Chapter 315
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Tuesday April 1st was rough on everybody. Although few had realistic hopes of ever leaving the Brooklyn sector, the slim hope of being chosen gave many the hope they so desperately needed. When this hope was taken away, yet again, some committed suicide. They jumped off buildings, slit their throats, or shot themselves in the streets. Others turned their anger outwards. They fought, even killed those who'd been chosen. In one case, a desperate man tried to steal an Ark spot from a chosen man. This thief panicked and stabbed his victim to death. Ths murderer was then beaten to death on the street by an angry crowd. The crowd seemed just as desperate. They wanted Mason to be certain they were not involved in murdering one of the chosen. Eve felt a little bad about leaving this mess behind, had to keep reminding herself that tonight they were leaving. She pretended to agree that she'd be working her normal shift tomorrow. The plan was for the group to meet up at 1am. The bus left the sector by 2am. Some guards on the border were helping them. As bad as Eve felt about abandoning this place, she felt she had to do it. She had to protect Hope, and Jamal. The human race had to survive, Eve was needed on the Arks. Whatever function they assigned her, Eve would adapt quickly. So long as she had her family, she would be okay.
Rumors were always buzzing about outside the sector. Since the ministry kept their entertainment restricted, they relied on rumors and word of mouth to keep it interesting. One rumor said that Israel had completely rebuilt their ancient temple. All those who worked on it had died of radiaion poisoning. Yet some were making their way there to pray. Some felt this was a sign of the end, suppossedly the temple needed to be rebuilt before the end. Eve didn't understand why, but that was the rumor. Others were going to what remained of Mecca. With the end near, they hoped this could earn some brownie points with the great spirit. There were always the conspiracy theories about George Stalin Mason to excite people. Some said he was a member, possibly even the leader, of a secret society that allegedly ruled the world covertly. It this were true, they were doing a lousy job keeping order. There was always the rumor Mason was the anti-christ, that he'd been concieved through a combination genetic engineering and satanic magic. If Mason really were the anti-christ, he seemed to have gone to a lot of effort to rule over a kingdom of graves. Another rumor aid that the children of high-ranking military and govrnment officials were competing in a Hunger Games scenario. Zoey Allen was one of them. This frightened Eve. She considered Zoey to be something of a friend. And if they were doing this to her, was their rescue attempt still on? Was it ever real?
When they brought Hope home on Tuesday Eve and Jamal tried to sleep for a few hours. They'd barely gotten any sleep last night. They'd worked literally every day for over a month. They needed some sleep now, or they'd likely both collapse from exhaustion. The alarm was set for midnight. If caught, Jamal and Eve would probably be executed for breaking "God's laws." What would happen to Hope, they didn't know. The police were suppossed to put the baby in their foster system. But if they were caught by an angry mob, they just didn't know. Eve was too nervous, and anxious, she doubted that she could sleep. She tried to lay down with Jamal, just conserve what little strength she still had. Then the alarm went off. She quickly turned it off. Eve reaized she must've fallen asleep for at least a few hours. She and her husband were both grateful for the rest. They would need all the energy they could get.
After waking up Jamal and Eve grabbed the bags they'd already packed. Inside the bags were some food, diapers, a Bible and a Koran. If questioned they might be able to explain this stuff, to say they kept it on the because of theft. They used the bathroom one final time. One way or another, they knew they'd never return here. This was the seventh home that Eve had known since Febuary 4th. The Ark would be the 8th. Despite Mason's claims that they were still working on a way to stop the asteroid, few had any hope that it would be successful. It would be nice to settle down, once and for all. The Ark might e hard, but Eve believed she could adapt. Eve and Jamal took Hope out of the apartment, knowing they would never look upon it again.