I saw them coming, I watched them march, swinging their rifles while firing blanks, and popping in and out the magazine cartridges. I looked at their easy smiles and the way they carried themselves with a sense of pride. I swiped at the curtains and fastened them closed so they wouldn't blow open.

My blond hair fell in slow waves from my fingers where I had been previously grasping. I pulled my hair into a tight bun at the base of my neck. I yelled "They are coming, sound the alarm" Matthew pulled a small lever embedded in the wall. The high pitch whine screeched and the red dials spun. Everyone in the home would be soon notified once the alarm was sounded. The seconds I paused to watch were the seconds they could use to get a jump on us. I raced through the house to my sister's room. I threw open the door and charged in looking around the room. It was empty, I couldn't Panic, I could hardly breathe. I froze for less than a second then charged throughout the house. I barely glanced at the other kids, some weeping and crying like every time the alarms went off. The officers have never found us before but to take that chance and not prepare would be naïve. All of a sudden there was a series of heavy footsteps ascending and loud cracks on the front door. My muscles tensed and I swallowed down the bile gathered in my throat, but I kept silently racing through hallways, whispering quietly, "Eleanor, Eleanor please where are you?" I passed through to the boys' side looking at the young with big staring eyes and the tense older ones. I flew up the staircase while hearing thundering cracks from the front door. I glimpsed Matthew signaling to the kids in each room to follow him out. He was leading them to the archives (catacombs) below our feet. The ancient escape plan for us. Matthew was whispering rapidly to me but I wasn't processing anything. I needed to find Eleanor, that was the only thought flying through my head like a broken stereo on repeat. Matthew looked at me and recognition lit behind his eyes. He grabbed my arm and half dragged me along with the herd of stumbling kids. There was a final thunderous crack that split the door clean in half. It snapped me out of my thoughts, I gave a slight nod to Matthew, then turned and ran yelling for all girls to follow me. I took off left and I saw Matthew sprint right. I heard the screams and urged my body to carry me faster. I practically ripped the bottom grate in the bathroom off of the floor. I jumped through the hole and heard the thumps of feet hitting the floor behind me. The screams were echoing through the dusty tunnels. The light was thinning out and pitching me into darkness but I kept running with one hand on the wall constantly talking and listening for the raspy breaths behind me. My gut was squirming as I looked back and heard the heavy footfalls, The soldiers were gaining on us. I almost hit Matthew in the darkness. I grabbed his hand and let him pull me in the directions we were supposed to go. The screams were getting louder, then a loud voice within a speaker clicked on. The voice cut through the darkness. "We just want to help, stop running, we can help, we will save you. I turned and my face filled with horror, some kids stopped hopeful to the voice. People were being blasted to bits and thumps of bodies hitting the ground filled my ears. I ran, choking back a strangled sob. I let go of Matthew's hand and charged faster screaming "Run, RUN!" I heard bullets whizzing right past my ears. It was getting lighter and we were nearing the ladder rungs. I was struggling to inhale the air that overwhelmingly tasted metallic like blood. I heard choking cries and sickening thuds. I climbed quickly, my eyes were swimming and my ears hadn't yet stopped ringing. I threw open the sewer lid and clambered up quickly. I saw little limbs hauling themselves out of the sewers. My eyes flicked to Matthew who looked ghostly pale with his mouth stretched in a thin line across his face. The gunshots below us echoed and the number of people hauling themselves out was becoming fewer. Matthew turned and looked at all of the kids struggling and failing to gather their bearings. "We need to go and get the hell out of here right now, don't ever stop running, and never turn back." We all started running, gravel crunching beneath our feet, it was pouring. Kids were slipping and falling without the strength to haul themselves back up. I reached for a small girl with bright hair ribbons that had collapsed on the ground, Matthew's sharp voice cut across the ground "Leave her", His voice softened "it's too late for them we have to go." I ran through the wasteland of dead trees and charred remains left by the radiation. I stopped and stared ahead at the black masses of swarming bodies at the end of the path we were taking. I blinked hard and looked again, soldiers had cut off the path in front of us. I could still hear the snapping of sticks and the thunder of boots behind us. We were surrounded, the kids who remained huddled around together forming a protective ball around each other. Buses appeared rolling over bodies with sickening thuds. The officers were there in front of us, they grabbed kids by the hair dragging them up the bus steps. I fought hard pushing and clawing my way through the crowd. I saw a blond-haired kid attempting to kick an officer who was trying to knock her out. I screamed for Eleanor to stop and come to me. I watched the butt of a rifle slam into her body went limp and then crumpled to the ground in a heap. I screamed just as a gloved hand came up over my mouth. I kicked and screamed as they dragged my sister up the steps into the bus by her braids. Something slammed into me from the side. I rolled hard into the dirt, a foot was on my chest making it a struggle to take in air. I almost blacked out as something struck my spine. I felt myself being dragged through the mud, I saw my captor's feet in front of me, I was running on pure adrenaline as I hit their legs and shoved as hard as I could. The soldier went down with a cry of rage. I tried to drag myself up when I was smacked with the butt of a gun. The fight left my body and everything went black. I finally came to and I was collapsed against a bus seat with a wrist chained to the metal bar running down the aisles. I looked at my swollen and busted lip in the front rearview mirror. I was sitting alone in a seat across from an unconscious Matthew. There were trails of blood on the floor and smeared onto the bus seats. I looked around and estimated there were roughly 30 kids on the bus, none being Eleanor and most looking half dead. Guilt threatened to overpower me, I choked back a sob that was working its way up my throat. I had to keep her safe. She was my family. She was only a day younger than me, but she always was happy and assumed the best in everyone. I felt eyes burning into my side, I turned towards the source. Matthew had awakened and was staring at me, concern lining his features. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper, "Evie?" A sharp voice sliced up his words. "Shut the f**K up" the officer barked. Matthews's eyes fell to the blood-streaked floor. The windows were coated in thick layers of grime but there was no mistaking the steady buzz increasing in volume as we drove. There was some heavy squealing and a thunderous slam that followed. The buzz was no longer some distant hum. The bus doors opened and soldiers flowed into the Aisles. Each unlocked the chains and dragged a kid from their seat out of the bus. An officer grabbed my wrist and yanked me abruptly out of my seat. He dragged me down the steps pulling hard on my arm. Once I hit the dirt I tripped forward and stumbled to the hard ground, he yelled at me to get up, but I was too weak to stand, I crawled to my knees and he kicked me in the side. I doubled over coughing as he yanked me up by my mess of hair. His mouth curled into a look of disgust as he half dragged my body to the white building in front of me. My mouth was full of dirt and blood, I risked a look around at my surroundings. I was surrounded by a fortress with an electric fence outlining it. There were kids dressed in different colors of uniforms walking, faces devoid of all emotion. Some kids were practically dragging themselves through the dirt towards small hastily constructed cabins. My neck was snapped back around and he pulled me up as he raked his nails into my arms. I was pushed into the hallways and filed into line behind other kids. The line moved up each time a kid was emitted behind a locked metal door. I didn't see an exit, the kids didn't return. I reached the front of the line and was shoved roughly through the doorway. The door shut and the locks clicked firmly into place behind me. A man maybe in his late thirties smiled at me through a pair of thin wire-rimmed glasses. He calmly gestured to the desk in the center of the room. There were two small wooden chairs placed purposely at opposite ends of the table. On top of the tables, there was a clipboard turned upside down as well as an empty cup. I looked up into his soft grey eyes and saw traces of amusement quickly cross his features. He smiled and shook his head."We aren't going to kill you, that wouldn't do anyone good, now would it." I whipped my head around to face him directly. "Well, you certainly didn't mind bringing down loads of other poor kids" I finished with a snarl." He let out a breath he seemed to have been holding. "I work here for good reasons and for a final promising purpose. That does not mean our methods are perfect. You are alive in this room currently, are you not?" My eyes were now shooting daggers into his skull "Yeah I might be alive, but the number of kids who are still lying in the dirt dead aren't and never will be!" I saw anger flash through his features. He looked like a lion ready to pounce when he abruptly sucked in a breath. He curtly nodded and told me firmly to "please have a seat". I watched his mouth stretch into a tight line as he said "you certainly have a spirit." He looked at me and said, "you're different, the others were bawling their eyes out and very complacent." I could feel the anger boiling underneath my skin, I wanted nothing more than to snap his neck clean in half. He held the clipboard up to an angle where it faced him and was just out of my line of sight. He had a pen grasped so tightly in his hand that I could see the veins sticking out. "What is your name?" he asked. I scoffed and looked at the floor. A few seconds of silence passed and then I whispered in a hoarse voice, "what about the kids that you guys shot and left in the woods alone. Do you want to know their names?" His mouth impossibly stretched further. He paused then began to scribble more furiously, his hand flying across the paper. He finally stopped and looked down at the cup in front of him. He grabbed a water bottle and easily twisted off the cap. He wasted no time quickly filling the cup. He wouldn't meet my eyes when he pushed the cup forward across the table. He spoke softly "you must be thirsty after everything today." He finally looked up and I searched his face looking for any traces of uncertainty. I hesitated and my brain began to click some things together when he finally stood up. All traces of kindness left his face, "Just drink the d*mn water." I jumped out of my seat walking swiftly towards the outer door. He cornered me and whispered, " I really didn't want to have to do this." I watched him pull a syringe out of his pocket and flick the cap off to the ground. He lunged forward just as I locked eyes with him, I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side. He looked surprised as I ran to the other side of the room. He said "what do you expect to do, this place is crawling with soldiers. You'll never make it out" He started to laugh. His amusement turned into shock as I charged at him with the pen gripped tightly in my right hand. I drove the pen right into his neck with as much force as I could muster. His body went rigid with fear and seconds later my hands were wrapped around his neck. I pushed harder, his face becoming a tinged blue color. The doors burst open and soldiers flooded the room. I pressed harder, refusing to give in to the soldiers. I felt the floor slip from under me. I felt needles pierce my skin and cold liquid burning into my veins. Then the blackness came, like an infinite ocean within a sea of black, I was hit repeatedly with waves of cold and it was freezing. That's all that my brain could process cold, black, and darkness.

The cold was slowly retreating away and my mind was becoming sharper, then it all ceased, the fire, cold, and the dark. I sucked air and I whipped my head around quickly. My head was very heavy and felt foggy. I finally was able to haul myself up into a sitting position. I was in a small concrete room with one barred window. There was one heavily bolted door in the corner of the room. I looked up at the ceiling and noticed the almost imperceptible glint of a camera in each corner. The tiny flap in the bottom of the door slid open and a small metal tray slid through. On the tray was a small piece of folded paper and a styrofoam cup of soup. I opened the paper and squinted down at the small writing scrawled down

Welcome to Rockcliff Camp

You will be assigned to a cabin with a job and your own personal color assignment. You will remain in isolation until open signs of aggression pass.

I crumpled the paper in my fist and let it fall to the ground. I let my body slowly slide down the wall onto the cold concrete floor. I was struggling with the anxiety of being trapped so I decided to go through events in my head to clear the fog. I thought about Eleanor and my friend Matthew. Suddenly my situation dawned on me and there was nothing I could have done to prevent the sobs that began to rack my body. I knew the camera was there but I didn't care, they took everything from me and that man, I probably didn't even kill him. I was too weak to resist the urge of hunger clawing at my stomach. I pursed my lips and held the cup up to it, it smelled like garlic herbs. My stomach gave a lurch and I took a small sip, I took a few more small sips before realizing there was a strange chalky aftertaste. I knew at that moment that the food had been drugged. I tried and failed to gag up the sips I had already taken. I knocked the cup to the floor and watched as the soup slowly trickled out onto the floor. I felt dizzy and sat back against the wall on the floor to steady myself. I knew that I should be alert but the drugs would get out of my system quicker if I slept a bit. I would only have to rest for a little bit because I hardly consumed even a quarter of the soup. My eyelids drooped and I gave into the exhaustion spreading throughout my limbs. I tried to think of the last time I was asleep but everything was going very slow. I barely realized myself slipping down towards the floor.

I awoke with a start, then I mentally reprimanded myself for letting me fall asleep, I was in a heap tucked into the corner of the room. I felt rested like I slept a long time. I glanced at the window and realized it looked no different than before. I walked over visibly attempting to shake the sleep from my body. The window was covered in ancient layers of dirt much like the grim on the bus windows. I was hit with a wave of understanding about the window. I am in isolation. I do not get to know, hear, or do anything. I have no idea what day or time it is. I sighed and sat down across the room with a direct view of the door. I wasn't going to let them get a jump on me, cameras or no cameras. I sat there quietly for a while staring at the dark wall. Then the locks on the door suddenly clicked and then the door burst open. People in black suits flooded the room and they were armed with guns and all other sorts of weapons. They all wore bright blue armbands with a small black symbol. ¨Get up¨ they screamed. ¨This place is about to blow¨. I couldn't even process the entire situation. My body was groggy but my mind was sharpening. ¨What is going on¨ I yelled back. ¨Act now ask later¨ A girl with black hair hissed. I grabbed her hand and she practically dragged me out of the room. Were with the CPA (Children´s Preservation Association) and were getting you out. ¨What about all the other kids?¨ I asked. We can get them later your in more danger than them. ¨How?" I barked over the commotion. ¨They don´t want you leaving alive¨ Why?¨ I asked. I'm not sure, but you're important enough to be locked away. "My name is Nina, if we get separated wait for me near the south gates". My mouth parted to ask another question but the ceiling caved right behind us. The girl dropped my arm and screamed at me to just run. The CPA had set off bombs but the timing was wrong, the bombs were'nt supposed to go off yet unless something went wrong and the alarms were triggered. The girl spoke quickly. We ran full speed turning down endless corridors at random. The gray smoke was rising and the building was shaking hard. The air was thick and ashy making it harder to inhale. I turned down another hallway filled with matching doors labeled by subjects EX Subject B-3287. There was lots of pounding and screaming coming from inside the rooms. I knew there were people inside but If I stopped I would go down with the building. I held my breath and sprinted, letting my adrenaline carry me. I finally spotted the fire escape stairwell and threw my body against the door. The door was sealed tight and wouldn't budge. I screamed in frustration as the soldiers all struggled to open the door. I tried the next closest and handle and it clicked open to swing forward. I pushed my way through into the room and ran to the window. I shoved it open and looked out the window. The building wasn't very tall and their was a lake below. I pulled my body through the window and onto the ledge. I held my breath and jumped. I curled into a ball and hit the water hard. I felt air escape my lungs as the water swallowed me whole. I hadn't swam in years. I desperately kicked to the light shining above the surface. I broke the surface with a slash and wild breathing. I sucked in the air around me. I slipped beneath the water as I paddled to the shore. I made it to the land and hoisted myself onto the dirt. Next thing I knew I was heaving onto the sand, emptying the contents of my stomach. My knees shook but I gathered my bearings and stumbled forward to my feet. My breathing was settling as I walked further away from the bank. I knew I was still in the camp and the smoke had spread to the cabin settlements around. There were still kids in the cabins that weren't able to escape. I let my tears fall fast for all the kids lost in the fires. I sucked in a gulp of air then spun on my heel and ran. I could have gone back to find Nina, she didn't seem to be a bad person but I knew she was working for the wrong people. The CPA must have been formed with the right intentions but over the years it became less about saving the children and more about confiscation of the government. I continued to run for as long as I could possibly stay upright. Out the gates and down I80 for as long as possible. I reached a town with not a single drop of energy left in any fiber of my being. The first building up ahead was a majorly rundown Burger King. The parking lot was empty and the door swung open, easy to the touch. I walked inside and gazed sadly at the state of the place. Chairs and tables had been overturned and scraps of trash littered the floor. I pushed the back kitchen flap open and walked through the doorway. The place had obviously already been ransacked. Nothing was left to take, but the place offered shelter and the idea of moving another inch was just as appealing as slamming my fingers into a door hinge. I slumped to the floor and curled up against the wall resting my head on an old sack of flour. The dreams came fast as a flurry of emotions swelled up inside of me. I was ten, jumping up and down, from foot to foot practically squealing with excitement. My father had just announced that for my eleventh birthday he would be bringing home a small brown puppy with large curious eyes. He pulled a small photo out of his pocket depicting a tiny dog with the tail fuzzy, caught in the motion of wagging. The next morning there was no puppy knocking at the door, instead it was the soldiers ordering my parents to offer my sister and I up for experimental studies to keep me safe from the radiation affecting millions of children across the globe. My parents told them to go away, that they didn't have children. The soldiers tried to force their entry and my dad slammed the door in their face. They came back the next day to arrest dad for obstruction to the law enforcement. We didn't wait for them to break down the door, instead we packed our bags and ran out the back door. I never got a puppy and I never saw my house again. My family got separated in the woods after that. My sister and I were never able to find our parents after the split in the woods. Later we lived in the old homestead with other orphaned children. I woke slowly, shaking away the sleep in layers. Thinking of the past caused tears to spring up. I sniffed and roughly rubbed my face.