Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock was ticking its life away. The room was white – it looked as though a cheap bottle of white out threw up. There were machines, and no windows or doors. It was as if this room, this sole "box" was nonexistent. The smell of lemon permeated the room. There were whispers. Heat coursed through my body. I tried mustering words, but nothing would escape.
"Smoak, wake up."
A voice sprung me awake from my twin bed. My blue eyes shot open. I was staring at a blurry mirage of my best friends face. The room was bright, the sun peeking out from the windows.
"Tommy?" It came out in a groggy muffle. "What time is it?"
"Seven." He had a backpack, which appeared to be filled to its full capacity. He wore his usual black leather jacket and distressed jeans. "Get dressed. We need to leave."
I slowly got up and searched for my square-rimmed glasses, which were resting on my nightstand. Placing them on my nose, I saw a clear image of Tommy's worried face. He was pacing, and jittering. "Mind explaining to me what's going on?"
A sigh escaped his lips. "They found out you hacked the system. My father is coming down here right now to bring you to The Box."
A sharp pain shot up my chest and I winced.
The Box. Uncharted territory. Isolation. Death. No one spoke of The Box, because speaking of The Box is a crime in of itself. No one alive besides Commander Meryln has seen it. It's only for those with a reserved death wish.
"What if he kills me right away? What if he kills me on the way there? Do I fake dead? Do I try to talk myself out of it? What-"
"Felicity." Tommy's calloused hands were now on my bare shoulders, a small piece of cloth from my tank top the only barrier. "You are going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine."
We were hugging. It was warm, and almost melted my fears away. Almost.
"What is the plan?" I asked, not entirely sure what a plan formed by Tommy Merlyn would do, considering his IQ level. I always gave the guy credit, though. He had his unbelievably brilliant moments.
"The outside; we can run and live on the outside."
Apparently this wasn't one of them.
"Are you out of your mind?" I was the one pacing now; I proceeded to sweep my blonde locks into a ponytail.
"Think about it. Everyone is afraid of the outside, therefore they won't go looking for us there. You and I both know my father would never leave The Tower in a million years."
I grabbed some clothes from my four-drawer dresser and proceeded to the bathroom. Moments later, I walked out with a black dress and jacket. My flats seemed impractical, given the idea that we were going to run, but I didn't own anything else.
"Let's say we do implement this plan, then what? We hide out in the forest for the rest of our lives, hoping not to get caught?" Tommy held out his backpack as I placed items inside.
"We'll figure it out. We make a pretty good team, Smoak." He smiled and gave my arm a squeeze. Tommy and I had known each other since we were kids. Our friendship just came really naturally.
Just as we were about to leave my room, the door was flown from its hinges. Next thing I knew, I was being handcuffed and gagged, Tommy's cries echoing behind me.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock was ticking its life away. The room was white – it looked as though a cheap bottle of white out threw up. There were machines, and no windows or doors. It was as if this room, this sole "box" was nonexistent. The smell of lemon permeated the room. There were whispers. Heat coursed through my body. I tried mustering words, but nothing would escape.
A single camera was placed in the left-hand corner of the room; a flashing red light was the only source of color amidst the white-washed walls. A sharp, searing pain ran up my chest, and I winced. After the pain subsided, I felt something sharp in my hands; it was a knife.
"What the-" I thought. How did it appear?
I had no time to react, for I was rapidly attempting to cut myself free. Looking at the camera, the previously red flashing light was no longer. There was a blank expression.
I got up and ran to the door. Guards passed by into the next corridor, so I carefully made my way out. My judgement was poor however, because I heard a "PRISONER BREACH. ALL AVAILABLE UNITS NEEDED" shouted behind me.
I ran. I built up a map in my mind, creating a blueprint of the layout of The Tower. As many times as I have mapped out the secrets of this place, I always knew the exact location of one door: the exit.
I hid inside an equipment storage room, pressing my ear against the door.
"Which way you think she went?"
"No idea. Boss isn't going to be happy."
"He still needs to know we lost her."
I heard a beep; a guard activated his communication watch.
"Boss, we lost the escapee. We think she went through one of the passages. She knew where they all were. She worked in technologies."
On the other end of the line, their boss sounded distressed. The slamming of a table seemed to follow.
"You two idiots need to find her. I don't care what it takes. You find her, and bring her to me."
"Yes, Master Merlyn."
I watched the guards, clad in navy uniforms and helmets that hid their dopey expressions, walk the opposite direction. When they proceeded out of my sight, I opened the door quietly. I was off.
It didn't take me long to reach the exit. I stood in front of it for a few seconds, before turning to the alarm box.
The benefit of working in technologies was knowing the codes for all the restricted doors. Every door had a unique code, like it had it's own identity. The code for the exit door was one I wrote down in my notebook a hundred times. Sometimes I knew it better than I knew myself.
I entered the code "3 1 2 6" and the system shut off. With shaking hands and a heavy heart, I opened the door.
There was green. Immense amounts of green. I started laughing, bending over and feeling the grass between my fingers. I removed my flats and held them between my hands. I turned around and saw the massive, grey tower before me. My free hand rested on the rough cement. I turned back around and let out a relieved sigh.
"I'm sorry, Tommy." I whispered.
My feet acted before my mind, and before I could gather my thoughts, I was walking.
The bottoms of my feet quickly became scratched and calloused. It didn't hurt; it felt good. I was free of rules, and of restrictions. I was free of the notion that acting for myself and myself only was the only way to survive. .free.
Minutes passed before I stopped, basking yet again in the vast forest. Suddenly, with one final step, I was swooped up into a net, which was hanging from a tree.
My blue eyes glanced down at the ground. I let out a gasp.
A fairly tall man, dressed all in green, a hood resting atop his head, was wielding a bow. He was aiming an arrow straight at me.