Author: Alexander D Jones

The queue was massively long. Fridays were always the busiest. Everyone would clock off early so that they could get a decent night’s sleep.

Garth was probably thirty people away from the check-in point and the building’s entrance. He checked his watch. If he got inside in the next twenty minutes he’d get a full ten hours.

The queue was moving incredibly slowly. Garth let out a sigh. He’d be lucky to get in in the next twenty hours at this rate. The queue shuffled forwards another metre or two.

Garth looked up towards the darkening night sky. The smoke and smog from the city’s multitude of factories meant that nowadays even the moon was barely visible. As he contemplated what the city had become a scuffle broke out at the front of the line.

Two men in dark clothes were pulled from the line and thrown to the floor by some security guards. Suddenly a mass group of security personnel descended on the line. Everyone was being pushed towards the doors of the building.

Garth could only just concentrate on keeping his footing as the crowd was bulldozed forwards. People were being crushed as the masses were pushed and shoved through the narrow doors.

Garth heard an explosion and steadied himself as the building shook.

A large man in a security uniform grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him towards one of the sleep pods.

Garth could hear gunfire outside now.

“Hey!” Garth tried in vain to release the man’s grip.

“What are you doing?! Oi!” The man pushed Garth into one of the pods and slammed his hand down on the close button.

The door slid shut, sealing off Garth’s pleas. Gas filled the pod as Garth slipped into merciful sleep.

The glass front turned black and green writing appeared. It read: “Official Sleep Time: 8:48pm.”