Read Last Chance for Free Online Page B

without making a sound. It was time to jump on the last connection to the park. The boys followed the mass of citizens to the adjoining transport. For the volume of people moving, there was not a lot of conversation. People knew where they were going and had little time to talk to each other. The prevailing sounds came from the monitors in the station that repeatedly showed the Supreme Leader and the World Council helping their fellow citizens.
    “We’ll take a look around when we get back,” said Connor. “We’re only a few minutes from the park and we need to concentrate on the game.” With that, the boys stopped talking about the strange man in the warehouse and talked strategy for the game.
    Connor, the gambler of the two, made the first suggestion. “We need to go long early and build up a lead. Sector 39 will start making mistakes if they think we’re gonna run up the score.”
    Matthew, the planner and more analytical of the two, was not thrilled with the plan. “We can’t go long early against these guys. We’re not as athletic as they are. We need to start conservative and try to wear ‘em down.”
    Connor punched Matthew in the arm and announced to the entire transport, “This guy is such a wimp! Good thing I’m the captain of the team.” He got a couple of looks from girls at the front of the cabin, but everyone else ignored him.
    The final transport pulled up to the last stop on the boys’ journey. Just a quick sprint down to the corner and the boys would reach the park. They jockeyed around other passengers waiting for their rides and wound their way past the main transport station’s building.
    Suddenly, as if a pop-up book had been opened, the landscape turned from the brown brick and steel of a functioning city to the green and wide-open spaces of a national park. The boys ran through the main gate and were greeted with perfectly maintained green grass, large oak trees with extended limbs and lightly colored leaves, and a backdrop of rolling hills and stone peaks.
    The park was a true escape from the day-to-day reality of school and work for the local communities, and today was no different. The park was packed to capacity with hikers, bike riders, and bird watchers, and of course the ball fields buzzed with anticipation awaiting the start of the weekly beamball matchups. The contradiction of odors from the sterilized district hubs of the city to the smell of fresh mowed grass, dandelions, and wood bark was inescapable.
    The visual differences were not limited to the physical surroundings, as people in the park were allowed to wear clothing of their own. You couldn’t tell a factory worker from an engineer on the Day of Rest. Security was tight at the park. They wanted to make sure that no one strayed too far from the community norm.
    Beamball was the only government-sanctioned sport left for school-age young adults to play in the year 2185. It had been around for thirty years and was as popular as ever. The boys ran up to Field 12 and saw the rest of their team stretching and prepping for the game.
    “Where have you two been? I thought we were gonna have to forfeit the game,” said Coach Jenkins.
    Matthew explained that the transports were running behind, and Connor explained that Matthew was running behind.
    Coach Jenkins only took this job with the school to bolster his own work history, so he didn’t take it too seriously. He never had the boys run laps or sprints as a punishment; he just wanted to look good for the Sector 37 school board. He wasn’t much of a coach, and the small blue whistle around his neck didn’t disguise that he would be more comfortable teaching an English class. His cardigan sweater and brown loafers did not match the athletic theme of the day.
    “All right, boys, as you know, we are playing Sector 39’s top team. They’ve beaten us three times in a row, so it’s important to make me look good today.” The boys looked at Coach Jenkins, and he revised his