Misled

Chapter Three

Heralds blocked his way but he continued to struggle, except he found himself being pinned down on the ground.

"Don't go in there! I figured it out!" Then he let out a bloodcurdling scream when a herald twisted his arm.

I wanted to go to him but another herald stopped me. "You'll only cause more commotion. Please. They're just pacifying him."

"By twisting his arm?!" I exclaimed.

The herald didn't answer. I pleaded for help by looking at the people, urging them to do something. Some of them were whispering to each other while the others were looking at the heralds, aghast. That was the time I heard someone talking on the microphone.

"Purification is a necessity! Let us strive to be purified and live forever in paradise! LET US CONQUER IMMORTALITY!"

I realized that it was the video they showed every Catharsis. With those closing words of the Director, the one who ran both Ur and Elysium, the people broke into cheers and applause. I had watched that video for thirteen years now. The Director didn't age every time they played it. Every video was different from the previous ones and this was the proof that the people craved for. The Director lived in Elysium. He was immortal. And because of this, Elysian guy was forgotten. It was like they hadn't seen what had occurred in front of them. Though he was still there, unmoving. 

Before we were herded inside the tunnel, the last thing I saw was his desperate plea on his face.

As the gate slowly slid down, columns of light illuminated the tunnel. When I looked behind us, there were heralds lined up. They nodded and told us to start walking so we started to move forward. While walking, questions poured in my mind like tap water. 'How will we be purified? What does Elysium look like? What would father say when he sees me?' These were the questions that, at that time, remain unanswered, but I hoped not for long.

I sat down on the ground for a while and took a break. I massaged my aching feet after removing my flats. We had been walking for what I felt was an hour now and I still couldn't see the end of it. I suddenly remembered the woman on high heels. 'Where could she be now?' I thought to myself, amused. Only a few of us were stopping to rest. They could be very excited they didn't want to pause for a break. I spotted a couple of men facing the wall and taking a leak. 'Ugh. That was disgusting. No wonder the air here smell's pungent.'

I lied down on the ground despite my dress. I was so tired I could take a nap there on the ground. Those who stopped to rest now stood up and continued to walk. Some people were looking at me as if I had just lost my sanity. I snickered. Not the first time today.

I couldn't help remembering Elysian guy. I wondered why he did that, but I was rudely interrupted by a herald.

"Start moving your ass." I raised my eyebrow and pretended to stand up. When she saw me sat up, he continued to follow the rest of the citizens, but I lied down once again, discarding the threat in his voice a while ago. I was the only one who remained in that area. After a few more minutes, I stood up, dusted off my dress and aranged my ponytail. I looked ahead of me and got scared because couldn't see them anymore. When I stared at it, I noticed there was a curve. 

I was about to catch up when I heard a gunshot. I stopped moving and listened carefully. Then, there was a woman's scream. It was followed by more gunshots and more screaming. 'What's going on?'

I went to the area where the tunnel curved to the left and took a peek. What I saw was horrifying. The first thing I spied was the woman on high heels being dragged by a herald. She was bawling, begging the herald to spare her.

'Spare?' I asked myself.

Then the herald pointed his gun to the woman's head and pulled the trigger. That gunshot echoed in my ears. The woman's blood splattered on the wall, her body falling lifelessly on the pool of her own blood.

I covered my mouth with my hands and tried not to scream. I tried to be as quiet as I can but the sobs didn't make it easy. I tightened my fist and stay glued on the wall. There, I witnessed the heralds murdering the people, shooting them, breaking their necks and crushing their bones. The air was filled by the smell of blood and death.

I knew I had to get out of there.

I looked around and all hope I had left vanished when I remembered that I was in a tunnel. There was no other way out. There was no place to hide. It was a dead end.

A sob escaped from me and I saw the herald's head snapped at my direction. I quickly broke into a run and hoped he wouldn't shoot me.

"Hey! We've got a runner!" one of them howled. Five of them gained on me, their weapons clanking. The remaining heralds laughed. I knew I couldn't outrun them but I still continued to get away from them as far as possible.

Suddenly, I heard a gunshot and saw something sparked beside me. They were shooting at me! 

"You can't run and you can't hide!" They laughed and hooted. 

Fear and panic choked me but I had no choice but to swallow it down. It wouldn't help me in this dilemma and surely wouldn't help me not getting shot.

I looked behind at my pursuers. They were running relentlessly. How they could kill without remorse brought chill to my blood. I would die in their hands, the hands of the people we thought were our rescuers.

I ran faster but my legs were giving way. I prayed someone to come and help me but even I found that impossible.

The scene earlier flashed back. Was this what Elysian guy trying to tell me? Was this what he figured out? I wished I hadn't got in here. I wished the red light didn't blink. I wish I wasn't purified.

With those thoughts, my father's face emerged in my mind. Was this what really transpired here in this horrible place? All the people we thought that had been purified were killed instead? That could only mean father was dead. There was no father waiting for me in Elysium. There was no Elysium. Everything was a lie.

Tears ran down my cheeks and the salty taste of it felt like it would never disappear in my mouth. My body was already failing me. Knowing that father was dead drained the remaining energy in me.

I cursed as I stepped on a wrong foot and twisted my ankle. I heard the heralds laugh. Despite all of this, I forced myself to stand up and escape from those monsters. I dragged my right foot and looked ahead of me. I knew I looked pathetic but the sense of survival in me kept on pumping. I could almost see the gate, but along with that were numerous soldiers in black.

'So this is it.' I thought to myself. Even if I reached the endpoint of the tunnel, there were reinforcements waiting for me.

I looked back at the heralds and expected to see triumph on their faces but what I perceived was surprise which quickly turned to confusion. Form the corner of my eye, I saw the soldiers point their guns at me. The futility of running slapped me right on the face so I stopped and sat down. I faced the soldiers and prepared myself to die.

During that moment, I wanted to cry. I wasn’t even given ample time to say goodbye to mom, even to father. I realized how unfair life is, how the people we treat as saviors misled us.

I closed my eyes but before darkness enveloped me, I saw one of the soldiers pulled the trigger. I could imagine the bullet ricocheting my flesh but I didn’t feel anything after that. Instead, I heard a grunt behind me.

I opened my eyes and turned around. One of the heralds, with blood dripping down from his mouth, fell down, his companions seeming to stare at him.

Baffled, I looked ahead of me and saw the other soldiers shoot the other heralds. I cowered in shock but I got hold of my sanity when I spotted Elysian guy running towards me.

“Fermaryllis!” he yelled, his concern, obvious.

Everything spun. I could feel my consciousness drifting away.

Elysian guy held me in his arms before I fell. “Ferm, are you all right? Ferm! Can you hear me?!”

Then everything turned pitch black.