Panopticon

Walking Free

They’d reached the sea a good hour ago. The view was hardly picturesque, with dark waves chopping at a grey sky, but to the five weary survivors it was nothing short of beautiful.

For the first time since this madness began, they could see away from this island of terrors. The bland landscape was a reminder that the world outside remained sane and calm, that chaos has a border. One which they were about to cross for good.

Of course, that was easier dreamt than done. They had lost their bearings as they tip-toed through the woods, and had emerged far from where the helicopter had arrived. Noel led them as they paced around the edge, searching for some sort of landmark in this unending coast to tell them to show that they were close.

Whilst Nathan shared in the sense of freedom that the open air brought, he was as concerned for their safety as ever. They were exposed out here, and whilst hungry killers were more likely to target the Hub, the more frightened convicts might well seek to hide on the shore. There had to be others as panicked as Sarah had been, and they would not all be so docile in their desperation.

They paced the edge carefully, then, constantly eyeing the darkness behind the trees, and hoping it didn’t eye them back. Tensions ran high. At times, fear threatened to overwhelm the group, but eventually they did manage to reach the gate. That’s when the real trouble started.

“I’ve never done this alone, let alone blind. Help me out here.”

“We’re describing it to you as much as we can; what more do you want? I thought you knew this system.”

Noel was becoming impatient, and Nathan could hardly blame him. Every moment they spent here was a moment exposed, and their loud tones could already be attracting predators. If they lingered here too long, they could all be killed long before this puzzle was solved, or forced to take more convicts through with them. Of course, the puzzle might also be unsolvable. If Henry couldn’t get them through, they were as locked in as the killers. With their last hope of escape dead, their own deaths would become simply a matter of time.

“If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Surely you were trained.”

“Me? I’ve barely even accessed a computer here; I just do medical support, for those who accept it. I’m a doctor, for God’s sake.” Noel had fashioned a bandage for Henry’s eyes, but the technician had refused it out of some twisted pride. The tension between the two men grew by the minute.

“Sure, and what do you think my job title is? Gatekeeper? I didn’t expect to have to do this any more than you did. This isn’t part of my everyday job, Charon just had me taught in case of emergency. I didn’t suspect there would actually be one.”

“Nobody ever does,” said Nathan, but he still suspected that Henry might well have seen this one coming.

He remained wary of threats from the woods behind, but now his focus was more on the danger within the group. Sarah, whatever her chances of long-term recovery, was currently a ticking time-bomb just waiting to explode. Here, in this violent environment, she could strike again with the slightest of provocations, and Noel might now be too distracted to protect Aiden in time.

Henry, too, may have already sacrificed lives in his reckless attempt to free the target of his mad obsession, and might well do it again if Noel tried to cut that mission short. Nathan kept one eye on his unstable companions, and one eye on the chaos that had caused their anger and fear. A chaos they were trying to leave behind.

It was Aiden, however, who heard the footsteps first.

Once he’d pointed it out, there was no mistaking the steady sound of boots on the mud, nor the crack as they met the occasional fallen stick.