Novels by EMKAY

The phone in Junes hand felt very heavy. It was a piece of glass and metal that should not have been working. Around her the world was a graveyard of ash and broken machines. There were no power lines, no cell towers. Yet the screen was glowing with a light."INCOMING CALL: BENSON""June what is that?" her mother asked. She pulled her hand away from Junes face. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Is that a piece of the machine?"June did not answer. Her thumb stayed over the Accept" button. Her heart had just started beatingIf I answer this do I let the dream in? June wondered."Do not touch it!" the soldier shouted. He ran toward her through the dirt. His heavy boots kicked up clouds of grey ash. "Doctor that phone is a trap. The Boss is trying to find a way into our heads."June looked at the soldier back at the phone. The vibration was moving up her arm. It shook her bones. It did not feel like a machine. It felt like a heartbeat."He is calling from the ocean " June whispered. Her voi

The orange did not rot. It did not fall to the ground. Instead it broke into a thousand black squares. These squares swirled around Junes wrist like a cloud of bees. They felt cold and sharp buzzing against her skin."Drop that remote Mom!" June yelled.She tried to move but her feet felt heavy like they were made of stone. She looked down at the ground. The grey dust was turning into computer code beneath her boots. The "Save" icon over her heart was spinning fast. It made a high screaming sound."I can't do it June " her mother whispered.Her mothers hands were shaking. She was holding the remote like a shield. Behind her thousands of workers began to walk toward the ship. They moved like puppets on strings."The General said the orange was a virus " her mother cried. Tears left lines on her dusty face. "He said if you brought it from the dream world it would delete our world. He said you were trying to kill us all!""The General is a computer program, Mom!" June stepped onto the du

The air in the lab did not feel fresh like the rain in my dream. It felt cold and metallic like something was burning.June tried to get up. Her legs felt weak like they were made of wet paper. She fell against the metal pod she was in. The cold metal felt like ice on her skin. All the alarms in the room were screaming loudly. The noise hurt her ears. Made her head spin.A voice said, "Do not move, Subject 03."June looked up. Saw a boy.. He did not look like a real boy. His skin was too smooth, like stone. There were icons in his eyes that looked hungry. He was floating in the air his feet not touching the ground.June asked, "Where is he?" She did not care about the soldiers with guns moving towards her. She looked at the man in the pod next to her. This man sounded like the Assistant. "Where is Benson?"The man looked at her with scared eyes. He started pulling wires out of his head with fingers. "I am the backup " he said. "I am the saved file. The real Benson stayed in the fire."

June did not scream. She could not scream. Her throat felt like it was filled with wet sand.She stared at the television screen. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. The news lady was. Her voice sounded like it was coming from a deep well. "...The biggest medical test in history " the voice said. "Doctors say the students are okay. They are just sleeping deeply.""June look at me" Benson said. His voice was sharp.He did not come near her. He moved back. His boots made a scratching sound on the floor. The sound was too loud and too clear. It sounded like a recording not like someone walking in a house."I am looking at you Benson" June whispered.She slowly turned her head. There was a green circle in the corner of Bensons eye. It was spinning. It looked like the "Save" icon on a computer. It was beating like a heart. It was like a ghost living inside his eye."You see it too do you not" Benson asked. He reached up to touch his eye. His fingers were shaking. "It feels like a bug's movi

The blue sun did not feel warm anymore. It felt sharp like a thousand needles pressing against Junes skin.She stood in the middle of the field. Her hand was shaking. It was an inch away from the glowing "YES" button in the air.The air around her smelled like flowers and fresh rain. This was a world made from pieces of a dying one.. Behind the beautiful blue sky she could still hear the ghost of the Generals voice.* "One soul for a planet June. Save people by killing just one."* "June? Why are you shaking?" Benson stepped closer to her.He reached out to touch her shoulder. His hand was no longer made of skin. It was shining, metal that caught the blue sunlight.He looked perfect. Strong, healthy and young.. As his fingers touched her arm June pulled away."If I press this Benson " June whispered, her voice cracking like wood "the 'Original Universe' is deleted. That means the basement. The bridge. The ruins of our city. All of it... Will be gone forever.""But June those places we

Junes feet were on a metal bridge. It was shaking really badly. It was making a noise because it was so old and rusty. June fell down. Her knees hit the cold metal. It hurt a lot. One minute she was a ghost made of light. She could float around. The minute she was a real person with a body that could feel pain. Her heart was beating fast and it felt like a bird was trapped inside her."June you are solid " Benson said. He was moving towards her. He was not walking. He was crawling on his hands and knees. His fingers were holding onto the metal bridge and his hospital clothes were blowing in the wind. The air was really thin. It smelled bad. It smelled like something was burning."Stay back Subject 04 " the General said. He was not holding a gun. He had a remote control. He pressed a button and a part of the bridge moved away. Now there was a gap between Benson and June. If they looked down they would see a scary empty space."Benson " June screamed. She was reaching out her hand to hi

The glass did not just break; it exploded inward. A huge metal foot from the machine outside slammed against the wall. It sent glass pieces flying across the dark floor. Maya threw herself over Benson to protect him. Her heart was racing fast like a drum. The air that rushed in through the hole was cold and bitter. It tasted like metal and chemicals. It hurt her throat like a knife."Run!" Benson shouted. He grabbed Mayas arm. His fingers were shaking,. He was still strong.They moved backward on the slippery floor. Above them a giant eye. As big as a car tire. Moved in its socket. The red recording light at the center of the eye blinked. It was not just looking at them; it was showing them to the world. Here in the ruins of the real world the TV show was still happening."It is a Harvester " Maya whispered. Her eyes were wide with fear. She knew this machine from the drawings in the Library. "It is the machine that takes care of the sleeping pods. It thinks we are parts that fell out

The red light on the television was not just blinking. It was pulsing like a heart that was bleeding. Mayas breath caught in her throat. The sound of the breathing machine was like the footsteps of a giant coming to find her. She tried to lift her hand to point at the screen. She wanted to wake her father up.. Her muscles felt like cold stone.She tried to say "Dad".. Only a little bit of air came out of her mouth. She could not make a sound. Her father was sitting in a chair. He was not moving. His chin was on his chest. His Bible was on his knees. He looked very peaceful. He looked real.. As Maya watched the red light on the TV she saw something that scared her. The shadows on the wall behind her father were not moving. They were frozen.The television screen flickered again. The camera zoomed in on Mayas face. The picture was very sharp. She could see every mark on her skin. A small box appeared on the screen. It said "42.1 million people are watching" and "Maya is trending". Maya

The air in the space did not smell like paper anymore. It smelled like the electricity of a lot of television screens. Maya felt the cold wind of the Real World hitting her face through the shrinking hole in the sky. She could see her hospital room but the hand of light was stronger. It grabbed the edges of the hole in the universe. Pulled it shut. Creeeeak. The sound was like an iron gate closing forever.Maya screamed. "Benson help me!" She planted her feet on the wooden floor of the Library. She grabbed the edge of the hole with her hands. The light burned her palms. She did not let go.Benson jumped forward. His bright blue eyes were glowing like fire. He wrapped his arms around Mayas waist and pulled backward. "I am not a show!" he roared. His voice was so loud it made the floating books shake. "I am a man. I am a son. I am a husband."Maya could see the man in the suit. He was standing in her hospital room in the city of Uyo. He was leaning against the wall where her father sat

The heart machine was not making its quiet beep. It was screaming. Beep-beep-beep-beep. The sound was not steady anymore. It was a warning. Maya jumped from her bed to the bed next to it. She grabbed Bensons wrist. His skin felt warm and a little sweaty.. When she pressed her thumb against his arm she felt something hard and metallic.It did not feel like a bone. It did not feel like something from a surgery. It felt like a key. Maya shook Bensons shoulder. "Benson wake up!" she whispered loudly. Her voice was shaking. "The doctor is lying to us. This hospital is not real. Look at the clock on the wall."The clock was frozen. The long hand was stuck between twelve and one. It was not moving. There was no ticking sound. The room was very quiet. It felt like being underwater where no sound can reach.Then the door opened. Dr. Sarah was standing there.. She was not alone. Two men in white hospital clothes were behind her. Their faces were too perfect. They did not blink. They did not see

The warmth of Bensons hug felt like a lie.Maya stood frozen in the middle of the driveway.Her heart was hitting her chest hard.It did not feel like a heart; it felt like a trapped bird hitting a cage.Benson pulled back.His hands rested on her shoulders.His skin felt warm.He smelled like peppermint and car oil. The smells she loved the most.When she looked past his shoulder the world blinked.* The green leaves of the mango tree in the garden did not move in the wind.They moved in a repeating loop.Down.Down.Like a video that keeps starting over."You look like you have seen a ghost, Maya " Benson said.His voice was smooth like honey. There was a strange echo behind it.He reached out to move a piece of hair from her face."We are finally home " he said."No bad soldiers.No Writers.Just us."Maya looked down at her hand.The silver letters of the word RE-WRITE were glowing brighter now.The pain was sharp.It felt like a needle moving through her nerves.She pulled her ha

The car tires screamed loudly as the Writer turned the steering wheel sharply. Rain hit the glass hard. It made the streetlights look like yellow ghosts. Maya sat in the seat. Her heart was beating fast like a trapped bird hitting her chest. She hugged the heavy computer tower tightly to her body. It was hot. It smelled like burnt electricity and smoke.On the laptop screen a crack was getting bigger.Snap.A sharp line of glass appeared across Benson’s frozen face. The Cheap Version of Maya—the doll with the glowing eyes—was no longer just a picture. Her fingers were white and sharp like needles. They were pushing through the crack. They were touching the air inside the car.“She is coming out!" Maya screamed. "The lock is not holding her!”The Writer looked into the mirror. Her face was white. Behind them two black cars were moving fast. "The book bosses sent a signal to the laptop! They are helping the doll break out so she can steal the computer drive from the inside!”“How much b