The Wall

A Little Bit of Chaos

Grace

The culprits were all dressed in raggedy black clothing with a wolf sewn onto armbands, and I don't think it's a fashion trend. A large man with caramel-colored skin comes from around the corner, lifts me up and takes me into the gym. I noticec he isn't wearing an arm band. He throws me down. I look up at him. He looks down at me, and asks in a soft voice, "Please, let us know if you're one of us. We could take you away from this dump. You don't know the real side of Layland, Grace. Please. We can't let you in if you don't have the key." I look down at my knees and think.

"This isn't a simulation, is it?" He sighs.

"No."

"I don't know anything about your group" He frowns and takes out a gun. A gun. I shook my head and frown. He looks down at the aforementioned item and says, “Everything you know is a lie, Grace, that’s why we need you. If you are really one of us, we could help you.”

“I’m sorry” My voice caught. He shakes his head and simply leaves. His words play on repeat in my head. Everything you know is a lie. I walk out to see the room in chaos. I walk over to Keller, Junie, Daniel, and some others helping people out of the hatch. Junie looks at me with her light green eyes and says, “Go get everything you own that you can carry, and meet us at the hatch.” She must have seen the confusion in my eyes and she says, “They’re going to bomb the building in ten minutes” I woke up from whatever stupor I was in and run down the corridor, turn right, a left, and I find my door. I grab my backpack and start stuffing in belongings. Clothes, toothpaste, photos, my antique camera, and I'm about to leave when I stop short and turn around. I take one last look around and my eyes settle to a shape under my bed. Oh yeah. I grab the box, which was wrapped in brown paper, and I sprint out. 

I haven't opened the box yet. I've had it for eleven years, but I never had the nerve to open it. I decide now is not the time. I head to the hatch when I see everyone that Keller, Junie, and Daniel had tried to escort were lined up a wall. A man with the armband and a ski mask had his back facing toward me, and Layland was one of the people kneeling down with their hands above their head. I walk forward, knowing that there's nothing I can do for them. When I round the corner, I stop, feeling that something wasn't right. I peer around the corner, seeing that the man had taken off his ski mask and Layland was standing next to him, chatting with him urgently. Ski mask turns slightly towards me and I see that its Mark. Blood drained from my face while he shoots every last one of them. 

Junie

I tried to help everybody get out of the base. I really did. That was when we all got shoved to the ground, and a sickly sweet-smelling rag was put up to my nose. Chloroform was the word I had thought while my mind was slowly getting fuzzier and fuzzier until the light faded to black.

My head was pounding and I was blind. I smelled smoke in the air and I was blind. My eyes suddenly opened and I saw black spots for a moment while my eyes adjusted to the light. I tried to sit up, but that just made my splitting headache worse. My eyes wander around to the limits of my peripheral vision and I see Grace and Daniel lying on the ground, backpacks and other bags thrown haphazardly around them. We were missing someone. I sit up, ignoring the pain and do another head count. I slowly wobble to my feet and brush my fiery hair out of my eyes. I feel something warm and wet smeared on my face and I realize it’s blood. My arm was cut from the top of my wrist to the crook of my elbow. I grimace at the sight and walk over to Daniel and Grace, who were just coming to. 

Daniel had his hair mussed up in an adorable way, but I ignored the butterflies in my stomach. I can’t worry about petty romance stories today. I start fixing my arm up, and after it’s cleaned and bandaged, I start sorting everything while they both grab their bearings. Daniel mainly packed dried foods and water, and I have to admit, that was smart of him, we’ll need it later. Grace packed only personal belongings and I sigh. Such a rookie. I couldn’t blame her for that, though, she wasn’t a professional. My hands rest on a small box wrapped in brown paper, curiosity taking over. What was in that box? I see Grace eying me suspiciously and I hand her bag over, realizing she had her training bag on her back, so maybe she wasn’t a hopeless case.