Read Last Chance for Free Online

1920s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.
    “They even had one in the 1990s. It was short, but we don’t have people killing each other here for no good reason, and the government takes care of us. Based on what I’ve read, you were just on your own back then.”
    Matthew began to argue with Connor, but didn’t see the point. They had disagreed on these books for months and he didn’t want Connor to think that he was trying to outsmart him. Matthew could read and absorb information much faster than Connor, so he backed off.
    Matthew continued reading for the next couple of hours about the 1990s. He read about the types of music people liked, the art that was popular at the time, and the clever inventions that were developed. Through the entire lesson, he could only think about what it would have been like to live in those times and why things were so different now.
    Connor and Matthew finished up their lesson at 9:45, so they had only fifteen minutes to get ready for bed. It was lights out at 10:00 p.m. for Sector 37. The boys shared a bathroom, so it was always an all-out fight to be the first to use the sink and the toilet. Connor usually won, but for some reason, Matthew had a bit more fire tonight and he outdueled Connor for the sink. As Connor impatiently waited his turn for the bathroom, he decided to bother Matthew with questions that were difficult to answer with toothpaste in your mouth.
    “So what are we doing tomorrow for the Day of Rest?”
    Matthew responded as he had so many other times to the same question: “Sactor Perk fur some bawll.” Matthew had actually said, “Sector Park for some ball.”
    Connor laughed and said, “Sounds good, but you know you’re gonna get your butt kicked again.”
    After a moment of loud spitting and gargling, Matthew emerged from the bathroom and jumped into his bed. Connor looked over at him as he entered the bathroom, and Matthew whispered, “We’ll see about that.”
    Both boys had been asleep for about an hour when Connor was awakened by a bright light coming through their bedroom window. He poured himself from his bed and made his way to the window. It was unusual to see any lights, besides streetlights, after the 10:00 p.m. curfew. As he reached the window, he looked to the warehouse building that was to the left of their apartment complex. This was one of the only buildings in the area that didn’t look like the others. It was supposed to be torn down a few weeks before, but for some reason, it was still standing.
    Connor could see a bright, yellow, pulsating light coming from the top floor of the old building. He could also hear sounds from the window, like a generator being cranked or the spin of a tire on the road.
    “What are you doing up? We’re supposed to be in bed.”
    “Shut up,” responded Connor, as he intently looked to the old building as the light continued to pop from it. Matthew also fell from his bed and moved to Connor’s side.
    “What do you think it is?”
    Connor responded, “I don’t know, but I see four guards heading over there.”
    Connor grabbed Matthew by the shoulders and pulled him lower to the edge of the window. He popped him on the top of the head and told him that if those guards saw them up after ten, it would be their butts in a sling.
    The boys looked back to the warehouse window and could see a man staring back at them. He had a bald head and was wearing black glasses. He kept his position, looking out toward the boys for several seconds.
    “He can’t see us, can he?”
    Suddenly, the man in the window pulled down a shade and he was gone, along with the light and noise. Matthew looked at Connor and with a sigh said, “We could see him. Why wouldn’t he be able to see us?”
    The boys decided to stay up for another hour to see the man brought from the building by the four guards who had entered, but they never saw anyone leave. The boys wanted to know if the man had been arrested and what had created that bright