The Scarlet Knife

Bitter Sweet Escape

I was so bored! There was nothing to do, at least when I was younger Grace was here. She always gave me something to do, whether it be telling jokes or imagining a life out of here. We had envisioned escaping and seeing a world filled with beauty. Running outside and seeing our parents waiting for us, crying with open arms. What I saw was far from.

A coatman had dragged me once again out of my cage. It had been just over a year since Grace had left me. I cried every day for a month, then finally I think I just ran out of tears. I'd sob but nothing would come out.

The coatman threw me in the room, and proceeded to sit me on the table. They stopped restraining me years ago, now I don't struggle. I see that there's no point. He cut my leg open, I barely moved. He slipped in the chip, bandaged me up, and then sent me on my merry way back to my cage. I walked slowly, coatmen surrounded me, making sure I didn't make any move to run. Someone opened my cell for me and I crawled back in, curled up with my blanket I fell asleep.

Halfway through the night I felt an odd pain in my leg. It wasn't the sharp cutting sensation I had felt whenever I was being experimented on. It was an intense tingling that made my leg feel like it was on fire. It burned and itched but I was too scared to try and touch it. So I just sat and waited. I watched as my skin turned pink, then red, around the bandage. Still I didn't move.

The redness spread up my stomach, and eventually I cried out for help. It took what felt like hours for someone to finally come to my rescue. She was an older woman with bleached blonde hair, I had seen her before. She was always nice to me, in a way. She called me sweetie and would hug me after a procedure was done. I don't think she wanted to be here.

The woman knelt down next to me and touched my burning skin. I cried out in pain, and she looked at me curiously. She did it again, earning her the same response as before and that's when her eyes started to tear. She whispered I'm sorry. Then picked me up and brought me out of my cell and down the hall. She opened a door and sat me down on a table. She handed me a pill. She told me to take it, then my pain would stop.

But I knew better. I didn't want to die. So when she turned around to grab some water I broke the pill in half, I stuck one part of it in my pocket and put the other part in my mouth. She handed me the water and I swallowed the pill, well at least the half that was in my mouth. My eye lids grew heavy, and the burning in my leg started to numb. The lady smiled at me, said goodbye, then left the room.

Five minutes later I felt myself falling asleep. My body didn't hurt anymore, and I could finally relax. So I let myself drift away into the awaiting darkness.

...

When I woke up I could feel small objects poking my cheek. I opened my eyes slowly, then took a moment to look around. Bodies were scattered everywhere. I recognized a few faces. Most of the bodies belonged to children just a little older than I. I wasn't meant to be here. I wasn't dead, yet.

I stood up and took in my surroundings. A metal gate surrounded 'us'. I could clearly see trucks in the distance, but there was a thick forest just before them, blocking me from their view.

I grabbed a trash can and stood on it, attempting to keep my balance. My whole body now ached, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt before. I jumped a few times, making sure the can was sturdy, then grabbed the top of the fence and pulled myself over. I lost my balance and slipped off the top, resulting in a face full of dirt. But I didn't care.

I ran as fast as I could through the woods. Branches pulling apart my already ripped clothing. I made it to the edge of the forest and took a deep breath. I could smell dirt and earth, instead of a sterile metal and glass cell. But when I took another look I realized, my parents weren't there. They weren't waiting for me. No one was. I, at age seven, was all on my own. And it was my first time in the real world.