The Nocere: A Haunting Dystopian Tale Book 1 Read online

  The Nocere

  A Haunting Dystopian Tale

  Book 1

  ∞

  Heather Carson

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2020 Heather Carson

  Courtesy of Blue Tuesday Books

  Cover Design by Fay Lane at faylane.com

  ISBN: 9798639783128

  Prologue

  ∞

  Fireworks bursting in the gray sky of the realm rained down sparkling drops of silver. I stared transfixed as the tendrils fell and crashed against the vibrant carnival lights. Screaming laughter filled my ears as the Ferris wheel spun around. The air smelled like popcorn, burnt sugar, and woodsmoke. While the rollercoaster’s metallic creaking jarred from the left, the haunting keys of an upbeat piano tune blared from the tent to my right.

  The smiles of the crowd were contagious, and I grinned in spite of myself. I actually get to work at a carnival.

  Straightening my chin and adjusting my collar, I walked toward the employee entrance. I was going to love it here. Vorie’s words played in my head like a mantra. As I made my way past the waiting line, a woman in high heeled boots stepped on my toes.

  “Move it orphan,” she spit at me. Her eyes were bloodshot and crazed behind the jeweled glamour on her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I lowered my head and rushed away from the gawking crowd. The employee entrance was ten feet away. I just need to make it there before…

  “Are you causing problems already?” The voice boomed from somewhere above the glossy black shoes and pinstriped pants blocking my escape.

  “No sir.” I shook my head. “It was just an accident.”

  “I don’t tolerate accidents.” The circus ringleader lowered his bearded face to mine. “Should I inform your director that you are a liability?”

  “No sir,” I squeaked, struggling to keep the tears from rolling down my face. “I promise I’ll do better.”

  “And what was it that caused the accident?” His voice took on a gentler tone. I looked up at him with hope in my eyes. Maybe he’s not as mean as he seems.

  “I wanted to look at the lights and see all the fun. Everyone is so happy here.”

  His lips curled into a sadistic smile. “They pay to be happy you little orphan rat, and your job is to help with that. Now get out of my sight before I make the realm your permanent residence.”

  I scurried away quickly with my shoulders sagging. By the time I got to the employee door, I realized I could no longer smell the carnival scents.

  *

  “How was it?” Vorie asked as I stepped out of the portal.

  “Not good.” I clenched my jaw to stop myself from crying.

  “Maybe it’ll be better tomorrow. It’s only your first night.” She wrapped her slender arm around my waist.

  “I don’t want you and Genie to have to work in the realm.” I stared into my best friend’s eyes, willing her to understand the seriousness of it. “Why don’t we leave? Let’s just run away.”

  Vorie lifted her other arm and waved it in my face. “Because they can find us with our trackers,” she sighed. “It’s only eight years anyway. It’ll get better. It has to.”

  “You don’t even start for another two weeks.” I rolled my eyes. “Eight years is forever, trust me.”

  We walked together in silence through the abandoned city streets.

  “By the way, thanks for coming to get me,” I mumbled as we neared the orphanage.

  “I wouldn’t have left you alone on your first night in the realm.” Vorie smiled her giant smile as she reached over to squeeze me in a hug. “And Fawn, if it’s that bad, why don’t you speak to the director? He’s still awake.” I looked up to see the candle burning bright in his office window.

  “It’s worth a try,” I shrugged.

  “Genie and I will be waiting up for you in the room.” She pushed me encouragingly toward the director’s door.

  “Come in,” he called after hearing my timid knock. The smoke from his burning cigar filled the office. I anxiously shifted from foot to foot as I stood before his desk.

  “Out with it, girl,” he snapped.

  “Sir, the ringleader at the carnival, well… he doesn’t like me. Maybe I should work somewhere else.”

  The director chuckled coldly as he leaned back in his chair. “Oh. He doesn’t like you. That’s too bad. Maybe you should work harder and be a little less ungrateful. I’m so tired of you orphans complaining.”

  “But I did my job,” I answered nervously. “I think he just doesn’t like kids.”

  “Well your parents didn’t like kids either, now did they?” The director picked up his cigar from the ashtray. “And I’m not too fond of them either.”

  Anger and sadness swirled in my chest until I could no longer breathe.

  “I’m sorry I bothered you,” I whispered as I stepped back out of the room and softly closed the door behind me. The stool by the front entrance sat unguarded. I’d never questioned it before. We all knew the guards were always here, and yet, as I looked, there was no one.

  Some primitive urge told me to run. I didn’t think, I just obeyed. The heavy metal door crashed loudly behind me as I took off running down the steps. I raced down 26TH St. passing the sleeping buildings. My lungs were burning. When I turned the corner, I rested against the brick wall. There was no one coming, but I knew they would be soon.

  I glanced down at my arm. The glass from the broken storefront window lay scattered on the ground near my feet. Hurry up, the primitive thoughts yelled. I picked up the jagged shard. Then I bit my lip to stop from screaming as I dug the glass into my skin and removed the tracker. Blood oozed down my wrist and I placed my hand over the gaping wound.

  The sound of approaching cars pushed me to move. I took off running down the streets with only the weak moon piercing through the gray clouds to light my way. There was an alley at the end of the block, and I dove behind the dumpster just as the flashlight beams shined in my direction. The noise from the mafia thugs searching for me grew louder as they passed.

  They didn’t see me, I smiled to myself. I’m free. I snuggled deep behind the rotting metal. I’ll just stay here tonight and in the morning, I’ll leave the city. Maybe I can go to the beach.

  The minutes passed by and the sounds of the searchers faded. I closed my eyes and leaned triumphantly against the wall behind me.

  *

  I felt him before I heard him. It was pitch black, but his big eyes and gleaming teeth shone brightly through the night. He ran his hand through my hair, and I froze. When he saw the blood dripping from my arm, he made a “tsk, tsk” sound. My stomach churned and I knew in my gut he was pure evil.

  My heart began to beat hard against my chest and I pressed myself against the dumpster. He doesn’t seem like a tracker, so how did he know I’d be out here? He moved his body closer to mine, sensing the fear radiating from me, and confidently smirked knowing the situation
I was in. That moment all rationalization escaped me. I just knew that if I stayed there it would be worse than anything that could happen in the realm.

  “Go away!” I shouted as loud as I could. He smacked his meaty palm over my mouth to silence me. I clamped my teeth down hard into his skin, feeling the iron taste of blood fill my mouth. The bite caused him to jerk back momentarily. Then his smile grew bigger and he laughed as he reached for me again.

  I darted past his hands and out of the alley, screaming my head off until I got the attention of the mafia. I honestly ran straight into their arms. They took a belt to the back of my legs until my skin bled. Then they put the tracker back in and tacked an extra year to my sentence. As long as I never had to see that shadow monster again, I was okay with my punishment.

  Chapter 1

  ∞

  The parking lot was empty. I sat on the curb and hugged my knees to my chest. Trash blew across the asphalt before crashing into the broken chain-link fence. Grungy rock music notes rolled through my earbuds as I waited. I’d never been this early before, or maybe they’d never been this late. It was 4 o’clock world time when I left my flat to walk here which means I shouldn’t have been late. Not like I would risk something like that anyway. I’d already learned my lesson on breaking the rules and I had the scars on the back of my legs to prove it.

  The work truck rumbled into the parking lot and came to a stop a few feet from where I sat.

  Finally, guys. It stinks out here.

  I touched my ears to turn off the music and walked over to the passenger side door. The driver wouldn’t talk to me, they never do, but the man giving the orders was normally a chatterbox. The passenger was a different person than the one who came the last time. It had been over a year since I first started my assignment at the store, so I guess it made sense it would be someone new.

  This man was a big guy. His belly was cut in half by the seatbelt and he had a sweaty forehead with curling black hair plastered against it. He glanced at me nervously before finally lowering the window.

  “Why are you nervous?” I asked as I pulled my hoodie up over my head. “I’m the one who should be nervous. I’ve never been out here alone waiting for a new job. This is kind of freaking me out.” The passenger licked his dry lips as he looked to his buddy. The driver stared straight ahead. The gold of his neck chain reflected the setting red sun on the dashboard. “Plus, you guys are late. I don’t want to be out here when it gets dark.” I crossed my arms, hoping to convey my impatience.

  The big man coughed to clear his throat. “Listen. I don’t want to do this to you kid.” He looked me up and down. There wasn’t much to see, just my ripped jeans, old sneakers, and oversize sweater. I dress comfortably when I’m in my world.

  “Well I probably don’t want to do whatever it is you don’t want to do to me, but I don’t have a choice now, do I?” I looked him straight in the eye. “And I’m not a kid anymore, hence the job change. They don’t want anyone over eighteen selling drugs. Ruins the fun. Had a birthday, here I am. So, what do you got for me?” I held out my arm.

  Laughter came to the man’s brown eyes as he smirked. “You’ve got spunk, maybe you’ll be alright.” He turned the scanner on over the tracker buried in my forearm. The scanner would give me extra credits and get me to where I needed to go at the next assignment.

  “They want a cocktail server for this new club.” His voice lost the humor when he spoke again.

  “That doesn’t sound too bad.” I pulled my arm back to my side and lowered my sleeve. “What’s the club?”

  “The Nocere.” His face was sad as he put the scanner back into his lap. “It is that bad. It’s a bad, bad place.”

  I could feel my eyebrow raise. “Every place in the realm is a bad place.”

  “This one is worse,” he sighed.

  The driver slammed his fist into the steering wheel and said, “Knock it off.” I was less shocked by his anger than by actually hearing him speak. “She’s indentured. She doesn’t have another choice. Give her the details and let’s get out of here.”

  The big man chewed his cheek as he gathered his thoughts. I stayed silent, still in awe that the driver spoke. Usually these mafia guys didn’t break the rules. Hell, they were pretty much the only rules in the other realm and the only rules that mattered here. The crooked cops and mythical government never did anything for the people. At least the mafia brought some kind of order to the worlds. Even if they did own me for another year past my end of service date.

  The big man decided it was best to comply with his buddy’s demand. “Right. Well this club isn’t technically in the other realm. It’s in between.”

  “Wait, what?” He had my full attention. “I thought the in between was a myth.” Now I needed to gather my thoughts.

  The big man shook his head. “There’s not much there. Structure wise, this is it. You’re on five days a week. Six-hour shifts.”

  “At least the hours aren’t bad,” I huffed. “But, will I even survive going to the in between?”

  “That part is safe,” the man nodded. “They’ve been studying it for years. Report tomorrow at 6 o’clock world time.”

  “Do I get to choose my own glamour?” That was one of the perks about working at the store. We got to pick whatever we wanted from the list.

  The big man frowned. “Your name is Fawn, right?” I nodded. “They picked out something special for you.”

  “Well I guess that means they are expecting me,” I smiled. The driver put the truck in gear and pressed on the gas.

  “Take care of yourself, kid. There aren’t many like us left,” the big man called out as the truck sped away.

  I looked up at the grayish sky. The sun was dipping behind the horizon. I’d need to hurry to make it home before dark.

  The walk to my flat led me past the crumbling buildings which made up the abandoned city called LA. I’m told this once was a busy area, full of people living and working together. I’ve never seen them, but I could sure see the trash they left behind. Broken windows line the sidewalks. Plastic, tires, bags of waste- these fossils are all that are left of those people who couldn’t hack it in the world.

  I knew exactly what the mafia guy meant when he said, “our kind”. We are the ones who want to stay. I mean we travel to the realm out of necessity, but we don’t go to escape real life.

  Chapter 2

  ∞

  Once upon a time, before we knew about the other realm or had any way to access it, humans lived only in this world. They say we had thousands of animals and plants. The streets weren’t this dirty. People really lived.

  The electric grid worked in all these buildings. We didn’t have to gas our generator just to get power. There were jobs here too. Not ones that only elite families or people with connections could get either, there were real jobs on every corner. I’d kill for a normal job most days, one that didn’t require me to portal hop to the other realm for work. I hate the realm.

  When humans discovered there was an alternate realm, the one their deceased loved ones came from, they built a way to access it. At first, there were only a few portals which were strictly monitored. Then the technology was leaked, and the portals began to pop up everywhere. There is still a working portal on my crappy little street.

  I ran into my building just as the dark settled into the city. Everyone makes fun of my fear of the dark. I just don’t like to be alone outside in it. It reminds me too much of the realm and of childhood memories I’d like to forget. Plus, there is nothing good that hangs out on these streets at night. Once my contract is up, I’m moving out of the city to somewhere safer. Without all these buildings around, it’d be easier to see the stars. The night would worry me less if I could see all the lights in the sky.

  “You made it in time,” Genie squealed as I unlocked the door to our flat. “We’re just getting ready to leave now.” She wore fishnet stockings that tucked into ankle boots and tiny black shorts. Her golden hair was pulled
into a high bun on top of her head making her look like a pineapple from the wallpaper in her room. On her arms were hundreds of multicolored bracelets and she had jewels attached to the pounds of makeup on her face.

  “Why don’t you just use glamour?” I asked as I took in her outfit. “It’d take a lot less time than this.”

  “Because she doesn’t have many credits left.” Lane tossed the book he was holding onto the coffee table. I cringed as I watched it land haphazardly on the edge. Those were my books. He doesn’t even read. Lane’s black Mohawk stood straight in the air, shining from all the grease. It almost made him as tall as Genie and her pineapple bun. He wore a tight black t-shirt and even tighter black pants.

  Genie glared at him. “I do too have credits. The natural look is in right now, very retro. I’m going to rock it.”

  “Natural look?” I raised an eyebrow as Genie slipped on a tattered fake fur jacket.

  “Whatever Fawn.” She tapped the heel of her boot on the ground. “You know what I mean. Now hurry and get dressed so we can go.”

  “I’m not really feeling it tonight guys. Why don’t you go without me?” I moved to fix the stack of books on the table.

  “Nope,” Genie snapped. “You don’t get to do this again. Especially not tonight. It’s Vorie’s release party.” I groaned as I unzipped my sweater.

  Vorie, Genie, and I had grown up together in the orphanage. It’s not like being an orphan is all that uncommon, it’s pretty much the norm. You can’t birth children in the realm, and most parents leave their children here when they choose to go there. The three of us were close, almost like family.

  We’ve lived here in this flat since we turned fifteen. Well, until Vorie got engaged to Brayson some months ago and they moved a few blocks away. Vorie was eighteen today, that meant her servitude term was over. Mine should have been over too, but the incident tacked on another year.

  “Let me change my shirt,” I said as I walked to my room. Everything was how I left it. Crates of books in the corner and my mattress on the floor covered in a seafoam green comforter I’d found in an abandoned shop uptown. My bed looked so comfortable. I pulled myself away and grabbed a faded band t-shirt from my closet.