In a Perfect World

Chapter 3

I was awoken abruptly by banging and the sound of loud heavy boots. When I sat up and looked around light was streaming into the barracks and the majority of people were out of bed. Several others were hastily getting dressed in what clothes they had and in the doorway a guard was shouting.

"Up you get! Now! Don't take all day!"

I straighten my clothes while someone handed me a tunic and a head wrap, which many of the people were wearing.

"Going to be a long day," Wendy muttered, "put that on."

Without question I did as I was told.

Several minutes later many of the adults were shoved out into the nearby yard, it was still dark though I could just see the edges of a sunrise along the horizon.

Roll call was essentially everyone lined up in the guards walking up and down the lines making sure everyone was there. They checked certain things off on clipboards. To the people that had just come in they just gave a look; some longer than others. I only looked back at them, observing in my own way. There was a guard who seemed to be younger than the others, he seemed to be no older than I was, with a military style haircut to his bleached blonde hair and a thin figure which wasn't all that disguised by his uniform. His look was cautious and he didn't seem to be as hardened as the other guards, he was simply observing; like I was. For a moment our eyes met, neither of us smiled but after a while I looked away.

Then we were divided, some of the women stayed behind while others went to the fields beyond the camp. Not much grew here but I found there were systems such had been developed many years before for bringing the water to the desert climate said things grew within the small confines of the barren property like the irrigation farms I had read about in school. That was where my mother and I spent our day. I now saw why Wendy had mentioned to the head wrap was necessary because it got hot and we didn't really stop for lunch. Our rations were given to those at the barracks I probably wouldn't even get mine until later tonight.

While I worked pulling the fruits and vegetables from their underground confinements (a series of tubes and pipes) I observed some more. The edge of the property was marked by a heinous looking barbed wire fence and it was only beyond that you could see a hint of blue sky. You couldn't see much beyond that and I knew I would have to go further to find the other prisoners. Slowly a plan was forming in my head, but it would take some time to orchestrate. I had to find Noel, and sooner rather than later.

Noel, where are you? I thought.

Coming back later that evening I was still observing. I'd seen the bridges and paths leading away from the barracks, they had to  lead somewhere. I knew the young guard that managed my barrack would be essential to my plan, if he was the type of person I thought he was he would be usable, but that remained to be seen. I knew it would take several days to put my plan into action, but I had to know what was beyond the furthest edges of the camp.

I was still contemplating this as I ate my meager meal by the camp stove that night, I didn't tell anyone or they would be in danger or try to dissuade me from it and that was something I couldn't do.