451 Seconds -a sequel to Fahrenheit 451

Prologue

Clarisse McClellan opened her eyes with a start. Fiery images slipped in and out of her mind as she slowly exited the dreamy realms of her subconscious. Brightest of all she saw the number 451, burning like the fire she knew it represented, obscuring the rest until it too faded into smoke and she was awake. Gradually gaining awareness of her surroundings, she pulled her jacket tighter around her as she shivered in the early morning chill. Immediately, the numbers began again; scorched in her mind like the fire in her dreams. One, two, three...

Clarisse was up to eleven by the time she was on her way again. It had taken her but a few seconds to wash her face, shoulder her pack, and get back on her feet. Fourteen and fifteen was enough to distract her from her aching muscles; the nap she had taken but a few minutes ago was long forgotten, and the two hours had been nowhere near enough to recover from an almost three day trek through the woods. By sixteen and seventeen, she had managed to forget every painful thought threatening to explode her being. It was just the numbers now; the numbers and the steps she took one after the other. And on she went.