Agenda 21: Into the Shadows

Agenda 21: Into the Shadows

The sequel to Agenda 21 —which Brad Thor called “a brilliantly written, exhilarating, pulse-pounding adventure”—from #1 New York Times bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio host Glenn Beck. It was once named America, but now it is just “the Republic.” Following the worldwide implementation of a UN-led program called Agenda 21, the once-proud people of America have become obedient residents who live in barren, brutal Compounds and serve the autocratic, merciless Authorities. Citizens mainly keep their heads down and their mouths shut—but Emmeline is different. When the Authorities took her mother away, she started questioning the world around her. What happened to her mom? Why is everyone confined to grim living spaces and made to eat the same food cubes every day? Why was her own baby taken from her to be raised in the Children’s Village? And are those who got away during the Relocations—the so-called shadow people—merely a rumor? When Emmeline’s questions lead to the realization that she will never see her child again, she decides to escape the Compound. Fleeing the armed enforcers of the Earth Protection Agency, and facing the unknown for the first time in their lives, Emmeline and her partner David run into the shadows in the desperate hope of finding something they’d only heard stories about from those who’d lived before the Relocations: freedom. Glenn Beck, the nationally syndicated radio host and founder of TheBlaze television network, has written thirteen #1 bestselling books and is one of the few authors in history to have had #1 national bestsellers in the fiction, nonfiction, self-help, and children’s picture book genres. His recent fiction works include the thrillers Agenda 21 , The Overton Window , and its sequel, The Eye of Moloch ; his many nonfiction titles include Conform , Miracles and Massacres , Control , and Being George Washington . For more information about Glenn Beck, his books, and TheBlaze television network, visit GlennBeck.com and TheBlaze.com. Agenda 21: Into the Shadows CHAPTER ONE EMMELINE Day 1 We didn’t look back. We moved quickly toward the sound of running water somewhere ahead of us. Behind us we heard shouts and gunshots; flames licked the black night sky. The damp, slippery ground was uneven under our feet. Elsa began to cry, a piercing sound that cut through the silence of the forest. My heart raced. Would the Enforcers or the Gatekeepers hear her? David stopped and handed Elsa to me. She curled into my arm and I let her suck on my finger. David took the boy’s hand—it looked so small and fragile. The boy, clutching his bundle of clothing tightly, worked hard to keep up with David. The unfamiliar sounds of the woods were ominous: rustlings in the grass, branches creaking, and our own rapid breathing—raspy and harsh. I heard the strange hooting of a bird. What kind of bird makes that noise? No time for questions. We had to travel as far and as fast as we could. Back in the Compound someone rang the bell that signaled a half hour till dawn. Fools! The place was on fire and still they rang bells. Soon the Citizens would stand together and say the pledge: I pledge allegiance to the Earth and to the animals of the Earth . . . making the circle sign on their foreheads, their thumb and forefinger touching. Dawn was our enemy. It would steal our blanket of darkness. But I soon realized that sunrise doesn’t come to the woods like it does in the Compounds. It creeps in, wrapped in soft gray. The leafy branches overhead kept us shaded from the early light. We took advantage and kept scurrying downhill, slipping on the damp leaves, tripping over roots and rocks. David and the boy were a few steps ahead of me. David looked back at me, then pointed ahead. I saw the silvery reflection of a wide stream through the trees. We walked faster. David began to run, pulling the boy by the arm as he went. David tripped and fell, his full weight smashing against a rock, our bundle of supplies rolling ahead of him. Clutching Elsa, I ran to him. Blood seeped through the sleeve of his uniform. He groaned, sat up slowly, and cradled his right arm with his left. The boy ran ahead and retrieved our bundle. I knelt beside David and brushed some dirt from his face. “I’m okay,” he whispered. But I could tell from his voice and the look on his face that he was in pain. He struggled to stand up, and then gingerly tested his right arm. “It’s not broken,” he said. “Let’s keep moving.” He started walking and we followed, each of us more careful with our steps, until we finally reached the bank above the water. I had never seen water like that before. I had only seen it in our ration bottles—confined, measured, limited. This water danced and twirled over the stones, rippling, turning, moving with purpose. Mother had told me about lakes and rivers; I had even seen her map that revealed vast blue oceans. But this was the first time I had seen so much water wi