Alice

I was stunned when they brought Shun into the City. What was he doing when he got caught? I stood up, along with everyone else who was in my little group of people. Shun was shouting at the Officials to let him go, but they didn't seem to letting their grip loosen. I couldn't help but see images of Margret and my grandfather as they tried to restrain Shun.

There was an Official on each of his arms, their arms locked in his so he couldn't run off. One behind them had a pair of hand restraints that they were trying to get on him. He kept kicking his feet and flailing as best he could so they could not get the device around his wrists.

But all the resistance in the world was useless. They finally were able to get the restraints around his wrists. One of the Officials that had been holding him, threw him to the ground. He hissed, "We can make this a lot easier if you cooperate." Shun narrowed his eyes at the Official. They were filled with hate and anger. The Officials walked away from him, then began to calm the gathering crowd.

Our people always got worked up when somebody was being arrested by an Official. This wasn't anything new. I stared at Shun in pure shock. Every fiber of my being was screaming for me to help him, to break him free and run. But he was captured, and if I tried to help him now, I would be arrested as well. And what good would I be if I was in the same cell as him?

I hated the reality, but I had to stand by and not do anything. I would worry about helping Shun later. Right now wasn't a good time. I hope he understands. I really do. Why had he been near the City in the first place though? Didn't he know what a stupid move that was?

I had been telling him about all of the crap that had started in the City, yet he still got too close. Now, he was burned. Shun's eyes found me in the crowd. He seemed surprised at first, then they narrowed at me like they had done the Official.

His amber eyes were replaced with ones of betrayal and loathing. Why though? I couldn't run up there and help him. He had to know that much. I didn't know what to think of the emotions I saw in his eyes. It seemed like they were saying to me, "I thought you cared."

I imagined his voice saying those words, and I flinched at the harshness that came along with it. I took my gaze from Shun, and put it to the Official that was returning back to his prisoner. He strolled up to Shun, a confident step in his stride.

He bent over to meet eye level with the Outcast and said, "Now, are you going to make things easier and do as we tell you?" Shun's eyes held a cold, hatred glare at the man kneeling over him. Shun then spit at the Official. There was a chorus of gasps from the audience that had formed.

My own eyes had gotten wide. Bad idea, Shun. Really bad idea. The Official wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, then looked down at Shun. Instead of him yelling like I expected, he smiled and started to laugh. This confused even Shun, let alone the entire crowd of people watching.

Why was this Official laughing? We all knew of the temper they had, so this was seriously out of character for them. The Official snapped his fingers and walked over to the rest of his group. Shun stared at them. He was wondering what they were talking about just as much as I was.

They laughed once more, and the Official broke from his group and walked back over to Shun. Something was hidden behind his back, but the growing darkness made it difficult to see what the item was. A grin was still plastered on the Official's face. "So, you think you're something, don't ya? Well, it seems like we need to remind you of your place."

Shun raised an eyebrow. What was this Official going to do to him? Surely he wouldn't kill Shun in front of a crowd, would he? The Official turned from Shun to face the people that had gathered. He laughed and said, "What do you say? Should we remind him?"

There was a chorus of 'yeahs' from the crowd. I didn't say anything, but only continued to stare at Shun. If they were about to kill him, would I run up there to him and try and save him? Even if it meant that both of us would end up dead? The Official said back to them, "Alright."

Before I could even blink, he had turned around to revealed the item that he had hidden behind him. It was a shotgun. The barrel was pointed right at Shun. His eyes were wide and filled with fear. The color in his face drained away.

Guns hadn't been used or seen since the nuclear war, so we all thought that they were obsolete. But that didn't mean we didn't know what they were. The Official smiled down at Shun and said, "That shut you up, didn't it?" I saw Shun's frantic breathing move his shoulders.

He was scared. No, terrified. I would have been too. Any of us would have. Seeing an Official with a weapon was something alien and taboo to us. I hadn't doubted the idea that they were building weapons, but I never expected them to be used.

Shun's eyes were locked on the end of the gun, and it looked like they weren't going anywhere else. Please don't shoot him. Please don't shoot him. I kept begging silently in my mind. The gun-wielding Official laughed and lowered his weapon. "Are you going to cooperate with us now?"

Shun slowly nodded his head. He looked so defeated and weak. Almost like a scared child. Of course, I would have looked the same way if I gun had been pointed right at my head. The Official's smile vanished and his expression turned cold and emotionless. "Good," he said flatly.

He then turned the gun around and hit Shun in the head with the stock. I almost shouted something out, but quickly covered my mouth before anything could escape. A few people, including the Officials, turned around to see the source of the small sound that I had made.

They then turned their attention back to Shun, as did I. Shun's head was lowered, and I was unable to see his eyes or face due to his hair and the shadows. I saw a thin line of crimson liquid fall from the place that Shun had been struck. It fell to the ground and mixed with the dirt.

I felt tears forming in my eyes, but I blinked them away. I can't show any sympathy. No caring. Not now. Not here. "Go on and take him away. I'm sure he won't give us anymore trouble," said the Official that had hit Shun. His group nodded and followed his instructions.

They picked Shun up and made him stand on his feet. He wobbled for a moment, but quickly regained his balance. He was most likely dizzy from being struck in the head. The Officials carried him off down the road that housed the City's jail. I feared of what torment they would put him through.

It left a sick feeling in my stomach to think about it. Or maybe that feeling was from the fact that I stood by while they harmed him and dragged him to his death. I shook my head, ashamed in myself. I'm sorry, Shun. But what good would it do if both of us were locked away?

I turned around and ran through the crowd of people behind me. I could feel their questioning eyes and stares on me as I ran down the dirt road. But I also felt somebody else's eyes. That Official's. The one who had the gun. I didn't know how, but I could feel him staring at me. They knew. They knew, and I was sure they were after me next for sure.

Shun

I could hardly walk, but I was too afraid of what they would do to me if I stopped. That crazed Official had already hit me in the head with one end of the gun, and I wasn't too eager to meet the other end again. The side of my head throbbed with pain.

It felt like my head was about to explode from the agony brewing inside. My vision was blurred and doubled, and the world around me was rocking from side to side. It was a miracle if I didn't have some form of brain trauma. The Officials helped steady me every once in a while as they escorted me to the jail. When we finally got there, they opened a thick metal door and threw me inside.

With my hands tied, I was unable to break my fall. I landed on the hard ground, hitting my head again. I cringed from the new pain. I was able to sit up in time for them to close to door they had thrown me through. Sounds of locks turning filled the room as they made sure I had no way of getting out.

I looked around at my new 'accommodations' that I would be staying in until they figured out what to do with me. There were four walls that looked gray in color. They were rock solid with no hope of ever falling down. Spider webs and dust floated through the air like spirits of the people who had once been in this cell and died.

At the top of one of the walls, was a small square-shaped hole cut into the rock. It was closed off by four or five metal bars. Even if I was able to reach up there, I would be unable to take any of the bars out to escape. Under the window, was a concrete block on the floor.

It was most likely a bed or bench for the prisoners to use. That was all that was in the cell. I struggled to get myself up to my feet. It wasn't easy with my hands being useless. I walked over to the concrete block and laid down. It wasn't smooth, but rocky and jagged like the stone walls of my cell.

The only thing that was nice about it, was how cool it was. The cool rock felt good on my aching body. I sighed, feeling tired but not quite enough to fall asleep. An image of Alice appeared in my mind. The way she just stood there and watched…..She didn't do anything to try and stop them. To try and help me.

I didn't know if I was angry or disappointed. My head was so mixed up at the moment, it was a miracle that I knew the difference between up and down. I thought back to the conversation she was having with the people around the fire. How she had called the Outcasts filth.

How she thought the poisoned water was a good means to eradicate us from the planet. Had I really been wrong about here this entire time? Had I been wrong to trust her and allow her into the closed off and guarded reality that belonged to me and the other Outcasts?

Had she ever really been different? At that moment, I wished my hands weren't tied so I could let my anger out by punching the rock walls. I growled in aggravation at my own stupidity for being an idiot. All my life I had made sure to never allow somebody from the City get close to me. Looks like I failed in that department.

I kicked the rocky wall behind me. The sound echoed around the cell. "Let me out of this damn place!" I shouted. Who I was shouting at, I had no clue. I just needed to. "Let me out!" There was a loud knock on the door of my cell. "Shut up in there!" I didn't have a clue that an Official was outside, but it made sense that there was a guard standing by.

He then mumbled something like, "I'm going to be happy when all of you are dead." I didn't say anything else. That Official's comment was enough to shut me up. It just proved that I was as good as dead, along with the others out in the Wastelands.

The poisoning of our water could only be the start of the extermination that the City was planning. Nobody back in my home knew about it either. They were out there, defenseless and unaware of the danger they were in. A tear rolled down my bloodstained cheek.

I just wanted to fall asleep. Forget the day and everything I heard and that happened to me. My wish came true when I finally fell asleep. I wasn't sure if it was from how tired I was, or the possible concussion I had. But even in my sleep, I wasn't free.

i feel like i'm back in the game now :3 yay for me! ^^ speaking of games...i might be going to see The Hunger Games movie tonight! woo! -does troll face- i hated that i couldnt see it when it came out since i was in Disney. :/ but now i can ^^ well, i hope it's as awesome as the books. :p read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~