inside a house. A few seconds later, they return and grab another body and repeat the process. They do it a third time as we stand and watch. Their faces are blank and they make no sounds. They say nothing to each other or to us as they pick up people and put them away. They look like zombies.
“We’ve got to find Eenie,” Hemmings says.
I follow him as he jogs to the doors of the Government Building. We go through the passageways again—and by now I’m out of breath and have to stop for a few seconds to catch it—and then up into the Home Dome’s Government Building. There are a bunch of people doing the same thing that was happening in the Dame’s Dome inside of the building.
Hemmings walks over to a wall to read a map. I look around. The Dome is so much bigger than I thought it would be. And to think that there’s an even bigger one circling these four… My brain hurts.
“This way,” Hemmings says.
I catch up to him and we take a lot of left turns and a lot of right turns before he stops. He shushes me and moves his ear closer to the door.
I do the same.
There’s the sound of feet moving and the sound of a door closing. The sound of something moving. Then a voice. Typing.
What’s going on in there? I wonder.
Hemmings places his hand on the doorknob and slowly twists it. He pauses for a second, listening, and then barges in.
The President stands over his computer, typing something. He looks up at us, surprised.
“What are you two doing awake? You are supposed to be resetting.”
“Is that what you’re doing to all of these people?” Hemmings almost shouts. “Resetting them like they’re a computer game?”
“Isn’t it marvelous?” The President smiles. He types something else in and stands up straight. “And you two should be out in three, two…”
He brings his hand down and Hemmings falls to the ground.
The President looks at me sideways.
“You weren’t born in the Domes were you?” He asks, stepping towards me. “Interesting.”
Before I can do anything, he grabs my arm and twists it behind me. He forces me forward and presses a button on his desk. It’s camouflaged to look like the wood.
One of his bookshelves near the large screen on his wall across from his desk slides sideways, a clear box big enough for three people stands behind it. It has a big, red button on it that says RESET. He pushes me in it and the clear door closes.
“Don’t press the button. Or everyone will reset again. And you don’t want that,” He smiles. “I’ll be back to get you later.”
The bookcase door shuts and I’m left alone in the darkness, the red button staring me down.