Edith entered the room, her head down. I couldn't make her face out, I wonder what she was thinking. She was covered in bruises and what not, dust and all. Richard was behind her, his once pink beard was shaved off completely. Behind him, other villagers I've bonded with were lined up behind each other in a line. All chained together in a line, first was Laura who I used to steal apples from, Timmy who played hopscotch with me, Delora who was always a bitch to me, and so many other villagers.
Was it my fault they were here? Who am I kidding.. if I hadn't picked those berries I would've never got caught. If I ran faster. If I only was quicker, it's all my fault.
As my thoughts consumed me, The pink haired woman, who had kicked me earlier and I'm assuming sent me here had appeared.
"Everyone, you're to be sent to your jail cells. You have designated eating times, and only be called out when you're needed. You'll have a 3 hour break from your cells to move around and get exercise. And with that—-Dii me audiant et homines ad cellas suas mittant." Her eyes turning purplish red again as her hand motioned upwards.
My eyes widened a bit, I saw each and every villager poof into thin air, Edith. Gone.. Richard? Gone. They all were gone in a blink of an eye. Sparkle particles arose and left just as fast as the ladies eyes returned to a dark blue, was this magic? This was the first time I've ever witnessed magic as I've only heard stories that I've thought were fake from Richard. It seems he's not always full of shit.
"If you need to report something, click the red button on the wall. If you snitch on someone for the following, drugs, or eating food past food hours you get a hour added to your break time, Since we have new comers today let me introduce myself. I am Phoebe, the one who keeps you filthy humans in check. That is all."
And with that, she'd left.
I would've called for Edith and Richard but they were in a cell that I had no clue where it was, and I tried shouting a bunch of fat rat hooligans would've shushed me.
It felt like an eternity waiting for the break, I had no clue what time it was or how to tell it, a decent amount of time had passed— or so I think. To pass the time I decided to go to sleep on the floor, I wasn't sleeping on that blood dried mattress.
A large voice boomed through a speaker jolting me awake.
"Group one transporting now. I repeat, group one transporting now." I hadn't been transported so I guess I wasn't in group one. My mind started to eat away at me though, it was really my fault Edith, who treated me as her own kid got her. And Richard who actually cared for me, they were hurt. After a few minutes of drawing random things on the floor with water droplets, the speaker rung again.
"Group 2 transporting, I repeat Group 2 transporting next."
My vision swirled, it was the weirdest thing ever. It swirled, and swirled til I became dust and swirled out.
The room was huge. The dimmed light from the chandelier was lighting the place, coating it in a dark light. In the room were 3 large doors. The first one was black, the second was beige and the final one was a whitish grey. Phoebe was standing in front, her hands on her hips, you could hear her jewelry rattling as she moved.
I see Richard in the crowd, I try to shift between the hundred people to get to where he was.
"Stand in a single file line or I'll kill you pathetic beings." Her voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone quiet down at once and form in a line, as I was forced to do the same. She stood at the very front of the line.
Phoebe looked at her watch and rolled her eyes— as if we wanted to be there. She pulled the first girls hand that was in the line. A woman in her 20s with black hair and frail.
"White."
A plump man was next, with stubby black hair
"Black."
A man in his 30's
"Beige."
I was convinced she was doing it randomly, by the time it was my turn I really didn't care where I'd go, just hopefully with Edith or Richard, I had a ⅓ chance to be with them. I walked up to Phoebe, I just noticed how ethereal she looked, her neon pink hair glowing in comparison to everyone else."
"You, Black."
I walked to the black gate, it was already opened. Inside was a vast white room. A sign that was designed like the number plates in our cells but this one almost covered the wall directly opposing us. In bold letters marked, "FIELDWORK". If I had to estimate, there were probably 1,000 people in the room but there was still enough space for each one of us to spread our hands out.
I try to spot Edith and Richard in the crowd, or any villager matter of fact. I need to know what happened, In the corner of my eye I spot Kayla— Kayla's a 16 year old girl in the village. I've never really talked to her but I've always wanted to. She had long jet black hair, it was replaced by a bob that looked as if it had been cut off in a hurry with a knife or sharp object, her face was covered in scars— just like Edith's.
"Kayla!" grabbing her hand so I don't lose sight of her, she looks up to me. Damn, she looks terrible, just what the hell happened in Everdale? Her eyes, once a sparkling brown, were a dimmed out brown. I can't really explain it, almost as if life were sucked out of her.
"What do you want, Aubrey?" Kayla muttered, she didn't even look phased in the slightest, matter of fact she looked disgusted to even talk to me.
"What happened ?" I said still holding onto her hand, her hand was warm, but her appearance was cold.
"We got captured, shortly after you got caught they infiltrated us, beat us and even killed some of us. They said if we resisted we'd die and that we were to be grateful that we were even allowed to live."
Damn.
I finally let go of her hand and she slipped past me disappearing into the hundreds of people in the crowd.
That kinda stung, after searching for Richard and Edith I gave up. No way I was finding them in the room, A gateway appeared where the sign had been, the sign disappearing. The magic always catches me off guard, it's so sparkly. So mesmerizing. The gateway opened, inside was a dimmed tunnel, it looked old with cracks covering the stone walls inside the tunnel, as moss grew from said cracks. Everyone started walking inside, so I followed. The march was long and tedious, some even dropping along the way and getting stepped on. We reached a prison-like playground where everyone was in groups and scattered about, I sat down on a nearby bench eyeing the crowd seeing if I recognized anyone else.
Phoebe had appeared again, sparkly glitter particles leaving where she stood. Honestly such a cute power doesn't suit that wicked woman in the slightest. This time, she had a whip on her made of chains.
"Hello worthless mutts. You are in charge of field work, everyone who couldn't walk this far is either too fat or too weak for field work, they have been placed in another group. You guys have a break for an hour, you know the jist. Newbies, get used to it." Phoebe then spotted a elderly man, "You guys don't fool me, I know this man was carried." She whipped him with the chains til he was screaming, then kicked him til he was a bloody pulp. Leaving him there bleeding out on the concrete floor. What the hell? Is this normal? Her pink large heels on his head now, "Because of this little stunt you guys pulled off, all of you are off break."
My vision swirled til it was just a bunch of swirlies, and swirled out. I really do hate Phoebe's transporting magic. I was in an underground tunnel now, it was really dark. The only light source was from a massive machine with numerous parts, it looked highly complex to the point I don't even know how to describe it. Little thick pipes came out of the machine connecting a treadmill-like device, the only difference being that it was like a bicycle where you had to sit on it. A collective sigh broke out among the people and they began sitting on the machine and starting running in place while sitting. A plethora of gears started shifting on the machine making a screeching sound that wouldn't stop no matter what.
"When's this thing gonna shut up?" Mumbling as I sat down as well. A man behind me responded, "You learn to tune it out kid."
I didn't learn how to tune it out.
The relentless sound of screeching was driving me crazy, I stood up and walked through the tunnels end. Even if I didn't know where it would take me It was better than hearing those damn knobs turn.
"Kid , where do you think you're going?" The man who was behind me said, I could see his face now that I was out of the seat. He was in his 30's and had a huge slit in his eye with soot on his clothes
"Out of here." I stated, thinking this conversation was over till he stood up behind me. He was one fat scary dude. "She'll send you to another group, you'll become fodder for the vampires and they'll plumpen you up til and cut you just as fast to eat you, and if you're an experiment you get to be toyed around and played with as the excuse they're using you scientifically. And if they are, they'd torture you and keep your teeth as a token."
…
"Listen kid, I hate it too. But we have the best job right now even if it's labor work." The man wasn't giving me an option to leave, he looked as if he'd physically hurt me if i did. I didn't respond to him, the sound of screeching filling the air.
"Me and some dudes are working on a side project. You look like you could be of use. Are you in?" He stuck his hand out, reaching for a handshake.
There were two ways this could go, this could go really south and they end up butchering me. Or this could be my means of escape.
I did a long, heavy sigh before shaking his hand. "Alright.."