Outlander (A Better Future Book 2) (2 page)

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The morning train woke him. Jessie sat up quickly. The train’s slowing movement forwards meant that he must be near the city. He gasped for air and started coughing violently, his lungs heaving in the smog and expelling black stained mucus. He’d fallen asleep without replacing his respirator. He panicked and looked around for the mask. Finding it, he secured it across his nose and mouth. After a few breaths he removed it again to cough up more mucus and to take the last swig of his water. He really hoped that he was right about the city being close by.

Jessie reattached his mask, put on the dirty t-shirt and cowl, and crawled out of the drainage pipe. He decided to move right over next to the train line and follow it directly to its source. After about half an hour’s walk he noticed that the train line began to make a slow but steady descent. He looked down into the valley below. Through the smog he could make out patches of blue, and some light. It wasn’t like the shaft of light he’d seen the day before though. He ran a little further to get a better view. Ahead of him he could see a bright and shining expanse of land. It looked almost as if a dome covered it, except that the clear area had no particular shape or form. It just seemed to hang there in the middle of the grey landscape.

Jessie could see into the new settlement. He saw what looked like huge green fields running from one side of the Citadel down to the sea. At least he assumed that that’s what it was. He’d never actually seen the sea. It looked a dark-blue colour, and kind of clear. He gazed across the expanse to where it looked like the trains entered the city. He could see buildings and parks and plastic looking blobs that appeared to be cars.

Jessie started running towards the bright clear air. He soon realised that his failing respirator, and a night without one at all, had severely limited his ability to move with any speed. He stopped to catch his breath. He could see where the train tunnel was, but couldn’t see a road or path into the city. Jessie decided to follow the train line and take the risk of entering through the railway tunnel. Gasping for air, he walked towards the tunnel entrance. He needed to cough up more phlegm but didn’t want to remove the respirator.

Jessie could feel his throat tightening; his lungs pulled stale and thin air through the front of the mask. He started to panic and ran towards the tunnel. He gasped for air, clutching his chest. He was getting closer. Closer. He could see the light getting nearer. He began coughing violently but couldn’t seem to stop. He ripped the mask off his face to expel the fluid from his lungs. Then he felt all dizzy and fuzzy. It started getting dark. He kept trying to move forward, but realised that he was on the ground, face in the dirt.

Then came darkness.

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A bright light shone over his closed eyelids. Jessie shook his head slightly.

Am I dead? No, I can’t be dead.

Jessie had a thumping headache and his chest hurt from coughing.

“He’s coming around”, a disembodied voice said.

Jessie tried to open his eyes. Temporarily blinded, he scrunched them up tightly again. He opened them a sliver to see the forms of three people standing over him.

“Morning Jessie. Glad to see that you are still with us. We found you outside the Citadel. You’re in the hospital now”, a male voice said.

Jessie tried to open his eyes again.

“This is Doctor Brahms. I’m Detective Inspector Jessop, from the undercover team. And I believe that you’re familiar with Constable Cross?”

“Cross?” Jessie said blurrily. He opened his eyes a slither, blinking to clear the image in front of him. Everything was so white, so bright and there was a funny faint chemical smell.

“Hey Jessie. It’s Olive. You’re safe now. You made it!”

“Olive!” he cried, pleased to hear a familiar voice. He opened his eyes a little further. Olive was standing next to his bed, smiling. She was clean, her hair pulled back off her face. She was wearing a neatly pressed uniform.

“Shit! Oh I mean, like wow! You’re a cop!” Jessie started laughing and coughing all at once.

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