Refracted

- - 4 - -

What was Rachel angry at in the tunnel entrance?

Who were they looking for when they found me?

Why were we heading into the city when we were so close to escaping?

It. Was. A. Trap.

Every fibre of my being screamed against what was taking place. The plan was to escape Zyphia, not to reach further into its grasp. My heart hammered in my chest and I felt like a heart attack was long overdue.

But it got worse. I couldn't expect death if I were caught. The sweet relinquish of life was not a gift that the Higher Authority would give. The government had policies, a system of re-education, they prided themselves on being the best. But those who were submitted for re-education were never found. It was like they didn't exist.

"Can you at least put me down now?" I asked Alex.

He glanced at Rachel for confirmation and then set me down on the dirty, damp floor. At this point, we were so far into the tunnels that it would probably be more dangerous for me to try and escape. I was just better off sticking with these strangers. After all, they hadn't killed me yet and perhaps death wouldn't be the worst thing anyway. I still couldn't believe how lucky I was with the VISORS but it only introduced a whole host of new unanswerable questions.

Suddenly, we stopped. Rachel held up her hand so that we remained stationary as she crept forward into the darkness. I heard a few soft raps on what sounded like a shallow, wooden door and realised that we had to be at the end of the tunnel. Three more raps came in reply and the door creaked open, allowing blinding beams of light to flood the tunnel's exit.

Instinctively, I clapped my hands over my eyes so that they could adjust but that only made me feel more vulnerable. Something was definitely not right. Cautiously, I inched my fingers away from my face and I absorbed my surroundings. It transpired that we were in a basement but it was nothing like I had ever seen at the facility.

The walls were painted bright colours and windows allowed more light in at the top of the room. In the centre, was a large table filled with maps and markers which obviously represented key features of the supposedly greatest city on Terra : Zyphia. I had never before recognised how vast the city was compared to my tiny, irrelevant life beforehand. My nervousness ebbed away and it was replaced with hope. Whatever, this place was, I knew my future rested here... and I embraced the change and every possibility.

"Ouch!"

Instantly, my hands were painfully pinned behind my back and secured with string rope. A filthy gag was forced inside my mouth and someone started dragging me away.

How could I be so stupid?

Obviously, there was no future for me here. They had got me. My worst fears were confirmed. I had walked right into their trap.

"Calm down, it's only protocol," Rachel insisted.

My eyes pleaded and begged for freedom but all my efforts were futile. I saw Alex watching me as I was dragged into a side room and back into darkness...

It hurt, a lot. Agonising impulses of pure pain shot up my leg as I was forced to be dragged. The awful pressure my captor was exerting on me meant that my ankles would be snapped instantaneously if I even tried to walk, let alone run.

Whoever these people were, they were sure as hell experienced.

The rapid slapping of feet on concrete reassured me that we hadn't re-entered the tunnels; it appeared that we were still in the compound but I had lost all sense of direction. The darkness deprived me of my sight and I couldn't feel anything but pain and I wanted so badly to pass out but everyone seemed intent on making the process the worst it could possibly be.