Steps- A Psychological Thriller

Chapter 1: Darkness Rises

3rd February 2056

Sotrias's POV

"Please, you have to give me more steps! We need to raise our farms, we still need the food!" I heard my father plead from the barn. 

I raced to the tractor and hid behind the giant wheel. I grabbed the shackle on my neck and pulled on it. 

It's been years since I have had a change in the size of the shackle, it's getting a little tight. 

"That's not possible. We have overextended our number of steps handed out. I'm sorry Mr. Dallan, but we cannot allow this," The guard said. 

The night was dark and dreary, while the cows were sleeping, the crops swaying softly in the wind. I looked up from my cover and stared at my father. 

"Please, sir! We need them soon, or the rest of the crop will die!" My father tried pleading once again. But even I knew it was futile. 

A hand grabbed my shoulder and I yelped.

A finger of silence fell over my mouth and I kept quiet. It was my mischevious brother, Dromeas. 

"What is it, Dromeas?" I asked him. He placed the finger of silence against his mouth and pointed at the shed with his free hand. 

"What's in there?" I asked again. Dromeas just shook his head and moved off, the shackle blinking bright red. 

Dromeas was hard at work this afternoon, expending most of his steps. By my count, he was down to last 10,000, but that number was small if you thought about the amount of distance we have to cover every day. 

I moved off to follow Dromeas and entered the shed. 

"We have to move quickly, we don't have much time. Here, take this," Dromeas whispered, handing me a flashlight. 

"What's this for? Dromeas, you have to tell me what's going on!" I whispered back, barely containing my voice. 

I could still hear my father from outside, but then...the voices stopped. 

I froze in place. 

Did my father...?

I hear the door slam and I breathed out. 

"Come on, Sotrias," Dromeas beckoned, opening up a trap door and moving down. 

I grabbed his sleeve and pull him back. 

"We can't go! You're almost out of steps too! You know what happens to those who go over the steps!" I reasoned, but he was adamant. 

"We need to go, now," Dromeas said. I gave up and pushed into the hole that Dromeas had climbed through. 

He was then on all fours and started to crawl.

"Keep your legs as still as possible, that way the device won't count the steps," My brother told me. 

How would he know that? More importantly, where are we going?

This tunnel was small, possibly dug by hand, or even dug by prisoners. 

I felt lightheaded and claustrophobic, fearful of being crushed by the tunnel. I saw an exit and moved to get to the exit. 

I opened the manhole and left the tunnel, happy to be outside. 

I looked up after closing the manhole and found myself face to face with seven other children, all about my age. 

"What...what is this?" I asked my brother, who was placing a young child in bed.