Land

Chapter 3

Lyra's ears were pierced with three high-pitched beeps emitting from the loudspeakers, signalling it was the beginning of lunch. Her cheeks let out a huge puff of relief. This was only one of the few times of day that she looked forward to. The whir of the factory came to a halt, leaving an absence of noise that seemed to massage her aching ears.

She hurried away from her workstation and latched onto the back of yet another queue of workers, this time heading towards the canteen. As the line gradually made its way towards the food hall, Lyra's eyes caught a flash of pure white and shortly afterwards, Freya was standing in front of her in the line. She had managed to avoid the guards' watchful gaze and swiftly cut into the queue. Her long, dazzling white hair swayed from side to side as she walked. Lyra was happy to see her, but did not make any attempts to talk to her under the scrutiny of the guards that were stationed on either side.

They both collected their rations of thick, grey porridge and tin can of water before making their way towards their usual table. They had taken years before finally settling on a place they all felt happy to sit at. It was far enough from the CCTV cameras and guards but close enough to the general rabble of the workers around them. This meant they were able to lower the risk of being overheard if they spoke about illegal topics. They sat there in silence. Lyra was not sure whether Roe had relayed the information about today's meeting with Freya, but her body language suggested she knew something was going on. She ate in an unnerving, mechanical way. Her glistening grey eyes staring at the bleak meal in front of her, completely silent. Lyra could feel the nerves pouring out of Freya as she ate, and it only just struck her that perhaps Freya wasn't ready for the plan. She was too kind. Too shy. Too weak.

But any doubts Lyra had were soon thrust out of her mind when Roe sat down next to Freya, bringing along that reassuring warmth that had been Lyra's support for so many years.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Roe asked, not taking his eyes of his food as he wolfed down his share. Freya finally looked up, bearing a face of complete apprehension and worry. Lyra knew what she was about to say would scare her friend, but she needed to get it off her chest.
"I want to escape." she whispered. "I'm going to escape and I want to bring you both along with me." she looked over to Freya, and sure enough her tense body showed no sign of relaxing.
Roe noticed Freya's reaction and promptly moved the conversation along.
"What is it you want us to do?"
"I need weapon parts"
"What sort of parts?"
"I've got the small stuff, but I need the parts that you guys work with; bullets, gun handles, and sights"
"And what exactly do you intend to use these weapons for?" Roe asked, with a hint of caution.
"Merely self-defence. We won't get anywhere by running and gunning."
It was here that Freya finally spoke up, rather loudly "I can get you gun sights and casing, but Roe would have to supply the ammunition". That was the last thing Lyra was expecting to hear out of Freya, but as she met her gaze once again the look of fear was fading. It was being replaced by a look that one can only describe as determination. Surely Freya felt the same fire spark inside of her as Lyra did whenever she imagined escaping from Mort. It did not occur to Lyra at the time that Freya had blurted out her words louder than was necessary. Perhaps it was the nerves, or the sudden change of heart.

Roe downed his water and wiped his lips dry with the back of his hand before continuing with his questions.
"Once we have the weapons, where do we go?". This was an issue Lyra had been contemplating for years, but over the last few months she had finally settled on a decision.
"We'll head towards the watchtower in the south of Mort". There were watchtowers stationed at each corner of the village and guards were stationed at them 24/7. However they were weakest at night as many guards were required to patrol the housing blocks. "Then, the plan is to overrun the watchtower and take their maps and supplies. After that, we'll leave Mort and just keep on moving." Lyra could feel the excitement bubbling up within her once again as she relayed her plan to the others.
"Do you have any idea what's out there?" Freya's fear slowly began creeping back into her voice.
"No." Lyra replied bluntly "But I know for a fact that I can't spend anymore of my life rotting here, and I know you both feel the same." the fire ever growing inside her as she spoke "So are you with me?". Yet before either of them could answer, Lyra could feel herself sinking into her seat as she noticed the expression on Roe and Freya's faces. Both of their stares seemed to broadcast  a loud "STOP!". Shortly after she felt a jab on her shoulder, and turned to find herself staring directly down the barrel of a guard's rifle.