Allegiance

the taking

Dark. The only thing I can see is dark. Every now and then I can hear the rustling on chains when I try to move my extremities.

I keep asking myself how I got here and why didn't I put up a fight. The last thing I remember is going to sleep in my foster home. I open my eyes, and the change in scenery is drastic.

I went from my beautiful four walls of pink and white to a dark, dingy van. I fell asleep in my queen sized bed and woke up to a dark, cold ground.

I get snapped out of my thoughts when the van comes to a screeching halt. I hear the low murmurs of two people. Both men I assume. I hear a car door slam.

I listen as someone fiddles with keys by the back of the van. Okay, there's a padlock of some sort on the back. The door is swung up. A man about 6' stands before me. Face clad in a black mask while his body is clothed in a gray jumpsuit.

"Come here, Astra," he orders. His voice is thick and sultry.

I don't even think of asking how he knows my name. I just crawl towards the door.

I take in my surroundings. I'm in a tunnel. I can see the end of it. Maybe if this dude wasn't taller than me, I could injure him and make a break for it. I know better than that though if I do want to make it out alive.

He yanks my legs forward, and I screech from the pure abruptness of his motion. He searches for the key to unlock the chains. Finally, he finds a key decorated with clouds. Awe, my key is cute.

He frees my feet but doesn't let go of them. He warns,

"If you even think about trying to kick me and run, I'll take my gun and blow your fucking brains out. Do you understand me, Astra?"

His words bounce around in my head for a moment before I answer with a small nod. He grabs my arm and places me on the ground.

"Make sure not to step on any glass. Really don't feel like being Captain Save-A-Hoe today."

I let out a low chuckle at his remark while he pulls my arm and guides me through this tunnel. Once we got far enough from the van, he used the hand that wasn't pulling mine to pressed a button on a remote. I can hear a steady beeping before the van explodes.

The man doesn't flinch one bit while I steal glances at the burning pile of metal. We get to a black, panel-locked door. The man scans his palm, and the door grants him access and opens. It unveils a train track. Okay. We're getting a train now.

We walk about half a mile up the train tracks before he stops moving and presses a button on the wall. You could hear some gears winding up. Is he going to throw me in front of a train?

Coming around the corner, a train bustles through and halts to a stop right in front of us. The man pulls me onto this ominous train. He sits me down next to a charging station. Well, now would be a good time to escape.

I thrust my feet forward, but it was to no avail. My feet were magnetically bound to the floor. This mystery man lets out a low chuckle,

"Why do y'all always think now would be a good time to escape?"

I say nothing in response in hopes he would just drop it.

"Your feet will connect wherever we go. This place is decked out with the highest grade of technology. The chains were needed in the van but not here."

I ignore his spill and watch the window. This train is moving unbelievably fast. In a span of 2 minutes, I feel like we've traveled 8 miles.

I fiddle with my hands out of boredom. I notice that there's a bandaid on my left pointer finger. I don't remember ever needing one. I start to peel the bandaid off when the man grabs my hand.

"No ma'am," he tuts, "It needs to heal. You can take it off it 3 days."

I roll my eyes in annoyance. What the hell did he do to me? Why does it need to heal?

The train stops, and the doors open. He grabs my arm and pulls me off of the train. This new destination is eerie to say the least. It resembles the entrance of a subway. There's a dim light on in a security booth, and the man leads me to it.

He scans his palm once again, and the gates open. The person sitting in the security booth tips his hat at the two of us.

We walk to an elevator. The man, once again, scans his hand and presses 2.78 as the floor I assume. To my surprise, the elevator moves rather slow.

"You're the quietest person I think I've ever gotten, Astra. No questions, no complaints, no nothing?"

I look up at the man, and he seems to want an answer.

"Well, I don't think you'd tell me if I asked, so why bother?"

He lets out a low chuckle, "You're smarter than I was informed. I think you'll conform just right with us."

I was just about to ask him what he meant by that when the elevator stops and the doors open.

It was a beautiful scene to say the least: beautiful flowers, gorgeous waterfall, majestic wildlife. It was almost like a preservation camp.

We come to another checkpoint when the man takes off the bandage on my finger. He presses it lightly on the pad and removes his mask. The lady in the security booth greets him warmly,

"Well, Harry isn't she beautiful? No defensive wounds either. Please tell me she an easy-goer."

I can finally attach a name to this man. I look up and him and scan his face. He's definitely older than me, considering I'm only 16. He has emerald green eyes and shaggy brown hair.

"From what I've seen of her, she seems like she'll be perfect for us. Where is she suppose to go, again?"

The lady smiles at me before she scrolls on her tablet. Her eyes widen when she reads where I'm suppose to go,

"34 triple D. She's going to be with you."

The lady seems overjoyed about us while Harry is the exact opposite.

"Are you sure she's with me? There must be a mistake. I mean Zayla just," he clears his throat, searching for the right word, "left us. We haven't even gotten most of her stuff out yet."

The lady turns her screen towards the both of us. I read the tablet:

Searching fingerprint #4268AST...
Destination: 34 DDD
Overseer: #2369HAR

Harry scoffs at the screen, "I guess she's coming with me then."