Fever Dream Red

27

When I got to the beach, I was relieved to see no one admiring it. The place was desolate, as always.

With a heavy sigh I trundled across the beach to the edge. The last time I had been there had been in decent pleasantry. This was anything but.

My heart was wieghed more than the belongings I had in my bag. Walking with it felt like dragging shackles across the innocent sand which had not yet been touched by humanity.

I knew what I had to do, or what I thought I had to do. I was a selfish teenager who wanted nothing more than to escape her current situation. Was I really that bad of a person? I'm not so sure.

It took me around half an hour to get to the metal barbed fence. It stared menacingly at me, showing its silver teeth.

I was around 10 minuted early, so I paced along the side of the fence, biting my nails. Every second I was there my nerves rose. What if Nick had found out from Inez? What if he was coming to get me right now?

I continued pacing back and forth until I noticed a figure approaching the fence.

From what I could see they were wearing black. As they almost strutted towards me, more figures emerged behind them, also dressed in black.

I then realised my mistake. Nick had sent the note. Nick had been walking around The Base at night. He had been dressed in his suit. Why would he be walking around in a suit at night?

I had been so deeply foolish. Now Nick knew that I wanted to escape, and was foolish enough to try.

I didn't know what the punishment for that was, but I wasn't waiting around to find out.

I ran, quite literally, for my life. As I was running I spotted my own lazy footprints from the minutes before. I almost kicked myself. I was a true idiot.

One thing niggled in my mind. The note was signed by Danny. How could the note be signed by Danny? It couldn't be, unless Nick had somehow forced Danny to write it.

But that indicated that Danny was still at The Base, and that he was imprisoned within the prison.

The thought nearly made me sick with dread.

It made sense though, in a way. If Nick had found out about Danny, then he could have caught him to stop him from escaping, just before Inez realised he was gone.

He had told me he was escaping, so his dissapperance wouldn't be suspicious. Everyone would simply assume he had escaped.

But he hadn't. He was still here, stuck inside the walls. All of that time I had been cursing him and Inez had been worrying when really he was near us all the time. The more I thought of it, the more certain I became of its truth.

I could feel the men nearing me. I, a fifteen- year-old, was really no match to them. My capture was inevitable.

They caught my arms as I relented, breathless. I had a sense of deja vu from the day before. This time I was calmer, and perhaps a little angrier.

They led me into the same interview room, except this time felt slightly more ominous. The stench of blood hung on my nose.

They left me there for the night, in the cold, deathly room.

When I awoke, everything seemed to be calmer. I could just feel it.

Nick was calmer too. He sat opposite me, looking at me with a sad smile on his face.
"You tried to escape." He stated simply. I nodded my head in agreement. "Why?" He asked. He turned his head to the side like a confused puppy.
"I got the note." I answered, fidgeting and focusing on my fingers rather than his maddening face.
"What note?" Nick dug further with an intense smile on his face that seemed like it would crack his facade had he widened it further.
"The note Danny sent, though I suppose you forced him to write it."
"I didn't force him to do anything." Nick laid a hand on mine, which were now crossed in front of me in defence. I shrugged his hand off. He sighed in reply. "Danny's escaped, Pheonix. I hate to say this, but he's missing. He could be anywhere."
"Including here, right?"
"I didn't mean that-"
"Because he is here, isn't he?" My voice raised slightly without me realising it. I was angry with Nick, and i was letting it show.
"No! Get that out of your thick little head. He isn't here!" Nick stood up and let rip, his face turning red.

That's how I knew I was right. I had never seen him like this, red in the face. I had seen him annoyed, but his face was still perfectly pale, if distorted. Now the devil had shown itself.

"Who sent the note then?" I asked Nick.
"I don't know!" He answered in defence. The tables had seemed to turn.
"Why were you up so late last night?"
"You woke me up!"
"I wasn't even loud!"
"I'm a light sleeper."
"So you sleep in your suit, do you?"

Nick didn't answer. He just stared at me venomously. He looked me up and down in revolt and flounced out of the room.

I allowed myself to snigger, until Inez came in. She was in a mess, mascara running down her face like cursed tears. She took her turn screaming at me for being foolish, as if I hadn't done that to myself already.

"You could have died out there!"
"Here isn't any safer, Inez! He had guns to our head! Are you forgetting that?"
"Nick has been good to us. He only did that to make us listen. He did it for our own good!"
"I bet. Do you not realise how stupid you sound? He's really got you in a chokehold, hasn't he?"

Inez stared at me in the same way the Nick did. She left without giving me another word. The breeze that she gave me as she walked out of the room made me flinch.

I was all alone.