denouncing vialism

prologue

IDENTIFIED AS
FAILED PERIMETER ESCAPE
BY THE DEMA COUNCIL
VIOLATION OF SECTION 15388842      14
OF VIALIST CODE OF CONDUCT

It was fine, it was all going fine until the alarms went off. He held his breath and continued to walk through the tunnels that were buried underneath Dema. There was a sun somewhere. To be able to feel the sunshine and the purity of the outside world that he didn't have access to sounded like a millennia away. Yet it felt so close. He craved freedom from anywhere besides death. He needed to know that there was more beyond the walls. He needed to know if there was more colors besides grey. There had to be more. Soon predators ensued, and he wasn't alone. Naturally he began to move as fast as he possibly could. He ran knowing that he would be dead if he stopped. He couldn't stop.

He ran until his legs ached and his chest began to burn as much as the inevitable fire he would succumb to if he stayed in Dema. He swore he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. One thing for sure, no matter how fast you run, you can never escape.
The man soon stopped running. His body felt paralyzed in exhaustion. The freedom slipped out of his hands quickly as he dropped to the ground. The sunlight began to fade and he was faced with him.

"Who told you about this?" The red hood hissed, his voice booming around the man on the ground. He stayed completely silent, his lungs feeling like they were going to collapse if he would've ran any further. The red hood stepped closer and wrapped a dark hand around the man's neck, black paint began to blossom on his neck. The man felt like he was choking on fire. His throat burned as if he drank glass and immediately he stood up to face the bishop. The man's face burned with rage as the red hood nodded at the other's submission.

"Once you're here you never leave."