Alec slowly closed the door as he moved inside the warehouse. How could he be so foolish to think the bracelet from Tom would actually work? The Seekers were the first line from the Overseers. They were always seen hovering in the sky, day and night, looking for anything out of the ordinary, and more specifically, Roamers. From what Alec knew, they would scan you, retrieve your ID, and if you were in an unauthorized region, they’d notify the Trackers, who were less than friendly.

Alec had seen the thigh-high robotic animals tear a human to shreds, and that was after they’d unleashed twenty rounds of high caliber bullets into him.

He waited, hoping it was just a random patrol Seeker and not the Overseers seriously searching for him. He found an open window across the room, stuck his head beneath it, and listened for signs of a Seeker. There was the whining noise, but it was fleeting, disappearing as the drones moved on.

He sat on the concrete floor and rested against the hard wall as he tried to convince his heart to calm down. He couldn’t keep doing this. The next time would probably be his last.

Waiting another five minutes for good measure, Alec eventually tiptoed outside, and when he saw or heard no sign of the Overseer’s creations, he ran along the building, careful to stay in the dark shadows as long as he could.

It took twice as long to return to his bunk as leaving had, but he made it, and with only four hours before his shift in the plant started. He fell to the thin mattress, not bothering to change his clothes. Even after his exciting night, he found sleep after only a few deep breaths.

Three new workers arrived at the plant on his shift the next day. They were the hardened faces of people that had been through it all, but still kept working endlessly. Alec tried not to stare, but it was difficult. They hadn’t brought any new blood to the site for at least five months, and the ones Alec worked with were either too brash or too meek to survive much longer.

The group stuck together, and Simon had them working on the far-left corner of the contraption they were building. The sweaty bald man made eye contact with Alec, forcing Alec to quickly look away. He wasn’t going to give the man an excuse to be riled up today.

“Bring the sheet, I’m ready,” Darnel said without averting his stare from the metal walled structure.

Alec hefted it up and pressed it in place, glad to have gloves on as the solder began to drip beside him.

By the time the siren sounded, Alec was exhausted and wanted to sit and eat their meager dinner with Beth. The newcomers ambled over and arrived in line behind Alec. The man at his back was a big guy, six two, at least two forty. His head was shaved like everyone else’s, but on him, it looked natural, like he would choose it anyway. Dark stubble covered his cheeks and chin.

“Hey. Name’s Crash. These are my friends, Monet and Jackfish.” He motioned to a tough woman. Piercing dark brown eyes met his, and she smiled, showcasing sparkling white teeth.

Jackfish was a skinny kid, probably only twenty, and his eyes darted around like he was afraid something was coming for him.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Alec,” he said, moving ahead in line. “Where you from? Haven’t seen you before.”

“Just got in. They brought us over from Denver. Guess they liked our work,” Crash said this with a chuckle, and the others laughed with him, leaving Alec out of some sort of inside joke.

“Sure. Guess so.” Alec turned and saw it was his turn. He stuck a palm out, getting a full dinner chit, and kept moving.

When they were in line for dinner, the big man moved close to him, so close he could feel the hot breath on his ear. “We know who you are. We’re friends of Tom’s.” Then just like that, the man had turned and was speaking quietly with Monet.

Alec’s heart was racing as he tried to understand the words. Tom? How could they be friends of Tom’s? And Denver, that was a long way away from Detroit. He’d never heard of anyone being transferred that far.

“Next,” the usual woman said, piling his gruel in the center of the white bowl and shoving it toward Alec.