I can’t see anything in the sudden light. I squeeze my eyes shut and stumble backwards. Out of the doorway. A hand grips the fabric of my night clothes and yanks me back through the doorway. I hear the door slide shut behind me. My knees hit the ground as I’m yanked forward again. I roll, trying to get back on my feet.
Where’s everyone else? Has anyone escaped?
The light beam is switched off. I scramble to my feet and my eyesight clears.
I’m in another faintly lit hallway. Piper stands to my left, Sienna in front of me, both of them cowering away from the Official. Where’s Josh? Did he manage to escape? Did he abandon us or is he coming to save us? The Official has us at a dead end, blocking the only exit. The door is behind us, but it’s locked with a code pad.
The Official isn’t a woman. A male. I guess it makes sense, considering we’re in the boys’ Complex, but it’s still unsettling.
He has the same short hair as Josh. Confusion litters his face. His hands twitch at his sides, like he doesn’t know what to do with them.
We stand still, any movement could jolt him back to action. We have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.
The Official takes a few steps closer. He looks each of us in the eye. I take a step backwards, pressing my back into the door. Sienna and Piper do the same. We want as much distance between us as possible.
His voice is low and soft. “Where is the other one?”
Josh. The Official must have seen him before he escaped. I wish I knew where he was. The Official turns and surveys the empty hall. He spins on his heel to face us again.
“Tell me your numbers.”
Piper glances at me, and shrugs helplessly. There’s nothing we can do. She rattles off our numbers, her voice shaking, “984. 986. 988.”
“What is the other one’s number?”
“We don’t know.” Piper says. It’s true. Josh never told us what his number was.
The Official begins to type something into a machine on his wrist.
I could fight or I can be taken quietly. There’s no reason for fighting, there’s no chance I could ever escape. Even if I did get past the Official, I wouldn’t be able to find my way back to the girls’ Complex. If I did somehow manage to get back to the girls’ Complex, I’d still be taken to the Unknown. He has my number.
There’s no reason to fight, but I will not go weakly.
My muscles tense up. I crouch slightly. I’m ready to run. To kick. To slap. To do whatever it takes. The Official finishes typing, and glances up. He sees my position. He reaches out and grabs my arm. My fingernails race up and down his arm.
He yanks his arm away, taking a surprised step back. He still holds his ground, leaving no way of escape.
Piper says, her voice purposefully clear in the silence. “So we’re going to be taken this way?”
I grin and nod, the adrenaline filling me with a wild recklessness. Sienna bends at the knees, ready.
Three against one. Do we have a tiny chance?
The Official swiftly darts forwards. He grabs Piper, the smallest one here, before she can react. He holds her out in front of him, twisting her arm behind her back. Her face twists in pain and a soft cry escapes her mouth. The Official’s voice is raspy, breathless. “Try to attack me. You won’t hurt me, only her.”
YOU ARE READING
986 (Complex Series, #1)
Science Fiction-first book in Complex series- In the Complex, where everyone is emotionless perfection, a young girl discovers through forbidden friendships the frightening truth behind her seemingly flawless world. (the lovely cover was created by @clarkethevirus)
