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The Quiet Hour Protocol
sci-fi◐ Teen5 contributors · 4 paragraphs deep
Mara bolted up the back stairs toward the roof, lungs burning. Behind her, soft even footsteps followed. She burst onto the roof and saw the whole city below, frozen and dark, with one thing moving: a giant machine on the next rooftop, slowly sweeping a pale light over the sleeping streets. "Now you've seen it," the flat voice said behind her.
"Then let me help," Mara said, turning around. The flat voice went quiet a long moment. "No one ever asks that." The machine on the next roof slowed its sweep. "There are always more bad dreams than there are of us. If you can stay awake at 3 a.m., we could use you." So Mara became a Quiet Hour cleaner, sweeping the city's nightmares out every night while it slept and never knew.
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