Trapped

SIX

I wake up when I hear something that resembles a bird chirping, a sweet sound to my ears but in a place I could easily call hell. The bird chirping is more likely a call for help. I go to wall where I wrote one, a sign of one day being over. Now I wrote another one next to it, showing me today is day number 2. More torture to go through, and more pain to feel.

I suddenly crawl back to the metal bed and pretend to sleep when I hear the door opening. "It's morning, Celine. Don't you want some breakfast, at least?"

I get up from Michael's voice entering my brain which seems to silence my thoughts. This is the only thing that happens in my life right now.

"Come on then," Michael says and I start waking out of my cell. He leads me the way to the dining area to where Harry took me yesterday night for dinner.

"Where's Harry?" I say when we arrive. My eyes overlook the place to find Harry but I don't find him.

"He's getting tested. You will have yours later, and I will come get you." Michael pushes me forward with his hand and I feel it pulling onto my heart. I don't look back and I take it as a sign, that I should go forward and walk in here alone.

I'm in the queue by myself, and I can smell the food entering my lungs which seems like poison for me. The dinner lady places two sausages onto my plate, some bacon and hash-browns with a little drop of ketchup.

I leave the queue with the plate burning in my hands, and my eyes travel across the room wondering where to sit. "Over here!" A voice booms across the room and I look over to where a hand waves me over. It's Patrice. At least I'm not alone, anymore I thought.

I make my way towards her through other tables and I accidentally bumped into a chair. The girl turned round and looked at me with her piercing blue eyes, staring into my souls like it's a death trap. "Sorry," I whisper then moving away.

"Hey, Patrice," I said trying to sound alright in the morning without people asking me questions.

"So did you get the information about Michael?" She asks me when I sat down.

"I did but I'm not sure about it."

"Come on! You can tell me. I can guarantee I can keep it a secret between us."

"Okay, so he has a daughter who he lost because the love of his life took her away and married someone else. He's just heartbroken really. And it isn't something to gossip about."

"A daughter? What's her name?"

"He didn't say."

"You didn't ask more like," she says in a sour voice.

I didn't respond because I didn't know what to say back. Her tone somehow cut the whole atmosphere here, excitement just disappeared. I fiddle around with my food trying to think of something to say but nothing came, and we ended up eating in silence.

I took my plate to cleaning station and there was a whole pile of plates, messy and stacked on top of each other. Patrice doesn't say thank you to the lady who just sits there staring at the plates thinking if she stares hard enough, it'll all disappear. But I say thank you and the lady smiles at my manners, like it's the nicest thing anyone has ever done to her. I smile back then walk away to go back to my cell.

I leave the dining area and Michael is there waiting for me. "I am here to accompany you to your tests," he says to me and I follow him turning left. He takes me up some stairs, 20 steps I count. Then there's a landing with windows overlooking some countryside, the grass is green in the grey sky. And it's the only thing I have seen of this world in ages. It takes me back to when my father used to take me camping because it was our only bonding moment.

"Come on, Celine," Michael says. He noticed that I stopped walking and took in the view here. I continued to walk up some more stairs, 15 steps this time. Then we reach the top. He takes me down a hallway of cells with actual bars, but they have a chair in them. Michael soon stops outside one of them, and pushes the door open then pulls me inside. Before shutting it behind me. I look back and he's standing on the other side.

Then I take my eyes to travel around this cell. There are two people here dressed as doctors. I walk to the seat and lay down. It's leather as I feel the silk of it sliding down my body as I wriggle around.

I see metal straps gripping on my wrists, waist and ankles. The chair is lowered so that the doctors can do their procedure. One of them is holding a needle and I see some liquid dripping from it. They have masks on so I can't see their face. Then the doctor on my left puts their hand in my mouth, to stop me from screaming? Then the one on my right pokes me with the needle. I see my vision going and start wondering this isn't some procedure. There's something else that needs to be uncovered.

"Kill him," I hear a voice in my head that belongs to Michael. It's like he's hypnotising me and I am dazed with his voice. I listen to it on repeat until I'm suddenly back at the field of gold. The sky grey and the storm starts right before something bad. I'm a little girl again. I grab onto a piece of golden grass holding onto it for dear life, staying here and thinking of my parents. The only thing that I hope will bring me back to being a six year old and wouldn't have to be scared for the next day. A life free of fear. And soon it all goes. The memories disappear and it's just me there in pitch blackness.