Escape

Prolouge

My name is Arielle Rector. I live in the year 2134. Long before I was born, in the year 2029, the world as it was known, ended. Only trusted government officials know what really happened all those years ago. This truth is hidden among the vast secrets the government keeps from its people.

The government claims our small town of Secretum was the only place to survive the apocalypse. Though, somehow our town never seems to run out of resources. We must obey the government blindly, and most do. Those people don't yet realize it will cost them their lives. I live in a world where there is no constitution. There is no freedom of speech. No equality among people. No rights. The government can do anything they want with us. The government controls all aspects of our lives. They closely monitor all we do and say. We cannot think for ourselves, we can choose only who we love.

The government claims that the entire world outside of Secretum was destroyed in 2029. Our town is surrounded by vast forests called the Outside. It is forbidden to go near the Outside and anyone who does will most likely be killed on the spot by the Prætorii. Only under very special circumstances will a trial be held for someone who tries to escape or go against the government in any way. The Prætorii is the guardian force that patrols the town. They act out the wishes of the government, arrest wrongdoers, and eliminate rebels. My father is the mayor and ruler of Secretum and has control over the Prætorii. Due to my father's status, my home is surrounded by guards. Secretum is completely surrounded by either ocean or the forbidden woods. Making it out alive is extremelly dangerous, if not impossible. Very few have ever made it out alive, and none have returned. There is no way of knowing what is in the Outside or if it is even livable.

Are we being told the truth, or is there something more in the Outside? It is time we start getting some answers. They will never tell us, so I am going to have to find out on my own. The government's greatest fear is that the people of Secretum will discover their secrets, and overthrow them. I have made it my mission to make their fears a reality. For all I know, there could be a whole world outside of our town. And I will see it, even if it kills me.