The World Outside

Chapter 2

I woke up in a very dark room. Although I see better than your average adult in the dark I still can't see as well as someone would see with night vision goggles. My only senses I could use were touch, smell, and hearing. All I could tell was that I was sitting in a cage. A metal cage, and by the way it swung when I moved I assumed it was suspended off the ground. The air was odorless, and dry. I had no idea where I was. I sat back against the rungs of the cage, leaned my head back and fell asleep.

I awoke to someone shuffling around the outside of the cage. I opened my eyes but it  was still dark. I was imediately on alert. I couldn't see so my other senses had heightened. I swept my hands across the cool metal floor of the cage hoping to find a door of some sort. my hand hit something solid but I knew imediatly that it wasn't a door. It was a foot. I wasn't alone in this cage.

I was about to speak when a giant lamp over the top of my cage (or our cage) flickered on. I squeezed my eyes shut from the bright light. The second I closed my eyes I remembered I wasn't alone. My eyes flew open and zeroed in on my cage mate, Number 102.

"Numbers 123 and 102." I snapped my focus to the voice. I couldn't see anything three feet outside the cage. I watched as a tall, skinny man stepped into the light. He was flanked by two, huge Guards. The man was old, I could tell by his white beard, and his wide rimmed glasses fell halfway down his nose. The Guards on the other hand were most likely in their twenties. Both the guards eyes were hard, and cold. They would kill their own mother if they were commanded. I shivered, they were the only things in this world that scared me.

"You have neared the end of your training." The man said, "Number 102, you will go with Jaw, and Ice for some hand to hand combat, survival training, and one unknown test." The man said motioning to the two Guards. I watched as the man stepped to the side and the two Guards, Jaw, and Ice opened an almost invisible door and forcefully removed Number 102 from his position against the back wall of the cage.

"Tomorrow it's your turn." The man said moving his cold gaze to meet mine. I watched his retreating back until I could neither see and hear them anymore. I wrapped my arms around my legs, and sighed. I may have grown up here but I sure as hell didn't like it. You are probably wondering what I'm training to be? Well those Guards that were just in here? Yeah I'm going to be one of them. You see from the time we are "born" we are trained to surivie, and how to fight.

They train us to be able to track anyone, or anything down. They train us to kill. When you become a Guard you are taken into a room, and you go in with emotions like fear, sadness, and happiness, but when you come out there are no emotions left. They're gone. That's what scares me the most, not being able to feel. Nobody knows what's going to happen to you inside that room until you enter.

I glance around what I can see of the room. From what I can tell is that the cage is in the center of the room. There are absolutly no windows. I wish I could see further away from this cage, who knows what's around the outside of it. I used a discret cough to try and get a feel for how big, and empty this room was. By the echo that responded I'm assuming this room is very large and the cage is the only thing in it.

A door creaks open and I hold my breath. A Guard drags an unconscious Number 102 in by his feet. The Guard, whom I recognise from before, picks 102 up, none too gently either, and tosses him inside the cage. I warily watch as the Guard turns and leaves the room. I rake my eyes over 102. He's covered in bruises, and his right eye is swollen shut. He has several small cuts, and scrapes everywhere. What happened out there? Was the training really hard? or did he mess up and they beat him?

I sat back and rested uneasily on the bars. I didn't like this place too much. I wasn't fond of my cell either but it was definitely better then being stuck in here. I let the dark surround me, and I calmed myself. I rid myself of any emotion and just sat there. Nothing was running through my mind, my mind was blank. For once nobody was hitting me, jeering at me, or spitting in my face. Yeah that happened at least once a day. I was doing nothing, and I loved it.

 The side picture is of Jamie------------------------------------>