Michael is thirty-nine and gay. Like his little niece, Kim, who has a learning disability, he is considered a non-citizen under the draconian Normalcy Laws. Kim’s parents quietly arrange to flee to New Zealand, where the Normalcy Laws haven’t been implemented. As Michael has a good job and has been careful to hide his homosexuality, he doesn’t consider going with them. Instead, he remains behind and goes about his business as normal until one morning when he is confronted by two Black Guards. Hooded, Michael is taken to what he assumes is the Department of Law. Once people are taken there, they never see the light of day again. Elimination is the only punishment in the New World Order. There he is interrogated by The Man, a handsome officer of the Black Guards. In a desperately hopeless situation, is there any hope of surviving elimination? No one ever has in the past, but Michael discovers something about The Man that hints at his situation not being as bleak as it appears. Can he dare to hope there is a way out? Or is he so delusional that his fantasies of freedom have clouded his judgment? Under the oppressive Normalcy Laws, nothing is certain.

Forbidden

Michael nodded, but felt uncomfortable asking any more than that while Dan was in such close proximity.


They arrived at a container three-quarters packed with boxes of clothing. The only reason Michael knew they contained clothing was because the sizes and measurements of the contents had been stenciled onto the outside of the otherwise plain brown boxes.


“There’s some water in there,” Dan said, his expression remaining dour, “and a bucket and some toilet paper. That should do you until we get into international waters later tonight.”


He stepped aside to allow Michael and Bevan to take a look at their home for the next few hours.


“We’ve got a dozen more containers to load and then once we get clearance we’ll be off. I suggest once you’re inside, you move some of those boxes around so there’s a solid wall of them near the door. Just in case. I’d make it two or three boxes deep if I were you.”


Chapter 30