Assimilate.

Resident number three six five nine you have ten seconds to find the nearest commercial phone and dial one. Population pause for ten seconds: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

Assimilate.

I cannot recall when I first heard the Voice. Perhaps it has always been there in some form reminding us of Assimilation. There is never a warning. Just a female voice calling out over the city. When your number is called you must immediately locate one of the many commercial phones that are used explicitly for this purpose.

No one knows who is on the other end of the phone or what is said. We dare not ask.

The are on every corner of every street. Perfectly timed ten seconds away from one another.

In this world, we have no crime, no wars, no need for peace officers to patrol. Everyone has a home and is safe from harm. We learn of the struggles of the Ancient World where violence was a way of life. It was a cold world where children suffered and men and women had no self-control. They did not have the Voice to guide them.

The Voice came and rescued them from near obliteration. Many fought against this and died. But for those who survived a new life was born. One of quiet joy and reflection. We honor the Voice that shields us, nourishes us. The Voice calls us to Assimilate and we listen to the Voice.

I remember I once asked my mother, "What is Assimilation?" Her dark eyes darted to the open screen door. Quickly, quietly she closed the door. Taking my hand in hers, she led me into the pantry where she covered us with the potato sack. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.She pressed her face up close to mine; her eyes wild with fear. "We never talk about that. It is ours only to obey. Have you asked anyone else? Quick, child, answer me!"

I blinked at my mother. Her fingers were digging into my arms and I was silent in that moment of fear. "No one, Mother."

Her fingers relaxed and she held me close to her, her hands stroking my hair. "It is our only to obey, child. NEVER ask that question again."

And I never asked. Until the day they called my mother's number. Everything changed that day.

thats a cool story
it makes readers want to read more
this world u were talking about is like a utopia
i read a book where there is no city of violence struggling to survive in a new world
the book was called The City Of Ember(its part of a trilogy)u should read it
cant wait to hear more of ur story

about ur story, when person is called to a number must they do somethin sad or terrible?

@lrcy333 - you shall have to wait and see...

(but thanks for the compliment...i will look up that book you suggested!)

s

Archive Record Code 46A Subsection 12 – Transcript Records

Citizens of sector 9 you are now free to exit your protection zones. This is day 1652 after the Drop and all levels are declared clear. At the center of sector 9 are your personnel packages. You are all that remains of what will now be called the Ancient World.

I am the Voice and I will guide and protect you during this time of transition.

Assimilate.

I remember the day we left our basement. We had been in there so long, the light hurt my eyes. The streets were quiet but soon filled with wandering people, all shielding their eyes from the sun’s bright glare. My parents went over to the neighbors’ house and talked quietly. As I looked around I noticed that there was no grass at all. The trees were blackened and charred.

When the Voice came, everyone stood still. Assimilate. Everyone moved to the village square where piles of square packages sat. Each package had an address. I pulled ours out and brought it to my mother. Enclosed in each package were new clothes for the family and registration numbers. The Voice came on again and told is that we had two hours to change into our new clothes and memorize our numbers which were imprinted on our clothes.

Within two hours, we were called for physicals. Everyone was screened and scanned for any toxics. All children under 18 were given current immunizations and all adults were given “booster” shots of specific vitamins to reduce the effects of poor nutrition during the time of confinement.

The next day we began to realize just what had been done to us.

Wooow. I like it
It reminds me of The Giver slightly. It has a different world that's very strict, precise. Thoough it doesnt seem to be going in the same direction...

@emma - thanks...i dont think it is much to the taste of those on this site...but i figured i would give it a try...i will continue it anyhow, if nothing than for my own completion of a task

s


I stared hard at the reflection in the mirror. Because at 15 I was still considered a child by the current standards, my number ended in a “C”. Our new laws protected me and mother. The penalty was death for harm against a female or child; the penalty was public lashings for harm against anyone else. There would be a public lashing today, the Voice explained while we changed into our new clothes and memorized our numbers. Children would never be allowed during the public lashing. Instead, they would take our classes to view the offender after the lashings as a deterrent against unlawful activity.

My mother was sitting nervously in the living room when I made my way downstairs. Our home had been completely ransacked during the time after the Drop when there was no law. Still, we counted ourselves fortunate enough to still have a roof over our heads. Many were without homes and were being assigned lodgings. So far we had no lodgers.

Assimilate.

Resident number four eight three seven C you have five minutes to reach the center of sector 9 to receive your immunization package. Countdown begins.

Eeek ^^
No, I think loads of people will like it on this site...just because they don't comment doesn't mean they don't like it/haven't read it- looking at the number of views is a better way.

Nah, I really like this story so far. Keep it up

@emma - i meant because it is neither RP or fan fic...i am glad you enjoy it anyhow...

s

this is a great story! it has sort of a brave new world or 1984 feel to it. (not sure if you've read either of those, but they're both very good. )
i do hope you keep going with it. and for the record, we're not all here just for the RP's.

@kaz - thank you...yes, i know both those books....have you also read "the handmaiden's tale"...very good book if you enjoyed those...

Immunizations begin now.


My father had been killed right after the Drop when the government lost control of everything. I still remember hearing his voice call down to us in the basement, warning us to stay still and quiet. For long hours we waited quietly in the dark. Not a whisper, not a sound. We grabbed each other’s hands when we heard loud angry voices followed by several gunshots. We were too afraid to call out to my father to see if he was okay. But I knew he was dead. There were no guns in our house.

The center of sector 9 was filled with several people around my age. I think it used to be where we had parades a long time ago. It gets harder to remember anything from before the Drop. Everyone looked around avoiding eye contact. I listened to the Voice, mesmerized with the jarring sound of a cold, female voice.

One by one we made our way to the front of the line where two workers completely clothed in white with white gas masks injected us with immunizations. My turn came but instead of being given an immunization I was given a full physical and then injected with several shots. The pain seared through me like fire. I fell to the floor in convulsions that seemed to last minutes but in reality lasted a few seconds. Allergic reaction to stale immunizations, I was told. I should go home and rest.

I never noticed just how many of us had those allergic reactions. We began evolving the next day.

((I loved Handmaiden's Tale))

Actually I'm glad I waited until now to read this - the ending here definitely is a great hook.

this is getting more interesting serendepity

post more soon..

I like how you keep the posts short so it never gets boring! Cliffhangers....ooh...my worst enemy

Quote:
ooh...very eerie. i love eerie.
i really like your writing style; direct, not too wordy. gives the whole story a slightly sinister atmosphere. (and i mean that in a good way. XD)

@ljspence - yes, it was a great book...you will probably see a lot of influence from that book in my story...

@emma/kaz - i keep the posts short and direct because if you think about it, the character probably didnt have a lot of contact with other people for at least five years...her memory of the time before is blurred and incomplete...



Assimilate.

Immunization phase completed. Redirection phase to begin shortly. Commercial phones are now in place. Residents will be chosen to participate during this phase. You will have ten seconds to reach any one of the phones in order to receive your instructions. Do not hesitate.

The morning after our immunizations seemed brighter than usual. My ears hurt because everything was loud. The Voice announced that classes were to begin within the hour. It would be my very first day of school. I asked my mother what would happen during the Redirection phase. Her eyes glazed over as she looked past me seeing things that she must have seen long ago when the world was different. When I asked her again, she simply shook her head and whispered, “I don’t know.” I could hear the fear in her voice and see it in her eyes. What was she so afraid of? What could she see that I could not?

They had us gather again at the center of the town for school. We learned of the new rules and what would happen if we failed to comply. There were no desks, pencils, paper, or even any books. Our Redirection was simple – we would become the Watchers and report to a commercial phone any unlawfulness. It was supposed to teach us self-discipline. Sadistic lights flickered in the eyes of more than a few of our group. I shivered as I realized that these were the ones I would need to be careful around. Because I knew how to read, I had already broken the first rule.

School would be on Saturdays and Sundays. The other five days were to be spent in the community garden or in training. The training was supposed to strengthen us physically from our time spent underground.

While we were in school, the adults were gathered in what used to be a dance hall. It was the same dance hall where my parents met as teenagers long ago. There would be no dancing today. The questions they answered were part of this new phase. They would also be the rope that would hang them all.

s

Hmm - it does remind one of the Chinese cultural revolution. Nothing like a little "domestic spying" to make everyone hate each other.

each chapter gets more and more spooky. i love it!
there's a tenseness about it, a sense of anticipation, like being on the verge of a terrible storm or battle. definitely keeps one coming back for more.

I'm on the verge of flippling out here. Can't wait for the next bit.

@emma - i'll have an update later tonight

s

This is good, I'm hooked. I think someone else mentioned this already but it immediately reminded me of '1984'