The Perfect World (The Perfect World Series Book 1) (22 page)

There has to be more than this, Cyrus decided firmly. There has
to be more to this world than just these four white walls. There has to be more than this building, the school, and the stadium. That can’t be all I’ll ever see, can it? 

The thought struck Cyrus like lightning. He had stayed in his room and tried to obey the rules because he was afraid to be taken away. Now that he knew that he only had one more chance left, he found he wasn’t afraid anymore. If they were going to take him away anyway, then he might as well try to find a way to escape. After all, what did he have to lose?

Resolutely, he went back to his bed and started to think of a way out. It was crazy, but the whole idea made him feel happier than he had in a long time. Unfortunately, no matter how many angles he thought of, he couldn’t think of a decent plan to get away from this place. There was no fire escape by his window as there had been in Melody’s room. The stairwell in the hallway was locked, the elevator  could only be used by the caretakers, and the only other places he went were to his classes, which were monitored by his teachers.

Frustrated, he rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. He let himself drift off to sleep, hoping that a little rest would calm him down. Soon enough, he found himself dreaming.

He was standing still in the middle of pitch-black darkness. No matter which way he walked, he felt himself bump into some invisible wall. Not that it mattered. There was no end to the darkness.

Cyrus felt something touch his hair and he turned, but saw nothing but shadows. He felt another tap on his shoulder and he turned again, but there was nothing. He looked behind him when he felt a finger on his back, and he saw three shadow hands stretched towards him. He backed away, then shielded his eyes as flashes of color broke out amidst the darkness. The colors swirled together until they formed one round beacon piercing the darkness. The light was the brightest thing he had ever seen. Without thinking anymore, he ran towards it.

Cyrus felt the hands stretching towards him, chasing him as he ran towards the light. The fingers occasionally scratched against his back, but he ignored them. He ran and ran, never once looking back. The light got bigger and bigger as he ran towards it. The hands grew larger and stretched around him and tried to block his path. Cyrus charged and jumped over the small barrier. He ran into the light and it engulfed his vision. He ran through the light until the darkness could follow him no more.

Cyrus’s eyes fluttered open as the dream ended. He sat up abruptly and stared out the window. His mouth firmed up into a thin line. He knew what he had to do.

Cyrus made sure to follow all the rules to the letter for the next week and a half. He tried to be a little more enthusiastic during the group discussions, and he didn’t try any stunts in his exercise class. His plan gave him the strength he needed to bide his time. Then, the morning came when he knew he would have his chance. He took a deep breath and prepared for his day. The day that could be the last one he ever saw in this wretched place.

He went through the day as normal, and then the time came for his exercise class. The weather was perfect so they would be outside for the run today. He changed into his exercise clothes, tied his shoes tightly and waited impatiently for his lock to open. When it finally did, he rushed out and joined the others in a line to go outside and head to the exercise facility.

Once they were inside the adjacent building, Mr. Ando separated them into their lines. Cyrus was lucky enough to be on the outside of the line on the left side, which would be facing the road. His heart beat fast in his chest as he waited for them to be ordered to start their run. After a few tense moments, the order came and all of the boys marched outside.

The lines reformed themselves, and their exercise teacher went to the front of the procession. Armed black guards moved to the back and the front. There was one soldier on the left side, but thankfully he was a little behind Cyrus. The young man knew there would be no room for error in this if he wanted to get away.

Mr. Ando blew the whistle, and they started to run. Cyrus kept the pace of the other students as they made their way down the hot street. Steam rose from the pavement as they padded noisily down the sidewalk. Some of the other students were already panting and sweating after this short run. Cyrus was sweating, but for a different reason. He kept his eyes on the left-hand side of the street, knowing he was close.

A few more minutes passed, and he saw what he was looking for. The white Quarantine Dome he could see from his window appeared in front of him. It was just down the street. He stared at it as they ran a little past it. His heart jumped to his throat as he took a deep breath. For a split second, he hesitated, wondering if he was making the right decision. Then, he remembered the four white walls, the endless boredom, the disappearance of those important to him and the feelings of helplessness and distrust. That decided him. He had had enough.

Cyrus kept up with the others for a few more paces before he broke rank and jumped over the silver barrier beside him. He felt the black hand of a guard try to snatch him back, but it missed him.  Cyrus thought he heard someone call his name, but he couldn’t be sure. He landed on the black concrete and ran as fast as he could, not looking back.

He had never run so fast in his whole life. His feet pounded down on the hot pavement, and his arms swung widely. He had no idea what was going to happen, but he kept going straight towards the Quarantine Dome. He just knew he wanted to run. He wanted to run away from everything he had ever known.

Cyrus heard the pounding of other feet behind him and turned his head to see that the armored guards were pursuing him. He looked ahead and forced himself to go faster. He couldn’t let them catch him.

His lungs burned and sweat fell into his eyes. He ignored the pain and wiped away his sweat as he continued to run. He could see the white glowing dome getting closer. Inspired by the sight of it, he rushed forward when he felt a white hot pain in his shoulder. It caused him to fall forward and skid against the ground.

Cyrus gripped his shoulder as the wound burned with an unseen fire. He couldn’t see what had hit him. All he knew was whatever had hit him had gone straight through his shoulder. He released his hand from the wound and stared at the blood that now covered it.

The pounding feet behind him jerked him back into reality. The black armored guards were closing in on him. Their hands were outstretched, ready to snatch him. He hastily forced himself to his feet and started running again, just as an armored guard dove for him.

Cyrus ran again, as fast as he could. His vision blurred, and the blood continued to run down his shirt and onto the black concrete. He was starting to feel dizzy, and his lungs started to burn again as he ran towards the Quarantine Dome. He could hear the guards close behind him, but he ignored them.

Almost there, he told himself, pushing himself to the limit. Just a little more. I’ve got to make it! Come on!

His body started to feel weak, and he clutched his stinging shoulder. He pressed himself forward until his legs gave out from under him, and he collapsed to the ground. He stretched his arm out towards the Quarantine Dome, so close, yet so far from his reach.

No … he thought weakly. I’m so close … I have to get up … have to … run …

He put his head down on the pavement as the dizziness overtook him. His head started to swirl, and he couldn’t stay focused. He felt the guards’ hands on him, touching his shoulder. He knew he had failed. He was about to admit defeat when a bright light appeared over his shoulder. It zapped the guard above him and pushed him back.

Cyrus looked up and saw blurry figures holding large barrel-like objects shooting a white light at the armored guards behind him. When the light hit them directly, it covered their bodies and then they collapsed to the ground. He saw a few more guards go down before the rest retreated away from their attackers.

Cyrus turned back to the figures with the large barrel objects. They were covered by the white glow of the Quarantine Dome, making it difficult for him to discern anything about them. Still, he stretched out a hand towards them, hoping they would help him. The last thing he saw was the figures running towards him before he fell into a deep sleep.

When Cyrus groggily came to, he thought he was dreaming. He awoke to find himself in a white room with several other beds on either side of him, though he was the only occupant of the room. The young man noticed that his arms were littered with wires that were connected to various beeping machines set up around him. Sitting up abruptly, he tore the wires off of him and pushed the machines away.

He sat up slowly, taking in the strangeness of his situation. The white walls reminded him of his small room in his old building, but the resemblance ended there. For starters, there was no food slot for him to get his meals from. The room was bigger than anything he would have gotten to sleep in, and it was full of machines he had never seen before.

Putting off the strangeness of his situation for a moment, he remembered his wounded shoulder and moved to touch it, only to find it covered in white bandages. There was white cotton over the wound that was bound tightly under the bandages. The pain that had come from it was gone, and he briefly wondered how that was possible.

It took another moment for him to notice that his clothes were gone. All he had on was an ugly green shirt that was open in the back. Uncomfortable in the outfit, he looked around for his regular clothes, but he didn’t find them. Scowling, he was about to get up and search when he heard the door to his room open.

Cyrus stared nervously as the door opened, clutching the sheets in front of him. He had no idea who was coming through that door or what they wanted with him. He relaxed a little when he saw a tall young woman with long blonde hair enter the room and smile warmly in his direction. She was wearing a loose green shirt, with matching loose pants and was holding a small black device in her gloved right hand.

“Well, good morning to you,” she said to him sweetly as she came to stand beside his bed. “You gave us quite a scare when you arrived here with that hole in your shoulder.”

Cyrus took a look at his bandaged shoulder at her mention of it. He pressed his fingers against it, still not feeling any pain from the pressure. He started a little when he heard her voice again.

“You shouldn’t touch the bandage,” she admonished gently. “Nurse’s orders.”

“What’s a nurse?” Cyrus asked her, finally finding his voice again. “Is that another word for caretaker?”

It had been a fairly straightforward question in Cyrus’s view, but she seemed to find it off-putting.

“So, it’s true. You are from one of the Dead Zones.”

“The—I’m sorry, what?” 

She shook her head quickly. “Never mind that for now. To answer your question, a nurse and caretaker aren’t quite the same thing. A nurse is someone who helps to take care of a person when they’re hurt or sick,” she said this explanation slowly, as if she was afraid he might not understand.

Cyrus tried to ask another question, but she abruptly came to his side and started to mess with the machines he had ripped off of his arms moments earlier.

“I need to run a few tests to make sure you’re recovering without any problems. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”

Cyrus nodded and cooperated as she performed a few rudimentary tests. He noted that after each test was conducted, she would type the results into the small black device she had brought with her. It was as she was typing on the black device that Cyrus heard a beeping noise. The nurse raised her eyebrows as her eyes scanned something on the screen.              

“It looks like you’ve got two very important visitors for you.” She tapped her finger a few more times on her small black device before she placed it into her pants pocket. “I suppose it shouldn’t be that surprising, given where you’re from and how old you are.”

“Why does it matter where I’m from?” Cyrus tried to stop her from leaving the room by asking more questions. “And what does my age have to do with anything?”

“It would be better if they explained it to you. They’ll be better at it than me,” she said to Cyrus as she hastily headed for the door.

“Wait! Who are they?”

“They are two of the most important people in the free world,” the nurse answered right before she exited the room.

The free world? Is that another term for the perfect world?
Cyrus wondered, feeling both perplexed and frustrated.
And these two people who want to visit me are its leaders?
He thought about all the times he had been told that the leaders of the world were the highest order of society and not to be questioned.
What would they want with me?

Cyrus wasn’t left waiting long as the door opened again a few minutes later. This time, he was greeted by a sight that threw him for a loop. The person who stepped inside the room was a man who was tall with dirty blond hair streaked with gray and deep blue eyes that seemed both wise and kind. The man’s forehead seemed permanently creased, and his skin had a rough quality to it. His body seemed in good shape in spite of the apparent age of the man. Cyrus had never seen anyone this old before.

Another man came in after the first, this one was a bit shorter, but also a bit younger. This one had darker brown skin, which was a stark contrast to the pale skin of his companion. His eyes were dark, much as Scott’s had been. His black hair was long and tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

The two men approached Cyrus’s bed silently, and the young man eyed them both warily, wondering what they wanted. Finally, the older blond-haired man cracked a smile and said, “I’m glad that you’ve finally woken up. You gave us quite a scare Cyrus. That wound those guards gave you was a bad one, but the doctors managed to patch you up.”

Those few sentences brought more questions than answers. Cyrus didn’t know what to say or what to think. He just stared at the old man in confusion, which the old man seemed to be expecting.

“There’s no reason for you to worry Cyrus Wright.” The old man’s voice was gentle. “We’re not here to hurt you. We’re here to help you.”

“Help me?” he questioned with his head tilted to the side. “Help me with what?” He blinked as a more obvious question struck him. “And how do you know my name?”

“We’ve been expecting you.” The words belonged to the old man’s companion. Cyrus noted the differences in their voices. The old man’s voice was strong, but there was an underlying sense of warmth to it. The other man’s voice was firm and unmistakably authoritative.

“Expecting me? What do you mean, expecting me?”

“We mean that when a person causes so much trouble in the oppressive environment that they’re forced to live in, there are only two options that are open to them. One is to wait to be dealt with by the ruling authorities, and the other is to try to escape on your own. We suspected you would be the latter type of person, and we were correct,” the old man clarified in a calm voice. 

“You knew I was causing trouble?” Cyrus sounded as perplexed as he felt. “How?”

The old man laughed at the question. “I think it’s best if you just listen to the two of us talk for a while. It’ll probably answer some of the questions you have.”

“It’ll be a start anyway,” the older man’s companion said firmly. “You have a lot to learn.”

“A lot to learn?” Cyrus repeated out of habit and curiosity.

“Well, at least he’s got repetition down,” the younger man remarked. “Maybe we could get him to work as a reporter. Repeating useless drivel while sounding self-important is the biggest part of their job.”

“Huo, that was unkind,” the older man responded sternly as Cyrus stared at his sheets self-consciously. “You know very well what this young man has been through. We must give him a chance to prove himself before we pass judgment.”

“If you say so,” Huo told him noncommittally, though he said no more on the subject.

“Now, I’m sure you have a million and one questions, but—oh, I just realized, I never introduced myself, did I?”

“And it only took you ten minutes to notice. Your senility is starting to show,” Huo said with a playful smirk.

The older man ignored the remark and put a hand over his heart. “I am John Eldrick, the leader of this Quarantine Dome. I am also the head adviser for the other Quarantine Domes in North America. My surly associate is Huo Shen, and he’s the leader of the Hong Kong and China domes. He is also the head adviser for the Quarantine Domes in Asia.”

Huo Shen nodded as he was being introduced, but said nothing more. Cyrus looked between them, trying to absorb all the information he’d been given when a thought struck him. “Wait, you’re the leader of this Quarantine Dome? Then, that means …”

“Yes, you are inside the Quarantine Dome,” John told him with a smile. “My sentries saw you make a break for it and run towards this Dome. They sent a few men out to push back the guards and rescue you. It was a good thing we got to you as soon as we did. Otherwise, you might have bled out.”

“It was pure luck that saved you from reaching an early grave. Or maybe dumb luck is the better term.” Huo gave a small shrug. “Though some say that the harder they work at something the luckier they get. Take that for what it’s worth.”

Cyrus figured this was supposed to be a compliment of some kind, but he wasn’t entirely sure how. He turned away from Huo as John continued his explanation.

“You may rest easy. Those guards cannot get you here. You will not return to that place ever again. You are safe.”

Relief washed over Cyrus as he heard those words. The idea of never having to see those four walls of his room again filled him with a deep feeling of joy. Then, he tilted his head as another question occurred to him.

“But, wait, if I’m in the Quarantine Dome, then am I sick?”

Huo snorted. “Do you feel sick?”

“No.”

“There you go.”

“The so-called sickness that they press upon the unfortunate children confined to their rooms is nothing more than a trick to silence anyone who would question their ways. It is unlikely you were ever truly sick to begin with,” John explained with a sad shake of his head.

“Then, if these Domes don’t house sick people, then what are they for?” Cyrus asked with his mind racing. It was like the entire world was opening up around him, and he had no idea what he should ask next.

John placed his hands on Cyrus’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “I know that you’re brimming with questions, but it would be best if you listened for now. Okay?”

“Okay,” Cyrus agreed, though mentally he doubted he would be able to stay quiet for long.

“The place you escaped from is known as a Dead Zone by those who run the perfect world system. Dead Zones are the areas where the children are raised until the age of twenty-five and are completely inaccessible to anyone else who isn’t consigned to working there.

“You are now in the Pittsburgh dome, a sanctuary for those who do not agree with living by the rules of tyranny and oppression that make up the rest of the “perfect world.” These domes protect those people who disagree with the perfect world’s system and wish to live freely to pursue their own desires. There are Domes located all over the North American continent as well as Domes spread all over the world. They house the last remnants of the people of the free world.”

Cyrus opened his mouth, but John held up a finger to silence him. Cyrus smiled sheepishly at the annoyed look John was giving him.

“You may be wondering what the term “free world” means. You may not have even ever heard of the word “free” living in the circumstances that you grew up in. To be free means that you are not owned by any person or thing. You are free to learn, live and be anything that you wish provided that you live within the rule of law. You are also not guaranteed anything in a free society. The right to your life is protected as is the right to speak your mind and have a fair trial, along with a few other rights as mandated by the law of the land. Otherwise, you have no other rights. Food, water, shelter, jobs, material goods and other matters are not rights. These are things that, as a mature adult, you earn by your own hands.”

Seeing Cyrus’s wide-eyed expression, John smiled and added, “It’s not as scary as it sounds.” The older man cleared his throat and then continued his explanation. “Though perhaps this would be easier on you if I started from the beginning.”

John Eldrick dragged two nearby chairs over to his bed. Both John and Huo sat down promptly while Cyrus waited impatiently for the explanation he had been promised.

“Long before the perfect world system was established, the Earth was divided into several different countries across six continents. Each country had a form of government, who were a collection of people making the rules and exacting punishment on the common man. Each country had its own interests and often times those interests or ambitions conflicted with the interests of another country. This led to large scale fights, known as battles and wars, which have been fought since mankind’s inception. The most recent of these bloody affairs before the making of the perfect world was a conflict known as a world war, which, as the title suggests, is a bloody battle that raged across the entire globe. The most recent of these wars was known as World War Three.”

“Three?” Cyrus repeated with a bit of shock. “There were three world wars?”

“Yes,” John confirmed.

Cyrus ran a hand through his disheveled hair in disbelief. “Didn’t anyone learn anything from the first one?”