Author's Note: This story is a work of fiction, it is not based off of anything other than the story in my head. The inspiration of this book comes from many readings growing up but it does not consist of any mutual characters, plots, settings, etc. This is all my own, and I do not wish for anyone to copy this. I do not obviously have a copyright for this story, but I do hope one day to be a published author, so I am staking claim that this story in its entirety is mine and is not allowed to be used by anyone else. Thank you.

Prologue

I remember fireworks, those colorful bursts of fire, light, and hope. I know hope? Who thinks of hope with fireworks? Most people think of hot dogs, Independence, cookouts, summertime, whatever goes along with the Fourth of July. Fireworks are hope for me because its my last full memory. Everything else is just fragments, like the individual sparks of a firework's burst. I remember being a child and laying on a blanket staring up at the sky in amazement, just curious about where the light went after it dimmed.

The only other light I remember being fascinated by was lightening. The fragment of that memory is my mother telling me it was God shining a flashlight on his garden while watering it, the thunder was his footsteps. I believe in God and I believe in all the Bible says but I haven't seen a Bible in years. All books have been destroyed, newspapers, magazines, CD's, movies, radios, any form of entertainment to include anything to create that entertainment... gone. So am I. Well, at least the person I was. Technically my name is 6831329LB, but when I was born, my mother named me Emmerline Sawyer Hayes. I remember my mom vaguely, she had brown hair, blue eyes, and smelled of lilacs. Her name was Lindsey Hayes, my father was Logan Hayes. Yet another fragmented memory, my father, killed in a war that started this mess. One other memory that is broken still lingers, and that is about all that is left of my former life, everything is supposed to be removed and forgotten, I guess I slipped through the cracks. I had a boyfriend before everything happened, he would call me "his little Emmy" a knock on the trophy wife saying. He was handsome, tall, red hair that was always short and stylishly messy. He had the greenest eyes, and the happiest smile... Brett.

The last mirror image I remember seeing of myself, my eyes were a dull brown, my hair was short from them cutting it, no, we couldn't look like women anymore, too much temptation. I used to have long brown hair, I would spend hours fixing it, making it straight, soft skin, and a tan. Now, I am scratched, bruised, scarred, and pale. Deathly pale. No one cares about being in the sun anymore, simply for fear of being caught and taken.

By the way this isn't some sci-fi or fantasy story, this is about a genocide, a modern day holocaust if you will. I was 25 when it started, I can't tell you how long it's been since, it feels like another lifetime though. With all due respect to the real holocaust, this isn't a governments out to kill us physically but to control us so much that we can't act out. We do not live in a concentration camp or anything as bad or extreme as that. Considering how much technology had, please notice the past tense, advanced since then, taking it all away now is very difficult. I'm not talking about cellphones, television, or satellite radio per say, more the health technologies, and how the world once functioned with them. Times have changed and this is my way of dealing, writing what I know and hoping I don't forget this too. I have no friends to talk to about this because, well, I am running. Running from what started this, only until I know how to stop it. I hope... fireworks.

Chapter One

Have you ever heard of the term seeing red? I heard someone say it once when they were really mad, and all they wanted to do was to create havoc on the person it was aimed towards. I see red every morning, but not the same way. Every morning is actually night time now, no one goes out in the day anymore, too much light means you'll be caught, hell if there is anyone out there like me at all I guess. Anyways, seeing red, do you know when you close your eyes and a light passes in front of your eyelids its a color of red instead of the black you normally see? I see that all the time, always triggering my memory of fireworks, only to wake up with disappointment when I see lightening. Only this isn't a normal storm with thunder and rain. It is the electricity of all the failing transformers, and power lines that are not being used anymore, the tall buildings that are losing their function to desolation. The last newspaper I saw was almost a lifetime away, I remember it said November 11, 2012. I was keeping track of the sun and moon cycles early on, then it just became apparent that having a date was menial and that I was wasting my time, until what I figured was July fourth, when I saw my hope again. I have been traveling on foot from city to city for a while now trying to develop a sense of this destruction to my mind, this obliteration to life itself. I may be over reacting, it's not like this 'government' is out killing everyone, just taking anyone stupid enough to be out during the sun and forcing them to work as a militant against their will. Giving them harmless devices, nothing that will give them any true escape if that ever crossed their clean slate minds. I don't know how they did it, I don't remember what happened for sure, but I have this little piece of a memory.

It was raining, and there was a flash of lightening only it wasn't white, it was blue, and the rain kind of shifted, it wasn't the fresh rain that my parents used to love. It wasn't the fresh smell you got when your surroundings were getting a natural wash down. It wasn't quite an acid rain, but I remember a pain, a mental pain, and things just started to get hazy, I couldn't see, and I couldn't remember where I was. Next thing I know I was laying in an alley under a cardboard box that had been broken down. Brett was no where around, and I felt nothing. No pain, no sadness, no fear. Nothing. I then decided to explore and that is when I saw all the tanks and trucks loading up people with equally dazed looks, and I decided at that moment I was not going to be one of them and I ran, down the alley into a door that was cracked open. That is when I met Lauren. She answered all the questions that I will answer for you. From that point forward though, this is the purpose for why I am writing this all down. Hope. I hope that someone finds this and understands what happened, and knows the truth.

Lauren

I turned back down the alley and there peeking out at me was this short blond. She couldn't have been any taller that five foot two. She had no make up and her clothes were baggy. She didn't seem like the type to care or try to impress anyone. She just existed, but I couldn't help but notice she was coherent, she wasn't confused, and she wasn't climbing on to a half ton military truck like the others. My gut said I had to trust her.

"In here!" She yelled at me as she ran down a hall, down a flight of stairs and into a basement.

"What is going on? Why are there tanks and truck loading up people, where is Brett, more so why can't I remember anything?" I couldn't stop myself, the questions just flew out and I was trying to understand how she had so much control and I didn't.

"I would say calm down, but I assume you have no emotion, just confusion," she was staring at me, studying me, watching my moves, my body language while my mind tried to figure out what was going on. "Have you figured it out yet? It was meant to happen, its beginning, the government is taking its control. I couldn't get to your friend in time, all I could do was grab you and shelter you with the box, I had nothing else for your friend, trust me I would have grabbed him too. The more people unaffected by this government the more likely we will to fix this problem."

"What are you talking about? My friend? Wait, did you see where he went? Ahh, this headache is getting worse."

"Okay, here sit down. I have a lot to tell you, but first you need to relax, if you don't mind I am going to get my friends and we will explain this all to you."

"There are more than just you and I?"

"Well yes, but I have to find them, we split up when the rain happened. I will be back in about an hour, whatever you do, don't fall asleep, at least not yet."

"Um, okay? Why?"

"If you have any memories other than that guy, you'll forget them. That's how it works, you sleep and you forget, I don't know how, but that was the plan at least, look it is all confusing, let my get the others and I will fill you in more. Be back soon, remember do not go to sleep.'

"Okay."

I sat there staring at the basement of what looked like a restaurant, though not a fancy one, there were boxes of chips, hamburger buns, soda cans, and other dry stock items. I was getting hungry, but I wasn't going to steal someone else's food. I was sure there was a reasonable explanation for what was going on. I must have slipped and hit my head, all this is a dream. I must be in the hospital drugged up right now, there is no way anything like this is happening, not for my generation. I have read books about things like this happening, but there is just no possible way this is happening. I proceeded to slap my arm, pinch my hand, I even pulled the hair tie on my wrist to snap it against my skin to wake up. Nothing, the dank basement was still my surroundings, and the musty smell was making me nauseous. I started feeling drowsy and I tried to stay awake, I read the back of the chips, the nutritional panel, the ingredients, anything to keep me moving and functioning. I already couldn't remember a lot of things, there was no way I would forget anymore. I couldn't stand waiting, I never had the patience for it, and I there was no way I had it now. Despite everything that happened, if she didn't return soon, I would find my answers myself.

"Move!" She was running into the basement, terrified look on her face. She was sweating and it looked like I wasn't going to get my answers just yet.

"What is the problem, tell me something or I am not going anywhere."

"That's your call then, but if you want to control your life, and you want to survive this, this genocide, then move your ass, because you have 2 seconds before they enter this building."

That was enough to get me moving, I wasn't about to believe the genocide talk, but I didn't want to be 'caught'. We ran up a different set of stairs and into what must have been the dining room to the restaurant. I immediately turned towards the door, but Lauren wasn't going that way, she was running up more stairs. I followed her, realizing the outside wasn't safe, but I still wasn't sure how we were going to get out of this building. She pushed through a set of double doors, this must have been the kitchen, there was stainless steal everywhere, food on the tables, water boiling over on the stove and meat burning on the grill. Where were all the people that were inside. There is no way that I survived this rain with just a piece of cardboard covering me, so where did everyone go. I had to remember to ask her that. As I ran passed a table with fruit on it, I grabbed to apples and stuffed them in my pockets, I had a feeling I was going to need one, and Lauren would too. She ran down this slope and I realized it was a shipping dock. My chest started to hurt and my side began to cramp but I kept pushing myself on, I had no emotion but my mind still told me that fear was something I should have felt. It was an odd thought, kind of like a memory, I knew I should feel something but I simply didn't. We ran into another building and continued the process of upstairs, downstairs, through small dark alley doors, and finally after two more buildings she was comfortable with this location and locked us inside a small studio apartment. Where were it's occupants? Where are the animals even? There was a chew toy on the floor and a picture of this fur ball that looked like some ankle bitter.

I tossed her an apple and she smiled, but set it down. Catching our breath we just stared at each other while panic crossed her face, I was sure mine showed nothing, just emptiness because that was all I felt.

"Spill," it was all I could say, I wasn't moving any more until I was told what the hell I was doing, and who this crazy girl was.