The Pandora Index (Older work)

Red (3)

Vladimir Roche

"Maybe a cardinal perched here? A vase filled with roses sitting on the brown table? I could add a..."

I extended my left hand to reach for a new bucket of paint, and stopped. My breathing became ragged. I could feel my grip tighten around the brush in my right hand until it felt like it would shatter into a million pieces.

"No... No... No... I've run out of paint... That means I... I'll have to go into town to g-get more... " I winced, "Oh god, this is h-horrible! What do I do? What if I run into an agent? I... I don't want to go back! I d-don't want to!" I shuddered.

In Pandora, you don't even have the privilege of pretending to be a human anymore, you loose everything. You loose your friends, your family, your own name is replaced by a number, and due to the lights in the floor and walls, you don't even have a shadow. So, in a sense, you die. Yet you don't have the peace of mind of really dying, you have to sit through constant torment from the vicious guards. Like mad dogs, they would bark orders at us, those who disobey them have been known to disappear from their cells at night, only to return, beaten and scarred.

"There's n-no way I'm going to risk going back to them. What do I do? What do I do! "

Without realizing it, I began pulling out my own hair and pacing around the room. My head was beginning to pound. I franticly began searching for my bottle of painkillers.

"Why would I let this happen now of all times?" I went from drawer to drawer, cabinet to cabinet, looking for the orange bottle, "Ha- How can it be g-gone? I just had them a fe- few hours ago!"

Suddenly I heard a loud voice and pounding at my front door, "Dad? Sorry I'm late, can you get the door? My arms are too full!"

Dad? It must be that old man's son. At least I know that he didn't tell the police anything. And the convenience of his arrival right at my doorstep, it must be a sign!

"Hey Dad! ...Are you here?"

I slowly trudged to the door. I need to do something quick, if I don't do anything, he'll get even more suspicious. I unlocked the door and listened. My breathing slowed, my heartbeat started to quicken.

I could hear the man's shallow, nervous breaths. I could hear the muffled crackle of dead leaves as he took a step back and placed whatever he was carrying on the ground. He said his arms were full, but of what exactly? Food maybe? That would be even more fortunate. It doesn't matter, it is time to move.

Time seemed to slow down as I thrust the door open, the cold air instantly sent a shiver crawling down my spine. I found my face twisting in horror as I realized that there was not one person, but two, and one was clad in grey Pandora armor! Before I could move, I felt twenty-five shotgun pellets blow through my chest. The impact sent me sprawling backwards.

"I got it!" I heard someone shout as I lay choking and gasping through mouthfuls of blood. "I missed the fucker's head though..."

"It's fine, I'll finish it off. Revenge feels good though, doesn't it, Mr. Leagues?" the Pandora agent said cheerfully to the man with the shotgun as he began to take a few steps into the cabin. The agent was wearing a streamlined helmet with a tinted visor.

"Uh... I don't know, I'm not going to get arrested for this, right?" The man with the shotgun asked nervously. "My brother's a cop and I don't want him to...you know?"

"It's fine, these things are no more than vicious animals, you're doing the world a favor. In return for my silence, I hope you will consider my offer." The agent tossed the man something, "I need you to stay outside and watch for anyone, don't come back in 'til I say so."