CHAPTER ONE
I can just barely make out the humming sound right before the high-pitched sirens go off warning everybody of the incoming scan. I quickly shove the half-eaten biscuit into the pocket of my jacket and start to raise my face to the sky when I notice a small girl, a few feet in front of me squatting down playing a game. Her golden blonde hair flowing like a waterfall of curls over her green dress, she is too absorbed in her game and missed the warning siren. I quickly jump over to her and yank her up by the arm, she’s about to scream at me when she realizes what is going on. Her little body stiffens as she mimics me, raising her face to the sky, stretching her arms out with the palms facing upwards. We both close our eyes, as the drones fly over us they shine down a blue beam of light scanning everyone in the HUTT. After the drones pass over we can resume our activities until the next scan.
HUTT is short for Habenae, Ubiquity, Teneo, and Trucido. Each word serves as a constant reminder of how we live. Habenae means government reigns, Ubiquity means presence everywhere, Teneo means to possess and Trucido means to kill cruelly. The government controls us, they are everywhere watching us and if we step out of line, they will kill us. Conformity is the key to staying alive.
As bad as it sounds it has apparently gotten better from when the new government first took over. I was young when it all happened, too young to remember anything but I occasionally hear stories from some of the folks who were old enough to remember what happened and are still alive.
As I watch the little girl go back to playing her game, my eyes begin to swell up with tears. I wonder if my mother used to watch me play games when I was little, before the drones killed her. This thought churns up the hatred inside me, a searing hot feeling that burns like an inferno. A burning that cannot be extinguished and it only grows stronger with each and every scan of the drones.
Who in the hell do they think they are deciding who should live and who should die? Who made them God? No one did, they appointed themselves. Acting as judge, juror and executioner, killing anyone they decide to. Keeping order with their faceless, nameless drones, killing without a conscience. When they first took over, millions of people were killed and thousands more died while they experimented with the drones, trying to find the best way to monitor us and keep us in line.
Grandpa rarely speaks about when it all happened but on occasion, he will let down his guard. When he talks about it I don’t dare ask him any questions, I made that mistake once when I was younger. He immediately stopped talking and abruptly left the room. Sometimes he will ramble though, talking to himself, completely unaware that I’m even in the same room. I just sit there quietly and listen. His eyes glaze over as he stares off into the distance, as if he’s in some kind of a trance trying to recall the details. At first it was hard to understand what happened, his stories jumped around, but as I got older it became easier to piece the stories together and figure out what order the events happened.
“Grandpa.” I say out loud snapping back into reality. I head towards home as quickly as I can, mindful not to run. Running is not permitted in the HUTT, the stationary drones monitor for any activity considered dangerous. This includes monitoring for a rapid heartbeat or labored breathing not related to a work activity. Kids under the age of ten are given some latitude, I guess they figure they are harmless, but anyone else is killed. The government says that only those who are up to no good need to worry, but that isn't true.
First time I saw a drone killing it wasn’t someone who was up to no good, it was Mr. Leary. His son was goofing off and got hurt walking home from school one day. Mr. Leary started running through town to get to him, ran right past the stationary drones. It seemed like just a few seconds before the drone appeared overhead and shot him on sight. I remember feeling sad for Mr. Leary, but I was also thankful because it reminded me to be careful. What if it was me goofing off walking home, climbing on trees or jumping over fences? If it was me, would Grandpa have come running and gotten killed? After that, walking home from school became just that…...walking.
