Lazaretto (Camren)

T H R E E

*trigger warning for torture*

"A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal." –Oscar Wilde

"Did you see that?" Blue boasted. He just made a basket worth three points and was now running backwards trying to block one of the other people in our class from doing the same. It was Saturday, almost a week from when Curly escaped, and things were starting to get back to normal. We were lucky enough to get to be outside today, it had been the first time in a while because of the weather. I looked around at the seemingly mile high walls of the facility and sighed.

Rule #6: Upon being released outside for leisure (when it is permitted), thou shall stay inside the boundaries at all times. Choosing to leave the boundaries (for any reason) will be considered an escape attempt, and you will be shot on site.

It was mid-October, and the leaves on the trees were starting to change colors gradually. Along with that came the chill winds and rainy days. I glanced at the book I was reading every so often as I continued to watch Blue run up and down the court, clearly showing off. There were birds flying overhead, and I quickly grew envious of their freedom. I covered my eyes from the blinding sun as I watched the birds flutter about, solemnly perching on trees or pecking their beaks into the ground, unaware of the turmoil around them. The sound of another basket being made snapped me out of my daydream when a stern female voice came over the intercom.

"Please report to the Commons. You have five minutes." 

Instantly recognizing the voice to be of the Commander, the boys immediately paused on the court. Once the ball swished through the net, it went untouched and bounced off into the grass. The group of girls to my right stopped gossiping as I laid my book off to the side and started to nervously play with my ring. We all looked at each other and swallowed the fear before doing what we were told.

Rule #7: Upon being called to the Commons, thou shall report immediately, except for if instructed otherwise.

It was rare to go to the Commons. I had only been there twice: once during my thirteenth year when I received my tattoo that brandished my number for everyone to see and when they placed the electrocution device inside of me, and another time when I received my job. It was also the only times I had ever seen the Commander. Something was wrong...I could feel it.

"What do you think is going on?" Blue whispered, his long arms swinging back and forth. He was walking next to me as we made our way into the facility. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to play with my ring, feeling more anxious by the second. "Do you think they caught 5013?" he asked, and I shook my head. She was dead. That I knew.

We split up as we walked into the Commons, and I found a seat near the front with the girls of my class. There was a platform at the head of the room, the only thing on it was a cylinder tank with a single chair on the inside. It was big enough for any human of average size to comfortably fit sitting down, though it looked a little claustrophobic if you asked me. The doors to the left of the platform opened suddenly, and the guards (including the brown headed one) ushered in a ninth year. She looked rather pale and petite. She had dark brown hair that reached her shoulders, and she oddly enough had a streak of silver amongst her brown locks. I had met her somewhere before, I was sure of it, but I couldn't put the pieces together. Whispers around me irrupted of what the child had done.

"I heard she stabbed one of the guards with her fork," Freckles (4966) said.

"It's a shame they caught her. He deserved it," Sunshine (5071) countered. I was surprised none of us felt a shockwave from the child's outburst of violence.