Page 106 of Anarchy Missing

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE - LULU

I stare at the note, wondering what the hell is going on. The people in the lobby are even more agitated now. I can hear them, even through the closed and locked door. Someone is pounding on that locked door. Then more fists join in. I get a sudden stab of fear that they might break through and look around.

“What’s happening?” I say, raising my voice and standing up. “What are those people doing?”

Randy catches my movement from inside the office and pulls the door open.

“Sit the fuck—”

But then all the lights start flashing. An alarm blares and people start screaming in the lobby. All the cops stand still, looking up at the ceiling and something inside me feels… very, very wrong.

“Lulu!” I turn and find Lincoln and Thomas coming in through some back entrance with Molly. They are walking straight for me. “Don’t look!” Lincoln yells. “Don’t look!”

I shield my eyes with my arm, suddenly remembering what’s wrong with those flashing lights.

Case’s words in my head. Lincoln made all those scientists commit suicide by using some light trick.

They’re on me then. Thomas grabs my arms, yanks me down the aisle towards Molly, who is holding open a door. He shoves me inside with her, never letting go of my arm, and then Lincoln closes the door behind us.

We’re in a closet and it’s pitch dark.

“What’s—”

“Shut up,” Thomas hisses in my ear.

Little flashes of red light leak into the black from underneath the door.

“Don’t look at it,” Lincoln says. “Not even like that. Close your eyes.”

I do. Because the words ‘made all those scientists commit suicide’ are repeating, over and over, in my mind.

“Drop it!” someone yells from outside.

Oh, shit. No.

“Drop your weapon, Sergeant!” someone else yells.

“Oh, my God,” Molly says, her voice trembling.

More calls to drop weapons ring out. One after the other. Dozens and dozens of them. And then there is a barrage of loud snapping noises. The sound of ElectroDart cartridges being discharged.

People start screaming. A stampede. Some of them bounce against the door we’re hiding behind and I have a moment of panic that they will open it up. Find us. Make us go out there.

Thomas and Lincoln must think the same thing. Because they grab the handle and pull, making sure that won’t happen.

Then everything goes silent.

I open my eyes, glance down at the small gap between the floor and the door. No flashing. Just white light. Just normal, white light.

Thomas opens the door and steps out.

Everything is still and quiet when we step out into the room filled with bodies.

“It’s just ElectroDarts,” Molly says. “It’s just ElectroDarts.” Like she’s trying to convince herself these people will somehow be OK. That they didn’t just… turn on each other like animals. Worse than animals. People, possessed.

The guy I was sitting next to on the bench is slack and unresponsive, a long dart sticking out of his chest.

Everyone has been hit with a dart.