Hopeless
I Want It
When we finally got back to our cell, we had at least an hour until lights went out. After lights go out, you are to lay in your cot, absoluty no getting up, no talking, and no making any sudden movements. I was the first one to lay down on a cot, and not the one in the corner. I decided to let Cherish sleep in that one for tonight, and instead, I laid down in a cot that was all the way back in the room. I knew that every cot would be somewhat visible (thanks to the lights outside of the cell) except for this one because it was so far back, the shadows hid it.
Everybody else took their time getting ready for bed. I rushed a bit.
"Where's the fire?" Intense said, as he seen me lay down.
"I'm super tired." I said simply. I added a yawn in for dramatic effect.
We didn't have no pillows or anything here. Just a cot, and a really itchy wool sheet. Most people didn't even use the sheet since it got so hot around here. I tossed the sheet over me lightly, making sure no piece was laid heavilly on me. I wanted you to barely see the imprint of my body when you looked at it.
Soon enough, lights were shut off, and the only sound you could hear around this whole place was the sound of the gaurd's squeaky black boots. The cells were set up like streets. The rows of cells were like small house, that went down, not across, and after each 20th cell, the building would seperate and their would be a small intersection. At the intersection there was always four guards on duty, one at each corner. Usually, there was a one minute shift change, where there were absolutly no guards at that corner.
There were two guards for every "street" and they would march up and down through both intersections. It took them like two minutes to reach the intersection, and at the tenth house, they would cross. This left every cell guardless for about a minute and thirty seconds.
I waited until it was the dead of night to even attempt this, because I knew if one thing went wrong that was it for me.
When the first guard came across, I snuck to her cot. I tapped her, hoping that she was a light sleeper. Thankfully, she was, and woke up.
" Hope? What are you-"
"Shh." I whispered, putting my finger on her mouth. I ducked down as a gaurd past. He looked, and didn't see anything, so he kept walking. " I know something is going on."
She gave me a puzzeled look, like I was stupid and didn't know what I was talking about.
" Cherish, I saw what was going on at lunch. Now, your going to tell me what's happening or somebody else will."
Honestly, I was pretty much bluffing. I had no clue on how to get any information other then Cherish, so it was pretty much her or nothing.
She had an expression of deep thought on her face. I didn't have time for this, and she knew I didn't, because we both heard another guard approaching.
" Look, I'll tell you okay? But not now. Go back to sleep."
I followed her instructions and hopped in my cot before any gaurd could see.I knew nobody could see it, but I smiled to myself. It was the first night I fell asleep with the feeling that things would somehow be better in the morning.
XXX
I woke up early next morning, as always. It was time for us to work, and I was excited. We filed out of our cells into our neat, long, little lines as they gave us our duties for the day. Luckily, me and Cherish were assigned the same thing; digging pits so people could ditch the dead bodies. Compared to other things, like actually putting the bodies in the pits, or cleaning out the toliet area.
We got our shovels and started digging way out in the Death Feilds. They called them that because nothing grew there, no matter how good you took care of it. The soil was just bad, I guess. That made it very hard to dig into, because it was so hard and rough. There were guards were watching us of course, to make sure we didn't jump the fence, or anything. At first they kept a very close eye on us, but after a while they starting fooling around.
I dug my hole, using my shovel as a measuring stick. I figured it had to be as tall as the shovel, and as long as a shovel for me to be done with it.
I waited for Cherish to say something, but she didn't. That bothered me more then anything. I mean she did remember right? Did I have to remind her? Maybe she was planning to tell me later, in the cell, or in lunch using that secret code talk. My head spun with all the possible reasons she could not be telling me, that I barely notcied when she did started talking.
"Hope, I'm not from here."
I stopped digging for a moment.
"...what?"
"Shh," she said, "Keep digging, if they notice that we've stopped they'll just keep more of a watch on us."
I did what she said and kept digging, and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, I asked; " What do you mean, your not from here?"
"I mean, I was born on the outside. That's why I'm not used to this."
"Outside?"
"Yes. Outside of this camp, there are tons of hidden villages. My parents escaped when they were teens, got married and hid. They had me, and I grew up there, hiding from anyone who might rat us out. Eventually, we found out that they knew about us, so we ran. My parents thought that it would be a better idea for me to come back in this place, so they snuck me in. Since they don't really keep good track in here, and nobody uses a real name, the only hard part was getting in. Thankfully, it was moving day."
I dug and kept quiet, trying to process this information. A whole bunch of villages, with people who escaped? I had to wonder which one was better, being here, or having to hide your freedom out there.
" So, what's up with the whole lunch thing?"
" People who live out there, start out in here. Just like you and me. There is a group, who is dedicated to getting as much people as they can out of here. Trying to start up a seperate life away from here. Rumor is, they are trying to move to another continent, because chances are Lucifer will start looking for us once he notices the numbers aren't adding up."
"Wait, Lucifer counts us? There are like, a billion people here. You couldn't count them all if you tried."
" He isn't stupid, Hope. He has everything down to a science. You think he would be able to hold all of us like nothing?"
Hmm, it was true. I mean, I never tried to sneak out of here, but I heard stories of those who did try, and them never making it. The risk didn't really seem that big. I mean sure, maxium security, but how scary does that sound.
Cherish went back to digging and so did I, but my thoughts wouldn't let it go. Finally, the guards called us in to go back to our cell. When we were walking down the hill with our shovel I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear:
"I want in."
Everybody else took their time getting ready for bed. I rushed a bit.
"Where's the fire?" Intense said, as he seen me lay down.
"I'm super tired." I said simply. I added a yawn in for dramatic effect.
We didn't have no pillows or anything here. Just a cot, and a really itchy wool sheet. Most people didn't even use the sheet since it got so hot around here. I tossed the sheet over me lightly, making sure no piece was laid heavilly on me. I wanted you to barely see the imprint of my body when you looked at it.
Soon enough, lights were shut off, and the only sound you could hear around this whole place was the sound of the gaurd's squeaky black boots. The cells were set up like streets. The rows of cells were like small house, that went down, not across, and after each 20th cell, the building would seperate and their would be a small intersection. At the intersection there was always four guards on duty, one at each corner. Usually, there was a one minute shift change, where there were absolutly no guards at that corner.
There were two guards for every "street" and they would march up and down through both intersections. It took them like two minutes to reach the intersection, and at the tenth house, they would cross. This left every cell guardless for about a minute and thirty seconds.
I waited until it was the dead of night to even attempt this, because I knew if one thing went wrong that was it for me.
When the first guard came across, I snuck to her cot. I tapped her, hoping that she was a light sleeper. Thankfully, she was, and woke up.
" Hope? What are you-"
"Shh." I whispered, putting my finger on her mouth. I ducked down as a gaurd past. He looked, and didn't see anything, so he kept walking. " I know something is going on."
She gave me a puzzeled look, like I was stupid and didn't know what I was talking about.
" Cherish, I saw what was going on at lunch. Now, your going to tell me what's happening or somebody else will."
Honestly, I was pretty much bluffing. I had no clue on how to get any information other then Cherish, so it was pretty much her or nothing.
She had an expression of deep thought on her face. I didn't have time for this, and she knew I didn't, because we both heard another guard approaching.
" Look, I'll tell you okay? But not now. Go back to sleep."
I followed her instructions and hopped in my cot before any gaurd could see.I knew nobody could see it, but I smiled to myself. It was the first night I fell asleep with the feeling that things would somehow be better in the morning.
XXX
I woke up early next morning, as always. It was time for us to work, and I was excited. We filed out of our cells into our neat, long, little lines as they gave us our duties for the day. Luckily, me and Cherish were assigned the same thing; digging pits so people could ditch the dead bodies. Compared to other things, like actually putting the bodies in the pits, or cleaning out the toliet area.
We got our shovels and started digging way out in the Death Feilds. They called them that because nothing grew there, no matter how good you took care of it. The soil was just bad, I guess. That made it very hard to dig into, because it was so hard and rough. There were guards were watching us of course, to make sure we didn't jump the fence, or anything. At first they kept a very close eye on us, but after a while they starting fooling around.
I dug my hole, using my shovel as a measuring stick. I figured it had to be as tall as the shovel, and as long as a shovel for me to be done with it.
I waited for Cherish to say something, but she didn't. That bothered me more then anything. I mean she did remember right? Did I have to remind her? Maybe she was planning to tell me later, in the cell, or in lunch using that secret code talk. My head spun with all the possible reasons she could not be telling me, that I barely notcied when she did started talking.
"Hope, I'm not from here."
I stopped digging for a moment.
"...what?"
"Shh," she said, "Keep digging, if they notice that we've stopped they'll just keep more of a watch on us."
I did what she said and kept digging, and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, I asked; " What do you mean, your not from here?"
"I mean, I was born on the outside. That's why I'm not used to this."
"Outside?"
"Yes. Outside of this camp, there are tons of hidden villages. My parents escaped when they were teens, got married and hid. They had me, and I grew up there, hiding from anyone who might rat us out. Eventually, we found out that they knew about us, so we ran. My parents thought that it would be a better idea for me to come back in this place, so they snuck me in. Since they don't really keep good track in here, and nobody uses a real name, the only hard part was getting in. Thankfully, it was moving day."
I dug and kept quiet, trying to process this information. A whole bunch of villages, with people who escaped? I had to wonder which one was better, being here, or having to hide your freedom out there.
" So, what's up with the whole lunch thing?"
" People who live out there, start out in here. Just like you and me. There is a group, who is dedicated to getting as much people as they can out of here. Trying to start up a seperate life away from here. Rumor is, they are trying to move to another continent, because chances are Lucifer will start looking for us once he notices the numbers aren't adding up."
"Wait, Lucifer counts us? There are like, a billion people here. You couldn't count them all if you tried."
" He isn't stupid, Hope. He has everything down to a science. You think he would be able to hold all of us like nothing?"
Hmm, it was true. I mean, I never tried to sneak out of here, but I heard stories of those who did try, and them never making it. The risk didn't really seem that big. I mean sure, maxium security, but how scary does that sound.
Cherish went back to digging and so did I, but my thoughts wouldn't let it go. Finally, the guards called us in to go back to our cell. When we were walking down the hill with our shovel I leaned over to her and whispered in her ear:
"I want in."