Soulless: The Immortal Gene

CHAPTER FOUR:

BRREEEOOOOWW! BEEP! BEEP! BRREEEOOOOWW!

What the hell is that?

A loud whooping siren blasting through my bedroom window woke me. I collapsed back onto my pillow and grabbed my head as it pounded. Oh, my God, my head!

Outside, the siren pulsated from underneath the earth, causing the walls and windows to shake. Reluctantly, I kicked back my sheets and sat up so my head was between my knees. Oh, God! I feel so sick!

I hoisted myself up; the slamming from the siren only intensified the ache inside my own skull. I stumbled downstairs into the kitchen before fishing into the cupboards for some painkillers. I popped them into my mouth and drank from the tap.

The medication only took a few moments to kick in before the pressure eased off. The sweep alarm though was a constant scream that bellowed throughout the entire city. After a quick search around the house, I discovered no one was home. They must've deliberately gone out to avoid the sweep, which is highly illegal.

I went to head back upstairs when I noticed Annie's pocketknife sitting on the table. The black handle sat out like a misplaced arm, sending alarm bells off. Annie never left without it. I sent a brief text to Roman's mobile to see if he had Annie with him, but he replied with a short no. I did the same with Lisa and she replied saying Annie was told to stay at home with me.

I called Annie's emergency phone but the tone rang out. Anxiously, I typed her number into my mobile tracker to have the GPS pinpoint her on the other side of town. "What the hell are you doing, Annie?"

I stomped into my shoes and packed a hand-held pistol, my gas mask and shotgun. As soon as I stepped out of the house a loud, sonic boomed ripped through the air above my head, following the wake of two fighter jets cutting through the sky. Immediately, I cowered and dropped to the ground, fearing it was an air strike. They disappeared only seconds later and promptly, I pushed off the ground into a run. The Sweepers had already barricaded both exits to the neighbourhood. The man-sized lumbering machines marched forward like a scattered wall of steel bodies, herding everyone into a corner. The painted police colours had already began to chip, revealing their copper armour beneath as red lasers shot out of their visors like a sweeping radar. As they marched toward us, some of the neighbouring men and women took to the streets in protest. They rallied against the Sweepers with weapons held above their heads and flaming Molotovs. Built for crowd control, it only took the Sweepers minutes to apprehend, scan and arrest the rebelling crowd.

"All residents must comply. Come out of your homes immediately to be scanned and assessed. Failure to do so will result in immediate arrest. All residents must comply."

"Go to hell!" One of the men tossed his home made Molotov into the robot's path.

The Sweeper swiftly redirected itself and charged forward, grabbing the man by the throat and electrocuting him. The man collapsed into a violent seizure.

"All residents must comply."

Using the distraction, I ran across the road and slipped into the alleyway of the neighbouring building. "Crap, they're already this close."

Sweepers, much like the scanner at Sector 5 would read my retinas as blanks, sentencing me immediately for arrest. For that reason, I could not be caught. As fast as I could, I made my way across the streets, interweaving between the houses and shielding myself behind corners as the Sweepers marched ahead.

I eventually reached the end of the block where Mr Rodgers old cardboard house was stationed. I ducked into the alleyway for cover when my boots slip over something wet on the ground. I turned the aim of my shotgun to the floor only to find Mr Rodgers. He had emptied bottles surrounding him and snapped syringes among his blankets and trash. I stepped over his body carefully avoiding the puddle of blood circling his head. I reached down and patted down his pockets to find they were only stuffed with rubbish and tiny rat bones. I nudged him over so he was face up to notice the bullet hole carved through his frontal lobe. Well, that's one way to stop the voices... I hitched my backpack higher onto my shoulder and kept going. Annie was close, only a few more blocks down as I quickly pressed myself into the nook of shadows against a building's wall. As I peered out to check the street for more Sweepers, an explosion shook the complex behind me before a massive eruption of dust covered the entire block.

The noise slammed my head to the side before the aftershock of inferno heat bellowed down the streets like a wild bushfire. Judging by the massive noise and earthquake, one of the multi-level buildings close by must've been hit by a bomb. Over the internal ringing, the cracking of its collapsing walls exploded as a thick storm of shattered brick moved down the streets like a horde. I instinctively protected my face with the gasmask and dropped down into a squat. It took a few minutes for the dust to settle enough to see the wall opposite me. Quickly, I rechecked my phone. According to the GPS, Annie should be just across the road from me. You're in SO much trouble when I catch you!

I tucked my phone into my pocket when a large hand grabbed my collar. He yanked me into a stand before forcefully pinning me the wall.

"Hiding are we?" He jeered as he reached down to get into my pant pockets. "What have you got in those tight little pants of yours?" Using the butt of my shotgun, I rammed the end behind me, hitting the attacker in the stomach. In the same movement, I spun, hoisting my gun up so I could line up my shot.

"Back off, asshole!"

His twisted thick beard swallowed half of his face as he lurched forward and grabbed onto the barrel of my gun. With just as much ease, he pulled backward, pulling me off balance.

"You haven't got the balls, little girl." He held the mouth of the shotgun to his forehead tauntingly. "Go on, shoot, do it or I'm going to eat you up."

I hesitated, knowing if I killed him, I would be charged for murder and labelled a black listed. There were cameras everywhere and I was in clear view. He laughed, sensing my hesitation.

"You're right!" I whipped out the small handgun from the back of my pants, cocked the hammer and fired into his foot. The man roared and tipped backward as I swung my gun upwards like a punch, striking and breaking his nose. "But who the hell would want them anyway!" 

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