Wonderland | The 5th Wave

Prologue

When she came to consciousness, the first thing she registered was the light. Shining down through her closed eyelids from nowhere and everywhere at once, as if silently beckoning her into its pool of warmth. Then the voice. She would never forget that voice.

...no. Not just yet, her mind is not quite ready for it..

Ready for what?

Yes, yes. Good. You can go now. You are dismissed from duty.

Footfalls fading into the distance.

Her own short, shallow breaths.

I know you're awake. It's alright, you can open your eyes now, came the voice again, this time closer.
The girl warily obeyed the strange voice, blinking slowly to adjust to the blinding light.
She sat up. Her surroundings seemed surreal yet shockingly familiar. The bare white walls, the mahogany desk. Then the memories came rushing back within a matter of seconds.

Steady hands held her upright as she gasped, her stomach threatening to empty onto the spotless white sheets spread before her.
Her vision cleared, and he was there. The stranger from her visions, her nightmares. The silhouette of a man, regarding her with those cold, soulless blue eyes. Eyes of a shark.

Do you know why I am here, Freya? said the stranger.

The girl did not reply.

Hmm, let's see... For years I have watched over you, and I daresay you've made a particularly good impression. Your results are terrific, making you the perfect recruit. You've probably caught a glimpse of the world out there. Terrible. The man went on about the natural disasters that recently occurred, the power shortages, people dying from starvation.
What frightened her the most was none of this came as shocking to her.

But her mind was elsewhere.

Where are my parents? And who are you? She meant for the question to sound demanding, but her voice came out as merely a small squeak.

I am terribly sorry, but unfortunately your parents did not make it out of the first wave. It is now entirely up to you to avenge their deaths. Do you hear me?

Y-yes, sir, replied the girl, feeling numb to her toes.

The man smiled without mirth. His eyes remained cold as ever.
Very good. Now, now, I should've introduced myself earlier. I am Colonel Vosch, and I am the very reason you are alive. But do not fear. I mean for you to remain that way. Do you want to live?

Vosch. The name sent a chill down her spine for reasons unbeknownst to her semi-conscious mind. Yes, she replied once again. This time the strength of her voice was charged with a newfound energy: hate. Bloodlust. Despair.

Go two hundred miles west, said Vosch. It will be a long and dangerous journey, but believe me, you may as well be humanity's last hope. At the conclusion of your journey, you will find a safe haven. A camp, if you must. There, you will be safe from Mother Earth's most spiteful and feared enemies. Seek refuge, and you will avenge those who have died before your very eyes.

What is the safe haven? Where is it? How do I... She trailed off.

You will know, he replied. The Colonel's cold shark eyes seemed to twinkle as he delivered the single word that was yet to change the girl's life, forever..

Wonderland.