SMILE

The creaks of the walls. The screams of the people. The occasional bang. All noises that were associated with the SMILE institute. Outside the cold, metal building, the people of the city went about their normal business. Their lips were pulled into smiles. Unnatural smiles. Joyless smiles. The world was a mixture of grey and black. The only area that was ever white were peoples' eyes once SMILE had finished with them. The world wasn't a place to live, anymore. It was a place to die. It was Hell on Earth...

Actually, Hell would probably be a nice retreat.

"Hamwel, Jordon."

The call went up for the next victim. The grinning guards moved down the rows of cages. Children. Mothers. Fathers. All the same. None of them smiling. They knew what was coming.

"Hamwel, Jordon."

The call went up again. The guards moved slowly towards the waiting figure. His grey eyes watching the two approaching figures. His hair hanging limply around his face in a frame.

"Hamwel, Jordon."

The third time. The guards opened the cage. The grins on their faces were forced. All grins were. The smiles were as faked as the grins. The figure moved forward. The guards nodded. The figure let them take his arms and walk him to the waiting judges. They weren't human. None of the judges were. No one would be able to grin with their jobs...

"Hamwel, Jordon."

Through the corridors the odd trio moved. The figure in the middle hanging his head like a prisoner on death row. The guards grinning forward at their destination. Now the name of the figure was whispered through the corridors. Fellow, future victims mumbling the name of the resistance. Mumbling the name of the man that had been the leader of freedom. The leader of the real.

Now he was going to the judges.

The door opened.

"Hello, Hamwel, Jordon."

He looked up at the judges. The grins on their faces as fake as they were. The guards had gone now. Instead, the judge in the middle beckoned him forward. He moved with an air of power. Something not many victims had. A scream rang out as another person faced the judges in another room. The judges in this room took no notice. Neither did their new victim. He moved softly forward, though never losing that feeling that was with him. He stood upon the platform. The judge in the middle pressed a lit up button. A small, rectangular screen came down.

SMILE

The word flashed on the screen. He looked at the word. His lips didn't move. Five squares lit up, one in front of each judge. The middle judge pressed his button again. A clanking noise filled the air. Then a 'whoosh'. Pain erupted in his back. He looked down at his chest. The point of a huge spike was what he saw. The judges continued to grin. He looked at them, not making a sound, then at the flashing word.

SMILE

He shook his head softly. The judge to the right of the first pressed her button. Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. More pain. Another spike entered his body. He almost made a sound this time. Another scream came from another room. He looked at the judges again. The fake grins never left their faces. He looked back at the word.

SMILE

He shook his head softly again. The judge at the end on the right pressed his button. Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. More pain. Another spike. He began to hunch from loss of blood. His eyes remained on the judges. Blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. He nodded. The word continued to flash.

SMILE

The judge at the far left pressed their button. Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. Another spike.

SMILE

His lips began to curve slightly in insanity. The only judge who hadn't pressed their button did so. Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. Another spike.

SMILE

He nodded. The pain almost unbearable. He'd bear it. The blood ran faster from his mouth. The judges started again.

SMILE

Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. Another spike.

SMILE

Another and another. Every time he lost more blood. It began to pool at his feet. The machine behind him continuing the pattern. The word continued to flash. He dropped to his knees.

SMILE

Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. Another spike.

Finally he made a noise. A soft gasping for breath. He knew what was coming.

"Do it."

The whispered words escaped him. He nodded as much as he could. The judges watched. Grinning.

SMILE

Another clank. Another 'whoosh'. Another spike. One last breath. He died. A moment later, his eyes clouded over. His body stayed where it was, kneeling down. The middle judge pressed the button. A crashing, clanging sound rang through the room. The machine's grinning face split into three. The large barrel of a gun moved to be aiming at the hedgehog-like body that had been Hamwel, Jordon. The dead resistance.

SMILE

A bang. A lazer. The body fell to dust. The judges continued to smile. The gun retreated. The machine's grinning face pushed itself back together. The next call went up, asking for the next victim as though they were the first. They weren't the first. They wouldn't even be the last. All these deaths for nothing. Nothing more than a smile. A grin.

Fear.

Judges continued to grin. They continued to sit. To grin. To wait. To watch. To kill. Killing machines... Quite literally...