Run

Chapter 3

There is a knock at the door, and I sprint over. My feet shudder at the white, cold tiles and I slide open the glass door. I'm not surprised when I see letters and fliers saying "Don't rebel. Stay in dress code and stay inside your houses after curfew" and "The Soul Snatchers are out there. Stay in the city, you'll stay safe." Every Wednesday of every week at exactly 7am is when the "informative fliers" are distributed to all houses(AKA stupid propaganda). There is also breakfast packages sitting on the doorsteps as well. Inside is stale saltine crackers, red potatoes, roasted peanuts, along with low-fat milk.

"Cooking is permitted, and there will be meals delivered to every house. Exploring other types of food is quite dangerous," Mr. Jacob would say.

Ugh, I need some coffee right about now. I head back inside my house. I throw on a comfy sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, along with tennis shoes. I run as fast as I can out the door, staying in the shadows. I look at my watch, 7:06am, and I look around me to make sure the coast is clear. I keep running down 24th street, and turn the sharp corner with tall and white buildings growing up into the dark, morning sky.

"Mam' it is 7:07, you shouldn't be wandering these dark streets this early in the morning," a stern voice calls from down the street.

My breaths become shorter, and my heart beats hard in my chest. I slowly peer behind my left shoulder, but the frightening policeman has his back turned against me and is scolding at another lady in her navy blue uniform.

"Please sir, please have mercy on me! I just want to visit my daughter!" The lady begs, slowly crumbling to the floor.

The policeman shakes his head in dismay, "Mam' I'm going to have to escort you to Mr. Jacob, and you will be punished accordingly. You know already that you should only leave your living habitat from 8am until 9pm, and you are permitted from entering anyone else's living habitat in other communities to prevent any sort of bond!" He scolds.

"Please sir, I'm begging you!" The lady says yet once again.

"No." he sternly says and thrusts her towards the ground, dragging her away against the concrete ground.

I silently continue running until I see the green and white parlor in the distance. The building is a small, swampy green and run-down building tucked away in the corner of the street. I open the door, as the bell chime softly rings. Ms. Kate stands behind the counter, her back turned.

"Welcome to Kate's Cafe, what can I do for you?" Ms. Kate says, with her back still turned away from me. Ms. Kate is the only person in this whole town that seems to understands me, and I'm the only person in the whole town that understands her.

"A large black coffee please!" I call out.

"I'm sorry mam', but coffee was banned a couple years ago." She spins around and a frown spreads across her wrinkled face.

"Ruby! It's 7:15 in the morning and you're completely out of dress code! You could get severely punished!" She says in a soft voice, as her eyes wander towards the door.

The wooden floorboards creak as I slowly step, cautious of making any sort of noise.

"But of course I'm not surprised," Ms. Kate says with a chuckle, "You've done this for the last 8 years. Your coffee will be out in a few minutes," she says walking over to the machine.

I was introduced to this AMAZING beverage a while back when I walked into this cafe on a normal Monday afternoon.

I opened the door, and the bells made a beautiful, soft chime. The air had a smell that I couldn't quite comprehend, and I found myself standing in front of the counter

"Welcome to Kate's Cafe, what can I do for you?" The sweet, old lady asked

Her thick, gray hair was twisted into a messy bun, and she had a smile so contagious it could light up a room in a blink of an eye. Her white name tag says, "Kate".

"Um..." I said looking at the menu with beverages I've never heard of. "I'm sort of new to town, what do you recommend?" I asked in a soft and quiet voice.

"Ooooh, so you're new to town huh? You should totally get a dark black coffee! It's a good energy booster, and it's a really good stress drink!" The lady says in a bubbly tone.

"Ok then, I'll get a large then!" I say suddenly jubilant from her contagious happiness.

The coffee had a crisp, bright flavor, with subtle hints of citrus and rich chocolates.

Coffee was banned years ago because apparently it "messes up your brain",

"So how have you been Ruby?" Ms. Kate asks while stirring the coffee with a spoon.

There's so many things on my mind, my words spit out of my mouth without hesitation. Ever since we heard the news that the cafe had to be shut down soon, everything has been such a mess. Mr. Jacob says the cafe causes too much pleasure for the people, and pleasure then leads to rebellion.

"I want to go home! Mr. Jacob dictates OUR LIVES! I want to see my mom and dad!" I yell with all my emotions pouring into my words.

Ms. Kate's eyes are not cold like everyone else's, but they're sympathetic and warm as the red sky's passing blush.

"Oh Ruby, I know. I hate this place too. If you think about it logically, you could join the military and fight the Soul Snatchers since you're within the age. Though you do have to be a male, but that's the only way to leave this place anyways, " Ms. Kate says.

"All right," I think to myself, "Challenge accepted."

"Ruby? Wait where are you going? Ruby!!" Her voice slowly fades as my sneakers pound the ground. I walk out the door with a plan in mind, not even going back to grab my coffee. I quickly scurry home, trying to avoid the busy streets. I take my usual back way behind the building, and take 22nd street next to the alleyway. When I get back home, I sneakily slide through the front door hoping not to catch the attention of Annie and Robbie. But It's too late.

"Ruby?" Robbie asks. "You should be lucky that Annie's still asleep. She would scold you if she found out that you snuck out again! AND you're not in your uniform!"

When Annie and Robbie took me in years ago when they were still dating, so I had to go through their gross wedding. It was absolutely disgusting, and I recall almost throwing up in my mouth. I tiptoe over to Robbie's room and grab a uniform from his closet. I stare at the navy blue collared shirt and the tan pants, and it already makes me itch even before putting it on. I recall Annie telling me stories of how Robbie used to be in the military, but was kicked out due to his "excessive wimpy-ness". Cringing, I slide on the white socks and loafers. Robbie was always small and petite, so the uniform fit perfectly. I tie up my long hair into a bun and tuck it into his Navy blue hat, snaking out the door yet once again.