Tainted

Chapter 1

So there you have it, that's how my life turned upside down. One boy playing a stupid little prank and I lost my temper. Now I will spend the rest of my miserable life inside the walls of the Taint camp. If I am lucky, my life will end quickly and I won't have to suffer for long but I know that the ... will make me live as long as they possibly can.

The world was a competition. Families were given rankings depending upon how well each member did at work or in school. The higher the ranking the better living conditions the family was given. My family was doing ok. We weren't very high in the rankings but neither were we very low.

My mother and father weren't geniuses and neither was I but my little brother, who wasn't very old, was brilliant. He didn't know it but without him, our family would be living in a rotten shack. His name was James, and I loved him more than anything else in the world.

I gave a sigh and leant my head against the wall of my cell. I had lost count of how many days I had spent in this prison and I didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered anymore; I would never see my family or the outside world again. What was there to live for? A tear rolled down my check and I angrily wiped it away. 'No! I will escape. I must. I have to show the outside world that we are not dangerous, that we can live together.' I sat up a little bit and closed my eyes. I pictured the layout of the Taint camp, recalling every single little detail. It would all add up in the end.

I imagined myself in my cell, sitting in the same corner I always did. The world became dark as I built the walls, adding each and every crook and ninny that I had noticed. Slowly, I created the corridor, the moulding walls with moss hanging off. Even the splatters of blood that had been sprayed upon them would all count. Every brick that was chipped and the puddles on the floor appeared. The length of the corridor grew and each room or corridor that led off it slowly appeared.

A clang interrupted my thoughts. Wearily, I crawled towards the door where a dish of gruel and a jug of water had been left. I gulped down a few mouthfuls of the cold slime before sipping at the water. My eyes fluttered and the world began to sway. I had been drugged! I could taste the bitterness on my tongue. Knowing that there was nothing that I could do, I willingly allowed myself drift into the unconscious state that the drug implemented. The dream came again. Well, the dream is a bit more of a nightmare.

"PAPA!" I screamed as loud as I could, praying that my father would hear me and come and rescue me. I backed away. The entire room was swarmed by flames. The door was jammed and I could feel the heat on the back of my neck. Tears streamed down my face.

"PAPA! PLEASE!" I pounded on the door, the skin peeling of my knuckles. A face appeared in front of me.

"Papa!" I let out a sigh of relief at seeing his face. He looked around desperately, his mouth wide open.

"Fletch! Move as far away from the door as you can!" My father shouted as he ran out of my sight. Without hesitating, I spun and dived beneath the table. I glanced behind me at the flames, they were getting closer. Something smashed into the door. A chunk of wood flew into the room. Another bang and more wood flew around me. I could see my father's face through the gap in the door. His eyes were full of determination and beads of sweat rolled down his face. More chunks of wood shot off the door, one sliced into my cheek and warm blood splashed over my face.

"Fletch! Watch out! I'm going to knock down the foor!" I could hear the panic in his voice and I understood. As soon as the door fell oxygen would rush into the room and the flames would grow.

"Ok!" I shouted back and wiped my face with my sleeve. I glanced at it and found it stained with crimson. BANG! The door crashed to the floor and my father threw an axe to the side. He dashed towards me and dragged me from under the table. He flung me down the corridor and began running after me. Suddenly, something exploded and I flew forwards into the wall. My father crashed into the wall next to me. Dazed, I reached over and shook him.