It felt as if she had been running for hours, but the woman known as 'Grace' knew that she was only outside for a matter of minutes. She slowed her pace and leaned against a wall, breathing heavily from the exertion of having to fight hard to simply stay on her feet. Her heart rate increased and tried to rise to its natural resting state, but the chains bound by around her waist, bruised her skin, holding her pace deep within her muscles. She felt the beginnings of a bruise as her chest began to pound harder, and she had to fight the urge to scream out her pain. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself before anyone finds her and gives her more training. After several minutes, she managed to bring her heart rate, near pulse and pain to zero, despite her ill-condition.
She took a few deep breaths, then lifted her head toward the sky. "We had better be worth it."
She dug into her pockets and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper,before sitting down in the shadow of the wall she was leaning on. She smoothed out the page and looked at the picture of her family, a sad smile creeping across her face. "I'll be home soon." she said to the picture, before standing up and looking around, to try and figure out where she was.
She spotted a group of tall, grey stone buildings. Even though it's daytime, they look dark, uninviting. The window sizes are all different lengths and heights, some look square, some look rectangular. Some have more than one window on each floor, while some look stark,with no windows at all. She looks around, and sees the buildings are all surrounded by high black walls, with barbed wire to the top.
She looks down to the ground again and she sees she is next to a tall grey brick wall, with metal fences and gateways all over the place. Each had warning signs on them, and most were electrified with warning signs. Heavily armed guards patrol the area, with a couple of officers walking up to her.
"You shouldn't be out here girl, we have a curfew." one of the said as he walked up to her.
"Squads of attack drones are loosing even more dangerous chemicals into the air after dark, many people don't last a day here. You would do well to head back in before you come to any harm." The others joined in, and walked towards her, the guard touching Grace's hair and pushing her hair back from her face.
"You're going to have to go home, or I will have to call in security. Now please head on your way, Girl."
"Don't know what you did, but I am supposed to be here." she said in a stern tone, putting her hands on her hips.
"You come looking for us again and we will be forced to send you home. Quiet now. You should be more worried about yourself. Surely if you live here you know the dangers of being out at night," The guards laughed at her as she stood there, the might of the force coming down on her.
"I don't live here, I was sent here to retrieve something of mine." she called out to them as they walked off. She watched them for a few minutes, to see if they had heard her, before turning to the unknown. She pondered what to do next, and while she felt she had done what she had come for. She just needed to walk back to where she had started from.
She looked around and was very glad for her jacket, but it was heavy and weighing her down. She didn't want to stop and go back to an area where she would have to fight a guard again. She walked a few blocks, and in less than a minute she was back at the point she had started from, with no sign of any guards. She continued moving until she came to a huge roundabout. She looked around for a way to go, and saw a gate with barbed wire, three men and women pacing around it, chatting to each other about something.
"She isn't even supposed to be here." one of the said, looking around her.
"She's obviously not meant to be here." another replied, looking at her.
"Should take her some food. Have you seen how skinny she is? She could die in here." The third said, also looking around her.
"Just take the food. We don't have time to stop for long. You will get food. Where from? I'll get it from my friend." The first said as he picked up a bag, and turning to the gate. "Don't move." he said in a stern voice to her to ensure she didn't move until he said she could.
The man walked up to the gate and waved at them. One of them pushed a button on the wall and shouted “What do you want?”
“We're going to make a food run. I want to pick up some bread and a can of something to eat. One of you! Let us through!” the guard shouted back as the other two looked at the gate.
"I don't think so." one of them replied as the guard held his hands out, waiting for a cut of whatever he had just said.
"Come on!" the guarded waved her through, and they walked off with him, disappearing before she got on to the more dangerous, runway.
She turned towards the gate, and saw the guards walking out of the door. She turned and followed them, and as she reached the door she walked out on to the middle of the long avenue that started. "One, two, three, walk." The guards said in unison as they took a few steps, before stopping at a set of coloured statues of men and women. She looked up at them and saw one costumed orange, with men and women walking around. She saw more guards coming down the avenue, and one of them carrying a large rolling door. She turned to the guards, and she busted out laughing, as she was trying to work out why they had just said “One, two, three, walk”
“I think the statues are supposed to be in line with the music, so they can do the jogging rhythm all together. Maybe to help them keep their pace, or something. Like some kind of exercise.” the guard she was talking to said, quizzically looking as the guards walked by.
The guards reached a large drain at the end of the avenue, and the one who was carrying the door lifted the door and carried it in. It didn't close, and she saw several people inside. She saw bags of food going in from all fields of the building. She waited to see if there would be another door, and after a minute she walked up to it and opened it, seeing another roundabout beyond. She walked around and saw a covered area of buildings, each with glass windows and sliding doors to walk through. Many of them had a carved statue outside them. The largest and grandest one was fully covered in carved figures of people. She walked through the entranceway, and into the grand entrance area.
She looked around, and saw a well dressed man sitting on a chair, chatting on a radio. His face was stuck in a bored expression, but once she got close, he bolted up and his eyes locked onto her.
"Good morning." he said, keeping his eyes locked on her.
"Good morning." She replied and entered the wide door, which opened to the back of the statue. She strode over to the other side of the room, as he did the same.
"Just come out of there?" he asked, still holding the door open. She nodded, and left the area, walking left and seeing a towering building straight in front of her, and a few buildings over the far left.
"I was kidnapped." She said flippantly, as he stared at her.
"Well, you are on the rich side of the city. You can start a new life here," he said opening his palm towards her as they walked. She walked with him, as he continued speaking “It won't be easy, but together, we can work it out. I like you. I think you will make it here. You have spirit. You'll understand, don't you? Smooch."
She found a flap on the side of his mouth, to turn the radio off, and broke into a run away from him. She saw the road, and as she reached it she came to a stop. She looked around her, and stepped off the ridge, walking towards the high buildings. She picked her way through the tents, and looked at the building on her left. There was a three storey building, large with grey bricks, a set of three figures on top and an army of guards. As she looked at it, she heard a familiar voice on her left.
"Ah, there you are. Good to see you made it out."
She turned her head and yelled out to that voice, seeing a tall figure walking a few blocks away. Her eyes locked on the figure, and she walked towards it. The figure stood before them, and the boy he had with him was about fourteen, with some brown hair.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, gesturing to him.
"I am Maheshkan. I'm from a city far off in the outlands." The figure said, looking at the boy, with some form of stern expression.
"Your name? What are you doing here?" the boy asked, looking at her.
"I'm Olga. I'm from a city far off in the opposite side." She said with an earnest tone as she stood before him.
"He's my brother, Putu." The boy said, looking at him.
“Well then, I need to get going” the boy’s brother said as he walked back down the hill.
"Yes you do." She replied as she saw him in the distance.
He walked off, and Olga stood and stared at Putu.
"Are you a slave?" she asked.
"Yes. I am from outlands. We were mining wood and cray smashed when the snatchers came. They took my friends, and I tried to stop them, but one of them hit me with her stick, and all I could do was run away. I've been here ever since." He replied, as if he was answering a question.
She looked wildly at him.
"I need to get out of here." She said.
"Yes, yes, I know. I've been trying to do that as well."
She looked at him, and took a few steps towards him.
"They won't let me go." She said as they were no more than a few inches away.
“That makes two of us then.” He replied, looking at her intensely.
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