The Confined

19. Ego

Hey guys! It's been so long since I've updated this story. Hope you're still on track and still enjoying! Here's chapter 19! Have fun reading:)

I had known that I didn't know much about technology, but I hadn't known that technology knew so much about me. It knew me more than I did. My real name was to be Maximus Pluto. My name is Egorbis. Ego was my name from the start. Maximus? I'd never even heard of it before. Still, the screen just called my name like it had known me since I was born. I didn't even feel like I was myself anymore. Still, I had to concentrate on getting out of here. I decided to think about myself later.

Our footsteps echoed through the round hall but quickly died out because of the sound of people moaning. I tried not to look into the cells. The low ceiling arched down into the ground so that we had to bend our backs to walk through.

The prison's outside consisted of reddish brown dirt and filled the place with the precarious atmosphere of collapsing. Stinky oil leaked from the ceiling with small plops on the floor leaving a trail of puddles that led forward deeper into the hall. There were very dim green light bulbs whenever it seemed to get terribly dark. There was no light in the prison cells, but every now and then, a thin, gray hand would grab my ankle and make me jump, looking at those beady helpless eyes of the prisoners. There was no way of knowing who they were, but I could imagine. Guilty criminals from the Confined were all stuck here and not even under governmental protection. Criminals with real crimes in the Confined weren't brought here. They were probably taken somewhere even worse. Special treatment they called it. I suddenly realized that if Violet and I were to be caught, we would certainly be in the group to get Special treatment.

People here were starving, dirty, and fatigued. Many people didn't even moan. Walking down that aisle felt like the longest moment in my life. I had always lived like I was on a train. Stopping at the same train stops and arriving at the same destinations. My life was so repetitive that I don't remember much of it. But walking down this aisle, I knew that this experience was changing my life and how I perceived the world with every footstep. Somehow, this moment was to make a very important choice that would change my fate. And because of that, time was slowing itself down to let me study the moment thoroughly.

My slow motioned time broke when I heard a very familiar voice from the right.

"Ego?" Finn's voice was a husky. "Is that you?" A hand that was rather clean came out to grab my foot.

"Yes it's me." I whispered.

And then, he showed his face. I was astonished to see that he had a huge gash over his eye, but thankfully his eye wasn't hurt. Blood was trickling down his face. Violet rushed to touch his face.

"Finn! What happened to you?" She was careful not to touch his wound, but she looked at it great worry. I was thankful that they were getting closer. I hoped that Finn's image of Violet was improving.

"They did it to me! They'll do it to you too! You have to get out of here! Escape!" He had been crying. I had seen Finn cry only three times until now. I was shocked to see him cry because he was in pure fear.

"Who were they Finn? Who were they?" Violet asked as calmly as she could. Her voice was shaky, but her face was trying to remain okay. "We're going to be okay, Finn," she said confidently.

He shook his head. "It's all over. I should have never let him go around with you. YOU ARE THE START OF THIS MESS!" he shouted. Finn grabbed a hold of her wrists and squeezed them tightly. Violet winced but didn't resist to his rage. Violet herself was probably feeling guilty for the situation, trapped inside the house of the Petersons. I pried his fingers from her wrists and pushed Violet away from him.