ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 33)

In yesterday's episode Adam, fleeing from XenTek security and the police, made one last visit to his apartment to gather only what he could fit into his backpack. VerbalTag7 had warned him that he had just an hour, at best, to get out of the city before they tracked him down.

Adam realized that by leaving his job at XenTek and the relative security of the city he was facing a very uncertain future. This is something he had always dreamed of but never had the guts to do, now the Universe put him in the position where it was his one and only choice.

Welcome to today's episode of Alarm Clock Dawn!

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Ten miles north of the city, he thought. The trip would take likely him hours on foot and nightfall was just a little more than three hours away, so he started his journey at somewhere between a fast walk and a jog.

He became entranced by the sound of his own footsteps and was lost in euphoria at the sudden realization that he would never have to be awakened by the alarm clock to another dreaded day of sameness. In his wildest dreams he never imagined it would happen like this, but, nevertheless, he had just escaped his very own personal hell. This somehow made the worst of his fears of the future a little easier to bear.

“Mister! Hey, mister!”

Adam was startled by a dirty-faced boy, dressed in rags, standing in front of a pastry shop with his hand out. The smell wafting from the shop was intoxicating and must’ve been torturous to someone who was already hungry.

“Can you spare two dollars for a donut?” the boy asked.

Adam said nothing but reached into his pocket and grabbed one of his vintage watches, still wrapped in its protective microfiber cloth. He could tell which one it was by the shape and weight alone. Adam placed it carefully into the boy's hand. “This is yours. Be very delicate with it. It's over a hundred years old and is solid gold. It’s worth enough to keep you fed for a long time.”

The young boy slowly unwrapped it and was speechless as he studied the face of the vintage timepiece. It was a complicated watch that displayed the day, the date, and even the phase of the moon. The boy then gave Adam a perplexed look.

“You're welcome,” Adam said, giving the boy a reassuring smile and patting him on the head. “Just remember, take no less than $500 for it.”

As he continued down the sidewalk, he was surprised at how good it felt to shed something he had once coveted so much, the rarest watch in his collection. It felt very freeing. It wasn't just the kind deed itself, the shedding of his possessions felt like emerging from a chrysalis and finding his wings.

Adam continued down the crowded city sidewalk with a bright smile on his face. People seemed to be taking advantage of this rare treat of mild weather, such a welcomed retreat from the heavy wind and driving rain.

All the better, Adam thought.

Considering he was now a fugitive, he felt a little safer tucked away into the obscurity of the crowd. As he walked, Adam was almost overcome by a noxious trail of odor. It smelled like a mix of cumin and patchouli. The source of the stench seemed to be the person walking directly in front of him. The man was so tall and wide that Adam could barely see beyond him. He had strapped to him an enormous camouflage backpack, and hanging from it was a steel water bottle and various tools. On his feet were scuffed leather hiking boots that had seen much better days.

I have to get around this guy or I'm going to barf right here on the sidewalk, Adam thought to himself as he picked up his pace. Adam focused straight ahead as he moved to the left to pass.

“Hey, got a light?” the man asked.

“Sorry, sir, I don't” Adam replied, looking over his shoulder. The man had wild, unkempt hair and a bushy red beard, and, except for his wind-burnt face, appeared to be just a little older than Adam.

“Ha! Sir? I haven't been called that for a while!” The man chuckled. As he opened his mouth to speak, Adam noticed there was a gaping hole where his front tooth had been. On a normal day this is where the conversation would have ended right then and Adam would have continued walking. For good reason, the mainstream media constantly warned of the dangers posed by the homeless.

There was an almost endless string of stories about crimes committed by these people who, according to the media, nearly all suffered from addiction and mental illness. The humbling predicament he found himself in made Adam realize he was no better than this homeless person standing before him. Adam slowed his pace and turned around, allowing the man to catch up.

“Where are you headed?” Adam asked.

“Everywhere and nowhere, I guess. Best I can surmise, I've put almost eight thousand miles on these boots, walked halfway around the world. And where, might I ask, is your destination?”

Adam was surprised by how well-spoken the man seemed. “Oh, I'm hiking up to Bell Rock.”

“Leaving the city, eh? That’s brave for someone like you. Well, it just so happens that I'm traveling that way if you don't mind the company. My name's Michael, but my friends call me Bear.” The smell of body odor was stirred up as Bear extended his calloused, thick-fingered hand.

“I'm Adam and, of course, you're welcome to join me.” Adam could clearly understand how Bear got his nickname. As they shook hands, he noticed that Bear's hand was easily twice the size of his own.

Just then, in the distance, Adam heard the faint sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air. It seemed to be getting closer by the second. The louder the noise became, the more panic stricken Adam was. He desperately began to gasp for air.

“Hey, are you okay, buddy?” Bear asked as Adam felt himself getting woozy.

“Y-y-yes,” Adam managed to answer as he quickly flipped up the hood of his navy blue raincoat and began walking with his head down.

“Are you sure something's not wrong?”

Adam said nothing and continued walking as they approached the outermost edge of the city's Safe Zone. It had been years since he had been this far away from the city. Although the weather had been kind so far today, there were never any guarantees of how long the calm weather would last. They approached the large signs that reminded them of the danger. “Warning: Travel Beyond This Point At Your Own Risk!”

This was the point where access to the enclosed skyways and concrete tunnels stopped, as did their protection from the volatile and deadly storms.

Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.

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