Caleb turned and saw a man wearing a white lab coat. He was holding open a pair of silver doors leading into another brightly lit hallway. Caleb stood up and walked over to the man standing by the door. He hadn’t noticed until now that this room had been filled with dozens of other people who all watched him with wide eyes as he slowly crossed in front of them to the silver doors. He was led down another, much shorter hallway and into a room with a chair in the middle and some IV bags hanging from above. “Sit here,” the voice said in a commanding yet polite tone.
Caleb obeyed. He felt a sharp prick as a needle entered his arm and was hooked up to the bags of liquid hanging overhead. “What’s that?” he asked, staring up at the hovering fluid-filled bags.
“Remain still,” the man responded and went about what he was doing before.
A warmth flowed across Caleb’s mind and body. The pain he had been feeling for what seemed like forever began to fade. His thoughts began to drift off into the distance, leaving him lightheaded and dizzy. After a while, he was led back down the hallway into the main room where a large group of other people were lined up at the doorway leading outside.
As the group made their way down the winding street, Caleb almost seemed to slip in and out of consciousness while still being able to move. He would remember seeing a building a good distance away, then all of the sudden passing by it without any recollection of approaching it. Eventually the group came to a large brick building with two massive cylindrical towers coming from the middle. They were urged forward by a pair or Guardians, following along behind them with their guns pointed at the group. Caleb could feel the euphoria slowly fading from his body. His mind was clearing and some of the pain began to make its way back into his muscles and joints. The group turned a corner, where Caleb could make out large letters written on the wall in black paint, “INCINERATOR” with an arrow pointing in the direction they were headed. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as the group was loaded into a large circular room with a metallic grate on the floor beneath them. Caleb could feel heat building up below him, and it started to hurt the soles of his feet. He reached into his lab coat pocket, hoping to find the object that brought him happy memories. Tracing the golden cross necklace with his thumb and forefinger, he closed his eyes and pictured it wrapped around Alice’s neck. A dull roar began to bellow underneath where he stood. Caleb kept his eyes closed and pictured his father standing before him with a proud smile on his face and his hands held out to receive him. “Well done, Caleb,” he imagined him to say as the air below him grew warmer. “Well done.”
4.9 (Confrontation)
Weeks had gone by since Alice had last seen Caleb or Patrick. She travelled through the forest with a small group of people from the resistance camp. They were headed to Sector 27. Patrick had gotten word back to them that some of the people were slowly beginning to come out from under the effects of the drugs. The people were being told not to act any differently, to remain patient and silent until the resistance group could arrive. Alice wanted to be there to see the people freed, to see Caleb. When the group finally neared the tree line across the field neighboring Sector 27, the sun had just come up over the mountaintops behind them, illuminating the rows of grey plaster buildings within the grid. Through the field, the group saw a man dressed as a Guardian running quickly toward them. Some of the people in the group raised their guns at the man, preparing to fire if needed. The Guardian put both of his hands into the air as he continued to make his way toward them.
“Everyone stand down!” Alex exclaimed through a loud whisper, “He’s one of us, lower your weapons!”
Rifles pointed back down to the ground and the Guardian entered the tree line near where the group was hidden. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Alex said as he hurried toward the spot where the man had entered the forest.
Alice could see Alex and the man dressed like a Guardian talk briefly and then separate again, Alex back to the resistance group, and the Guardian back toward Sector 27. “Alright everyone, here’s the plan, listen up,” Alex said excitedly.
Alice focused her attention intently on what he had to say. “They’ve got people ready to be moved out. It’s not a work day, so the people are staying in their living quarters. Some of our men inside are going to gather as many people as they can and get them through the main gates. They’re only going to be using this side here,” he said, pointing toward the guard post stationed along the fence leading toward the forest where they waited. “They’re going to clear the area and get the people out to the forest as fast as they can.”
“What do you mean, ‘clear the area’”? Alice asked.
“They’re going to have to take out some of the Guardians who are stationed there,” Alex replied. “Now, all we have to do is receive the people as they make their way out. They’ve already been instructed to run into the field here and then into the forest.”
Alice watched the guard post intently. She saw a small group of Guardians rush into the guard post, followed by a series of flashes. A few of them came running back out and into the Sector. Shortly after, they came back with dozens of people trailing behind them, all dressed in clothing similar to what Caleb had worn. She saw one of the Guardians quickly say something and motioned them into the field. The group of people bolted into the tall grass of the field, making their way toward the forest. “Ok, guys, here they come. Let’s go!” Alex said, rushing off into the field to meet them.
He guided the people into the tree line to meet up with the rest of the resistance group. Some of the people were crying, some laughing, some in a state of shock, not knowing if this was really happening or not. Alice kept her eyes on the guard post, waiting for Caleb to appear. After a while there were no more people coming out from within the Sector. “This is everyone for now,” Alex said. “Time to head back to base.”
“Wait, Alex … what about Caleb?” Alice asked nervously.
Alex walked over to Alice and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Alice, he’s not with the group. Our men headed back inside. This is everyone for now.”
Alex led the group back into the forest. They had been walking for several miles before stepping out into a large clearing on the hillside. The sun was shining brightly above, the wind blew gently through the grass and trees, and over Alice’s skin. Off in the distance something caught her attention. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she wondered where Caleb was. Was he alright? Was he still inside of Sector 27, or was he taken to those awful incinerators? Directly in front of her, between the hilltops, was a thick black plume of smoke rising high into the air. Despite the several dozen people standing behind her that had been set free from Sector 27, the only thing she could focus on was the towering pillar of smoke in the distance ahead of her. She fell to her knees and began to sob. She felt a hand gently rest on her shoulder, comforting her. She turned her head to see a young man, one of the ones who had just escaped Sector 27. He had scruffy hair and wore a white lab coat. Alice was reminded a bit of Caleb when she saw him. He knelt down beside her and asked, “Are you alright?”
Alice sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. She nodded and said, “I’m okay. I ... was just thinking about someone who didn’t make it out of the Sector today.”
“Oh,” the young man said, “I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure everything is going to be okay. “Here,” he continued, standing to his feet, reaching for her hand, “Let me help you up.”
Alice grabbed his hand and stood up. “Thanks,” she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “My name’s Alice. What’s yours?”
The young man smiled. “It’s nice to meet you Alice,” he said as he looked up into the sky, taking in the sunlight and drawing in a deep breath of fresh air. “My name’s Andrew.”
From the next Installment:
Sector 27: Origins
1.1 (Reunion)
Three men moved rapidly through the woods just outside the Resistance camp. Their feet sloshing through t
he muddied ground, clothing drenched from being outside in the rain. In the distance, a roll of thunder sounded behind them. “How are you doing guys? Either of you need a break?” one of the men asked.
“I’m fine, Brian,” one of them replied.
“Me too,” said the other, grunting, “Patrick and I can make it the rest of the way. Can you go ahead and let them know we’re coming in, to be ready for us?”
“Yeah, Alex, you got it,” Brian replied as he started to run past them.
“Oh, hey, Brian!” Alex shouted as he went out in front of him, “Tell them to have a medical bed and room set up for us.”
“Ok, I’ll let them know,” he said as he took off toward the Resistance camp not far from where they were, gradually disappearing from sight behind the haze of fog.
Patrick and Alex continued moving at as fast a pace as they could handle. It seemed like it was taking forever, but they finally approached the outside of the brick building and had a pair of glass doors opened for them as soon as they arrived. They quickly moved through the doors and down the dark hallway toward the stairs. Another set of doors were opened, then the stairs, then one last set of doors. The pair carefully made their way into the room and laid a limply hanging body they had been carrying onto the bed that was waiting for them there. As soon as the body was in the bed the medical team hurried down the path left in the middle of the room, and into the hallway.
****
Alice sat staring blankly at the center of the table positioned in the corner of the room inside the Resistance camp. She glanced up briefly toward the windows a few yards ahead of her as a subtle rumble of thunder echoed off in the distance. The room was gloomy, it had been storming on and off for the past several days, all of which had been a blur to her. About one week had passed since she had arrived back from Sector 27 with the group of people who were rescued from inside. One week since she had last seen Alex and Brian, who had gone back out to gather more people who would be freed from the Sector, but it seemed to be taking them longer than expected to return.
As she sat alone, silently in the center of the room, she traced the edges of a folded piece of paper with her fingertips. The way the paper was folded she could make out the line, “Alice if you’re reading this…” written across the top portion of the crease directly facing her. She continued to stare at this line, still hesitant to open and read what was contained within. It was still difficult for her to come to grips with the fact that Caleb hadn’t been able to make it out of Sector 27, and worse than that, she didn’t know if he was safe or not. The last image that kept flashing back through her mind was the dark pillar of smoke that was slowly creeping its way into the sky over the mountains the day they had rescued the people from Sector 27. It was difficult for her to shake the thought that maybe Caleb was somewhere at the bottom of that pillar.
Down the hallway she could hear children laughing and playing. Footsteps would rush by back and forth, toward and away from the central command station. She looked across the room toward Caleb’s tattered gray sleeping bag that she had left rolled up in the corner right next to hers. Then, suddenly, there came a rapid knocking on the door behind her. Startled, she shot up from the chair and wiped the tears from her eyes as she hurried to open the door. “Hey, come on there’s something …” the voice started. It was Andrew.
“Whoa, are you alright?” he asked, realizing that Alice was clearly upset.
“I’m fine,” she replied, sniffling, “I was just thinking.”
Andrew gently rested his hand on her shoulder as he said, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Alice shook her head, “No … that’s ok. Thank you though, Andrew, I appreciate the offer.”
“Ok,” he replied, taking his hand away from her, “There’s something going on in the central command room. I was just coming to let you know … but if you’re not up to going don’t worry about it.”
“Do you know what it is?” she asked, examining Andrew’s white lab coat, reminding her of Caleb.
“Not entirely. I heard that there were a few people being brought back in. I think they said Patrick, Alex and Brian, but I could be wrong.”
Alice’s eyes widened, “They’re finally back?!” she exclaimed.
“I guess so … who’s Patrick though?” Andrew asked.
“Come on, let’s go!” she yelled, pushing by him, not answering his question.
The two ran down the hallway passing empty rooms as they went. Up ahead of them at the end of the hallway they could see a crowd of people gathered inside. Alice rushed to the open doorway and stuck her head inside, looking from the left to the right side, pushing her way through the crowd that blocked the doorway. “Hey, watch it!” one person shouted as Alice forced her way through.
“Sorry,” she said, as she continued to weave her way through to the middle of the room.
Soon after, the crowd was parted and a long bed was wheeled past her and placed right in front of the locked double doors. One of the men pushing the bed turned toward the crowd and said, “Everyone listen! You need to keep this path clear! We will be heading back down the hallway as soon as they get here, there’s someone who needs medical attention.”
Alice stood on the inside of the crowd closest to the clearing that was left after the medical team came through. She looked back behind her for Andrew, but couldn’t see him anywhere. Then she turned her attention back to the tops of the closed double doors since that was all she was able to make out from where she was standing. Finally she saw the doors swing open as a universal gasp, followed by murmuring, lifted from the crowd of people closest to them. From where she stood she could only hear some clinking sounds and shuffling of feet. The sound grew louder. She poked her head out into the clearing that was left in the crowd. Coming toward her, she could see a man pulling a narrow bed in her direction, heading for the hallway. As he neared her, she caught a glimpse of someone laying in the bed. She couldn’t tell from where she stood, but it looked like a pair of feet. They looked blackened and cut. Then she could see soot covered shins with pant legs that appeared to have been burned up to just below the knee.
The medical team was approaching rapidly, people gasped and stared at the body that was laying on the bed as it sped by. Alice kept her gaze focused on the feet and legs she could see coming toward her. They were only a short distance away, now passing directly in front of her. She looked at the feet, the shins, the burnt pant legs, the soot covered hands, arms, shirt, lab coat, neck, face, hair. Alice gasped. Choking back tears, she screamed, “Caleb!”
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I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, the reader, for buying and navigating my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did conjuring up and writing out the story. This being my first stab at writing a fictional story, I am unsure as to how effective I was in creating sufficient imagery, character development, and an intriguing and engaging story line. For anyone who is interested, I plan on making this particular story into a three part series, the second of which is currently a work in progress. I would also love to hear feedback, positive or negative, or anything that anybody would like to tell me about. You can do this by sending me a message at: [email protected]. I intend to be active regularly on this email and will respond to any messages I get as quickly as possible.
I would like to give a special thanks to my cousin Lauren, who painted the image on my cover; and my cousin Ashley, who created the cover image. You both did an absolutely amazing job, I couldn’t have asked for better! Thank you, thank you!
One last thank you to my mom, who gave me ideas and suggestions as I wrote the story. And both of my parents for supporting me and encouraging me to continue on with my writing. Thank you both!
Sector 27- Assignment Page 19
