Ill-Fated (Ill-Fated Series Book 1)

by S. C. McMurray

  Adam placed both hands on the wheel and sat up straight. He leaned forward and squinted through the rainy mist.

  “Damn it…” He mumbled to himself.

  Evelyn, who had closed her eyes for a moment, sat up instantly. “What is it?”

  Adam nodded forward. “Look.”

  Evelyn did so, and saw a snaking line of red brake lights leading into the city.

  “Traffic jam?” Evelyn asked, hopefully.

  He hesitated. “I don’t think so.” He sighed and looked into the rearview mirror. No one was behind them. “Hold on tight.”

  “What are you doing?”

  He hit the gas and turned the car around. There was a squeal of tire on asphalt. “I saw another road back there. We can’t go through that checkpoint.”

  He was speeding. He found the road on the left and abruptly made the turn.

  “What’s your hurry?” Evelyn asked.

  “They are probably doing this in every city in this Satrapy. OPTIC will be sweeping every block, police and service personnel will be going door to door. It’s protocol. We call it a ‘Cleanse.’”

  “A cleanse?”

  “The Party knows that there are people who operate outside of the network by removing their chips. Those people barter or pay only in cash. Most of them aren’t a threat but occasionally the First General will order a ‘Cleanse‘ of a section of town, or in this case a city. All those who don’t have a chip will be detained for questioning.”

  “Removing your chip is highly illegal.”

  “Yes.” He paused. “The investigating officers and service personnel will be authorized to shoot on sight.”

  “Why haven’t I heard about this?”

  “The people we usually arrest are those who live on the outskirts of society or are guilty of committing other crimes.”

  “Other crimes.” Evelyn said almost to herself. “I guess kidnapping a Senator’s son falls into that category.”

  Just then they passed an idling security officer’s car hidden amongst a line of trees.

  “Damn it. We’re too late. They’re already in position.”

  Right on cue, the officer pulled out from his hiding place and followed them. The officer quickly caught up.

  Adam slipped on a cap and pulled the bill low over his eyes. He turned to Evelyn as red and blue lights flashed through the car. “Pretend to be asleep. When I give you the signal, I want you to pretend you are going to vomit.”

  Evelyn looked at him strangely.

  “Just do what I say. I have a plan.”

  Evelyn nodded. “What’s the signal?”

  “I’ll cough, like I’m clearing my throat.”

  “Okay.”

  Evelyn rolled over and using her hands as a pillow, she closed her eyes and feigned sleep. Adam slowly pulled the car over and the officer pulled in behind them. A man’s voice beamed through the car’s stereo.

  “Citizen, your vehicle has been disabled and you are under surveillance. Please place your hands on your thighs and wait for further direction.”

  A moment later a shadow appeared in the officer’s high beams. Evelyn swallowed nervously. The rain beating on the windshield and roof of the car seemed to be louder. There was a tap on Adam’s window, like a pounding of a door knocker.

  “Driver’s window down.” Adam said.

  The window slid into the door and a graying officer appeared in the space. He leaned forward, the smell of tobacco filled the car. He eyed the two of them for a moment. “Your girlfriend a heavy sleeper?”

  “That’s my sister and no, just hung over.”

  He spoke with an aged gruff voice. “Well wake her up.”

  Adam shook her by the arm. “Jen, I need you to wake up.” He shook her again and this time Evelyn responded. Though she’d never been hung over, she did her best to look the part, while avoiding eye contact with the officer.

  “What’s the problem, officer?” Adam asked.

  “Did you miss the Road Closure sign?”

  “Yes. I guess I did.”

  “Well you need to turn around, there is a mandatory citizen’s check point as you go into the city.”

  “Oh.” Adam said, easily. “I thought that was a traffic jam.”

  “You thought wrong.” He paused and bent down a little. The rain dripped from the brim of the Officer’s hat. “You look familiar. What’s your name?”

  “Ray-Raymond Slevin.”

  The officer reached down to his side and retrieved a scanner from his belt. “Give me your wrist, Mr. Slevin.”

  Adam lifted his hand to his mouth and coughed before holding out his wrist. “Excuse me, I’ve got kind of a sore throat.”

  Evelyn got the message. Just as the officer went to scan Adam’s wrist, she jerked herself forward, holding her stomach with both hands. She dry heaved. Adam threw up his hands in frustration. “Oh shit. Not again. Not in the car, Jen. Damn it!”

  Evelyn was proving to be a fine actress. She scrambled for the door handle, pulled it and stumbled out of the car. She dropped to her knees in the wet grass and pulled the most repugnant sound from the pit of her stomach.

  “Please don’t tell Mom, Ray.” She gagged again and jerked her body as if she emptied the last bit of her stomach.

  Adam went with it. “Maybe I should let the officer book you. A night in jail may teach you a lesson.”

  “No. I’ve learned my—” She gagged and once again added the perfect sound effect, “lesson.”

  Adam glanced at the officer who wore a grimace as he returned the scanner to the belt. He sighed. “Just get her home, alright.”

  Adam nodded, then yelled out the open door at Evelyn. “Are you done?”

  Evelyn wiped her mouth with her shirt sleeve. “I think so.”

  Adam motioned for her to get in. His annoyance was palpable. Evelyn climbed back in, soaking wet from the rain, and threw herself back against the seat. She closed her eyes and breathed slow deep breathes.

  The officer braced himself with both hands on the top of the car. “Just turn yourself around and get in line. The checkpoint shouldn’t take too long and it looks like your sister could use the extra time to sober up.”

  “Thanks, officer.” Adam said.

  The officer stepped away from the car and spoke into his shoulder com. “Hey Denise, you can go ahead enable the car. It’s just two kids who made a wrong turn.”

  Evelyn and Adam exchanged reserved glances of relief.

  “Hold on a second, Gary,” said the voice through his shoulder com, “What’d you say the driver’s name was?”

  The officer’s weary eyes narrowed on Adam. “Slevin.”

  “The car is registered to an Edward Masterson Jr ….deceased.”

  Adam’s face blanched and Evelyn’s heart sank. The greying officer’s gentlemanly expression turned fierce. He pulled his sidearm and spotted it on the both of them.

  “Out of the car!” He shouted. “Both of you!”

  Adam turned to Evelyn and whispered. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

  They both climbed out of the car as directed.

  “Both hands on the car! The both of you.”

  Adam and Evelyn did as commanded while a younger female officer climbed out of the driver’s side of the officer’s car, brandishing her weapon. She approached them through the pouring rain.

  “Go ahead, Gary. I’ve got ‘em.”

  The male officer, Gary, holstered his sidearm and approached Adam for a pat down. Evelyn watched with a feeling of dread. She didn’t see a way out of this one. Adam glanced at Evelyn and she saw a calmness in his eyes that put her at ease. She recognized that look from her dreams. She blinked and in a flash, Adam grabbed the officer’s hand and twisted the man’s arm as he turned himself around. Using the officer as a shield, he retrieved a gun that he had tucked away in the back of his pants. He pressed the gun to the Officer’s head.

  Adam spoke calmly. “Don’t speak or I will pull this trigger.”

 
The female officer nodded.

  “I know what you’ve been taught. I know your protocol for these types of situations. If you value his life, you will not follow your protocol and do exactly as I say instead. Do you understand?”

  She nodded again.

  “Drop the ammunition from your gun.”

  She hesitated and looked at her partner. He gave her a slight nod and she did as directed. The clip of bullets clanged against the asphalt.

  “Now throw your gun into that field.”

  She didn’t do anything.

  “Do what I say.”

  Finally she tossed the gun into the grassy field to her right.

  Adam reached down with his left hand and pulled the gun from the male officer’s belt. In rapid fashion, he dropped the ammunition and tossed the gun into the open door of the car.

  “Now lay face down on the ground.”

  The female officer bent her knees and dropped to a crouched position. Just as her hands touched the pavement, Gary tried to wrangle himself free. Adam tightened the grip on him but the female officer used the distraction to pull a small pistol she had strapped around her ankle. She quickly aimed it at Adam, but before she could act, Evelyn reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm. She squeezed until the woman yelped in pain and dropped the gun. The woman cowered away holding onto her now damaged arm. Evelyn, her heart pounding, bent down and grabbed the gun. She aimed it at the woman.

  “Now listen.” Adam said. “We don’t want to have to hurt you. Get on your radio and tell your command center that everything is okay and that you stopped a Red Chevy but the driver scanned out alright.”

  Evelyn followed the woman to the Officer’s car. She radioed the message just as Adam had commanded her.

  Adam pointed. “Take her shoulder com.”

  Evelyn gestured to the woman. “Hand it over.”

  The female officer pulled her hand off her damaged arm and unlatched the com from her shoulder and handed it to Evelyn.

  “Now smash it.” Adam directed.

  Evelyn dropped the radio on the ground and crushed it with her foot. Adam took the male officer’s shoulder com and did the same.

  “One more thing.” Adam pointed to the officer’s car. “Pop the hood. On the left of the engine block is the power cell for the car. I want you to remove it.”

  Evelyn ordered the female officer to pop the hood and she did as directed. “Which one is the power cell?”

  The female officer pointed to a metal cylindrical object. There were wires leading from it like the roots of a plant.

  “Remove it.”

  The female officer winced as she disconnected the wires. Evelyn felt a tinge of guilt for hurting the woman. She didn’t mean to squeeze so hard, it just came out of her. The female officer finished what she was doing and handed the power cell to Evelyn.

  “Thank you,” Evelyn said as she slipped it into her pocket.

  The female officer gave her a strange look. Evelyn figured she probably wasn’t accustomed to a criminal using such manners.

  Adam took the cuffs off the officer’s belt and then let go of him. “Walk to your car.”

  Adam marched the male officer to the car and then had him climb in. He then handcuffed the officer to the steering wheel before directing the female officer to cuff herself to her partner’s wrist. Adam and Evelyn shut the doors and ran to their car.

  Adam started it up and they pulled away. “That should buy us some time.”

  Evelyn was thinking about the female officer. “Did you see what I did?”

  “Yes.” Adam answered. “You probably saved a life back there.”

  “I hurt that woman. I mean really hurt her. I think I broke her arm.”

  Adam glanced over at Evelyn. He seemed at a loss for words.

  “Did you see her face after I did that? She was afraid, genuinely afraid.”

  “You have to let it go, Evelyn. You didn’t kill her.”

  “What if I had, Adam? She was innocent. She was just doing her job.”

  “These things happen. Violence doesn’t discriminate between the deserving and the innocent.”

  “But I was the perpetrator of that violence.”

  “And I was the beneficiary. If you hadn’t stopped her she would have shot me.”

  Evelyn thought about the instant the female officer pulled that pistol on Adam. She reacted so fast, she squeezed so hard. She was trying to break that woman’s arm. That realization sent a shiver down her spine. What if she had wanted to do more than that?

  “I guess I owe you a thank you.” Adam admitted.

  Evelyn still wasn’t feeling comfortable with what she’d done. “I don’t want one.”

  The rain continued its barrage on the world. Like endless waves of liquid soldiers pounding the earth in sacrifice of their cause, they fell from their cloudy drop ships. They were fearless, intimidating. They forced Adam to slow down.

  Suddenly, a light appeared in the road in front of them. Adam stood on the brake and the car slid to a stop. The light hovered closer until it revealed itself to be the all seeing eye of one of OPTIC’s Drones.

  “He found us.” Evelyn said gravely.

  Adam buckled his seat belt without taking his eye off the Drone. “Hold on tight, Evelyn.”

  The light on the drone dimmed and a vertical, infrared line began to scan the interior of the Chevy.

  Adam placed both hands on the wheel and punched the gas. The car fish-tailed before gaining purchase on the road then accelerated through the drone. The drone smacked against the front end of the car and bounced off the windshield leaving a crack from one end to the other in its wake. Evelyn turned herself around and watched as the disoriented drone righted itself and zoomed after them.

  Adam paid no mind to the relentless rain this time and pushed the Chevy forward. The Drone tailed them, even firing at them. A laser struck the rear window, splattering tiny shards of glass all over the back seat.

  “Keep your head down!” Adam yelled.

  It fired again. Both of them ducked.

  “Give me your gun, Adam. I can hit it!”

  Adam pulled the gun from behind his back. “Blind it, aim for the lens.”

  Evelyn took the gun and climbed into the back seat. The drone continued to fire at them. There were sparks of laser and smoldering metal.

  Evelyn stayed out of sight until the Drone stopped firing. When she got the opportunity she popped up and took aim at the eye of the Drone. She pulled the trigger. She missed. The bullet sparked off the drone’s metal casing just above the eye. It fired at her in response but she dropped her head just in time. The laser singed her hair. She moved to the other side of the back seat and fired again at the drone. She missed again.

  “Focus, Evelyn.” She told herself. “This is just like the simulator.”

  She was lying to herself. There was a huge difference. The lasers could kill her…or Adam. He couldn’t defend himself while driving. She had to take it out. Her heart was pounding, she felt the reverberations throughout her body. She took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself.

  Focus on the eye.

  When she got the opportunity she took aim again and fired. This time she hit the lens. The drone immediately pulled up and disappeared into the rainy sky.

  Adam let out a cheer. “Great hit, Evelyn!”

  Evelyn smiled in relief and turned herself around. Her heart sank as her eyes beheld what lay before them on the road.

  She pointed. “Adam, look.”

  Adam turned his gaze back to the road and what he saw washed the triumph off his face. A cluster of red and blue lights blazed off the rain soaked road ahead of them. Hovering above the line of security vehicles was a multitude of eyes. Adam slowed the car to a stop. Evelyn and Adam glanced at each other. The confidence that had been in his eyes earlier was gone. The throng of Drones spread apart and moved forward toward them.

  Adam exhaled, turned the wheel and let off the brake. To the left of them was a lon
g patch of weedy grass that slopped into a wooded area. He pointed the car in that direction and hit the accelerator. The car rattled as it careened downhill toward the line of trees and brush. Evelyn gripped the seat with both hands to keep herself from bouncing out of the broken rear window. They hit the line of small trees and brush going almost full speed. The roar of the engine mixed with the snapping of trees as they plowed a path into the woods. Evelyn scrambled to put the seatbelt on and got it attached just as the front of the car smashed into the base of a large tree. The airbags deployed filling the car with an itchy white powder.

  Evelyn’s first instinct was to check on Adam. She wiped the powder out of her eyes, brushed off tiny shards of broken glass and pushed aside the spent airbag. Adam was reclining against his seat with his eyes closed. As she saw him there, motionless and still, she was struck by a wave of trepidation that caused her hands to tremble. She slowly reached up and grabbed his shoulders.

  “Adam.” She gave them a shake. “Adam, are you alright?” She shook him again. “Adam!” She said louder.

  She shook him again and finally his eyes opened causing her heart to skip a beat. She was so happy, she leaned forward and kissed him on the back of the head.

  “Don’t you do that to me again you son of a bitch.”

  Adam coughed then his lips curled into a smile. “How’d you know my mom was a bitch?”

  They both laughed, until Evelyn noticed a blotch of red growing on the side of Adam’s shirt, just below the rib cage. “Adam you’re bleeding.”

  He looked down, touched his bleeding side and winced. “I’ll be fine.” He bit down on his lip until the pain eased. “We need to get out. We may be able to lose them in the woods.”

  Adam unlatched his seatbelt and climbed, quite painfully, out of the car. Because the car was wedged between two trees, Evelyn was forced to crawl out the back window. Just as she made it out, she saw lights approaching from behind them.

  “They’re coming, Adam!”

  “We need to leave.”