Ars Libertas

Prologue

Her soft footsteps echoed around the dark alleyway, she was nervous to say the least.

He was late.

Curfew had begun an hour ago, she could be killed if anyone found her. She heard the familiar sound of the patrol car and she flattened herself against the wall to avoid detection. She waited until the coast was clear before resuming her pacing.

Adrenaline pounded through her veins, she wanted to get back to the safety of her home but she couldn't leave, not now, not after everything she'd been through to get there.

She heard a voice from behind her, there was something about the voice that made her relax a bit.

"You shouldn't have come alone, you could have gotten hurt." She turned around to face the man who had spoken, his expression was serious.

"You're late." Her tone was colder than the night air. The man shrugged

"I had another job to take care of." There was something in his voice, it was almost as though he was scared. He passed her the small package and she handed him the money.

"You ordered a lot, it was hard to come by." His tone was demanding, almost as though he expected her to give him more money. She was about to speak when he pushed her against the wall. She was about to protest but then she saw the beam of a flashlight being shone in their direction. They were so close that she could feel the frantic rhythm of his heart, it helped her knowing that she wasn't the only one scared. There was a crash from somewhere down the street, the light disappeared.

"Thank you." She whispered, he let go of her and took a step back.

"Avoid the main roads and stay safe." She was surprised to hear concern in the stranger's voice. He walked away, disappearing into the shadows. She watched him for a bit before heading towards the safe house. Her only companion was the faint glow that came from the street lamps, she checked her watch, two hours after curfew. The wind howled as it rushed through the empty streets, not a single soul moved. She was alone, she only hoped that things stayed that way. She reached the plain, steel door of the safe house and knocked six times. The door silently swung open to reveal an empty hallway. The old carpet muffled any sounds that her combat boots might have made, all the rooms were locked except for hers. She felt the need to run as though she would only be safe once her door was locked too. She reached the safety of her small room and closed the door behind her. She looked around her windowless room, it wasn't much but it was home. Her twin bed seemed so welcoming, the plain blue quilt that covered it was a blessing. She sat on the ground and pulled up the loose floorboard. There were only a few things hidden beneath the floor, a photo of her and her sister, a locket and now the package. She hid the items and stood up. She took her long coat off and hung it on the metal chair that was at the foot of her bed.

"LOCKDOWN!" The cold voice echoed over the intercom. She quickly changed out of her colourful clothes and into her gray ones. She hid the clothes under the floorboards along with the other things. An ear-splitting scream spread through the hallway, it was shortly followed by the sound of a gun being fired. She curled her hands into fists, hoping that they wouldn't call the number she feared most.

"Twenty two C cleared. Learn from your peers' mistakes." The standard message rang through the building. Nothing moved. The room number kept running through her head. She wanted everything to be a nightmare or at least for the shot to not have been fatal. She prayed for the safety of those she cared about but she knew that the clearers never let anyone live.

"Ars libertas." She whispered before breaking down crying.