When The Alarm Sounds

Escape

I rush over to the victims of the intense interrogation, others follow. Helping her to her feet, I walk the girl over to a chair and sit her down as the other students help the other broken children, each one struggling to walk. She is whimpering quietly beneath her grubby hands that she presses to her face desperately. Rocking gently backwards and forwards, she barely notices my presence. I reach out for the closest bag I can find and empty it's contents onto the floor, sifting through the objects trying to find something to help her. There are some tissues and a small bottle of water in the front pocket which I use to gently clean her cuts with.

"Here." I hold the bottle out to her. She peers through her fingers surveying the offering, her eyes widen slightly at the water, but shakes her head hesitantly.

"You really should drink, you need to try and regain your strength." This time she accepts the bottle and takes slow sips, covering her face all the while never once daring to let her eyes stray from the floor.

"Thank you." Her whisper is barely audible though I catch it and nod. I pour a little of the water on a tissue and reach it forward to her forehead. She flinches away, not wanting me to see her face. Her hair falls across her features as if shielding her from prying eyes.

"It's OK," I assure her, "It's only a cold compress." She still looks uncertain. "I'm only trying to help." I add, reaching up to her hand, carefully removing it from her face. She reluctantly lets it fall to her side, exposing her battered face to the light.

I am taken aback by the brutality displayed against this girl. Her face is covered by patches of purple and blue which compliments the lumps beginning to form across her forehead. Her left eye is black and swollen, the other, red and puffy from crying. A deep gash stretches across her chin reaching from the bottom of her lip to the side of her jaw, blood has dried around the wound framing it. As she looks at me, I can see her eyes are haunted from the events of the past hour, her mouth moves trying to form words but only manages a series of murmurs and squeaks.

Speechless, I hand her the tissue and slowly stand turning to the rest of the group. Looking around, my mind reels as I try and fathom how this all came about. Surely this can't be real? I had always thought that evil never really existed. I thought it was a myth and only found in books or films, but never in real life. How naïve I have been! Here before me is the true mark of the devil, it shows that cruelty and evil really does exist and I am here to witness it's fallout before my inevitable encounter with it's suppliers. I have to get out of here. We have to get out of here, or they will be back and who knows what they will do to the rest of us? Whatever the answer is, it won't be a positive one and is likely to end with our slaughter.

The dull murmur of voices diminishes as I clear my throat and raise my hand gaining the attention of the students. I swallow down my nerves before addressing the room.

"I know you're all worried and frightened, but we cannot just sit here and wait for them to decide our fate. We are human, just like them and yet they are inflicting pain on us with no mercy for no reason. We cannot stand for this, it is purely barbaric! There seems to be no space for negotiation so we must do the only thing we can...escape" Silence. I can tell they are all nervous at the thought of going against the Atrati's will, but I know that we have to do this if we are to survive.

"What?" The breathless whisper originates from the swollen lips of one of the boys that was interrogated. He is pale and sweating though my gaze is drawn to his disfigured nose, blood flows out of it staining his face and clothes crimson, it's path marked by an outline of the dried liquid.

"We can't just sit here..." I say trying to look him in the eye but failing, they are clouded by the horrors of the Atrati and I cannot bare to watch his look of pain.

"But t-they...they will kill us." Solemn murmurs follow as he sighs, I'm not entirely sure how to ease their nerves.

"I know...but, if we stay put, they will kill us just the same...they already showed that...at least there is a chance for us to get out if we make a run." My mind flashes back to painful images of Cody's limp corpse. The boy casts his gaze to the floor before slowly nodding, I can tell he is thinking about the deaths of Cody and our teacher.

"We have to..." The girl behind me sighs in a raspy tone, she looks to me for reassurance and I nod my head. A glint of hope flashes across her eyes. I turn to the group whilst the room buzzes into nervous action, everyone begins to gather around us. The boy with the bloody nose seems hesitant, throwing a quick glance towards the door before joining the huddle and whispering:

"Let's do this."