Run

Chapter One

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

     The sound of the loud drums playing were almost identical to the beat of my heart. I was being tested. That much I knew. Why? I didn't know at the time.

     I didn't know why I was dragged out of my room and placed in a cell filled with people. I estimated that their were about 50 of us in the tiny cell. Most of us were ill. Very ill.

     As my breathing slowed down, I could hear the sound of someone humming. I looked around the room until I found the source of the sweet lullaby. It came from a woman clutching a small bundle to her chest. When I paid closer attention, I could hear soft whimpering. I crawled over to take a closer look, and got a clearer view of the woman's face.

     She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her eyes had circles under them, and her bones were very prominent. If it weren't for the poor hospitality she had received, I had a feeling that she would have been a beautiful girl.

     I crawled closer to her and asked, "how old is he?"

     The whimpering didn't stop.

     "He's about two and a half days old," her voice cracked from lack of use.

    "Has he got no father?" I asked, hoping that the question didn't sound rude or heartless,

     The silence that followed only made me more nervous.

     "It's okay to ask questions," she said, noticing my awkwardness.

     Another few minutes filled with silence.

     "Honestly, I don't even know if he has a father," she suddenly spoke in a quiet voice, "he left to serve the military."

     I didn't say anything. What words of comfort could I give her?

     It was a well known fact that once you were enlisted in the military, there was no turning back. The baby started to whimper again from hunger. The woman started to hum again. When the baby fell asleep again, all was once again silent.

     Bang!

     Bang!

     The cell's door was now open. Two guards stood tall and proud in the doorway. The one to the left had blonde hair tucked into a cap and had brown eyes. The guard to the right was a natural ginger with hair covered the same way his partner's was. They both grabbed me roughly by the arms and dragged me out. I wanted to scream and shout, but it was as if I wasn't the master of my own body. After a few minutes of being dragged against the floor, we came to a sudden stop. Curious, I lifted my head just enough for me to see.

     Their was a gray, metallic door in front of me. The ginger opened it.

     "You'll be staying in here for now," he barked at me.

     I was then forcefully pushed forward and landed on the floor. It was as if my skin had come in contact with ice, and goosebumps started appearing on my skin. Shivering, I just left my eyes closed. I opened them only when I heard the door behind me close. Looking around, I realized that my captors had thrown me into yet another cell. The only difference was that I was alone.

     My legs felt almost as if they weren't there. Stretching one arm in front of the other, I slowly dragged myself to the wall furthest from the door. As I came closer, the strong smell of disinfectant hit my nose. I leaned my back against the wall, and shut my eyes again. At that moment, everything made me nauseous.

     I tried to make myself feel better by breathing deeply, but the more I did that, the more the disinfectant made me want to gag. Hoping to preserve the little warmth that I had, I curled into myself and did what instinct told me. Sleep.