Another Story Excerpt

People didn't join The Herd often--no one was supposed to know it existed--and those that did were often born in to herd life. To show knowledge of The Herd was a danger to my life both from the government and The Herd. To seek out someone I knew to be a member of The Herd would be instantaneous death. No, The Herd was not like taking a job or joining an organization and I couldn't simply inquire within. It was a way of life, and a dangerous one at that, in which people were not just fighting in some petty gang war over illegal operatives but a silenced political movement stuck in a bloody stalemate. Not everyone was cut out for that life; not everyone believed in something so strongly, nor understand the balance between action and sentiment. To be a member of The Herd, you had to be totally seamless with The Herd. Few were cut out for that lifestyle, and even fewer possessed the qualities The Herd leaders would want influencing the movement. That's why you had to be chosen to be a part of it. The matter of deciding to join was supposed to be reactionary not an initiative.