by J. M. Clark
New Kings of Tomorrow
by J.M. Clark
Copyright © 2018 J.M. Clark
All Rights Reserved
Cover art by Hampton Lamoureux
Edited by https://espressoeditor.com/
Formatted by [email protected]
Fraternity Rose Publishing
All Rights Reserved
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.
ISBN-13: 9781973596196 (paperback)
Summary
Twenty years ago, Jacob lost everything. Just as he was starting to figure out life as a college freshman, his world was suddenly shattered when a devastating illness destroyed the world he once knew and claimed the lives of everyone that mattered to him.
Jacob and the other survivors of the pandemic were transported to the Palace Program. Housed in a quarantined modern facility, the Palace is a perfect community designed to protect them from the sickness that wiped out ninety-five percent of the world population.
The Order, which has risen as the new ruling power, believes the desires of the old world were responsible for its collapse. They appoint Sirus, the program director, to rehabilitate the survivors and continue with the reproduction of mankind.
As the years go by and Jacob’s relationships in the Palace become more complex, he slowly begins to see that the man-made utopian society is nothing close to a perfect tomorrow, but is instead an unfathomable deception.
Contents
Summary
I. Before
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
II. Twenty Years Later
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
III. Old Habits Die Hard
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
About the Author
Excerpt from Tomorrow’s Wrath
Also by J.M. Clark
Before
Chapter One
Jacob
The class looked utterly empty to Jacob—pathetic, in fact. A few students were sprinkled in the seats here and there, when customarily just about every desk was filled. Professor Dansbury’s philosophy class was one of the most popular courses on campus. An easy A and some good discussions to boot were nothing to sneeze at for a college freshman.
As a kid, Jacob didn’t shy away from philosophical discussions with his father. They’d talk about good and evil, perspective, and how a specific point of view could determine the subjective nature of good and evil. Jacob’s father would always remind him to stay in the moment and never forget to think outside the box. “The man who stops thinking creatively is cursed to live a life of monotony and repetition.” One of his favorite self-appointed quotes.
Sitting at a desk-chair combo with its small pork chop–shaped slate of wood just big enough to fit a book and a pencil or two, Jacob looked around and noticed that half the class hadn’t bothered to show up that morning. His Philosophy 101 class was held in the basement of this building. It was a decent-sized room built in the manner of a small theater; red drapery hung on the walls, and a podium stood in the center of the floor for the instructor. The seats for the students descended in rows sloping down at an angle, with the exits at the top of the stairs. Typical lecture hall design, nothing special. Seen one lecture hall, you’ve seen them all.
Jacob realized that out of those who had bothered to show up, no one was paying attention to the lecture, and everyone seemed to be glued to their phones more than usual. Texting, reading, then a swipe, more texting and reading. In most cases, the instructor could manage to hold the attention of students with his lectures and classroom debates, but today no one seemed to care.
Danbury raised his voice as he said, “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that we all tend to put off living.” He placed one hand on his heart, the other firmly on his desk, like he was being sworn in to testify in court. He had a flair for public speaking. Always moving and talking like he was live on Broadway.
His graying hair lay flat on the sides of his balding head, the crown of which reflected the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. Looking toward the back of the room, he proclaimed in a loud booming voice, “We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today.”
He dramatically dropped his hand from his heart for effect, letting it hang by his side. With the other hand, he reached into his back pocket and retrieved a handkerchief to wipe snot from his upper lip and nose. Dansbury went on to say, “That’s a quote from Mr. Dale Carnegie. Isn’t it a wild thought though? We tend to get so caught up in the end game of the hunt that we do not pause to be in the moment. We rarely stop and smell the wildflowers, listen to the sounds of nature, and just be. We forget to just be, and that is the shame of it all, right?”
He turned to face the wall behind him and sneezed, wiping his nose once more before turning back to face the class. “Guess we are a people of repetition, never learning the error of our ways until those very ways deliver doom to our doorsteps.” He released a contemplative “hmm” with a hunch of his shoulders.
Ironically, Dansbury stopped his lecture to stare at the tablet lying face up on the podium. After a few seconds, he pushed a button on the side of the device and swiped it off. He stared at the ground for a time, his handkerchief held to his lips in thought.
The professor then shoved the tablet into his carrying case along with a bunch of papers and notebooks as he hastily ordered the class to read chapter fifteen and give their own ideas on what it meant to be in the now. By that time, Jacob and another guy were the only ones left in class. Everyone else had packed up and left. Why hadn’t he noticed?
“Okay guys, I’m releasing you early today. Almost everyone who cared to show up has left by now anyway, and I’m needed elsewhere. I’d urge you gentlemen to contact your loved ones right away and make sure they are okay. Things seem to have gone awry in the world today.” Professor Dansbury paused and regarded Jacob and the other kid still staring down at him. “Get out of here while you can.”
What is he talking about? Jacob thought as he watched the professor do a slow gallop to the door. Dansbury reached back into his pocket and retrieved his handkerchief for another loud nose-blowing before he vanished into the hallway.
Jacob stuffed schoolwork into his book bag and grabbed his phone to
text Leanne as he walked out of class. They had plans to hit the campus Starbucks while she quizzed him on a math test coming up tomorrow. Walking up the staircase of the basement floor, he swiped the phone to unlock it, and there it was.
In came a rush of notifications for missed calls, text messages, social media messages, and news updates. Jacob knew right then something was indeed “going awry” as Dansbury warned just moments ago.
* * *
Leanne: 6:45 a.m. I’m not going to be able to make it this morning J, I feel terrible and I have to take my mother to her doctor. Must be something going around. Love you.
7:01 a.m. When you get this please call me. I don’t feel good enough to drive. Can you take us to the emergency room? You know I’m a big baby when I’m sick, lol.
7:11 a.m. Jacob, seriously call me right now. I’m beginning to get scared. My mother is throwing up all over the place.
7:22 a.m. Something is very wrong. Check on your parents and please let me know that you are ok. Are you seeing what the news is saying? Why aren’t you answering? Just text me and let me know you’re ok.
Jacob picked up the pace and began to speed walk to his car in the southern parking lot, thumbing through more messages as he walked.
Logan: 7:15 a.m. Hey man, I’m gonna have to cancel on basketball tonight. I just can’t make it. I feel like shit bro. I’ll hit you up later if I’m feeling better.
Mikey: 7:17 a.m. Have you been watching the news homie? WTF!!!
Kate: 7:21 a.m. Did you see the news this morning? What the hell is going on?
Autumn: 7:26 a.m. Jacob, call your mother. She just reached out to me and is feeling terrible. Take care of my sister. Call home when you get this, then call me. Love you.
MSNBC pop-up notification: CDC Announces Death Toll Climbing
* * *
Jacob broke into a brisk jog, anxiety setting in. At that moment, it all started to make sense to him as he made his way to the parking lot. A lot of students seem to be missing from campus today, class was half empty. Moving through the campus grounds, he didn’t see very many students. Much less general loitering. There should have been groups of students studying outside on this warm early-fall day. And there was no music playing. There was always music playing in the courtyard, but today, nothing.
He looked up to see that the few people who were on site today were doing the same thing as him. Staring down at their phones and hauling ass to their cars. Are they reading the same types of messages that I am? Are people in their lives getting sick as well? Jacob jogged past the campus Pizza Hut to see no one working today. Didn’t look like it was ever opened at all. A tall lanky kid with curly red hair who reminded him of a hipster Ronald McDonald threw down his book bag and broke out into a full sprint, leaping over a bench along the way to the southern parking lot.
* * *
CNN pop-up notification: Stay Inside Your Home or Risk Deadly Flu Bug
Jacob continued to scroll through his messages, trying his best to push the budding panic from the pop-up news notifications to the back of his mind while jogging to the parking lot. He was afraid of what he would read next, but he just couldn’t stop.
Dad: 7:31 a.m. I need you to come home after class, and bring some Theraflu and NyQuil please. Thank you.
7:35 a.m. I think I’ll just drive up to the hospital. Valerie is not doing so well. I think she needs to see a doctor. Lol maybe I do too. Take the trash to the end of the street when you get home. You forgot last week.
7:57 a.m. Call me when you get this message. Please answer your phone Jake.
FOX NEWS pop-up notification: Is Flu Bug the Work of ISIS?
* * *
He spotted the Blue 2009 Chevrolet Impala his father bought him just a few short months ago. It was easy to find since there were very few cars left in the parking lot. He shoved the phone in his pocket and snatched open the car door. Please let this whole thing be an overreaction. Please, please…
He threw his book bag in the back, spilling pencils and planners out all over the floor, and slid into the driver’s seat. He slammed the door closed and frantically searched his pockets for his keys, but he couldn’t seem to figure out where they were. Jacob’s mind was disheveled, and he was panicking. He stopped moving and just breathed in and out for a few seconds. Relax Jake, just relax…breathe. His mother always told him that he just needed to breathe to control his anxiety, to control his temper.
After a few short moments of allowing himself to be calmed by his own breathing, he lifted his ass up off the seat and patted the sides and back of his jeans. Nothing. Anger came boiling back to the surface like molten lava spilling over the lip of a volcano set to erupt.
“C’mon! Where the fuck are my keys!” he screamed in the quiet car, the quiet parking lot, the quiet city of Cincinnati. There was no response but that of his own echo, the sound vibrating in his ears, mocking him, feeding the fear that had begun to form in his brain. How could the world be this silent?
Jacob caught a glimpse of a young woman wearing a burnt orange peacoat. Her long black hair bounced behind her as she ran past his car to a group of vehicles parked behind him. His eyes followed her, and he saw that she was crying. Watching her get inside of her car through his back window, he remembered that he put the keys in the back pocket of his book bag. Reaching into the back seat, he grabbed them out of the bag and started the car.
Jacob pulled out of the parking lot, driving with one hand and calling Leanne with the other. He needed to hear from her, to make sure she was okay. Hell, just to hear her voice would be enough right now. Some form of normalcy this morning would suffice; he needed to feel like the entire world hadn’t moved on without him. The phone rang once before she answered; she was crying and sobbing uncontrollably. Leanne’s tears were not a comfort, but her voice was, distraught or not.
“Jacob? Oh my God, Jacob, are you okay?” she asked before her words were swept away in a coughing fit.
“Yes, I’m fine. Tell me what’s going on. I just got out of class, and everything is going crazy all over. No one showed up to school today,” Jacob replied.
“I don’t know, Jacob, we are just really sick. Everyone is. Are you okay? How do you feel?” Before he could answer, she coughed again. The deep, hacking sound scared Jacob. “It started last night with my mother,” she went on. “And now Dad is sick too. I’m feeling like crap. I don’t know what happened. We were fine yesterday afternoon, and now it’s hard to even get out of bed. I wanted to take my parents and myself to the emergency room to be treated, but I honestly don’t have the strength. Have you seen what they have been saying on the news? Something is going on, and I don’t think it’s good.” Leanne cried into the phone.
Jacob could hear the scratching sound in her voice. It sounded like it was painful for her to even speak. He could hear the short, wheezing breaths struggling to find their way in and out of her lungs, like she was all clogged up with mucus. He thought that she sounded the way he did when he had to be rushed to the ER years ago with a severe sinus infection. He was popping antibiotics like M&M’s for two weeks before he was able to leave his bed.
“Listen Le, I just need you to calm down. Please baby, just try to calm down for me. I’m running home to check on my parents right now. They say they aren’t feeling well either.” Jacob spoke in the calmest voice he could muster. He was nervous enough to scream though; none of what was happening made sense to him.
Leanne began to cry even louder into the phone, as if his words about his parents further cemented what she was already thinking. “Jacob’s parents are sick too,” he heard her yell to someone in the same room. He assumed one or both of her parents.
Jacob spoke in a low tone, “Baby, listen to me. Are you listening?”
Huffington Post pop-up notification: National Guard Deployed Amidst Deadly Flu Bug
“Yes, I’m listening, Jacob,” Leanne replied with a raspy cough. “I’m sorry—this is all so fucked up!” she yelled into the phone. “Ja
cob, everyone is sick, nobody is answering their phones, and—”
“Listen to me, Leanne, stop talking and listen.” Jacob smacked the steering wheel hard enough to make the horn blare. “Just call nine-one-one. They will send someone to help you guys out if you can’t drive. Take whatever meds you have in the house until they get there to help you. Do you hear me?” Jacob skimmed the curb of Reading Road. He was driving too fast, but he could go as fast as he wanted; there were no other cars on the road with him.
Leanne coughed up what sounded like phlegm before saying, “I just called them, and all I’m getting is a busy signal. I called my uncle Bailey afterwards, and it went through fine. He is in Erlanger, and he is sick as well. He’s going to head over this way once he is feeling a little better. He just left the urgent care and the line was out the door. I’m so afraid, Jacob.” Leanne continued to cry and violently cough into the phone.
“Please, just keep calling nine-one-one until you get through. I’m going to check on my parents, and then I’ll be right over to drive you wherever you need to go if your uncle or the ambulance hasn’t shown up yet. I promise, baby, just hold on, please.” Jacob began to cry then, feeling helpless to those he loved most in this world. He couldn’t help but to sob with her. He knew that it wouldn’t help the situation and would probably make her even more upset. The last thing she needed to hear was her boyfriend blubbering into the phone like a wimp.
