The Suppression (Based On The Purge)

Alex

(Lacey)

As soon as I saw the couch I collapsed onto it. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I stepped foot into the man's apartment. "Tired, huh?" He said, chuckling. I was too sleepy to reply.

I shut my eyes and started to drift...

I felt the couch sag as the man sat down at my feet. I opened one eye sleepily. A blanket had been draped around me. My mouth tasted slightly sour. "How long have I been out?"

"Twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry, I don't even know your name." I said, sitting up.

"Alex." I suppressed a laugh. "What?"  He asked.

I looked down. "That was the name of my old cat."

He broke into a grin. 

"I'm Lacy."

"Nice to meet you."

He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "Can I try one?" I asked hesitantly.

He looked up at me. "How old are you?"

"Considering the number of times I almost died tonight, I'd say it doesn't matter." He handed me one, and he lit it for me like they do in the movies. And as soon as I sucked in I coughed my lungs out, like they do in the movies. He looked amused. "So, what's your story?"

"What do you mean?"

"You sound like you've been through a lot tonight."

"Chosen One. I escaped. That and my best friend's boyfriend tried to kill us and some men broke into our house and tied us up. But I can't complain. At least I'm alive. That's more than a lot of people can say tonight." Alex nodded. I took another drag. It was foul.

"I would ask you if you wanted to call anyone but I don't have a phone."

"It's okay." As much as I wanted to call everyone back home, especially my parents, the government was probably looking for me this second. 

There was an awkward silence. I looked around the room. "Nice place."

"I know it's not much, but it's all I got. Although by the way things are going, not for very much longer."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Another awkward silence. I searched frantically for a conversation topic. "Sooo...what do you do?"

"I'm a mechanic. But I want to be a writer." He sounds like just another normal guy. I sat back, slightly more relaxed.

We sat there in the lamp light, talking for what seemed like hours. He told me funny stories from his childhood and how he got to where he is today. Apparently he was a really good student and got accepted to a lot of colleges. He had his future planned out, but it all changed when his parents were murdered and all their money was taken. He was left with nothing. Now he was struggling to make ends meet in the shitty part of D.C.

He did most of the talking. I wasn't ready to open up. But I got to learn a lot about him. He seemed both book-smart and street-smart. I felt bad about his situation. He could have a real future if he wanted to. I told him this, but he just laughed. "Maybe once, but not anymore."

"Why did you tell me all this? You hardly know me."

"I trust you. I mean, you're in my apartment on the night of the Suppression. You obviously trust me."

"Well, you saved my life. Thank you."

It was silent for a few minutes.

"Do you think you can get me home, Alex?"

He leaned back, clearly opposed to the idea. "I don't know..." he started.

"I would pay you, of course." I jumped in. "$10,000 as soon as I get home. You trust me, right?"

He was quiet for a while. "Fine. But! You have to do what I say. That's the only way we'll survive. You know how it is out there."

I nodded seriously.

"Okay then." He got up and walked up to the bookcase facing the couch. At the push of a hidden button under the shelf, the rows of books were replaced with an arsenal of weapons. There were switchblades, butterfly knives and even katana blades. There were pistols, assault rifles and machine guns. On the top shelf sat a grenade launcher. I smiled. "Sweet."