Before You

I didn’t dream. Although when I opened my eyes I wish I had been. The first thing I saw was bright light, nothing but blurry glare. It stung my eyes like I’d been in darkness for years and this was the first time I was seeing the sun. I blinked til the sky was finally a crisp, clear picture. It was overcast with different shades of gray, not a spot of blue in sight. It only took moments for the pain to catch up and I was greeted with an onslaught of stabs and aches. I lifted my back til I was in a sitting position, wincing in pain the whole way up. My muscles were sore, my right wrist was sprained and upon further inspection, purpling bruises were forming on my arms like a rash. It took me a minute to realize why I was seeing red. The tips of my fingers felt above my brow to find a gash with blood trickling down into my left eye. I wiped it away with the back of my sleeve. Other than that and the fact that my head was pounding, I was just fine.

The whole incident reminded me of when I was first brought to the E.A.O. I was young, running from the cops and was living on the streets. I lived by stealing, and doing what I could to get by. That night I was huddled in a dirty, tattered cloth, fifteen years old and no home:

My stomach was empty, and I was eyeing the couple across the street. They were sitting on their swing on the front porch of their house, watching the cars go by, enjoying the cooler weather. They must have been at an in laws house because an older lady brought out a tray of sandwiches. I was already on my feet, walking by the house when I’d made up my mind. I turned my head as I walked by, smiling and they smiled back. I looked straight ahead again and kept walking til I disappeared around the corner. I had to cut through a couple of backyards and jumped a fence before I made it to the side of their house. They didn’t see me enter their back yard and I stayed as quiet as I could as I inched around towards the closest window. I checked the ground, looking for a good, palm sized rock and picked it up in my hands. I turned it a few times, getting a feel for it in my fingers and took aim at the closest back window. I swung and released its weight, watching as it crashed through the glass pane.

It only took seconds for someone to scream, and I quickly hid in the bushes that lined the perimeter of the house. I snuck up to the front and sure enough, the tray of sandwiches had been abandoned. I wasted no time, bolting onto the porch, grabbing what I could and I ran. I held on with dear life, knowing that the next meal I manage to get could be days or weeks from now. I crossed the street with out looking, a red truck narrowly missed me and generously blared its horn as I ran into the brush on the other side and down the street til I ran into an alleyway. With a sigh of relief, I turned the corner and bumped into a man, causing me to drop everything in my arms. I was upset of course, I cursed at him, I cursed at myself.

And then he hands me three hundred dollars.

I was completely speechless. My mouth was open and my eyes wide. I had just called this man every name in the book and with out a word hands me cash. I almost ran and didn’t question what had just been given me, but I was curious.

“I don’t understand, what’s this for?” I asked. The man was in his mid to late twenties with slicked back hair, a square jaw, neatly trimmed stubble and wore a sleek, black suit. He smiled in response to my question.

“I know who you are. I know what you’ve done and I know what happened to your family,” he said. His voice was light, with a pleasant British accent. I clenched tightly to the cash in my hand and decided now was a good time to run. And I almost did.

“I want to help you get revenge.”

It was those very words that kept me from turning my back. They froze me in place.

“You’re not going to turn me in?” I asked the man, trying not to stammer.

He just smiled that smile again. “I want to help you take down the people that killed your family. All I ask is that you let me take you in. Let me train you, and hone your skills and I swear, I’ll help you kill every last one of those bastards,” he promised. It was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. I wasn’t sure why this guy wanted me, but I saw no downside.

“Yes sir. I’ll do it.” Those were the last words I said before someone grabbed me from behind and I felt a needle enter the soft flesh of my neck. I saw the face of the man I’d just made a deal with, my vision blurring, and before I lost consciousness, heard him say something inaudible as I closed my eyes.

I woke up much the same way. Vision blurred, bright lights and in an unknown place. Turns out I was in a waiting room, all by myself. It was chilled with central air, had a very sterile feel and smelled like the soft musk of cleaning products and cologne. Everything was still blurry as I willed myself to stand, clutching the walls and nearby end table for balance. I managed to knock over a plant, causing dirt to tumble onto the spotless gray carpet. I could only see one door, and as I headed toward it, I could just barely make out what the stainless steal plaque said which was plastered in the middle of it. It read ‘Christov M.’. I didn’t even hesitate before I pushed the door open and stumbled through.

I was greeted with the sight of a man sitting at a glass top desk. There were marble floors and stainless steal chairs, the wall behind him entirely made of floor to ceiling windows, the whole city of Chimera could be seen past the treeline. Everything looked very modern and expensive, the papers on the desks in neat piles were adorned with weights shaped like different sized squares. He smiled at me and pointed to the chair in front of the desk.

“Please sit down, it’ll take a while longer for the drugs to wear off,” he said as he tapped the edges of a few papers til they were perfectly aligned with one another. He placed them on the desk and waited for me before continuing. I stood, staring at him, my eyes narrowed with the feeling like I’d been deceived. He drugged me and took me to a strange place. I was kidnapped to say the least. He could see the tension in my body, and my reluctance to follow his gesture. “I apologize for drugging you, but you see, I run a very secret organization here and I couldn’t risk you seeing the way in. Most people don’t agree with my methods, so I try to surprise them. Only after they’ve agreed to come with me however, I assure you. Please...,” he gestured to the chair in front of him again.

My head was swimming and I didn’t feel like fighting. I didn’t have enough wits about me to argue even if I wanted to, so I took a seat. “Where am I?” I mumbled, hoping he’d understand the garbled words.

“As I’ve said, it must remain a secret to you for now. However, if you give it time, I guarantee you’ll never wish to leave for as long as you live.”

I had no idea how right he’d be...