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

Bevan reached up and Michael took hold of his hand, then pressing his feet hard up against the slippery metal bars of the fence Bevan was able to slowly shimmy up until he could grab the blanket covered wire.


Michael was half-hanging off the wire on the other side and able to provide a counter-weight for Bevan, enabling his lover to more easily scale the fence. With great relief, Michael dropped onto walkway, where he waited to help Bevan down.


“What about the blanket?” asked Michael.


Bevan tugged on it a few times, tearing it and managing to pull some of it off, but in the end he had to leave a good deal of it where it was, snagged on the barbs. He balled up the rags and tossed them into the bay. He collected his suitcase and together they walked along the lamp lit walkway towards the city of Auckland. Coming to Sunderland Street, they turned right and headed towards the city center.


“I can’t wait to get some decent food,” said Michael. “Do you think they take credits here?”


Chapter 34