Between Devil and Satan (H.S)

I. Freedom

The heavy steps of the boots against the tiles and a violent wind hitting my body roused me from my already fragile sleep. I did not move from the mattress I was lying on. I slowly opened my eyes, facing a brick wall. My vision became less blurry. Again, I did not want to move from where I had managed to sleep for a short moment. I did not dare look around me. I only wanted to fall asleep one more time.

I fast was disenchanted when I could distinguish the noise of the rod hit against every bar of the cell. That meant I made it to another day. It was another day, fighting the Government.

"Wake up!" they said, "Wake up."
I had no choice but wake up. I lazily sat on the mattress, facing the same wall I had been facing for a month or so... you couldn't really know, you lose track of time at some point. My body was heavy, fatally attracted to the ground. Thanks to gravity. Every inch of me hurt, every inch of me seemed to be completely exhausted, every inch of me was about to give out.
I turned around, scanning my environment. Something had changed during the night. The mattresses at the other side of the room were bathed in complete darkness.

Nevertheless, I could tell my cellmates had disappeared, without me realizing anything. The morning routine had changed. My intuition told me something was off.

I turned around facing the two men who were waking me up. I faced black and white uniformed police officers.

"Knight, come over here." One of them said, while the other one left. I decided to follow his order and managed to get up. In the unusual darkness of the cell, I moved slowly towards the bars. You could never be enough careful, there were a few obstacles on the cold cement.

I realized the night was still there. It wasn't morning yet. I wondered why they woke me up so late at night. I had expected to wake up to another day.

"Collin," he said. I sighed in relief when I recognized a very familiar face. "You better do what they want from you."

He had a very low voice, his eyes furtively checking around, vigilant, ready to walk away if one of his superiors came by. He lowered his face, closer to mine.

"Ben, I'll never do that. If they want me to die, then let it be." I firmly said, getting closer to the bars. "The government will never force me into leaving the country."

"Listen to me carefully, Collin." Ben looked more nervous than ever. Something was on his mind. He looked straight into my eyes. "The chancellor Styles arrives tonight. I heard he has sordid plans for the members of the Wing."

Ten years ago, Rhodes was a rather peaceful country. Ten years ago, Oswald Hamilton, followed by rich partners murdered one by one every incorruptible member of the ancient government. On their way, they killed two centuries of democracy and freedom.

Since then, most people rose up against the government, people like me, members of the Wing.

People like Ben abandoned, he joined the cops in order to protect his family from the government. But he never really supported the new government, he simply did not have the choice. In our little world, you had the choice between living under oppression and dying. Ben could have been at my place if he did not follow the government. I could not blame anyone for protecting himself and his family.

"Most of women in the section accepted their offer and now they're alive, flying to the USA. Do the same."

"No. I'm not betraying my country, not after all I'd been through."

He nodded, accepting my firm words. He looked around us, his whole body in alert, as if talking to one of the prisoners would kill him. The air in the cell had always been heavy on me. And this night, I had the feeling that everything became more intense. This intensity lingered in the air for too long. Ben was about to confirm it.