Alexander Merow - Prey World

202 Pages·1.002 MB·English

by  Alexander Merow

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Alexander Merow
Prey World
Citizen 1-564398B-278843
Novel
Part I
Prey World
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Chapters
Foreword 5
Citizen 1-564398B-278843 7
Automated Trial 23
Big Eye 31
The Change 49
Outsourced 56
World Peace in Ivas? 82
Rebellion and Fresh Snow 98
Procrastination is the Thief of Time! 116
Aux Champs-Elysées 139
The Lull before the Storm 155
Bomb-happy... 171
Red Moon 178
With him 193
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Prey World – Citizen 1-564398B-278843
Content
The year 2028. Mankind is in the stranglehold of a
worldwide surveillance state. Frank Kohlhaas, a petty
citizen, lives a cheerless life, working as an agency worker
in a steel plant.
One day, he gets into a conflict with the tyrannical system,
because of an unfortunate accident. An automated trail
convicts him to five years of imprisonment and Frank
disappears in a detention centre, where he suffers under a
cruel system of brainwashing and reeducation.
After eight months of pain, the authorities decide to transfer
him to another prison. On the way there, something
unexpected happens. Suddenly everything changes and the
young man finds himself caught between the fronts...
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Foreword
This is the English version of the first book of Alexander
Merow`s “Prey World” series. The novel was translated by
Thorsten Weber – and the whole procedure entailed a lot of
work. But it was also really funny.
It is not a professional translation and the translator is not a
“native speaker” or English teacher. He is just a guy who
loves science-fiction and dystopias. So try not to laugh at
some of the translated phrases, or the wrath of a real freak
will come over you!
Nevertheless, we thought that would be a good idea to
translate this interesting, courageous and critical novel into
the English language. At the same time it will also enable
English speaking people to join Alexander Merow`s growing
audience.
“Prey World” is neither an ordinary book nor light
entertainment. There is already plenty of “light
entertainment” in our times – far too much. On the other
hand, there are not enough books like “Prey World”. Books
that make you think about the world we live in. And it is
important that people begin to think.
The author has already found numerous interested readers
all over Germany, and we hope, he will find additional
readers in the English-speaking countries. We would also
be glad, if a “real” mother-tongue speaker were to edit this
English version one day.
Some readers compare “Prey World” with George Orwell`s
“1984”, the classic among the dystopic novels. Others see
elements of Bradbury`s “Fahrenheit 451” in it.
However, critical thinkers and friends of so called
“conspiracy theories” will have their fun with “Prey World”. Is
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Alexander Merow`s vision of the future really realistic at all?
A worldwide surveillance state? A World Government under
the control of a ruthless secret society? We will see!
And always remember...
“Only a fool would think that “Prey World” is nothing
but fiction!” (Alexander Merow)
Have fun!
Alexander Merow and Thorsten Weber, Berlin 2011
E-mail: [email protected]
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“Maybe it is nothing but madness and suicide. Maybe it will
not change the world, but this is not important for me.
Nevertheless, it will change something for me!
I have suffered too much to humble myself anymore. They
have told us to humble ourselves - since the kindergarten.
Shut up! Consume! Obey! Endure! Believe everything!
Watch shit! Buy shit! Eat shit! Turn the other cheek!
What has become of us? Why have we become sheep?
Why do we endure this all without doing something? Why
has nobody the guts to act?
Thorsten`s books were a real eye-opener to me! Now, I
know who they are and what they plan for us all. And I can`t
forget what they have done to me. They call us “cattle”.
Okay, then I will be the black sheep in the flock. And the
black sheep will fight back now! And it does not fear the
butcher anymore, because even a butcher can be killed.
Franky, the little black sheep, will make them pay now! And
I hope that the flock of white sheep will wake up some day.”
P.S.: If I don`t come back, please give this book to Julia...
Diary entry of Frank Kohlhaas, 17.02.2029
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Citizen 1-564398B-278843
Frank Kohlhaas, who was called citizen 1-564398B-278843
in his everyday life, because this was his official
administrative code, was already dreaming of the
unpleasant smell in the hall of his flat, reminding him of
rotten eggs. In his mind, shortly before 5.00 o'clock in the
morning – soon the dream would be terminated by the
alarm – Frank was on a walk through a sunny valley. But
even at this beautiful place, the moldy smell was still
pervasive, so that Frank wondered, how such a beautiful
valley could smell so repulsive.
When the alarm-clock rang, it quickly became clear that the
sunny valley was just fantasy, although the smell was real.
The noise was shrill and Frank awoke swearing. Now he
had to get up, put on his clothes, have a hasty breakfast
and walk to the production complex 42-B.
„Damn!”, hissed the unshaven man as he moved his not
excessively tall, but amazingly strong body from his cheaply
produced bed.
„Hmmmhaaa!”, yawned Frank, shuffling through his still dark
apartment to the next room, where a dirty kitchen was
waiting for him. The citizen tore open the refrigerator door
and chocked down a cheese sandwich, the meager left-
overs from yesterday`s supper.
The water kettle was started with a loud whoosh and, after a
few minustes, supplied hot water for a cup of instant coffee.
„Nnnhhaa!”, uttered the young man, a statement, that could
be interpreted in many ways at this early hour, and could
have referred to his life situation in general. At 5.27 o'clock,
Frank closed the battered door behind himself and walked
listlessly down the dark corridor on his way to descend the
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even darker stairway. The source of that foul stench, that
had been torturing Frank`s nose for days, was somewhere
here. Perhaps one of the other tenants, damn idiot, had left
his garbage in the corridor.
„I don`t know...”, he muttered.
Each morning it was the same old story: „Rising, eating,
walking, slogging away...“, as Kohlhaas always said.
In the past years, he had learned to hate his life. He was 25
years old now, living in a more than shabby flat on the
outskirts of the former FRG capital, Berlin, working for
modest wages as a temporary help in a steel plant. In
former times, he had wanted to study, but this issue was
over - for reasons that Frank never mentioned.
Actually, he was not dumb, but, according to his own words,
he couldn`t hack it yet. However, the job at the steel plant
was better than nothing, because it gave him the chance to
earn some money and to survive – an advantage that was
not enjoyed by millions of Germans in the year 2027.
As he now groped along again on this particular morning,
step by step towards the plant, he passed demolished
houses in the twilight and crowds of homeless people lying
in masses in the dark corners of the streets.
„What would be, if I simply didn`t care about the
consequences and went home again, got back into my bed
and just slept until tomorrow?”, he thought sometimes.
„What would it be like if I just packed my bags and
disappeared from this rotten city, this scruffy country?”, he
asked himself occasionally.
But where was it any different? He should enjoy, what he
had – he`d got a job and didn`t go hungry. That was at least
something, thought Frank.
After the worker had gone through a very long and dark
underpass without giving a Globe coin to the drunken
beggar there, the production complex came into Frank`s
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vision. It was 5.53 in the morning and the workers for the
early shift stood there waiting, smoking, jawing.
When the factory gates finally opened at 6 o'clock, about
200 workers poured through them like a viscous mash. Most
of them were not in any rush to begin their work, but it had
to be, there was no other way.
“No alternative!”, as Frank always said.
After ten hours, they went back home again. All were dirty
and tired, but happy that the work was over for the day.
Frank crept through the corridor on his floor, which was still
dim even by day, and unlocked the door of his apartment.
There were no new messages on the Scanchip and that
was good, because it were usually only calculations:
electricity, water and such things. Frank had placed the
television in his bedroom the day before, so if he couldn`t
fall asleep, he could turn it on. The program did not interest
him, but with the sound of anyone talking, he didn`t feel so
alone in this dark block of flats.
Kohlhaas just knew his neighbours from brief encounters.
Many of them only left their apartments to go to work and
some of them had become serious boozers in recent years.
From time to time someone would bawl from his balcony or
accosted people, passing “his block” – but after a while,
everyone was sleeping.
Citizen 1-564398B-278843 watched television till 22.37
o`clock: the news („War of the global armed forces against
dangerous terrorists in Iran“), talk shows, easy
entertainment on all fronts, warnings of the second dog flu
epidemic and the necessity for the immediate compulsory
inoculation. Then he fell asleep, although meanwhile the
foul smell from outside seemed to have lodged itself in his
pillow….
Next day...
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