Sun Rose (Rose of the Dawn Series Book 1) Read Online Free

man
steps out of the shadows and waves us through. Pike doesn’t hesitate.
    No
one says anything and the doors close behind us. This isn’t a man, but another
boy around Pike’s age. He wears the same kind of clothes that Pike wears – army
green cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and combat boots.
    Pike
nods his head once.
    “Are
you military?” This doesn’t feel right. My stomach flips and the copper taste
reaches the back of my mouth. I swallow it down. My throat burns. Should I
have stayed in my room and gone through with the surgery? What’s the big
deal if everyone does it, eventually?
    “Naw.
We’re not military,” the new person answers, breaking my contemplation. “Did
you tell her anything about us, Pike?”
    “Just
what she needs to know right now. We’ll tell her more later.” He takes my hand
and I get another surge of electricity. We’ve taken the stairs down to the
underground.
    “Are
we taking a car?” How are we going to avoid being seen? Unless it’s
still so early that no one will be out. What time is it?
    “We’re
going to blend in. Next car that comes down these rails, we hop onto,” the other
guy answers. I don’t know his name, but I can’t take my eyes off him. There’s
just something about him that makes me want to stare. Pike has released my
hand. I’m not even looking for the train car that should be arriving at any
time.
    “Wait,
I dropped my clothes somewhere back there.” I point behind us, though I don’t
remember grabbing my clothes like I was instructed in the first place. My
designer hospital gown would be sure to get us caught. I must look like a
headcase in this getup.
    “Here,
put these on.” The boy tosses a camo rucksack at my feet. I unzip it and look
inside. The same cargo pants, black shirt, and boots are within, but all in my
size.
    “Who
are you? Some kind of cult?” I demand, regaining my strength. “I won’t wear
these.” I hear a car in the distance.
    “You
will.” The boy steps closer. He isn’t much taller than Pike, but much stronger
with bulging arm muscles. His arms are covered in tattoos that have lightened
to blend in with his skin.
    I
do as he says. The boys turn away as I dress. I don’t get an answer. We are the
only ones underground and there are no cameras where we stand. I wonder why;
there are cameras everywhere.
    “Rosamund,
this is Ezekiel,” Pike introduces. “He’s one of us.”
    “I
can tell,” I grumble wearing these disgusting clothes. I look like one of them
now. What synthetic materials are these made from? Not synthetic, but
organic. Something decomposing and plant-based. Like the flowers in Suite 19. I
smell like them, too. Sour. Can these clothes be animal based? I don’t
like it and I don’t know that this will help us to blend in.
    “Here
one comes,” Pike points down the tunnel. Two small beams of light shoot through
at lightning speed, stopping before us. My hair blows back with a gust of hot,
fetid air and then settles over my shoulders. The car must have come from one
of the public platforms. At least it’s empty, though I had kind of hoped it
would be full.
    Ezekiel
opens the door and holds it as Pike and I get in. The air in here is warm and
stuffy and nothing like the hospital. Is this what fresh is supposed to smell
like?
    Once
inside, Ezekiel lets it slide shut with a soft shushing sound. He types our
destination in on the keypad inside the door and waves his wrist in front of a
scanner imbedded on a wall panel. The door locks and the car accelerates. We
pass through a tunnel and then into the open. It’s light outside.
    “I’m
surprised the hospital hasn’t gone into lock-down mode.” Ezekiel states
matter-of-fact.
    “Lock
down?” I ask.
    “They
will soon,” he continues. “If the hospital had gone into lock-down, all cars
would have stopped and there would be a red-light alert throughout these
tunnels blaring announcements and flashing lights. It’s been too long and this
was too