The Altered Ones Read online




  The Altered Ones

  Tiffany N. Jones

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  My stomach growls as I sit alone at the dining room table, waiting patiently for dinner. My father and sister are nowhere in sight, which is highly unusual. I am typically the last one to the table. The aromas wafting from the kitchen smell so delicious my mouth waters. It smells like turkey, roasted potatoes, warm bread, and apple pie.

  After what feels like an eternity, my mother finally brings out each dish, one by one, on a silver platter. I offer to help, but she tells me to sit back and enjoy being served. I’m still the only one at the table, but that fact barely registers with me as I focus on the smorgasbord laid out before me. I have never seen so much food in my life. There are so many fresh fruits and vegetables I don’t know where to begin.

  My eyes land on a bright, red apple. It's been so long since I’ve had any fresh fruit to eat. Most of our fruits and vegetables come out of a jar or a can. This apple looks so sweet and succulent that I can't wait to take a bite. I reach out to grab it, but just as my fingertips are about to touch the skin of the fruit, it explodes.

  I jump back a little and wipe the pulp off my face. The hollow feeling in my stomach compels me to try again. This time I try to grab a turkey leg, but it also explodes. The same sequence repeats itself over and over, dish after dish. I close my eyes and scream in frustration. There is destroyed food everywhere, none of it fit for consumption.

  When I open my eyes, I’m no longer sitting at the kitchen table. I’m standing in a long, dark hallway. There’s only a single door at the very end. The light seeping out from underneath the doorway casts an eerie glow. As I proceed towards the door, my footsteps are marked by the sound of the creaking floorboard. Each footstep feels like a heartbeat. The closer I get to the door, the faster the heartbeat. I soon hear a familiar voice screaming my name from behind the door. I start to run when I realize the person screaming is my sister Violet.

  I grab the doorknob and try to turn it, but it’s locked. I desperately try to force my way in, banging on the door as hard as I can with my fists. Violet’s screams fade further and further away. I frantically kick the door, but after the third or fourth kick it disappears.

  When I startle awake, it takes me a minute to figure out where I am. I sit up and examine my surroundings. It is still dark in the room, so it must be nighttime or early morning. I look over at the twin bed next to mine and see Violet sleeping peacefully. Her light snore is the only sound I hear in the room. It was just a dream.

  Relief washes over me as I lay my head back down on my pillow. After the hammering in my chest finally subsides, I look over at the clock on my bedside table and groan. It's only three a.m.

  These dreams have been coming more frequently. So much so that it’s getting harder to distinguish between dreams and reality. I can’t tell if they are just a collection of random images that invade my mind while I’m sleeping, or if they have a deeper meaning.

  It is impossible for me to fall back to sleep. I toss and turn for the next hour or so. I’m not sure if I eventually fall asleep or not when the blaring of my alarm clock registers in my consciousness. After I turn off the annoying sound, I look over to see the mess of dark hair on a pillow that is my sister. She sleeps through the alarm as usual.

  Violet and I look a lot alike. We both have the same dark hair, light brown eyes, and straight nose. Even though she's three years younger, she's about two inches taller than me. She still has a slight build where mine has started to develop a little more. I decide to let her sleep in for a little while so I can have the bathroom all to myself.

  After I'm finished getting ready for school, I head for the kitchen to find food. We're almost out of supplies and tomorrow's the day to get our monthly rations. I hope there is something edible. Having dreams about food has left me ravenous.

  I see my father sitting at the table, reading the newspaper and sipping on a cup of coffee with his right leg propped up in a chair. He looks up at me when I enter the room and says, "Good morning, sunshine. You look a little tired this morning."

  "Yeah, I didn’t sleep very well last night."

  "Is everything alright?" he asks as he takes another sip from his favorite large blue mug—the one Violet and I gave him last Christmas.

  “Yes,” I say a little too cheerfully. I can tell by his expression he's not convinced.

  “Listen sweetheart, don’t worry about tomorrow. Everything is going to be fine.”

  “I know, I’m just a little nervous.” He gives me a reassuring smile and continues to read the paper.

  I look at the cast on his leg and wince. If only he had prior warning before that building collapsed on him, his leg would be perfectly fine, and I wouldn’t have to go get our monthly supply of rations in his place.

  Not everyone in the city is permitted to buy rations. It is reserved for only the healthy part of the population. This has created a lot of tension and violence throughout the country. There has been a sharp increase in the amount of robberies and kidnappings in the past few years since the new government put this rule into effect.

  Those who are considered unhealthy migrated from areas outside of the Safe Zone where there are higher levels of radiation. They all have the same characteristic look of sickness: sallow skin, bloodshot eyes, bleeding gums. Some refer to them as altered, damaged, mutants, and even freaks of nature. I just think of them as desperate people needing help.

  There are only a few stores in the city, so shopping is tightly regulated. You are only permitted to shop on your specified date and time. It is too dangerous for me to go to the store by myself, so I’ll be going with our neighbor Alex. He’s a year or two older than I am and works with my father. He and his mother moved in next door a few years ago after his father left. They are fortunate to have a working car, and Alex usually volunteers to drive my father to the store every month.

  My mother walks into the kitchen and gives me a quick hug. “Good morning, my little raven-haired beauty. Sit down and let me get you some breakfast.”

  “Ok,” I say as I slide into the chair next to my father. He reaches over and hands me a section of his newspaper to read.

  “How did you sleep last night?” Mom asks. She reaches in the cabinet to pull out a pot, then fills it with water from the sink before placing it on the stove.

  “Fine,” I lie. I don't want her to be more worried about me than she is. She continues to prepare breakfast without any further prodding.

  Violet walks into the kitchen and sits in the seat next to me. She still looks half-asleep.

  After breakfast, it's time to leave for school. I grab my bag and head out to wait for the bus. Violet trails right behind me.

  “Hey, Raven, wait for me,” she says. I purposely slow
my pace in order for her to catch up to me.

  When we arrive at the bus stop, there’s already a line of kids waiting, along with a few parents. After a few minutes, the bus arrives and comes to a screeching halt in front of us. When the doors open, an armed soldier steps out and waits for everyone to board the bus. He stares straight ahead, but I know he’s aware of every movement around him.

  Our new president has made education a top priority. He feels we cannot rebuild our society without it. Attending school is mandatory and you have to be practically on your deathbed to be excused. Schooling is reserved, yet again, for the healthy part of the population. I actually like going to school and agree that education is important. Not all my classmates feel this way. Some think the extra security is just the president’s way of protecting his new batch of soldiers. If you’re not academically inclined, the army is one of your few choices.

  As I move to take my seat, the other soldier positioned at the back of the bus eyes my every movement. This used to bother me, but now I’ve gotten used to it. I mostly ignore him, but sometimes I wonder what he’s thinking about. Does he sit back and judge everyone? Or maybe he’s thinking about more important things, like preventing another hostage situation on our school bus—just like the one from a couple of years ago that initiated all this military protection.

  Once everyone is on board, the first soldier returns to his position at the front of the bus. His gun gleams in the sunlight, just like the one my father used to teach Violet and me to shoot. He felt we needed to be able to protect ourselves if the situation ever arose. My mother objected at first, citing that we were too young. It took a little convincing on my father’s part for her to finally relent.

  I sit and stare out the window as we proceed towards our destination. I still can't stop thinking about the dream I had last night. It felt so real. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to my sister. Hopefully I'll never have to find out.

  “What's going on with you today? Why are you so quiet?” asks Violet.

  “I don't know. I just have a few things on my mind.”

  I can tell she’s not satisfied with my answer, as she presses for more information. “Are you worried about tomorrow?”

  “A little. I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen,” I say.

  “You’ve made that trip with Dad a hundred times. I’m sure everything will be fine.” She smiles. “Besides, you’ll get to spend some time alone with Alex,” she adds in a singsong voice.

  I laugh and gather my bag as we pull up to the school. I can always count on Violet to make me feel better. She is one of the few people I can confide in. I think about telling her about the dream, but she has exams today. I don’t want her spending that time worrying about me. Besides, it was just a dream.

  As I walk into my first period class, I notice my best friend Danielle is already sitting at her desk. She looks up and greets me with a warm smile as I slide into the chair next to her. She’s wearing a cream-colored sweater that compliments her dark skin tone.

  During the morning announcements the Principal informs everyone we will be having mandatory health screenings starting today. They will sort us alphabetically by last name. Students whose last names start with the letter A are to report to the nurse’s office immediately after the announcements are over.

  Danielle looks over at me and whispers, “I wonder why we are having more testing so soon.”

  I shrug my shoulders. We had our annual health screens a couple of months ago. I’m not sure why we need another one so soon, unless there’s some type of outbreak happening again.

  On my way to my next class my eyes flash to my friend Samantha’s red hair at the end of the hallway. I immediately turn around and decide to take an alternate route to class. I’m not in the mood for her negativity right now.

  After third period, they call the letter C, and being a Cross, I go to the nurse’s office. I sit in one of the chairs against the wall and wait to be called. Sitting in the hallway reminds me of the many tornado drills we’ve had over the years. We would all line up against the wall and sit with our hands over our head. The weather can sometimes be unpredictable, so we have to be prepared.

  The door opens and the nurse steps out with a clipboard. “Cross, Raven,” she says as she looks in my direction. I stand up and proceed into the office. The room has a strong antiseptic smell. I immediately notice a needle, a cotton swab, and several small tubes sitting on a small table. “What’s that for?” I ask, motioning towards the table.

  “Oh, we’re going to have to draw some blood and swab the inside of your mouth. These are new mandatory tests.”

  I can tell by the way she says the word mandatory that she isn’t going to provide any more information. I sit down in the chair next to the table. The nurse asks me which arm I want her to draw the blood from and I point to my left one. I roll up my sleeve and turn my head the other way. I don’t like to watch. She grabs my arm and wraps a tourniquet around it. I then feel a cold alcohol swab against my skin. I tense up a little, anticipating the needle stick. After she’s done, I look over and see that she’s filled three tubes with my blood. She then takes the cotton swab and rubs it on the inside of my cheek. These tests are definitely out of the ordinary and feel like a huge invasion of my privacy.

  By the time I’m finished with my health screen, it’s time for lunch. I walk to my locker and wait for Danielle. She looks at me expectantly when she comes around the corner. “So, how did it go?” she asks.

  “I’ll tell you all about it on the way to the cafeteria.”

  After we make our way through the cafeteria line and sit at our table, I realize we didn’t wait for Samantha. The three of us usually have lunch together. I see her walking over to our table with her lunch tray in hand. She slams it down on the table and says, “Thanks for waiting for me.” Before I can open my mouth to speak, she’s moved on to her next gripe.

  “My math teacher is an idiot. She says I’m going to fail if I don’t make at least a B on my next exam.”

  “That shouldn’t be too difficult if you actually study this time,” I say.

  She narrows her eyes at me. “Well, we all aren’t as smart as you are. I guess we are lucky you decide to lower your standards and sit with us.” She glances over at Danielle for affirmation.

  I try not to let her comments bother me too much. I can tell she’s still upset by the fact that my teachers have recommended I continue my education after I graduate. After secondary school you are either assigned a job, enlisted in the army, or enrolled in college. Most of the jobs assigned to new grads are in the service industry and require only minimal education. Those of us who are selected to go to college have more job opportunities available.

  I’m considering studying medicine. I have an aptitude for science, and I like the idea of helping others. I used to play pretend doctor when I was little. I would put bandages on all my dolls. I even tried to bandage up Violet on occasion.

  Danielle has also been recommended for further studies, but she doesn’t want Samantha to know.

  I feel the need to say something hateful to our red-haired friend, but I think better of it and say, “I’m not lowering my standards.” I take a drink of my milk and look over at Danielle, who looks very uncomfortable at the moment.

  “Come on now,” says Danielle. “We’re all friends here.” That seems to pacify Samantha for the moment, until Danielle brings up the subject of Alex.

  “Are you excited about tomorrow? It’s going to be just you and him, all alone.”

  “Part excited. Part nervous,” I confess.

  “So, what’s the deal with you and Alex?” asks Samantha. “Is he ever going to ask you out?”

  “I don’t know. We’re just friends.” I’ve never alluded to the fact that we are more than friends. I’ve never even spent any time alone with him. He comes over to our house occasionally after work, but he spends most of the time visiting with my father.

/>   “More like his stalker.” Samantha smirks. “Well, if you’re just friends, maybe I’ll ask him out.”

  I feel the heat rising to my face and I have a strong urge to punch her in the mouth. “Why would you do that?” I ask. “You know how I feel about him!”

  I really wish I had never shared that information with her. I’m not sure why I am still friends with her. The three of us have been friends since the third grade. I’ve always felt closer to Danielle though. Samantha used to be shy and quiet when we first met, but now she is bitter and opinionated. She has really started to show her true nature in the past few months. I’m not sure what made her change and I don’t really care. After graduation, I don’t plan on having anything else to do with her.

  “Well then, you need to make a move before someone else does,” she says, rolling her light green eyes.

  I glare at her and start thinking of all the different ways I could cause her physical pain. I find myself staring at the golden, heart-shaped locket she always wears around her neck. The one she’s always bragging about. The one that’s supposedly real gold. I have a strong urge to yank it from around her neck and toss it to the ground. I’ve never had such violent thoughts towards anyone before. Being around her brings out the worst in me.

  A strange sensation begins in the pit of my stomach and moves up my chest, into my arms, and down to my fingertips. Samantha’s eyes widen, and her mouth falls open as the golden chain snaps away from her neck and hits the floor hard.

  Danielle looks up from her food in alarm. Her eyebrows furrow as she looks at the locket. “What just happened?”

  “My locket,” says Samantha as she reaches down to scoop it up. She holds up the necklace and charm to examine them. It looks like a clean break. One of the chain links is cut right in half.

  Did I just break her necklace? No, it’s not possible. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I quickly go back to eating.

  Chapter Two

  For the rest of the day I find it difficult to concentrate on anything. All I can think about is what happened during lunch. Could I really have broken Samantha’s necklace? No, there has to be another explanation for it. It had to have broken on its own.