Paradigm Rift

Chapter Fourteen - My Prison

I could see snowy landscapes, forests, valleys, deserts, any kinds of views one could think of, all different worlds yet one key constant: me. I was just a young boy, and I was always running - running away from darkness. I could see my parents, but no matter how much I tried calling out, they moved farther and farther away.

It was as if something pulled me away from them and ripped me away from the world, leaving me alone in the darkness. There was nothing but darkness, so much darkness that I couldn't even see myself.

"You're dead," I heard a voice come from the darkness. It was my voice. Suddenly, I was staring into my own eyes.

"You've died a hundred times," another voice said. Another me. Everywhere I turned, I saw me, countless of me staring back.

"You shouldn't be. Death is the only way to make this right." They moved closer to me and I had no way out. Fear rippled through my body as I saw the ire in their eyes - eyes that were in tears.

I jerked awake to a runaway heartbeat, sweating and breathing heavily. The bizarre nightmare had my hands trembling. Pulling the blanket off me, I walked to the bathroom and rinsed my face, the help that would do. I looked at the mirror and stared into my own eyes. And as I did so, I wondered if I was staring at myself or if someone was staring back.

This was all crazy thinking. It was nothing more than a nightmare. Everything I'd recently been through was wearing me out, causing me to lose my mind. As I returned to my room, I saw a light outside my window. I pulled the curtain and saw a car waiting outside. Iris got on the passenger's seat and drove away. It was 4:00am and I wondered where she could be going this early. She hadn't mentioned anything to me, but that was to be expected.

There were many secrets in this place and I couldn't take it. I didn't sleep the rest of the night just thinking about it. Once morning arrived, I looked out the window again. I could see the wall at the distance, and the city behind it. I thought my dad could be out there and I was stuck here. Then, something caught my attention. As I looked closer at a tree, I saw a man poking his head from behind it. He immediately hid as soon as he saw me looking. Are they watching me?

I walked around to different windows and looked outside only to find my suspicions were correct. There were men all around the house, watching. More and more this felt like a prison. After sitting around and trying to think what to do, I decided to walk outside. I walked down the long driveway and approached the gates. Sure enough, as I opened the gates, one of them approached me. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Who might you be?" I asked.

"Lieutenant Cooper. Says so on the shirt. Can't you read?"

"Somehow I don't think I'll be getting anywhere with you. I'm going to speak with the Admiral."

"You're planning on walking all the way there?" He turned to the main part of the base, a small dirt road leading to it from our more grass and dirt filled location. "That's quite a walk."

"If that's a problem maybe you can give me a ride, since you don't seem to have much to do. But somehow I doubt it, I replied angry.

"I'm not allowed to give you a ride and you are not allowed to leave. So run along back inside and I'll promise to give the Admiral your message...maybe.

"You know, I'm starting to think I'm a prisoner. So why don't you tell me the truth? Am I?"

"You can take it as you like, but orders are orders. Once the Admiral says it's safe for you to move about, then we will get out of your way. Now, as I already said before, go back inside. Don't make me repeat myself a third time."

He gripped his handgun holstered on his waist tighter. Like that was going to intimidate me. There was no telling what they would do to me if I didn't obey. I didn't believe they'd kill me, but it was still good to know what I was up against. Even if it meant I'd later regret it. So I decided to do something stupid. I turned around as if walking back towards the house, and I bolted it out of there

I heard his footsteps chasing after me, but I didn't turn around to see. It would only slow me down. I heard him talk into his radio. "We have a runaway!"

I ran into the grass fields that surrounded the house. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see more coming from both sides. They were trying to surround me.

"You can't escape!" Lt. Cooper yelled.

He was right. I knew I wouldn't get away, not now, but I had to find out more about this place. This wasn't like back home, where I knew everything like the back of my hand. If I wanted to find my father, I had to take risks, and this was just the beginning.

An arm wrapped around my neck from behind and I was slammed into the ground face first. "Glad you decided to run. Was getting board," Lt. Cooper said as he drove his knee into my back.

"I'll just keep trying to run away," I said as the pain coursed through my body.

"I doubt it. But if you do, I'll be waiting." He turned me around and slammed his fist across my face. Everything went black after that.

I woke up gasping for air, my face freezing from the cold water that was doused on me. "What was that for?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes and saw Iris standing over the bench. They had just left me outside.

"What the hell were you thinking provoking them like that? They could have hurt you."

I placed a hand on my cheek, the pain still present from the punch. "You don't expect me to sit around and do nothing, do you? I thought you knew me better than that."

"The problem with you is that you act without a clear mind. You act without having a clue, without knowing anything."

"That's because you won't tell me!" I lashed out.

"I know I have keep things from you, and I'm sorry. But if I told you it would only put you in even more danger."

"I thought you knew this people?"

"I do, but I wouldn't call them friends. They don't really care about me, but they care a great deal  about you. I wish I could tell you why, I really do, but I can't."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I don't know. I thought I did, but I don't know anymore. But I'll find out, I promise. On the meantime you have to keep a low profile and do as they say."

"How can I trust you?"

"I want to help you, more than you realize. Because...because... You know what, you can either trust me or trust them. The choice is yours."

She grabbed the bo staff leaning on the wall and walked to the open courtyard. She turned and looked at me, waiting for my response. I wasn't sure if I could trust her, but I knew I couldn't trust the others. If there was any hope of me getting out of this place, it was with her help. I picked up the other staff and we began to train.

We trained for weeks, eventually switching from bo staves to daggers and swords. The routine never changed. She would go into the base every day in the early hours and spend most of the day there. Then we would train in the evening. I always had questions, but I never asked them; I knew what her answer would be. I would train and she would tell me when the time was right. And that day was closer than I imagined.

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Hi everyone, sorry for taking so long to update. This chapter might be on the slow side, but I promise it's about to pick up! Let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy it :)