Hello World

Chapter 28 2215

I must have dozed off, for how long, I was not sure. But when I awoke, the dormitory was dark save for a glimmer of dying light that fell through the window. I glanced down at the  outline of Darwin's empty shoebox, and felt a pang as the day's events came back to me. 

It was not fair, I thought.

It was not fair, but it was my fault. If I had not left the chocolate, trying to draw him out so that he would accompany me.

The chocolate; it had become soft and melty against my breast. I pulled it out, glancing at the door as I did so. 

It was too late for that, I thought. The damage was done...

But if they discovered my plan?

You got off lucky. The rat took the blunt of your error.

I felt another pang, and stifled a sob. Crying would not help. Crying would only land me in the infirmary. Or worse.

absenteeism is a seriously punishable offence, said the voice on the intercom. 

Lesson must have begun, I thought. I would need to move quickly. As I sat on the bunk, I began to doubt my escape plan, which had so far not been going very well.

Darwin...

Absenteeism is a seriously punishable offence...

So is running away, I thought, and envisioned the mutilated face on the corps of 3818, who had been lost at the border.

But he had not been lost at the border, had he? No. 3818 had committed treason, and had been punished. They had left him in the field for us all to see after torturing him for days and melting his face off with hot acid. They had tied his corps to a pole sporting the Canadian flag.

"Your comrade has committed the worst offence," the directors had told us, leading us over the hill to the ghastly sight. "This is what happens to those who do not want to serve their country, a country that has allowed your existence." On this, the crowd of numbers had begun to sing the national anthem. 

Only I had remained silent. And closed my eyes. And pushed the image far from my mind. 3818 had gone to the border, I had told myself. 3818 would be waiting for me at the border. He may survive until it was my turn and I would meet him there. But as much as I told myself this, and as much as I pushed the memory of his mutilated corps deeper and deeper inside, I could never quite escape the truth.

"I know of a resistance camp south-west of here, on the mainland," he had told me before making his escape.  "I will get help and will be back for you." 

Unfortunately, 3818 was caught only 23 hours after his escape. He had not been the first to leave, however he had been the first to be caught. And the directors wanted to make as much of a show as they could of him. They wanted to make sure no more Numbers would leave before they were taken to the border to die for the country.

I would need to hurry, I thought, and shook my head. I zipped up my parka and made my way down the stairs towards the door.

Absenteeism is a highly punishable offence, said the voice in the intercom. Aside from that, Home was empty. This was too easy, I thought as I opened the door and stepped outside. I glanced around me, knowing that someone could be watching at any point in time; either through one of the many windows, or on one of the video cameras that were distributed across the camp. 

As I made my way across the tundra, it crunched as usual beneath my boots. I listened and looked around me as I headed towards the cave. I could hide there until night fall, then I would sneak into the supply shed and steal one of the helicopters that were stored there. The grounds were eerily quiet and I made my way to the cave without a problem. This really was to easy, I thought. I half expected someone to be waiting for me in the cave. 

Absenteeism is a seriously punishable offense, said the automated voice in the distance.

I crawled towards the back of the cave. As soon as I rounded the corner and could be sure that I would not be visible from the base, I switched on the flashlight and looked around. It remained undisturbed, everything was in the same place I had left it. 3818's journal lay open in the far corner. I crawled towards it, then leaned my back against the cave wall and using the flashlight, I began to read.

                                                                                             ***

At last, I put down the journal. It had mostly described 3818's every day life at the base. In it, he spoke of the long, monotonous and grueling days spent at seemingly pointless work, and how he resented the country and the directors. He had gone on to write about his plans to escape, having learned about the resistance camp and where to find it. Where he had obtained this information, he did not say, but he had included several roughly drawn maps.

I tucked the journal into one of the large inner pockets of the parka, along with the flashlight. I stood up and made my way towards the front of the cave. Night had fallen and a chilly breeze blew in from outside.

I crawled carefully along the ledge and onto the icy embankment. My heart raced as I walked over the hill and around the perimeters of the base towards the buildings in which the helicopters were kept.

This was too easy, I thought. And as soon as I had thought it, the silence was broken by the sound of a siren.