Pure - The Broken Society

CHAPTER THIRTY

◉ Madelynn Rivera ◉

Approaching the city border, my nerves tighten. I take in the tall gates in front of the truck that hides away in the trees. Sargent Patel stops, and signals for us to get out. Sam and Logan place their helmets securely over their heads, the thick mesh and bars stretching across the helmet hiding their faces from view.

Quinn stands at the edge of the truck bed, "You ready?"

We all nod in unison, "Good," he says, "Then let's go," with that, he jumps from the bed, his large gun in hand as he strides away from the heightened vehicle. Mia stays inside as we all jump out.

"Good luck," she says, hope laced in her dialect, "I'll see you on the other side." She salutes as the truck begins to pull away, the second truck following close behind, both disappearing from sight seconds later under the trees.

I watch painfully as she leaves, but I'm quickly brought out of my trance when I turn to face the other three. They have their guns ready in hand, appearing startlingly like real Patrolmen.

Quinn comes and grabs hold of my arms, tying them behind my back with fake cuffs as he pushes me forward acting just like one of them. We walk forward towards the gate, the other two falling in step behind us in a triangular formation. They point their guns opposite ways of one another as their feet fall in line with each other, marching forward with practiced perfection.

"Act like you have a limp and are sick," Quinn says as we approach the gate.

Two other Patrolmen stand at the gate and stop us in our tracks.

"We found the girl," Quinn begins to say, "The Governor will surely be happy with this."

They laugh devilishly, "Bring her to the headquarters," one says as he presses a large red button on the side of the gate, opening the electrified doors to the city.

My heart beats rapidly in my chest as beads of sweat begin to gather under the beating sun. I feel the blood drain from my face as we walk through the gate, my anger and fury ready to burst from my being.

"Stay calm," Quinn whispers in my ear, noticing my sudden agitation.

Within seconds, I hear another voice in my ear, "Are you guys in?"

"We're in, Torres, heading straight for HQ," Quinn answers.

"Great, Mia?"

"Yup, still here, waiting for the shifts to change."

I smile to myself, realizing that she plans to get in the same way we got out. Except, this time she has heavy muscle and bullets in her favor.

"Perfect, don't blow your cover, stick to the plan," with that, he goes silent on the other side.

"Copy that."

I peer up at the buildings as we stride closer and closer to civilization, the hill revealing life as we stride up the side. We cut through the houses that rest on the outskirts of the city, coming into view of the people who walk with tranquility.

As we come into sight of the public, the people shriek and gasp at the sight in front of them, some reaching hands to cover their gaping mouths. Others take hold of their children and hold them close to their bodies. I can't help but internally roll my eyes.

"Pricks," Logan whispers through the earpiece, as I struggle to bite back a laugh.

"Shut up," Quinn says sternly.

"Sorry," Logan states, falling silent once again.

The people around us clear a path as we round the fountain that sprays in the middle of the wide circle. Houses line the outer edge of the circle, the headquarters just on the other side opposite from them. I peer up at the building, taking in the familiar sight in front of me with a sudden surge of fear.

I feel Quinn's grip tighten on me as the doors are held open for us by two guards, their heads following us as we walk inside silently. The building crawls with Pures, the entire interior sparkling white, the only color being the hairs sprouting from everyone's heads.

Everyone halts in their places. Everyone stops talking as they watch us step into an elevator. Shock and disgust in the eyes of the despicable people who call themselves Pure. I connect eyes with some, staring them down with certain hatred, making their skin crawl. They shudder and look away from me in horror.

"I can't wait for this to be over," I say as the doors to the elevator close, locking us inside the small box. The button to the basement floor glows a bright white. I search around the elevator, finding a small security camera hanging in the corner.

"Me too," Sam answers with a sigh sometime after, my mind almost forgetting that I had said anything at all.

The elevator doors open with a soft bing, Quinn pushing me out harshly as if in character. Again, the men and women who walk as if on feathers stop and stare.

Without thinking, I blurt, "Take a picture, it'll last longer!" And at that my back is met with a stern slap. Somewhere off to the side, I swear I hear a camera flash ironically.

Quinn walks effortlessly towards a pair of doors with a keypad to the side, to which he momentarily freezes.

"Uh, Torres, we might have a problem."

"Why? What's wrong?" He questions fearfully.

"There's a keypad. We can't get inside unless we have a code."

I hear Tate mutter something vulgar under his breath, then stating, "Try 0503," he says after a moment of thought.

"That's my birthday," Quinn states back in shock, but punches in the code. And much to our dismay, the red light turns green, the thick bulletproof glass screen sliding sideways into the compact concrete walls.

"Your mom designed the system, bud, she used your guys' birthdays for practically everything," he states, matter-of-factly as Quinn and I both stand in awe at the certain discovery.

We walk through the threshold, all of our feet tapping the floor in sync. People in the hall move out of our way briskly, Quinn and the others towering over the people in a daunting fashion.

At that moment, a Patrolman stops us just as we are about to turn down the corridor leading to the prison cells.

"Prisoner number and patrol ID please," the guard states with a candid tone.

Quinn freezes, just as my stomach drops.

"Prisoner number and patrol ID, please," the guard states again, this time with stronger force. But Quinn stands still, not knowing what to say.

"Tate," I whisper quietly under my breath, enough to grab his attention and for him to hear me and not draw attention from the others.

I hear him breathing heavily on the other side, obvious that this was not planned.

"There's not supposed to be someone there...something is wrong," he says slowly, and my stomach drops even more. So much for thinking everything through.

At that moment, the guard shouts, "We've found them!"

Five Patrolmen crowd around us in a circle, blocking any way of escape as they point their loaded guns to our faces. One steps forward to remove the masks from their faces.

"Imposters, take them to the Governor!"