Prologue:
One hundred years ago, Dr. Michael Cordwell invented the hover craft car. From there a magnetic grid was placed under the cities foundation, so that those who could afford the hover craft would be able to travel from place to place, replacing the average day car. Soon houses and businesses started to adopt the idea of hover craft material. Today in 2114, the whole city, what used to be New York, is now entirely in the sky. We are the forgotten ones. The ones that were left behind. Everyday we fight to survive and everyday it gets that much harder. We are the people of the Fallen City. Welcome.
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Chapter One
"Were goanna find you!" I'm running as fast as my legs will allow me. My heart is in my throat!
"You’re going to pay!" As we bound the corner, the two men are no longer in pursuit of us. We've stolen three cans of peaches, two bottles of water, and a package of bandages just in case from black market dealers on the West side of the border.
Life wasn't always this way, where you would have to stoop as low as stealing. People actually use to go in these large buildings, known as stores, and buy whatever they wanted. Today those stores have been ransacked, nothing but garbage and the occasional rat haunting the empty aisles. We have been forgotten here. Everyone who lives down below curses the day Dr. Cordwell invented the hover craft car. The world changed the very first hover car was purchased and the world we knew would never be the same. Soon the craze spread. The rich and well off were the ones who could afford such a luxury item. Once everyone who could afford this new and exciting technology, they wanted more. Greed consumed many hearts. With the innovating advancements of the hover craft car, hover craft material was being placed under houses and soon neighborhoods were in the sky. The earth was becoming more and more polluted from years of mistreatment and careless use of resources. It was then decided that a new nation, a new people would rise. We call them the people of the sky. They soon introduced the idea of an ideal world in the sky, where there would be no war, sickness, or poverty. Readily excepting this idea, the President of the United States, declared the earth should be evacuated. They placed the hover craft material under most of the city and soon most of New York was in the sky. From there all fifty states of the United States where in also placed hovercraft material under their cities. There was one caveat though. Those who made an income of $80,000 and less had to stay. Millions evacuated and millions were left to wallow and die. Violence broke out everywhere over left over food and resources. Soon the population decreased drastically. Those who were originally left here numbered in 150 million. Now a third of us still struggle to survive in this god-forsaken city. We are the people of the Fallen City.
"Kat that was a personal best! You actually had the guts to grab three cans this time", my best friend Trey teases.
"And it was your personal worst, only two bottles of water, really? You think you're big hands could have grabbed two more", I tease back.
"Hey I'm lucky I got us two bottles. Did you not notice two men chasing us with 'I want to kill both of you' look?" I just laugh. I and Trey haven't eaten in almost three days. We can usually find our own supplies by hunting and scavenging for food. But everything has been so barren. We try not to steal but sometimes we just have to do it, if we want to survive. Eight years ago our parents just disappeared after they all went out to go and hunt. Most likely they were killed by trappers but Trey doesn't think so. He believes our parents were taken by the people of the sky. Whatever happened i don't like to think about it. Let me rephrase that I don't want to think about it. So I and Trey have been on our own for almost ten years. It's brought us closer.
We’re nearing our hideout, an abounded Motel 76 on the out skirts of the city.
"Home sweet home", calls out Trey.
"Another day in paradise", I say back sarcastically. As we open the lobby’s door, I freeze. I hear a loud screeching off in the distance. I cannot locate where the sound is coming from. As I turn to look to the border, I see what looks like the shell of a car being dragged by what might be a horse.
"Trey look!” I say in a breathless whisper. Now all my senses are on alert.
"Trey let's go check it out".
"No Kat, it can only mean trouble. Let's just get inside, forget what we saw, and eat". I know he will not budge on his decision. I feel like he's more my dad than my friend sometimes. I look back one more time and pause, the noise is gone and so is the object. Everything in me is saying to find out what that was but instead I follow Trey into the lobby.
Once we get finished sharing a can of peaches and bottle of water, Trey becomes serious.
"We're going to need to scout out a new place to get our resources from. Honestly Kat, even though this was a good day for us, this amount of food and water will last a max of three days. We cannot go back to town without being brutally attracted or worse, killed. We need to go to the Anonymous City.” All I can do is stare at him. The anonymous cities are full of decrypts, crazies to be honest. Those who do not know their identities. There has been rumors of people who wear long white coats, that prowl around their cities borders. Searching for some unknown object. Their location exactly is unknown but some think they reside in abandoned hospital wings. Overall, it’s a sketchy place to even be caught in.
“Trey I...”
“Before you say anything, hear me out”, he interrupts me. “We will be able to feed ourselves for weeks. If we can get out hands on some sort of medical supplies, we could possibly trade it for food and water”, he says with so much confidence.
“How would you even know that Trey? For all we know they can be doing worse than we are!”
“Please Kat, trust me on this. Please”, he speaks with such desperation. I can see that he really believes that this plan will succeed. As I look in his deep brown eyes, I know he’s holding something back from me. But I don’t feel like prying.
“Okay”, I say begrudgingly. “Let’s start planning”.
