S-I-N, I S-I-N

Click

Oh. That. Tara tore up so simply something I'd already tried to kill. What I saw last night was something no person should ever witness.

Rachel was shaking violently in the hall. Her hands were a furious mess, scratching at the scarred skin of her wrists. "God… what do you think he'll do? I didn't mean to-"

"But you did. Fuck Rachel, you've been here a week less than me. One goddamn week! How many times do we have to be punished cos you can't tell your story right?!" Iian was out for blood. His words struck her violently.

"But… Iian I didn't mean to." She whimpered. He didn't care. The cold hard glare was set.

"I'm sick of being disciplined cos you can't get it right. I'm sick of being stuck with a fucking invalid." His bitter eyes tore from hers as he turned to meet the shock of Mister Bellamy.

"Marvellous Iian, your words shock even me. But I highly doubt Rachel appreciates being spoken to like that. Aninvalid. Goodness me. You made the poor girl cry." He placed his hand romantically on Iian's cheek, caressing. "And such a thing simply cannot be tolerated. There will be no more filthy words from your mouth tonight. Do you understand?" His hand snapped tight, digging in his perfect nails.

He let go as the effect wore in. Iian stumbled and tripped over words. "Yeah- Uhm... Yes Sir." He didn't need anything more. I couldn't see Mister Bellamy's face but with Iian's eyes there was no need. The fearful regret, the only other emotion we saw of him that night.

"That goes for the rest of you. If I hear a single unauthorised word you simply can't comprehend how much you'll regret it."

Loud voices came from the common room. Every one made me cringe. Mister Bellamy stood staring at Iian. His shoulders shook. When they finally were silent his voice snaked up, bitter and spreading the tension. "I will deal with those miscreants later. Don't worry-"

"You know what? Fuck you Jared." wiL's voice echoed throughout the corridor. Mister Bellamy inhaled sharply. "You think it's my fault they're over there? I'll tell you whose fault it fucking is, Rachel the dumb whore who can't keep her fucking story straight." Rachel's body jolted; she looked as if she'd had a knife plunged into her stomach.

"As I was saying." Mister Bellamy continued over the growing number of cursing blows. "Don't worry Rachel, they'll regret it too." He turned and smiled at her. She swallowed hard. As he faced Iian his finger beckoned us to follow.

You know, there are far more doors in the Happi Institute than I ever expected. There are stairwells and cameras everywhere until you turn down the eighth corridor on the left. Suddenly everything gets colder. And then three doors, two more sets of stairs and three lefts turns take you to the new face of hell.

Three deafening knocks broke through the pause as we stopped. The door opened, revealing a dark room and an open pair of hands. "Iian. You are to go in there and doexactly as Mister Wolstenholme and Mister Howard say. Rachel, Shae, and Michael will accompany myself and eventually you into the next room. You will do everything with no objections and a maintained silence. Don't make things worse on Rachel by doing something so silly as screaming. I expect better from you." He turned and motioned for Iian. He entered the awaiting darkness and the door was slammed behind him.

Mister Bellamy exhaled loudly, a fond grin brushing his face. But as quickly as it had come on it was gone. He straightened up and brushed his shoulder. In silence he walked again, leading us to a door at the dead end of the hallway. He opened the door. "In."

The lights flicker on. Chains hang from the ceiling. The room was small, uncovered grey bricks, cold like three am. There were small boxes on the floor, all sealed. "I want you standing back up against the wall and I don't want to hear a single word. Don't think I won't know." He slammed the door behind him, the echo ringing through the room.

"What is this? What's in the boxes? What's going to happen?" Barely a whisper.

"Michael you heard him. He'll know." My eyes were straight ahead, lips hardly parted. I couldn't see anything monitoring us but it's not always obvious.

"But… I mean… is this normal?" He refuses to quit.

"Nothing in the Happi program is normal. Nothing will ever be normal again." A tone from Rachel I'd never heard before. Michael's eyes widened but no words escaped his mouth after that.

After years of leaning in silence, the door flew open. Iian was dragged in shirtless, his head down. The councillor and Mister Bellamy watched as his hands were lifted above his head. The chains were wrapped around his wrists and locked into place. The three leaders then lifted him high and secured him. His feet wouldn't touch the ground.

"Rachel. See the box? Pick it up." We're merely puppets in Mister Bellamy's play, his word is law. "Show them what's in it."

She opened it warily. Inside, hundreds of large engraved tapestry needles sat rusting together. She looked as confused as I felt.

"Right. So now let's get some things straight. Iian. You are to maintain your silence, as are Shae and Michael." He stepped closer to Rachel. "And you. Like to pin things on others, don't you Rachel?"

Her eyes darted from Iian to the pins. Horror dawned on her face.

"Well don't we have the perfect pincushion here? Iian, what a kind volunteer." He took the box from here hands. Passing her a pin, he guided her hand to her buddy. "Go on Rachel. Pin them on him. Give him your blood red sins."

Her hand shook. Iian's eyes were only on hers but she couldn't focus on anything else. The needle was inching closer to his skin but she couldn't will it to go any faster.

Mister Bellamy laughed cruel and cold. "Come on you foolish invalid."

She pressed it into his skin. It gradually broke around the metal but not enough for Mister Bellamy. He took a pin and stabbed it into Iian's thigh with merciless force. "Blame."

Rachel watched, eyes wide. She pushed the pin in delicately, trying to cause little harm. Iian writhed in pain, frustration dawning. "Damn it Rachel just do it right!"

Mister Bellamy laughed again, grasping her hand and driving it into Iian's arm. "Oh dear, now you owe it to Iian. Go on Rachel tell him. What's your Happi sin?"

"Betrayal." She squeaked.

"Right. Now hurry it up. How on earth will Michael learn all the Happi sins if you go this slow? After all, the Happi program is one of learning if nothing else." Mister Bellamy waited complacently, watching as Rachel did exactly what would destroy her.

I stole a glance at Michael. His face was ghostly, pale. He looked close to passing out. His eyes stuck to Rachel's hand, a fresh pin between her shaking fingers.

"Matt! Dom said-" She drops the pin and it's all you can hear. Breathless in the doorway, a red faced leader. Not just any leader, such is his face as to that of oppression. He's one of the people here who purely enjoy seeing us fail. He gets off on our pain.

Mister Bellamy's face tightened. He turned with flames in his eyes to face the clamour. "Get out of here you stupid fuck." I think it's the first time I've heard him lose his composure so fast.

"Shit look Matt I'm sorry." For last words they're cheap. His face is white; he knows he's slipped up more than once.

Poised, perfect, smooth. The hand that flies to his neck is graceful; less could be said for the choking subject. "Everyone is to leave. You know where to take this worthless corpse." The leader drops to the floor, Misters Wolstenholme and Howard grasping an arm each and before he can get breath, he's dragged out. We stand, waiting. Mister Bellamy turns to us, his face wrought with solid rage.

"Mention what you heard and, save for the screams you'll emit, it will be the last thing to emerge from those grimy lips. Understood?" We said nothing. Did nothing. There was a heavy fear for consequences and a certainty that the cost of speaking of it will come viciously.

As it turns out, freezing with fear is more hazardous than first though. The same flawless hand came fast, taking three needles and driving them into Iian's hips. "Do you fucking understand?! Ignorance! Heroics!" He laughs coldly "Disruption." We couldn't nod enough.

Iian's thigh was bleeding profusely. Mister Bellamy fed off the sight. His grin grew maniacal. "Go on Rachel, hurry. Fast, deep, let him feel his sins."

Rachel did as she was told. Her tears started to fall onto the needles. "Fear. Perversion. Disrespect." He shouts, commanding her to push them in faster, deeper.

"Let him feel it! Arms, legs, stomach. Rachel, do it right!" He grabbed her hand and rammed it, forcing needle and flesh to collide brutally. He twisted and turned, contorting her hand and jarring her wrist.

A fury of psychotic notions, he made her shout louder. "Pleasure! Deceit! Manipulation!" Her voice cut and broke and for Michael it was way too much. He turned away, the sludge of his empty stomach betraying him.

The stench was foul, Michael's body bent. His stomach contracted and more nothing was lost. It pulled Mister Bellamy back to reality. Serenity engulfed him, the type he gets from being superior. "Pathetic. You drown seven others but can't take a little penetration? You'd best behave or you'll bring worse on Shae." His grip on Rachel's hand faltered, letting it fall limp beside her. "Backs to the wall. Silence is vital and I won't bother reminding you why, I'm sure it's fairly fresh in your minds."

The door slams and there wasn't a second's silence. Michael disregarded everything he'd just heard. "Are you okay?!" His whisper is barely that.

Iian hung limp, defeated. "I'm fine." His croak was unconvincing.

"This place is so fucked up!" Michael was livid. So scared and distressed.

"It's not so bad. You just have to obey Mister Bellamy and it'll help you." Rachel's ghostly voice drifted. She sounded drugged. We stood in silence. The amount of blood Iian was losing or Rachel's broken character, I'm not sure which was more scary.

The door clicked open an infinity later, making way for Mister Bellamy. He came back in smiling with Mister Wolstenholme and Mister Howard in tow. They were directed to 'take care of the poor boy'. Almost sympathy for Iian, if it weren't for the condescending nature of his tone.

"All of you are to go stand in the hallway." We moved cautiously to the doorway. "Not you though Rachel. You are to stay behind, following Misters Howard and Wolstenholme. Come along now vermin, time for sleep."

We left stealing glances backward to a collapsed Rachel. She raised her head once before the door was slammed, leaving her final message. "Sinner."

"I don't know what happened to her after that. I spent all night trying to calm Michael down."

I look across the table. Their mouths are wide. There's everything to say but no one says a thing.