Free Falling Sky by James Patrick Riser Page B

she’d feel the same way and do the same thing.” He thought of the last time he saw his mother and how she didn’t say good bye to his father before he left. The more he turned the event over in his head, the more he began to realize that she had always worn a flat expression on her face, as if it had been permanently etched there through years of living in the city, under her home’s florescent lights. A cold pang of guilt jabbed into his guts and reverberated throughout his intestines. Guilt for not noticing the signs, for being wrapped up into his own personal anxiety.
    Wasley rubbed the stubble on his check. The noise sounded raspy, sharp and loud in the small room. “We’ve all noticed these things too.”
    â€œI know that I don’t fit in with this world. I have this disorder that was supposed to have disappeared years ago.”
    â€œBecause of the device.”
    Ian nodded. “It didn’t work with me for some reason, but I rather be different than-” Ian paused as his mind searched for the right phrase, “-a mindless member of this city. I’ve finally realized what my dad meant when he said being different wasn’t a bad thing at all.”
    â€œWise man,” Wasley remarked quietly.
    â€œI don’t know if the city will be destroyed or not, but I know the nightmares are trying to tell me something is not right about the way we’re living.”
    â€œWell, hopefully our plan works and we’ll be able to rebuild again.”
    â€œWe both need to get some rest,” Ian said and rose from the chair. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
    â€œOkay, Ian.” As the boy walked into the bed room, Wasley looked back. “Good night.”
    â€œGood night, Mr. Wasley.”

Chapter Seventeen
    The car stopped at the bottom of a long slope. Ian and the others ascended the hill under the cover of artificial night.
    â€œOnce we enter the ventilation system, we’ll be on the surface under a protective dome,” Wasley announced.
    â€œWill we be able to see the sky?”
    â€œNo, The Dust combined with years of contact with the sun has darkened the material. It’ll be like standing in a dark glass ball,” Prophet put in as he re-shouldered a back pack containing a small computer and other equipment.
    â€œI see.” Ian pulled a black beanie and his sweater’s hood over his head.
    â€œWhen we get to the top, I’ll open the entry way. The hall will take us straight into the system. We’ll make contact with the other cities then.”
    The group nodded. Ian felt the surface of his pocket where he kept the explosive charge Wasley had given him. Each member had one on their person. “It’ll only take one to do the job , ” Wasley had said, “but in case the plan doesn’t go the way we want, we all need to be prepared to set the charge on the main power generator . ” They walked to the sound of their own footsteps. The entire city always slept under a veil of silence. On the surface, Ian imagined he’ be able to hear the songs of insects and other nocturnal creatures which had been described in the books Wasley had given him over the years; the more he read them, the more he desired to live on the surface. Recently, the silence had become too loud and sterile for Ian.
    As they reached the top, the ground became uneven and their steps crunched loudly over loose rocks and gravel. A tall set of iron doors stood at the top and as they neared it, Wasley stopped behind a large rock that angrily jutted from the ground. He hunched down. “There are going to be two guards protecting the entrance.”
    Prophet crouched next to Wasley, set his back pack on the ground, and opened it. The two exchanged a glance and Prophet produced a pair of binoculars from the pack. He lay flat on his stomach and put them to his eyes. “I see them. They’re armed.”
    Prophet passed the