Resistance

one

eila kahn

"Hello!" I rose my voice, wrapping my fingers around the steel bar. I wouldn't say I'm claustrophobic, but something about being in a jail cell with no one in sight was frightening. I'm not one who often experiences fear, but I'd be lying if I said my heart wasn't racing. "This is a misunderstanding! I'm not a thief," I continued to talk. I was in a large room with several other cells which were all empty. The woman who brought me in here undid my handcuffs, pushed me inside the cell then left without a word.

"The video footage would say otherwise," a woman's voice responded. My eyes widened before I pressed my head between the cell bars to see who was finally here. There were no clocks and I had lost track of time.

Footsteps slowly made their way over to me before I was presented by a woman who wasn't much taller than me. She was dressed in the standard trooper attire—plain black t-shirt, black cargo pants and black combat boots to go with it. She didn't have a rifle on her like some others, which told me she was of low ranking. Most liking a new initiate who was just being introduced to policing.

She held an iPad in hand which displayed a video. Pressing play, I watched the footage of me in the convenient store. I slid a mango into my hood pocket while casually walking around the store. Just as I left the store, I was chased after by security. Soon after they caught me, they threw me in the back of a rover truck. That's how I ended up here. But it seemed impossible that they had me here because of a mango.

"Let me out," I demanded and she burst out in a mocking laugh. My teeth gritted together with my grip tightening on the bar.

"You're staying overnight. A detective will arrive in the morning to get your statement then go from there," she informed me before I began panting. Panting in shock that I not only would be staying the night, but would be interrogated. "Don't act so surprised. You know the law."

I do know the law. It's been here since I was thirteen and everyone's life changed.

America is no longer the land of the free.

A few days after my thirteenth birthday, the government shifted everything. Walls were built around major cities—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Orlando, Washington, and my home, Atlanta. New laws were put in place to contain everyone in the walls. No one was to enter and no one was the leave. They convinced us it was for our safety because the rest of the country was no longer safe. Democracy no longer exists and we've lost our right to privacy. Drones roam the streets 24/7, ensuring we abide by the rules and are in our homes by the 9 pm curfew. Troopers with guns and protection walk amongst us to inflict fear and remind us the consequences if we don't follow the standards of society.

"No. No, I'm not staying," I quickly reached out, letting my hand grasp onto her frail neck. She wasn't expecting it and also wasn't armed. I pulled her in closer. I'm normally not a violent person. Self defence is something I've never had trouble with, but intentionally engaging in something aggressive isn't me. But staying overnight wasn't an option.

"Miss. Kahn, I suggest you let go of her before matters become much worse for you." It was a man's voice that threatened me. The woman took advantage of my slight surprise and used it to slide out of my grasp. She gasped for air and stumbled backwards. "Go finish the report. I'll handle this," he instructed, making her happily leave this celled area.

"You can't keep me here," I argued, still not seeing him before he was by the door in the shadows. "I can't stay the night here."

"I can. And I will," he gave a bland answer. I shut my eyes, stepping away from the bars and mapped this small cell with my feet. "You're so eager to leave like you have something to run home to. But based on your file, you're alone. Your parents were sent to the capitol because of their professions and you've lived alone since for the past year. Why in such a fuss?" He curiously asked. It was none of his business. But he also had the facts wrong, which wasn't his fault. No one other than my best friend, Maven, knew that my brother existed. He's supposed to be dead.