Free The Face of Earth by Kirsty Winkler Page B

be let out. She felt the cold again, and shivered uncontrollably. It engulfed her and she lost track of her thoughts.
    She struggled to awaken and felt her mind grow more aware. She forced her eyes open and found herself staring into the eyes of the same young man who had put her into the coffin, but he didn’t look young anymore. Wrinkles crinkled his eyes and forehead, and his hair was graying at the temples. He lifted her out, carrying her past several occupied coffins to the metal table near the front of the room. He set her down on it and then walked away. Karina’s right thigh ached, and she felt a familiar drowsiness. She lay in a drugged haze while several men examined her. She turned her head to the side and found herself staring into Kevin White’s open eyes. He was in the first of the new coffins, his face frozen in a look of shock. Probably from the cold, Karina thought, hoping that it had been as uncomfortable for him as it had been for her. The men examining her talked over her as if she wasn’t there.
    “We need to determine if her faculties are intact,” one said.
    “Yes, it’s obvious that Agnar’s blueprints work in preserving the body, but if they don’t preserve the mind, we’re wasting our time,” another answered.
    The first man shook his head and smiled. “Just think, with the technology Agnar sold us, we could have the key to immortality. The Lazarus League would be a force to be reckoned with, not just in this country, but all over the world.”
    The lust for power gleamed in the second man’s eyes. “We could be gods.”
    The first man laughed. “Well, maybe not gods, but at least kings.”
    They concluded their examination and called to the man who had lifted her out of the coffin. “Take her to the tower,” one of them ordered. He nodded and lifted Karina into his arms, carrying her up the spiral hallway and into the foyer of the metal building. He exited and crossed the street to the opposite building.
    Karina stared up in astonishment at the passing cars. They didn’t have wheels, and hovered several meters above the street. The man carrying her passed safely underneath them as they sped over him. She shook her head to clear it, wondering if she was hallucinating. She looked up again, but the cars were still there.
    They entered the building and he walked to the elevator. A guard standing next to it pushed the button for him. The doors opened and he carried Karina inside. The guard leaned in and pushed the button for the top floor, pulling out just before the doors closed. The elevator sped to the top of the building. When they exited, Karina found herself back in her tower prison. Everything was exactly as it had been when she left it. The man deposited her on the bed and went over to the kitchen. She lay awake for awhile, watching the ceiling spin. Then she fell asleep.
    When Karina awoke she was ravenous. Her head felt clear for the first time in ages. The smell of roasting meat filled the room and Karina’s mouth watered. She sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She looked around the bay, but the man who had brought her here was gone. She stood up and went to the kitchen. Opening the oven, she found a roast inside. The pan was warm, but not too hot to remove with her bare hands. She lifted it out, taking it over to the table.
    Impatient to feed her gnawing hunger, she ignored the plate and utensils set out on the table and ripped off a chunk of meat with her hands, eating like an animal. Finishing that, she tore into the rest, devouring the entire roast. Feeling a bit better, she went to the fridge in search of something to drink. A pint of milk sat on the top shelf. She guzzled it right from the jug, finishing it in minutes. She set the empty jug back in the fridge and closed the door. After such a large meal, she felt tired again, but this time it was a comfortable feeling and not the exhaustion of a drug. She went back to her bed and climbed in, curling