security card. You will then be given a unique identification number or tag. This tag will be permanently applied to your right hand, so it is visible to all. Tagging is mandatory. Without a tag, you will not be eligible for food rations or medical treatment.
You will have two weeks to comply with the Tagging Mandate. Once the two-week probation period is up, those without a tag will be arrested. We ask for...
“What does that mean?” Clarke asked. “Tagging...rations…. He didn’t say anything about why all those people vanished or how they plan to get them back.”
“I’m not surprised,” Micah muttered under his breath. This situation was sounding more and more like one of his mother’s drills.
“Are you getting tagged?” Clarke asked. “I don’t want to get arrested.”
“I don’t want to get arrested either.” His mother was always suspicious of the government. She refused to participate in the last census, and she never voted. She said the process was fixed anyway—just a way to keep track of people. If she were here, would she get tagged?
“I get why they want to do a census but a permanent tag? I don’t know,” said Clarke.
“I agree.” His mother didn’t use credit cards or discount cards. She went to great lengths to stay off the grid. Come to think of it, she didn’t even have a driver’s license. Huh, was that why she didn’t let him take driver’s ed?
“We won’t need rations. We have enough supplies. Right?” asked Clarke.
“Right.” His mother wouldn’t get tagged, and he needed to stay off the grid too.
“Maybe we should wait to decide. We have two weeks,” said Clarke.
“No, Clarke. We can’t get tagged. Something’s not right with all of this. We need to stay hidden. We can’t let anyone know who we are, or where we live.”
“Micah, you’re scaring me. What do you think is going on?”
“I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
As soon as the President’s speech ended, it began again. Micah turned off the TV. Clarke finished making the pancakes. As the two picked at their breakfast, the weight of this new reality set in.
Chapter Eleven
Father Thomas may not have been a good Catholic or a good priest, but he was a good citizen. He voted in every election, he never had a parking ticket, and he always paid his taxes. So when he learned of the Tagging Mandate, he planned to be one of the first to comply.
That morning, Thomas dressed in street clothes instead of his collar. With so many people thinking this was the beginning of the end, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. If one more person asked him what he thought, or how they could be saved, he would lose it. How was he supposed to know when or how the world would end?
Since, the designated Identification Center turned out to be the village hall, Thomas walked the six blocks from the rectory. When he arrived, he was surprised to see the large turnout. Village officials must have been expecting a crowd because they set up temporary railings. The front lawn reminded him of the zigzag lines at Six Flags.
In front of the fountain, a small stage had been set up. Two soldiers stood at either end of the stage. They looked as if they were ready for combat, wearing helmets and carrying machine guns. A couple manned military vehicles equipped with automatic weapons sat at the curb.
After what had happened to Father Vincent, Thomas was comforted by the level of security. But to be on the safe side, he stood towards the front, next to the stage. That way, he’d be close to an armed soldier if there happened to be any trouble.
As the minutes passed, the crowd grew. It wasn’t long before Thomas noticed the homeless man from church. As the man weaved through the sea of people, he kept his head down and mumbled to himself.
When the soldier standing closest to Thomas spotted the homeless man, he put his hand up to his earpiece. “We may have a situation. I
You will have two weeks to comply with the Tagging Mandate. Once the two-week probation period is up, those without a tag will be arrested. We ask for...
“What does that mean?” Clarke asked. “Tagging...rations…. He didn’t say anything about why all those people vanished or how they plan to get them back.”
“I’m not surprised,” Micah muttered under his breath. This situation was sounding more and more like one of his mother’s drills.
“Are you getting tagged?” Clarke asked. “I don’t want to get arrested.”
“I don’t want to get arrested either.” His mother was always suspicious of the government. She refused to participate in the last census, and she never voted. She said the process was fixed anyway—just a way to keep track of people. If she were here, would she get tagged?
“I get why they want to do a census but a permanent tag? I don’t know,” said Clarke.
“I agree.” His mother didn’t use credit cards or discount cards. She went to great lengths to stay off the grid. Come to think of it, she didn’t even have a driver’s license. Huh, was that why she didn’t let him take driver’s ed?
“We won’t need rations. We have enough supplies. Right?” asked Clarke.
“Right.” His mother wouldn’t get tagged, and he needed to stay off the grid too.
“Maybe we should wait to decide. We have two weeks,” said Clarke.
“No, Clarke. We can’t get tagged. Something’s not right with all of this. We need to stay hidden. We can’t let anyone know who we are, or where we live.”
“Micah, you’re scaring me. What do you think is going on?”
“I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling about all of this.”
As soon as the President’s speech ended, it began again. Micah turned off the TV. Clarke finished making the pancakes. As the two picked at their breakfast, the weight of this new reality set in.
Chapter Eleven
Father Thomas may not have been a good Catholic or a good priest, but he was a good citizen. He voted in every election, he never had a parking ticket, and he always paid his taxes. So when he learned of the Tagging Mandate, he planned to be one of the first to comply.
That morning, Thomas dressed in street clothes instead of his collar. With so many people thinking this was the beginning of the end, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. If one more person asked him what he thought, or how they could be saved, he would lose it. How was he supposed to know when or how the world would end?
Since, the designated Identification Center turned out to be the village hall, Thomas walked the six blocks from the rectory. When he arrived, he was surprised to see the large turnout. Village officials must have been expecting a crowd because they set up temporary railings. The front lawn reminded him of the zigzag lines at Six Flags.
In front of the fountain, a small stage had been set up. Two soldiers stood at either end of the stage. They looked as if they were ready for combat, wearing helmets and carrying machine guns. A couple manned military vehicles equipped with automatic weapons sat at the curb.
After what had happened to Father Vincent, Thomas was comforted by the level of security. But to be on the safe side, he stood towards the front, next to the stage. That way, he’d be close to an armed soldier if there happened to be any trouble.
As the minutes passed, the crowd grew. It wasn’t long before Thomas noticed the homeless man from church. As the man weaved through the sea of people, he kept his head down and mumbled to himself.
When the soldier standing closest to Thomas spotted the homeless man, he put his hand up to his earpiece. “We may have a situation. I
Similar Books
