I heard voices. Soft mumbling voices overhead. Then... blankness as black took over. I struggled to open an eyelid a fraction. I saw light overhead. I closed my eyes. They were so heavy... black again. I heard shuffling nearby and a constant small beeping noise... then everything went black again. I must have woken up again, because I remembered thinking, "Whats going on?" Then everything went black - again. Every now and again I hear these soft mumbling voices, and a faint sound of someone scribbling something down in a book. Or notebook. Or anything. I don't care. I just... I... I just wanna... get out of here... black. I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. I also remembered that my whole body felt so weak. So drowsy, and so heavy. But my mind was alert. But my body wouldn't let me think. How ever hard I struggle, it just wont let me. It was like fighting through a thick wad of custard. You're stuck in something so thick, you don't have the ability to move anymore. You can't do anything to save yourself. Thats me. Stuck in custard.... I attempted to move my fingers. But they would not move. I cursed in my mind. I must not.... must not... give... up. Black.
I woke up. Ah. It's so bright. I groaned unvoluntarily. I shielded my eyes against the bright white light. I strained my ears, and realized I can move again. I heard whispering. I slowly began to sit up, and I looked around. Bars. Bars were surrounding me. It looked like a dungeon of some sort, contrasting to the luxurious room I was in before. More whispering. I looked around to find who was whispering. I saw another cell, with a group of people spreaded around. Why was I on my own? I stood up, and looked at what I was lying on. A hard wooden bench with a thin blanket. I took a step and balanced myself. I was unsteady. What? Had I been drugged?
"So you're the newcomer, then."
I looked up to see who spoke. It was a boy, but I couldn't see him because he was leaning at the back of his cell in the shadows.
"Yes." I said. I slowly walked towards the bars of my cell. "Where... where am I?" I asked slowly.
No one answered. I noticed that everyone avoided looking at me. I decided to leave it at that. I figured that if my questions were not answered, then it would never will be. I walked towards the wooden bench. Bright white light was shining on it. I looked up to see where it came from. It was a lightbulb. Wow. Something so small can shine so much. I looked around for a light switch to turn it off. As I did, I looked at the others in the other cell. I saw they were quickly looking elsewhere. I sighed.
"How long have you guys been here?" I asked, sitting at the edge of my wooden bench, not expecting an answer. No one said anything for a while.
"We don't know." A girl answered. She was sitting closest to the bars surrounding her cell. She looked up with an expression I couldn't read. "We've been here too long."
I was surprised. "You haven't been let out?"
The girl looked at me for a few more seconds, then lowered her eyes to the floor. "No."
I was even more confused and shocked. "Why? Who did this to you people?"
They exchanged dark looks to one another, and the girl answered, "We don't know that either. But we do know that we are being used."
I was enraged. "What? They can't do this to you!" I stood up, and walked towards my bars, and held on to them.
Silence as I thought what I should say. I had so many questions to ask, but shock took over. I looked at the girl. I could tell she was pretty, but her eyes were forlorn and was full of misery.
She looked at me with the same eyes. "We tried to escape several times before. But we never succeeded. We were always caught... then punished."
"But..." I struggled to find the right words to say, "But why are you here? Why you guys?"
The boy who spoke earlier said quietly; but not too quiet for me not to hear, "Why this is happening, is the question we should be asking." He walked to the bars of his cell. I saw him clearly for the first time. He had long dark brown hair which grew, covering a little bit of his eyes, which looked hollow. "I've been here the longest, but I haven't lost my mind yet."
I looked at him questioningly, as his eyes looked into mines curiously, but feelingless.
"There were some who came, but they were here for a shorter time than I have been, and have already gone crazy." He paused, as he strode to a part of his cell nearest to where I was to look at me closely. "They start losing their minds." He said quietly. "They don't see the point of living anymore. They forget ones they love, ones they hate, ones they used to know. Even ones around them. Us. But they remember one person." He leaned against his bars. "They remember there was someone who brought them here. They remembered that cruel person. How ever they picture that person, I don't know. But they remember him, or her." As he spoke, his voice was steadily getting lower and lower, and darker. He looked deep into my eyes. "They mumble in their sleep, saying things. Muttering nonsense. Soon later, they were taken away; helpless, and ther minds poisoned and weak from staying here too long." He turned away. "We never saw them again."
I didn't know what to say. My mind, was full of his dismal and dark words.
"The ones who are left, still sane," He gestured everyone in his cell. "have a strong mind, still." His voice was no longer low, but was somewhat encouraging, compared to what he said before. "We will fight to keep our sanity. We will fight..." He looked back at me, into my eyes. But this time, with a different meaning. No longer dark, and depressed, but slightly bright, and full of faith. "...to escape."
I felt a sense of rebellion. Suddenly I knew why the other people in his cell were still there. He fed them hope to escape. Hope for freedom. I'm not going to lose my mind, I decided. Yes.
We will escape, even if it's the last thing we will do.
TO BE CONTINUED...
I woke up. Ah. It's so bright. I groaned unvoluntarily. I shielded my eyes against the bright white light. I strained my ears, and realized I can move again. I heard whispering. I slowly began to sit up, and I looked around. Bars. Bars were surrounding me. It looked like a dungeon of some sort, contrasting to the luxurious room I was in before. More whispering. I looked around to find who was whispering. I saw another cell, with a group of people spreaded around. Why was I on my own? I stood up, and looked at what I was lying on. A hard wooden bench with a thin blanket. I took a step and balanced myself. I was unsteady. What? Had I been drugged?
"So you're the newcomer, then."
I looked up to see who spoke. It was a boy, but I couldn't see him because he was leaning at the back of his cell in the shadows.
"Yes." I said. I slowly walked towards the bars of my cell. "Where... where am I?" I asked slowly.
No one answered. I noticed that everyone avoided looking at me. I decided to leave it at that. I figured that if my questions were not answered, then it would never will be. I walked towards the wooden bench. Bright white light was shining on it. I looked up to see where it came from. It was a lightbulb. Wow. Something so small can shine so much. I looked around for a light switch to turn it off. As I did, I looked at the others in the other cell. I saw they were quickly looking elsewhere. I sighed.
"How long have you guys been here?" I asked, sitting at the edge of my wooden bench, not expecting an answer. No one said anything for a while.
"We don't know." A girl answered. She was sitting closest to the bars surrounding her cell. She looked up with an expression I couldn't read. "We've been here too long."
I was surprised. "You haven't been let out?"
The girl looked at me for a few more seconds, then lowered her eyes to the floor. "No."
I was even more confused and shocked. "Why? Who did this to you people?"
They exchanged dark looks to one another, and the girl answered, "We don't know that either. But we do know that we are being used."
I was enraged. "What? They can't do this to you!" I stood up, and walked towards my bars, and held on to them.
Silence as I thought what I should say. I had so many questions to ask, but shock took over. I looked at the girl. I could tell she was pretty, but her eyes were forlorn and was full of misery.
She looked at me with the same eyes. "We tried to escape several times before. But we never succeeded. We were always caught... then punished."
"But..." I struggled to find the right words to say, "But why are you here? Why you guys?"
The boy who spoke earlier said quietly; but not too quiet for me not to hear, "Why this is happening, is the question we should be asking." He walked to the bars of his cell. I saw him clearly for the first time. He had long dark brown hair which grew, covering a little bit of his eyes, which looked hollow. "I've been here the longest, but I haven't lost my mind yet."
I looked at him questioningly, as his eyes looked into mines curiously, but feelingless.
"There were some who came, but they were here for a shorter time than I have been, and have already gone crazy." He paused, as he strode to a part of his cell nearest to where I was to look at me closely. "They start losing their minds." He said quietly. "They don't see the point of living anymore. They forget ones they love, ones they hate, ones they used to know. Even ones around them. Us. But they remember one person." He leaned against his bars. "They remember there was someone who brought them here. They remembered that cruel person. How ever they picture that person, I don't know. But they remember him, or her." As he spoke, his voice was steadily getting lower and lower, and darker. He looked deep into my eyes. "They mumble in their sleep, saying things. Muttering nonsense. Soon later, they were taken away; helpless, and ther minds poisoned and weak from staying here too long." He turned away. "We never saw them again."
I didn't know what to say. My mind, was full of his dismal and dark words.
"The ones who are left, still sane," He gestured everyone in his cell. "have a strong mind, still." His voice was no longer low, but was somewhat encouraging, compared to what he said before. "We will fight to keep our sanity. We will fight..." He looked back at me, into my eyes. But this time, with a different meaning. No longer dark, and depressed, but slightly bright, and full of faith. "...to escape."
I felt a sense of rebellion. Suddenly I knew why the other people in his cell were still there. He fed them hope to escape. Hope for freedom. I'm not going to lose my mind, I decided. Yes.
We will escape, even if it's the last thing we will do.
TO BE CONTINUED...
