The Cooling Point

The administrator closed his eyes. “Back door, left turn. Underground route.” “Why didn’t you say that before?” Erin asked. “Because it’s not for everyone,” he said, and his voice finally broke. “It’s for the selected.” That was when the stadium loudspeaker cut out. After a beat of silence, another voice took over the system: “Citizens, please leave the area immediately. Cooling point capacity has been reached. Unregistered persons must return to their districts and await the next notice.” The next notice. Again. The crowd snapped. Lin looked toward the entrance and saw people beginning to shove road barriers aside. Some were grabbing volunteers by the shirts, demanding the names on the list.