Outcasts

Chapter 48: Possible Slight Exaggeration

After the evening's entertainment, the lights in the white room went out for the first time. Sleep hadn't come easily the past few days, and on the first night I would've sold my soul for the piercing glare of the surfaces to just disappear. But it became clear to me that pitch black was worse. They went out without warning, thrusting Liam, Vine and me into complete darkness.

Over the nights I must've become used to sleeping with the lights on. Back home, before any of this had started, it was impossible for me to sleep with any form of light or noise. If someone had left the tap dripping in the middle of the night, I'd wake up and have to turn it off. If the street lamp outside my window went on and a slither of light crept through my curtains, I'd be forced up to shut it out.

But now the darkness and the silence was unbearable. Knowing Liam and Vine were somewhere near me without being able to see them was alien to me, and it was unsettling knowing someone could creep through the door and be able to stay hidden.

Fortunately, my inability to tolerate noise while I slept kicked back into action.

It was hard to tell how long it took to fall asleep. The events of the day were still racing through my head, cruel and unforgiving. There was nothing about it to consider or to question or to argue with; what was the point? I'd been fed so many lies since before New Election day, let alone after it. The truths I had got were good enough not to try and doubt or delve further into. I just wanted to get out of the White House however I could.

What I'd do afterwards I wasn't sure. Join a rebel group? But to do what? Maybe I could just run and hide or find a nice camp to settle at with a fake name. Maybe I could cut off all my hair so people wouldn't recognise me.

But that would mean leaving everyone and everything behind, and that would be cheating myself. As well as being wrong on so many levels morally.

Nevertheless, I awoke at some point during the night as the door slowly started to creak open. The tiniest bit of light came through into the room in my direction. Liam and Vine, who were on the opposite side, were seemingly unaware of it. I considered shouting to notify them but decided against it. If I yelled for them, then the door would either slam shut again or the person would come through even quicker. I needed to wait to see what the person at the door wanted.

The door stopped fairly quickly, not even opening the full way. I squinted at the sudden light to try and spot any shadows on the other side, but there were none. No one stepped through the frame; it was like they were waiting for something. Or someone.

Slowly, I rose up from where I sat propped against the wall. I gave the person on the other side a few more seconds to make a move before I did. When nothing happened, I started to move towards the door. Fortunately, my footsteps made no noise against the pitch black floor, the light from outside the only thing stopping me from crashing into a far wall.

I got to the door frame and peered through the crack. I could only see directly ahead without pulling the door open further. The door had no handle from the inside, so I had to grab the edge and slowly bring it towards me. When the gap was big enough to comfortably step through, I let go and tentatively walked out into the corridor.

As soon as I had stepped out of the room a hand was clamped over my mouth, another hand grabbing me around my waist to stop me from struggling. That hand then replaced the one at my mouth and the door was pulled shut behind me, a lock automatically sliding into place.

“If I remove my hand you have to promise not to scream,” said the person. The voice was impossible not to recognise: English. Alex. “Or run. Or punch me in the face.”