Subject Number 67

Chapter 3

Subject Number 67

When my table was escorted out of the cafeteria, we followed the front guard in a single file line down the hallway to our left. The confusing thing about the Factory was that it was comprised of several hallways that lead to many different rooms. It was easy to get lost thinking you were going to the cafeteria but instead arriving at the training gym. We followed the front guard down the hallway, making several left turns until we arrived at the large metal doors leading to the medical ward. Fifty-eight was the first Subject in our line behind the guard, so he went into the clinic first. The metal doors broke apart automatically, leaving a space large enough for Fifty-eight to go through before they closed again. At this point, we all had to wait until it was our turn. My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode out of my chest.

It took about five minutes for each Subject to get their shot, and since I was second to last, I'd end up waiting almost an hour while everybody in front of me got their injection. I had to maintain focus while I waited. If I hesitated once I got in there, I'd never make it out. The guards would detain me and I would be placed under high-security in a solitary ward for a month.

The reason they were so uptight about security at the Factory was because One and Two escaped about a year before I was modified. When it was just the original two at the Factory, the orderlies didn't see much of a need to maintain a level of security. They underestimated the Subjects. Big mistake. It was easy for them to escape. Unfortunately for me, the security at the Factory had greatly improved since then, which was going to make it that much more difficult to get the hell out of here.

At last, fifty minutes of agonizing waiting ended, and it was my turn to go into the clinic. My palms were sweaty, and my blood pounded in my ears. This was it. I couldn't screw this up. The metal doors pulled apart, and the guard pushed me inside the clinic.

The medical ward, much like the rest of the Factory, was stark white. The only things that weren't white were the stainless steel examination tables and appliances. My eyes locked on the back door out of the ward: it was less than twenty feet in front of me.

'Breathe, Natalie,' I told myself mentally. 'Wait for your moment.'

"Subject Number Sixty-seven," a medical orderly said upon my entrance to another orderly holding a clipboard. They led me to a table right next to the back door. God, it was perfect. They were almost helping me escape.

I assessed the situation. All in all, there were four orderlies in the clinic. I could subdue the two closest to me easily once their backs were to me. The other two were across the room; I had to make sure not to waste any more time than absolutely necessary when taking them out. There was one camera aimed at the front doors, so I didn't have to worry about that. I wasn't going through those doors ever again.

The orderlies told me to sit on the metal examination table and I obliged. One rolled up my sleeve and scanned my tattoo to verify that I was about to receive my injection. The second he reached into his lab coat to replace the scanner, I saw the key card clipped to his inside pocket. Perfect. I could use it to get out of any door in this godforsaken place.

When the first orderly turned to put his clipboard on the table behind him, I took a deep breath. This was it. My moment was here. I leapt off the table, grabbing him by the back of the neck and slamming his head into the table, rendering him unconscious. The second orderly grabbed me from behind, but I easily flipped him over my back, punching him in the nose and breaking it instantly. The two orderlies on the opposite side of the room didn't have time to realize what was happening before I was over there, throwing one into the wall and breaking the other's leg. I raced back to the first orderly, yanking the key card out of his lab coat. I swiped it through the keypad at the back door; it swung open instantly.

And then I ran.

I bolted down the hall, not daring to look back. That assault had taken about two minutes, which meant I had eight to get a head start on the guards before they realized something was up. I remembered reading something a long time ago that said if you were ever trapped in a maze, run your hand on the wall to your right and it would lead you out safely. I kept my hand glued to the wall as I ran as fast as I could down the hall. I knew there were cameras in the hallways, so the people in the control booth were probably already notifying more guards to intercept me. I had no idea how many minutes had passed since I broke out of the medical ward, and therefore no idea how much time I had to get out of the Factory. I needed to find the exit soon or I was done for.

There! I spotted it just a few feet in front of me. I swiped the key card through the scanner and the door opened automatically.

Sunlight burned my eyes, but I was grateful for it. I hadn't seen the sun in almost a year. I stumbled outside, shielding my eyes with my hand. I did it. I was out! I continued running as well as I could, knowing that the guards could still very well come out the same door and drag me back inside. My eyes eventually adjusted, and I took in my surroundings. I was in an alley. I could see the street in front of me, with cars driving in both directions. I ditched my grey sweatshirt, tossing it into a garbage can in the alley, and walked confidently to the street. I knew that if a civilian saw me running, they'd call the authorities. I needed to blend in as much as possible. I took my hair out of my ponytail, allowing it to hang down and shield my face like a chocolate-colored curtain. I took a right once I reached the street, easily filing into the crowd of people window shopping. I threw the key card down, abandoning it. I wasn't going to need it anymore.

I knew I needed to switch my wardrobe out for something that wouldn't be immediately recognizable as a Factory uniform, like my grey sweatshirt and matching sweatpants. I entered the first clothing store I saw, quickly searching through the racks for a pair of jeans and a shirt that would fit me. I also grabbed a leather jacket to cover my arms in case someone happened to glance at my tattoo. That was the easiest way to recognize a Subject freshly escaped from the Factory.

I changed into the jeans and switched my oversized sweatshirt for a black v-neck and the leather jacket. I was grateful upon exiting the changing room to find the clerk at the desk had disappeared for the time being, allowing me to easily grab a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap before slipping out of the store and back onto the street.

Have you ever seen the Simpsons movie? Remember when the government placed the huge bubble over the entire town of Springfield? That's essentially what the government did to the east and west coasts. They evacuated the entire American population to either side of the country and essentially built Eco-friendly domes to encase the cities along the coast. Nobody was allowed to leave the domes unless traveling by approved modes of transportation with government approval. In other words: it was basically impossible to leave. The only way out was to hitch a ride on one of the supply trucks permitted to exit the city to exchange supplies with the east coast. It sounded easy enough.I'd just have to camp out by the loading bay tonight so I could make a clean getaway.

I travelled through the seas of people discreetly, careful to keep my head down. When officers from the Factory started flooding the streets, I snuck away into a hardware store whose back door I was sure lead out to the street across from the loading bay. As I passed the aisle full of various Swiss Army knives, I stopped short, glancing at my left arm and the tiny bump embedded in my skin. All Subjects upon first entering the Factory were branded with their tattoos and embedded with a tiny tracer that monitored their location at all times. I had to cut it out or I'd sure as shit get caught before nightfall. All of this would have been for nothing. Steeling my resolve, I grabbed a knife from the wall and moved to the back of the shop, camping out in the break room until dusk.