Things had changed a lot on the apartment for Lovino since he had persuaded the other not to take the pill anymore. They rearranged the house for a start; both beds were now in Antonio's room because for some reason and to the annoyance of the Italian, it was bigger than his. The newly constructed double bed was hardly made unless Antonio decided to straighten it. They hardly went to work anymore as well, unless they felt like a change from their usual slacker's lifestyle and in fact they had begun to experiment. One day the two swapped jobs, Antonio turned out to work on a farm near the outskirts of the sector and Lovino marvelled in seeing for the first time the large wall that surrounded them.
What were they trying to keep out? Or why were they trying to keep them in?
When they weren't tricking the workman that they worked in the others job they just walked. With no destination or time scale in sight they just walked. The area was so big and seemed to be full of housing facilities.
"It's so strange" Antonio mused as he tugged the younger along with him since he seemed to lack the energy the Spaniard did. "It's like looking at a toy town"
"What the fuck are you on about bastard?" Lovino had taken such a liking to swearing he had seemingly invented his own dialect.
"well look" he motioned to the building around "when you build a place, a child will build the home before the rest of the city underneath, after all where do our clothes come from? Our furniture? Our food?" he then looked around "but all we see here is a road…and blank space waiting to be filled …Lovi…it's like it's unfinished…I wonder what a finished town would look like…"
"You speak nonsense idiot" Lovino mused as he flipped open the notebook and began scribbling. This made Antonio smile, he had come to know how to read the other and his defensive shell and if the other was putting it in his research book then he had to have said something right.
-Within the walls of my mind is my own paradise-
The large gates opened and vibrated the whole sector. Marching feet entered the grounds and a scientist came forward to the general and sighed.
"do we really need to do this in this particular fashion" he asked the armed man "after all the people here are programmed to obey from birth I doubt we will have any resistance"
"Why take the risk" the man replied "we may not be at war but if you are not prepared for one you'll die before it starts"
"Oh heaven forbid" the scientist replied sarcastically rolling his eyes at the government official and the men began to move towards the first factory. Nearby rustling caught the attention of the scientist who looked over his shoulder. He strained to see if anything was there but knowing the trigger happy parade was leaving him behind, he decided to catch up
-Within the walls of my mind is my own paradise-
There were heavy footsteps that raced from the scene. Breath hanging in his throat as he pushed himself through the vacant street. The single grey line of his existence leading him to a small dash of colour on the far off horizon ahead.
It was coming up to midday as the soldier plodded on through the quiet lands as factory after factory, vacant eyed zombies were led out as the scientist activated a small robot that hovered out and around the workers quickly scanning over the faces with a small beam and searching for them in the database that he had in his hand. Small bell noises sounded as each one was accounted for and removed from the list.
"alright send them back to work" he smiled and the owner of the factory began shouting to them as they sluggishly marched back to their routine lives. The man sighed and looked over the list looking confused. Two names stood up on top of the list of a blank page. "two workers are unaccounted for?"
This seemed strange so he clicked on the names, the details and photos of both coming up on the display. They lived together too it seemed and that just set off alarm bells.
"I need to borrow a couple of soldiers" he spoke with concern lacing his voice.
-Within the walls of my mind is my own paradise-
"you two freeze!"
Guns were pointed in the direction of the two as they tried to exit the apartment block. Antonio held onto Lovino and growled a little. The two armed men came forward with the scientist who looked them over. His face melted to a calmer expression.
"you must be Antonio and Lovino" he smiled "don't be scared by the big guns, we were worried you were unaccounted for"
"we aren't fucking children asshole!" Lovino snapped and then froze hearing the guns move to be pointed at him.
"what language" he commented bringing out the database looking over the pills they need "you need your vitamins boys"
Antonio could practically feel the barrel of the gun on his face as they came into their personal space. He could see the man in the lab coat reach into his pocket and brought out a couple of containers of pills. His eyes narrowed and he turned to Lovino.
"be ready" he smiled and the other just looked confused.
Antonio stood up straight, the two soldiers looking unsure at each other as he turned. He rushed the closest one and punched him straight in the gut winding him other hand racing up to grab the barrel of the gun that slipped from the weakened man's grip and swung it round colliding with the other who flew backwards into the scientist who lost control of everything. Pills and bullets spilt everywhere. Lovino was handed the gun in Antonio's hand as he ran forward grasping the other and the database from the floor.
"Run Lovi Run!" he yelled and the two took off in a blaze of adrenaline.
"sir" the winded soldier wheezed into his radio "two of the workers…armed…dangerous.. trying to escape"
The General at the other end cursed.
"Move out boys we are going hunting"
-Within the walls of my mind is my own paradise-
Everywhere was crawling in guns. The factories and work places were cleaned out to keep others from following the example of the two who were hiding. Places were slowly being search and overturned and although the higher officials were a little concerned at the lack of productivity, it was definitely becoming apparently the runaways would be taken care of permanently.
Antonio was looking out the dirtied window of the small shed at the back end of the field of his work. The soldiers were lingering the entrance but they were done for as soon as the order was given to search this place.
"What we going to do bastard?" Lovino was staring at the floor holding the gun to his chest " we are dead you realise"
The Spanaird remained quiet leaning the gun against the door and going over to the far wall. All the shed backed onto the large concrete wall. He placed his hand on it feeling the frozen cold temperature of the thick wall. Lovino watched as his eyes trailed down the wall and then began dragging things from the wall.
"what the fuck are you doing?" he asked jumping up, weapon falling to the fall with a clattered.
"this shed is regulated temperate so the stuff in here is kept at its best such as soil and stuff" Antonio grunted pushing over a shelf. "About the same temp as this wall…which means there is a vent"
Lovino blinked confused as he made his way forward to see what the man was looking for as the other continued looking along the wall. The Italian himself tried to help out trailing his eyes along the grey mess until suddenly.
"Antonio…" he muttered and the other looked over at him "that wooden panel is damp" he pointed at it. It was out of place that was true but that didn't mean anything right? Antonio on the other hand seemed excited and practically jumped on it snapping it in two as the board was jammed behind something else.
"we found it!" he declared as behind the board was a large iron grate which seemed to go on until a small lit dot in the distance "it's far" he muttered taking a wretch nearby and smashing into the grate then bent and gave under the man's determination "but it's freedom".
When the soldier reached the shed and tore down the door revealing the destroyed room beyond. The General ploughed through finding the grate lying inward at the end.
"Someone call the government, we have a crisis on our hands"
He turned and cursed throwing items everywhere as he exited looking up at the wall that towered over him with the large walkway on top for guards and just beyond that.
The city known as Paradise.