Rampant

Prologue

"Hands up!"

Two soldiers rushed in the orphanage, making no effort to be neither diligent nor respectful. They were wearing blue armor with a weird symbol. It was oddly familiar. Their boots rumbled the floor as they marched in. A red vase, one that has been sitting in the hall ever since I arrived here, wobbled and fell with a crash. Everyone jumped at the noise.

"Operation 2145 is in progress" I heard a soldier say over the radio. His armor reminded me of a starry night. Suddenly, I realized 2145 was the year. The voice that was transmitted through back was deep and scratchy, like it had been used to its extent. It sounded so familiar that it made my stomach churn. Desperately I searched my mind for anything, anything that would rouse my memory. I was jolted out of my thoughts as the lighter blue soldier gestured to me.

"Step forward" he commanded. The way he held himself and the way he acted, it was obvious he was high up on the chain of command. Obediently, I stepped forward. With extreme haste, they grabbed my forearms and twisted them around my back. The force they used shot pain up my left arm as it was bound to the other. I knew I was supposed to stay still, but I jerked my head back to see Millie, the mistress, quietly sobbing while comforting three younger children.

"Cammy...." she whispered as the guards grabbed my head and turned it forward and held me tighter.

"A tough one eh? Just like her sister" both guards gave a snort of disgust. My heart lit up like a candle in a dark room. I was told, on my 16th birthday, I would get to see my sister, Carolina. I had assumed that this would be a joyous experience. It had never crossed my mind that armed men would place me in handcuffs. What has my sister gotten herself into? I felt a sudden and powerful force hit my back as they started to move me. The force of it was so strong that I lost my balance and found myself on the floor. I felt blood begin to bead on my lip. The candle inside was snuffed. If these guards showed so much contempt, why would I want to go to this place at all?

All three of us stepped out the threshold and sitting about 10 meters away on an open field, was a UH-144 Falcon. The two helicopter blades whirled and moaned like a severe windstorm. The tall grass below lay flat beneath the powerful motors. The aircraft was still grounded, but it looked as if though it would take off at any second. On each side, there was a M247H Heavy Machine Gun. One pilot sat in the cockpit, clearly looking uninterested and irritated, as if he had something better to do. The officers didn't look very amused either.

The guards shoved me into the falcon. At this point, I was beginning to become annoyed by how I was being treated. "You bitches should-" My words were cut short by a harsh strike to the cheek. The guards were silent and they strapped me into my seat. One rummaged through a box and grabbed a thick rope.

"Chew on this," he sneered. The rope was shoved into my mouth and tied around my head like a horse bit. The rope frays tickled my lips as I gagged and choked. A tear dribbled down my cheek as my gut sank. The Falcon had become airborne. The wind threw my hair across my face and a few strands stuck to my bloody lip.

"Oh, poor girl. Your pretty blue eyes are crying'" A soldier said in a mocking tone. My eyes weren't even close to blue. They were soot grey with flecks of green and blue, like the bottom of the ocean. After I was busy making faces at them, I looked out the side. My stomach turned and twisted into knots as I saw the large gap from the earth and me. I was sure I was going to throw up now.

Even though the desert was beautiful, my fears took hold and sucked me in to their sinister world. Everything seemed to disappear around me as the corners of my vision turned black. Slowly, the darkness was encroaching, closer, closer, narrowing my line of sight. My stomach heaved, and breakfast was on the floor. I tried to breathe but I couldn't. I was holding on to the last strings of consciousness, until the weight was too much. I let go, letting the darkness envelope me in its arms.