When the White Light Splits

4.

After her omission, mom wouldn’t say anything else. Clapping her hands over her mouth and saying she had said far too much already and put us in enough peril. This only heightened my anxiety to know more but she was completely mum on the subject and only talked about what we having for supper.

It was two days after the incident and I had given up getting anything from her. The university was shut yesterday because apparently that was where the transmission was focused on. I tried to push the moment from my mind, it wasn’t important; I had my studies to think of and how to get enough coupons to keep Thea and mom healthy. Mom tried her best but she only scraped together meagre amounts. I had to help where I could.

Unsurprisingly, as I walked to the university this morning, there were more posters of the Killjoys and several flyers describing how dangerous they were. There was a group of people gathered around one, I tried to move in for a closer look, but someone spat on me before I could even read what it said. In the way I had been taught by mom, and learnt over the years, I turned away and just kept going, ignoring the slight.

There were more dracs swarming the town today, all because of some stupid words on a radio. I couldn’t believe how seriously the city was taking this. It didn’t seem that important to me; what on earth did they think was going to happen?

It was on my way out of my lecture that I noticed the next strange thing. A flash of yellow at the end of the corridor, it came into my peripheral vision for a moment and the disappeared. I wouldn’t have thought anything of it if this weren’t for this being a city of gray. I hadn’t seen anything that bright for years. I looked around me but most people had already gone. There were people stood still listening to the midday transmission, completely absorbed in what was coming out of the little machines. They weren’t paying any attention to me.

I turned right, down towards the archives and research rooms, instead of heading straight out the building and followed where I had seen the flash of yellow. I turned the corner and walked down it. Whatever had caused the colour must have walked down here; all these doors had padlocks on them, so they couldn’t have gone into anyone of these. Well at least I thought they all had padlocks on them. The door second-to-last on the right was missing its padlock. The door was closed and part of me told me to ignore it, to get out of this whilst I still could. My hand turned the door handle before I had processed my thoughts enough to turn away. I pushed the door open without a sound and entered a dark document archive. I had only been in here twice before, both times with a lecturer, in order to get documents that I needed for an essay.

I couldn’t see anything immediately as my eyes adjusted to the dark. Then I saw him. There was man, stood just to my left but with his back to me, leaning over some book or other. He was dressed in yellow, with a leather jerkin over the top. I knew that I should scream, run for help, and yet somehow I was rooted to the spot, watching as he flicked one page over.

I tried to step backwards out of the room, but the floorboard gave me away with a creak. The man flew around and saw me, his hazel eyes narrowing in annoyance and shock. I didn’t scream even then as he took the two steps towards me and stood in front of me.

“Don’t hurt me,” I said as I took in his appearance; long trailing hair, weather-beaten skin and lots of tattoos. He didn’t say anything but I felt his hand pinch the skin between my shoulder and my neck. His face swam before me and my knees gave way.

**
I awoke. My eyes opened slowly and the vision of my mother’s face came sluggishly into focus.

“Don’t move too fast” she said laying a hand on my forehead.

“Trust me,” I said with a weak smile, “I wasn’t intending too”

She smiled softly and handed me a glass of what looked like water, but when drank, appeared to be water mixed with sugar. It was foul, but I gulped a few mouthfuls back anyway. I sat up slowly and shook my head as if trying to get water from ears.

“What happened?” I asked mom.

“We were hoping you could tell us that Vanya,” a voice from behind me said. I jumped and twisted around to see an unfamiliar man sat on a spindly chair. He was wearing governmental clothes and had a pale, sickly face as if he hadn’t seen much sunshine in his life.

“Who are you?” I asked him narrowing my eyes at the unfriendly look on his face.

“This is unimportant” he said standing up, “But you’re coming with me right now’

“Wait!” mother said, “She’s not well! She’s had a frightening experience”

“Madam, you’re daughter has been caught on tape speaking with a Killjoy,” he said, “We allowed her back here, against our wishes, now she is awake she is coming with me”

“The man in the archive was a Killjoy?” I asked numbly.

“You see?” said Mom pleadingly, “Vanya is innocent, she –

“- I am losing my patience madam. Given your past history I wouldn’t push your luck if I were you” said the man with a cruel smile that was anything but kind.

“I’ll go” I said, getting slowly to my feet.
“This way miss,” said the man, opening my apartment door and directing me down.

“I’ll be back soon mom” I said kissing her on the cheek and she squeezed my hand. She smiled weakly as I turned my back and followed the man’s direction down the narrow stairwell to god-knows-where.