On Our Own (gxg)

Chapter 18 - Escaping

I wake up because my holo vibrates. The room is still dark, the others must be asleep. I am cold and shivering and I notice that my blanket lies next to me, cold and unused. It's 4.30 a.m. if you believe my holo display. In the upper corner a message blinks emphaticly and the bracelet adapts the rhythm with the vibration. I open the message.

- New order -
Special Force Recruit Finley
Take over the 5 a.m. shift at sector D. Usual hallway. Sudden absence of the normal guard. Be on time.
The General.

I have no idea which general, but I have no time to think neither. Following an order which at least seems to be unsuspicious might come in handy to sort my mind. Well, let's say to regain my mind. It is still numb and as soon as I try to think of yesterday there's just fog and a headache. Strange.

Since I am cold I get up and take a quick hot shower to rise my temperature and I end it with a cold phase to get fully awake. I practically jump into my uniform and hurry to get to the sector which is by now somehow familiar. The well known beep at the entrance confirms my ID and unlocks the door. I go to the hallway I know. Lunas hallway. But sneaky peeks into the other hallway tell me that I am the only guard.

I step along the cells and they are all empty. Where is Luna? My heart beat races. I try to stand still at the usual position in the middle of the hallway, but my feet want to keep moving, my eyes want to keep looking around.

Are all the cells empty because Juh'r Kran demanded more? Holy shit, yesterday I could only narrowly prevent the Special Forces from selecting her - what if she has been exchanged for fucking goods now? Or what if the trade is just going on right now and that is the reason why the regular guard is missing in this shift now? I have to know where she is!

My heart just keeps racing faster, I am sweating, my knees are weak, my face must go pale. I don't know why or how, but I feel something. I mean, I don't think about the current situation and what we can do about it. But at least I feel something again.

An all consuming worry bringing me to the edge of panicing.

I don't understand what's going on inside of me. I literally slap myself to concentrate and tonprevent myself from freaking out. My hands tremble. I notice how useless it actually is to guard an empty hallway. I want to run, listen to music on a treadmill. Or I want to shoot something, get into the rhythm of aiming, shooting, letting the gun cool down and aiming again. I need to do something I am used to because I can't trust myself right now not to do something irrational.

The worry stings nastily. By now it's 5.27 a.m. as my holo tells me. I decide to stroll around the other cell hallways of the prison sector just to kepp myself busy and sane. All the other floors are empty, too. Only my footsteps on the cold white ground resound permanently, piercing into my head like needles. I want to be with Malone and the guys to have comfort and stop feeling alone in my anxiety.

I stop. I think have heard something. Muffled male voices. I hurry as quiet as I can back to the main entrance to the sector.

"Sergeant Connor, open the door."

I startle and I actually hear the door lock snapping open. Not able to think I just sprint back to my floor, not wanting to get caught leaving my duty station.

I breathe heavily, but still I hear a lot of feet entering the sector. It takes some time as if they enter the other hallways first, but finally to Special Forces enter with a row of 13 Goners between them. The soldier in the front nods. As the other one starts untying the Goners he closes up to me and attempts to chat.

"Yeah, well, that aliens seem to want more in the foreseeable future. So we are going to have to prepare more of them. Feed them up, make their wounds heal - I wouldn't want to fuck those sick shitbags right now neither. Look at them. Disgusting."