The O Men

6

         "I can't believe I just said that!" I thought to myself. "I shouldn't have told her that I figured it out!" I was running through the sewer tubes, the grey water occasionally splashing onto my face, my socks and shoes soaked thoroughly, "I sure am going to smell bad now" I muttered. I heard the muffled shouts from above get louder and softer as I made turns through the sewer system. Adrenaline and something else flowed through my body, I had never felt this energized or, what's the word...Excited! Yes that's it. I never knew the happiness I'd get from running from authority figures, I didn't realize how fulfilling this kind of thing was. I had read a pre-state dictionary and I had found a word synonymous to exciting.....what was it, oh I don't quite remember. Running and running, my heart was pounding, but it wasn't the same as when I saw those posters, those damned posters. I had noticed that each year, the words in the State dictionary had decreased to some degree, my parents had smuggled 3 pre-state issues of dictionaries that I had read, and I loved seeing words that mean the same thing. It may seem to be a waste to simply go and use superfluous words, but using different words for the same idea creates what I call audible color, it gives how you speak personality and volume and depth - and that's exactly what the O Men don't want. They don't want individuals to feel important, they want the state to be important above all else, and that's exactly what's wrong with their system.

As I contemplated this thought, I had come to the realization that I was lost and that I'd lost the others. "Should've known it wouldn't be easy" I thought out loud. I heard a scuttling noise coming from the path ahead of me, and the closer I got to it, the louder it got. I stopped suddenly as I realized that this scuttling sound could be a dangerous signal. It could be a bomb, or a dangerous animal, or worse. An Observer. I shuddered at the thought of there being an Observer just quietly putting together a grenade or starting up a shotgun just waiting for me to come in range. "Think" I thought to myself "think you useless brain! Your thinking got us into this mess and now it'll have to get us out of it!" I tried to think of some way out, the shouts were getting louder and this time it seemed to have come from within the sewers. I was unable to think of anything but the doubt that I was going to survive this. "They'll find me" I panicked. "They'll find me, They'll put me away, They'll, They'll-" I suddenly thought of a plan.

"They'll Remove me!" I yelled out loud with the most enthusiasm I'd ever spoken in. I started running in the direction of the scuttling, desperately hoping that it was what I now believed it was. The scuttling grew louder and louder, but it wasn't deafening. I was right where the sound was coming from. I was delighted to find that I was in fact correct. "Mice" I mused. The mice dispersed at my presence, having never seen a human being before, and my immediate instinct was to follow them. "If I'm, correct," I mumbled "if I'm correct I will live." They ran along the sides of the sewer tubes, running along the little pipes built into the walls of the tube, I was following closely behind. They neared an area with an intersection. The tubes split off into 3 more routes, but I was unfazed, for I knew exactly where I was going to end up. The mice suddenly right before the intersection started climbing towards the ceiling of the tunnel and seemingly disappeared. "I knew it" I said with a proud smirk "they really do live in alleyways." I climbed to the top using the pipes that lined the sides of the tunnel and felt the top to be of a different texture. Quite like, cardboard. "You can always count on the state to neglect fixing anything." I pushed the cardboard aside and climbed out onto dry grass. I couldn't hear any shouting now. "I did it" I thought to myself. "I made it out."

Getting up, and feeling terribly smelly and exhausted I took a quick look around. Yep, I was in an alleyway, quite a ways from my block for I didn't recognize this part of town. I thought to re-cover the hole in case I, or someone else needed to escape. I couldn't go out looking like this so I decided to settle there for a while. I stacked some flattened boxes to create a bed. I found some cleaner clothes, still ripped but cleaner, and a thrown out stick of almost gone deodorant.

"I've gotta take what I can get and I can't stand being this smelly anymore."

I changed out of my smelly day clothes and put on the odd clothes. They were soft, almost like nightclothes but these were obviously not treated to be up to fire code. The pants were cotton and grey, and the shirt was all black. Also cotton, both were ripped to some degree but nevertheless were clean. The shirt I noticed was two sizes too big, I loved it. My hair had long back fallen out of the bun, and it had fallen over my shoulders, matted and damp. I waited till dark, deciding it was wise to rest up and slept on the cardboard bed. I was too exhausted with the day's events to care about my discomforts.

"I'm part of the Opposition now for sure" I thought to myself "If I wasn't before, I definitely am now. I didn't show up to work which raises major red flags for my employer. "This is my life now, there's nothing that I can do to change it."

Sometimes I wish I hadn't interfered with the Observers, wish I had just gone to class and work only to come home to the comfort of my block where I could think about whatever I wished with a clean body and clean clothes. With a decent bed and a rested mind. After today I realized I would not return to that rested mind for a long time.

. . . .

Night had fallen. I woke up, my muscles aching and my body feeling heavy, but my mind felt still panicked, and yet, oddly peaceful. I decided to do some walking around, sensing that it was well past curfew I took care to keep hidden. I hid around the corner whenever I saw people on the streets, I checked each rooftop for Observers before proceeding. After about 30 minutes of scouting I was able to confirm that I was in another city.

"Welcome to the city of Aria, State #73." I read to myself. I wasn't quite sure just how far I had gotten, I didn't even know how far I ran with Jude. I'd heard of the city of Aria, but I was not told how far it was from the city I lived in. That city is called Marian, and it is also in State #73, but I don't know how large this state is. I wandered around, cautiously, cautious not to make any sudden movements, sudden movements attract the attention of Observers. Couldn't risk it, couldn't give myself away.

I noticed that I was being watched and felt my innards flash cold. I pretended not to noticed as I tried to walk irregularly to try and confuse them. "Im not wearing any state approved clothes" I realized. I must be being watched because of my different clothes. "Well it's better than sewer soaked dayclothes" I thought to myself. I dared not turn and look in the direction of my pursuer, it was too risky, the last thing I needed was for whoever it was to know what I look like. Observers have been trained to memorize the face of any suspicious looking individual so as to be able to relay a sketch description to a worker in the Ministry of Justice. It's a standard thing taught at learning level 04.

I felt their presence become stronger as they drew closer. I started to doubt whether I'd survive this next encounter, and began debating whether to give up myself to the mysterious pursuer, who is highly likely an Observer, or to try and escape. I decided on the latter choice. Thinking and thinking I was having trouble not falling into panic as I maneuvered the streets.

Suddenly, as if in a flash of a reoccurring thought, a memory, I remembered that the tall girl, the former Observer had 3 banned shot guns on her holster, and I remember that I took one. "I left my bag in the alleyway" I recollected "and, and that's where I put the gun!"

Quickly and discreetly I made my way back to the alleyway and rustled though my satchel, finding the gun, and the piece of paper that the 18 year old slipped me.

         "You seem to be a part of the Opposition, an inside woman perhaps?" It read, "Whenever you decide, come to the city of Aria, Block #490 at 21:00 in my block. I have state permission to have it off for longer than the usual maximum of 12 hours. If you aren't part of the Opposition, do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this. I will get you back somehow if you do." ...Well that doesn't feel threatening at all. Quickly remembering what I was doing here, I grabbed my gun and turned around just in time to face my pursuer, her nose just inches away from the barrel of the gun.

         "Well, looks like I finally found you StrawHat." She said as she ripped the gun from my hands.