Kidnapped

Escape Planning

The shrieks of the other kidnapped teenagers outside my cell woke me. I didn't move, I didn't want to. Because I knew for a fact that I'm chained to the floor. I slowly looked down and gazed at the heavy chains that trapped me to the floor. My wrists and ankles were still hurting, I don't think they will ever stop hurting anymore. I can't even remember the last time I wasn't restrained in this place, probably because there never was a time. The stranger keeps me chained everywhere I go.
I gradually sat up, hearing the clanking of the cold metal in my ears as I rose. My head still felt light from the needle jab that knocked me out. I was still wearing the same clothes since I got here, just my black leggings and my red shirt. My feet were still bare, and very cold.
I had to find a way out of here, but I knew too little about this place to come up with any plans of escape. So for now I had to play patient. I need to know more about this place I'm trapped in. The best thing to do was wait, wait for the Stranger, or anyone, to attend me.
Hours passed and nothing has happened. I have no track of what time of day it is, there's no window in my cell. Nothing but a ceiling light, a small vent in the corner of the room and the metal ring bolted to the floor that all my chains are locked to. I havent seen the outside world ever since I was knocked out in the Stranger's Van. I don't know where I'm being held at, I only know it's at another country, as I found out overhearing the phone conversation in the Stranger's van.
Finally, someone came to my cell and opened the door, but this time it wasn't the Stranger. Instead it was some security guard. He was very tall and his face was slightly intimidating. I stared at him with worry on my face. The guard approached me.
"Umm, you're Leila?" He asked, looking at his clipboard he had brought with him.
I nodded slightly.
"Come with me, you must be hungry" he said.
I didn't notice until now that I was famished and needed to eat something. The guard knelt next to me and released my wrists and ankles from the chains. He noticed how sore they were and I noticed a little wince on his face as he looked. I could tell that he knew the pain I was in.
"I'll take you to the food hall, then you have a bit of free time in the outdoor court" The security guard told me.
This was my opportunity to get some knowledge of the place, and maybe a chance to come up with the first ideas of my escape plan.
"The guy who attends you fell down a flight of stairs last night, so he's with our doctor at the moment. He should be back in a day or two" The security guard informed me.
This is even better news. The Stranger is hurt and I won't be seeing him for a while. Ive had enough of him anyway.
I stood up and approached the door of my cell. I then stopped and put my hands behind my back, expecting a pair of cuffs to be snapped around my wrists, but there wasn't any. The security guard looked at me in confusion and told me that he wouldn't cuff me just to get down to the food hall. Finally! The first time I can actually go somewhere without being restrained.
I slowly stepped outside my cell and the crying of others could be heard in their cells. I walked on down towards the food hall, the guard close behind me. I didn't want to make any sudden moves, Instead I walked slow, observing and taking in as much information of this place as possible. The noises of cutlery and the smell of food hit me as I approached the hall.
"Okay you've got an hour to eat and spend time outside in the outdoor court. You are to meet me here once the hour has passed." The security guard instructed.
He then left and the heavy doors slammed behind me and buzzed, indicating that it's locked. As well as eating, I needed to observe my surroundings as much as I could. With an aching stomach, I proceeded to the cafeteria.
The food smelt fairly good, and there was a wide variety of things to choose from. I reached my weary arm out to grab an egg and cress sandwich, before picking up a bottle of cola. There was one lemon muffin left in the corner of the selection area. My stomach rumbled, urging me to pick up the muffin.
On my way to the seating area, I spotted Megan, she was on her own and looked like she was crying. I walked over to her and slid my tray of food beside hers. I noticed she had shackles on her wrists.
"Megan, are you alright?" I asked with a soft voice.
She looked up at me and her sobs began to slow down.
"Y..yeah" Megan stuttered, wiping away her crystallized years from her red cheeks. "They hurt me"
"Who?" I asked, with A concerned face.
"Th.. The guard of my cell" Megan replied, "He whipped the back of my legs"
I leant over and took a look at Megan's legs, there were red lines raised all across her calves. Some of them were bleeding.
"That looks like it hurts a lot" I gasped, looking at the marks for longer.
"Yeah.. I kept resisting and shouting at the guard.. s..so he hurt me" Megan whimpered.
"Its going to be okay" I reassured her, "I promise"
I placed my hands on Megans, she gave me a slight smile. She then realised something.
"Where your magnetic feet holders?" She asked me, looking at my feet.
I didn't even realise I wasn't wearing them until she asked me.
"The Stranger isn't attending me today, so It looks like I'm going for the day with less restraints" I responded, with a slight grin on my face, curling my feet and wriggling my toes. "It feels relieving to be able to move my feet freely"
"Yeah, especially since The Stranger is obsessed with them" Megan chuckled.
We both laughed and ate our food. I then decided to talk her about my plans to escape
"I'm trying to plan an escape out of here" I told Megan.
"Wow, you only just arrived here though!" Megan remarked
" Yes and I'm taking this chance to look around so I can think of some escape"
Megan looked at me with a determined face.
"I want to help you" she implied.
"Megan, I'm not just escaping, I want to get you out of here too" I replied back with a smile. "Were gonna do this together, I'm not leaving you behind"
Tears filled Megan's eyes and she began to cry on my shoulder. I curled my arm around her and held her close.
"Thank you Leila.." She sobbed, "I don't know what to say.. I.. just.." She cried even more.
"It's okay Megan, I will get us out of here, I promise" I assured her.
After we finished our food, I told Megan that I was gonna look outside. She followed me through the doorway.
As I stepped outside, a cold breeze hit my body. First thing I spotted was the walls which towered many meters up, with barbed wire spiralling all around the top. A huge wire mesh roofed over the court, just above the walls. Looking past the mesh, I see tall trees all around with bright green leaves. There were other teenagers hanging about the court area, they all had a look of hopelessness in their faces. The security here was tight. Escaping this place wasn't going to be easy.
I kept looking around to find possible weakened spots of the walls of it there were any gaps in the mesh blanket above our heads, but there was nothing. Everything was too perfect. At this moment I realised that an hour had passed and the security guard was waiting for me at the food hall door. I waved goodbye to Megan as I trotted back to my cell. I noticed that the ones next to mine was empty. As I entered my cell, I sat down in front of my chains and waited for the guard to chain me up.
"Your wrists look very sore" said the guard, as he held my arm, looking at the bloody cuts on my wrists.
I nodded and looked away, slightly wincing in pain as he touched them.
"I'll only lock your feet up for now" he told me.
The guard fastened all the chains around my ankles and locked them up securely. I didn't resist, he seemed to be a lot kinder than The Stranger, and I appreciated that he didn't chain my wrists.
The security guard walked out of my cell and locked the door behind me, and once again I was alone.