Free to be Captive

Chapter Two

     “Please remain seated until the seat before you has been cleared,” a voice commanded over the speakers of the bus, presumably the voice of a security guard.

            Finally, our turn came to descend from the bus. We had arrived at a huge barn (though this place resembled an airplane hangar… judging by the size) that was surrounded at nearly all sides by guards. An interesting observation struck me; they all had blonde hair and blue eyes. Something fishy was going on here.

            With some shouts, pushes, and grunts, we all managed to get into a rather jumbled line. One of the guards with a scar on his left cheek led us into the barn. A helpless and trapped feeling entered me as I entered the building. I turned back only to realize that the bus had left and in its place was miles of desert, and unfortunately not the yummy kind. I caught a glimpse of about 50 soldiers in formation as the doors slammed shut with an air of finality. ‘The future does not bode well for us,’ I thought grimly.

            Even though I was placed in such a dire situation, I couldn’t help but look around in awe of the enormity of the barn. There were two floors and they were completely empty. The only additions to this vast room were large windows offering a lot of light and a great view of the, well, desert and hay, lots and lots of hay. There was so much of hay that thy might as well be replacing carpets. They covered every inch of the room. I curiously wondered what the top floor looked like.

            “Make yourself comfortable as you will be here for an undefined amount of time. You will be let outside for your meals and once more for some exercise. A total of four times. Am I clear?” A guard asked gruffly.

            “But why are we here?” an accusing voice shouted from the crowd. Everybody turned to stare at the boy who had spoken out. I recognized him to be the same guy who caused commotion in the bus.

            The guard gave him a stony glare before replying, “You are all here today because you have been deemed a threat to this nation.” When no further explanation was provided, caterwauls of dissent circulated the group. The unfairness of it all struck me. Why us? And more importantly, why me?

            As we noticed a few people claiming different parts of the room as their own, my parents and I quickly followed suit. We ended up at one of the corners next to a depressed-looking Persian couple. But then, who wouldn’t be if they were here?

            With all the information to process, I nearly forgot that I still had my suitcase with me. I settled down in our part of the hay and unzipped my suitcase to see what would come in handy. My mom, thankfully, was clever enough to take two blankets. They were thin, but at least helped ease the discomfort of he straws of hay poking into our backs. I layered some of my clothes as well. With nothing better to do and the sky getting dark, I fell into a restless sleep.