Chapter 49 : Packed

MAXINE. The chaos dies down eventually. The Unclaimed tenants make their way back to their seats, staring at the trace of blood on their forearms. There’s a strange energy in the air. Something that I thought was much more present before, but now I realize that this right now is the real deal. The air of defeat. Submission. Hopelessness. I stare at the smarting area on my arm. I can feel the tracker in there somewhere. It’s pulsing under my skin like a little heartbeat. I look around at Theo and see that he’s also sporting a bloody arm. Jonathan is shaking onstage. His eyes are shining and it seems that he’s on the verge of tears. He tries to take the stand again but his unsteady feet cause him to nearly stumble off stage. The Alpha Supreme himself pulls him away and pats his back to make him stand straight, gently guiding him away from the stand and taking the mic again. “Those implants can’t be disabled. The control center is the only place where that can be altered. The tracker