Armament

Chapter 1 - Drowning

It's possibly been an hour since I woke and I'm still here. No one has come for me. The only sound in this room is the splash of water and my breathing. Sometimes I can hear my heart beating but that's only when I start to panic again.

My teeth start to chatter from the almost freezing temperatures of the room, the thin linen dress I'm wearing doing nothing to fight it off. If you can even call it a dress, it's more like a hospital gown, just without the opening on the back. And then – then my hair. I'm so cold without it. They took my hair. I'm bald.

I hold back a sob, my throat swelling. I can't believe I'm crying about my hair. I'm crying about my hair when I'm trapped in this room. But they shaved it off. And I can't stop thinking about it. It feels like they cut off a limb, maybe that's why I have to stop myself from crying every two seconds.

I bite down on my knee as another round of tears burn at my eyes, I hug my knees tighter against my chest, hoping I can sink even further into the corner I'm in. I need to stop being such a girl. I need to stop crying about my hair. It'll grow back. It'll all grow back when I get out of here.

Will I even get out of here? How do I even know if there'll be a chance for me to escape? They might not even open the door to tell me where the way out is. If I can't figure out where the door is I won't be able to get out. I won't see my mum or dad again. Or Joel. Or Maggie. Or Ash. Maggie said that Ash liked me, but I might never know. What if he actually thought I was ugly? I won't see my grandma or grandad again. I'm going to die here alone if I don't do something. I can't –

I flinch at the icy pinch of cold water running over my toes. I shoot up with a gasp as it starts to soak into my clothes, making me feel ten times colder than before. I have to blink a few times to figure out what's happening. I can hear the rush of water coming from the opposite corner now. Maybe a pipe burst. I doubt that they're going to drown me. What would be the point?

It's up to my ankles now, a gurgle from the other corner makes way for a harsher burst of water, managing to spray some onto me. I feel my stomach drop as I realise that there's still no clear exit in this dark room. My hands brush against the wall and I remember the scratches etched into the wall. This was why whoever was in here before me clawed for safety. They were going to drown and couldn't find a way out.

I back up into the corner, searching the endless blackness for a source of light, any indication for escape. I slam my clenched fists into the wall behind me with a scream. The scream just brings up tears I don't need right now.

"Please, just let me out," I sob, my voice echoing around the room, "I'll give you whatever you want, I promise."

No one answers. All I can hear is myself struggling to breathe as I continue to cry and the rush of water. I run my hands over my bald head, sinking lower so that my butt brushes the rising water.

"Please. I just want to go home," I croak, "Let me go home. I don't want to be here."

But it's fruitless, I have nothing I could possibly tell them to make them want to let me out. I'm going to die here all alone. My family probably haven't realised that I've gone missing. Mum will be at work and dad will just assume that I'm hanging out with Maggie. I'm going to die and no one's going to realise until it's too late.

"Tell us what you know about them," the voice comes from everywhere, startling me so much that I can't respond.

The cool voice must be coming from some kind of speaker in the room. I blink into the darkness, my mind not really registering what he just asked.

"What?" I choke out, not realising how dry my throat has become.

"I said," I can almost hear the man rolling him eyes at me, as if I'm inconveniencing him, as if he's drowned people like me before, "tell us what you know about the S.S.C.C."