Kevin had lost track of time since he was kidnapped. It hadn't taken long before he gave up on caring about where he was going or what would happen next. The rage, hatred, and terror had faded away, only to be replaced with ambivalent apathy. The only thing he cared about now was getting as far away from that house as possible. It all happened so suddenly. He couldn't remember how he was strapped to one of the sides of the van, nor what the van even looked like. Perhaps he was still drunk. The lack of light only complicated his attempts at comprehending his surroundings.
He couldn't care what they were going to do to him. Part of him hoped he would be dead come tomorrow, while another part of him was relieved to have finally escaped his despised former life once and for all. The irony was funny. It made Kevin chuckle. That chuckle turned to laughter, which turned hysterical. "I'm free. I'm finally free! I'm freeeeeee".
The hysteria only ceased when thumping from the front of the van followed shortly after by the muffled voice of the man who yelled "Shut up!".
Kevin shut up and began to recall the man and the woman. It had felt like hours since they had taken him, and he had no idea where he was going. Paranoia returned as Kevin began to speculate his fate. The unstable thinking turned towards the painful bruises he had received.
The front seats remained somewhat quiet. Muffled conversations could be heard only now and then. The rough road, the generally loud car, and sounds from the city outside only muffled the pair's conversations further. It was when the sounds of the city had ceased and the van slowed down that he may possibly hear them. Kevin realised he could move, but only barely. He shuffled towards the front, stretching to place his ear against the wall which divided him from the abductors. He sat in that uncomfortable position for many minutes, growing more desperate for any hint of his fate as time passed and joints ached.
After what felt like half an hour, Kevin heard the man speak. "We'll have to stop when we leave the motorway."
"I'll talk to the boy when we've stopped then", the woman replied, followed by something inaudible, "you messed him up badly".
"He was carrying a weapon, was I supposed to allow him to kill that woman?"
"Would he have though?"
"She had the bruises and the tears to show what he's like. Why else would they have wanted to be rid of him?"
"We both know why— ". The woman quieted her voice as if to prevent Kevin from hearing. Why what?
"Anyway, everyone's all got what they—"A loud lorry drove close to the side of the van and deafened the rest of the conversation even further. By the time the lorry had disappeared, the two were silent. Despite the situation, the woman's hint of scepticism brought a shred of relief, no matter how minor it was. She still can't be trusted.
After a while, the sounds of the motorway began to die down, and several sharp turns of the van were made, forcing Kevin to hold onto the chains that tied him to the wall to prevent himself from falling over or throwing up. After a while, the van slowed down to a halt until it stopped altogether. The man was the first to exit the vehicle, causing Kevin to panic and shrivel into the corner the best he could. Clanking sounds were made outside, and something was inserted into the van. When this had stopped, he could hear the man walk away before the woman left the vehicle and opened the doors to the back of the van. Artificial lighting from the outside blinded Kevin's eyes for a few moments.
The woman gazed at him for a few moments. "He's gone to pay, I thought we might have a chat". Kevin was silent. "There's a queue, so we have a moment. I'm Tessa". Behind the woman, Kevin recognised a petrol station. The area had less smog than Glasgow, allowing more light than Kevin was used to. There was only one other car, with a fat man managing the petrol pump who kept staring at him with seeming amusement. Inside the car, Kevin could make out a woman and some children, pointing and staring at him. Tessa turned around, realised the source of his distress, and entered the van, closing the doors behind her.
"I've no idea how the lights in these things work", she confessed as she fumbled around on her phone to turn the flashlight on. "Easier to breathe out there, hm?", she smiled. Kevin was unfazed, he didn't want her anywhere near him. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. Tessa shuffled about as she decided on crouching on the opposite corner to Kevin.
"So, Kevin Johnson. Both I and my colleague out there are working as Youth Mental Health Agents. We work with troubled young people who are, let's say, unsuitable in their current living environments", she pushed up her hair, removed her glasses, and licked her lips. "So, your dad and step-mother aren't happy with you in the household right? They say you abuse your– ".
"Lies. She wanted to be rid of me. It should have been her that was abducted", Kevin interrupted.
The woman looked him over, her eyes furrowed in a poor imitation of concern. "That's just all the information I've got to work with. Right, we won't focus on that, but I do want to fill you in on what's going on. You must be terrified back here, left in the dark. Literally and figuratively". She glanced at her phone's screen before placing it back down, and then looked back at Kevin, and acted as if she wanted to say more, but bit her lips and pushed them to one side. This isn't going to be pleasant news.
She must have read his mind. "We're not going to hurt you. I'll make sure of that. We're taking you to a wee station that's outside the village of Arumlily, tucked away up in the Scottish Highlands, so there's still a bit of a drive to get there. Before that, we're stopping at the company's office in Stirling. Anyway, when we arrive at the village, you'll be sent to, erm", she looked around to find the right words, "an allocation session, I suppose".
"Great", Kevin chimed.
"Kevin, look, you're going to get your own small flat. All to yourself.", Kevin looked at her to stare in surprise and disbelief. "Credits are going to be given to you every week to pay for your shopping". When Kevin looked up at her, perplexed, she opened her mouth to comically 'ahhh' in glee.
The front door opened and slammed. The woman's head moved from her colleague's general direction and then her eyes went to Kevin. She turned her head back towards Kevin and told him she'd give him some time to try and feel a bit more optimistic. She left the back door open and re-entered her own door and slammed it shut. Words were exchanged, and soon the man entered the back doors. The man only glanced at him briefly as he entered the vehicle, followed by a patronising head-shake upon seeing Kevin shrivelled up. He messed about with a small compartment in the opposite wall, sighed, flicked a few switches, and some small lights came on. He didn't even look at Kevin as he left to enter the driver's seat once more, and soon they were back on the road.
***
It was around half an hour later before the vehicle slowed, turned a few corners, and eventually stopped once more. The two emerged from the front and exchanged some words before they opened the back doors once more. "We've reached Stirling", Tessa exclaimed. "We've agreed to let you out for a bit while John pops upstairs to fetch some last-minute paperwork". John nodded at her, gave her his taser, making sure Kevin noticed it and walked out of sight. The woman entered and reached for the binds tying Kevin to the wall and suddenly hesitated. "No funny business", she commanded with a much different, authoritative tone as she flashed the taser. Kevin nodded and Tessa unbound him, taking his hand to leave the van. The woman's painful clutch on Kevin's arms lingered as he followed her out of the vehicle and into a car park. Just like Jules, in more ways than one.
Kevin remembered a trip once to Stirling when he was much younger when his life was smooth and stable. The family had gone to a safari park to see many animals one summer. A summer without smog or violence. Only laughter and the gilded glow of the warm sun. The memory of him and his sister laughing hard at a sea lion show brought a smile to his face, even in the current predicament. After the trip, they had gone shopping in the town centre, buying toys and video games.
The city he had stepped into was nothing like that. Instead of numerous intertwining streets of shops and a bustling shopping district, the city had been replaced with skyscrapers full of corporate offices and fused, multi-story apartment complexes, extending for as far as Kevin could see until they faded into the smog. There were no trees, grass or colour in anything. For what was visible, almost the entirety was decorated in the traditional dark grey of the Grand Market.
For the past few decades, the union had been undergoing a transition of both 'reurbanisation' and 'deurbanisation' simultaneously. From what Kevin remembered at school, this meant something like a new order of corporate bureaucrats moved in large quantities to a few cities across the union, forcing the lower classes to move to rural locations to work in the industries their replacers government. There was obviously more to the story, but Kevin never cared for his education. He certainly did care why they created this smog, though. And now he cared even more about why this Union continues to pervade his memories. Despite all their promises, the smog never went away. It only expanded, creeping down more and more streets and their windows. It killed the elderly, crippled more, and angered everyone. Perhaps that's why there's a new riot every week. But now it's not even every fortnight. There was no point now anymore.
"What happened here?", he asked Tessa.
"What do you mean?", she responded, leaning against a railing overlooking a motorway below.
"It was nicer here when I was younger".
"The world's changed since you shut yourself away from it, Kevin. Not really for the better. I guess it became more urban. Quite a few cities across Britain overhauled their central population in favour of a more, hmm, professional audience if you get me. The other cities and towns specialise in rural industries, all for the good of the market".
Of course, she's one of them. Kevin stopped pondering on her potential sudden change of heart. He needed reassurance now. "I won't be safe where I'm going, I know it". The woman perked up her head and pulled a mask out of her pocket after clearing her throat and then brushing off a few tendrils of black smogsoot from her face. "It's our speciality. We know what we're doing -- looking after the needy in one location. Convenient and practical".
"Define needy".
"Well, in this case, youth suffering from mental health conditions".
"So, a prison?".
Tessa looked furious for a moment but then began to smile as Jules would. "Kevin, you're going to have your own home, a new phone, a small income, and a team of professional workers helping you along the way, all in one village. Completely free of charge. You ought to be thanking us". As long as the other woman's out of the picture I couldn't care less.
"You'll make friends. It'll be fine. There's even a pub... with restrictions obviously", she eyed him down. And what did that other woman tell her, I wonder? "Enough talk of Arumlily, we'll get there in an hour or so. I'm not the one who does the driving, thankfully", she chimed as she faked a giggle. Kevin stood silent in anxious anticipation. "John shouldn't be long up in those offices. These elevators are scarily fast these days", nodding upwards towards one of the skyscrapers, where John had entered. It was impossible not to feel tiny and insignificant in the midst of the Market's staple skyscrapers, especially under ones with over one hundred floors. All throughout the view of Stirling were more skyscrapers of varying heights, most seemed to become shorter the further away from the city centre they stood. The flags of the Grand Market were digitally emblazoned across many of the skyscrapers, with some stretching for several floors. They all fluttered across the windows as if they were real flags, blowing in real wind. Other than flags and banners, vivid video advertisements also adorned their windows. Giant holograms of people and mascots emerged from many balconies and rooftops, animating the otherwise lifeless city. Some were depictions of the alien mascot of Starlord advertising the drinks of their respective brand, while others depicted busty women promoting the latest Sherman phone or cigarettes. There were far too many depictions across all of the screens, holograms and neon-lit logos. Despite the brutality on which these cities were crafted, the array was nonetheless, stupendous.
"What's he doing?", he then asked, snapping himself back to reality.
"Collecting your paperwork, data, all that rubbish we need for your legal team. It was all very last minute, delayed and all", she paused to stare at him. "I shouldn't be saying this, but the woman who was in charge of your paperwork, well she actually killed herself recently". Recently, Kevin was quick to catch on to this prospect. They'd been planning this for longer than a few days. Tessa continued, "So they had to find a replacement rather quickly, and then the recommendations from our Allied Businesses came through". Why would she tell a troubled youth that?
"What do you know about those homeless disappearances?", he blurted, uncaring of some strangers death.
"It's a communist myth. Don't believe everything you read on your phone". The phone you stole from me, you lying bitch. "Before you blurt out any more shifty conspiracies, we're not affiliated with the Grand Market. The village is stashed safely away in the middle of nowhere for a reason". Kevin recalled her earlier statement where she claimed the reurbanisation of Stirling was 'for the good of the market'. It was a slip-up on her behalf which he wouldn't forget anytime soon.
Kevin decided to swallow his pride and apologised for his attitude and blamed it on the overwhelming situation he faced. Tessa didn't seem to care. "There he comes", she stated and took a few steps to meet John.
Kevin didn't want to even look at the man. He was glad when a newspaper trailed across the dirty ground and wafted its way to Kevin's feet. He picked it up, hoping it would distract him from the peering eyes of his abductors. The pages, and the front cover especially, portrayed strikes and protests throughout the UK, as well as the intervention from Market Peacekeepers. From what Kevin understood, these events were reoccurring here and there but would always immediately vanish from the press when the Peacekeepers came. I wonder what happens afterwards. Kevin kicked the newspaper away and walked towards the railing, looking down upon the active motorway. Directly across from him was a large train station from which a group of people were leaving to enter this miserable city. The sight reminded him of the time where Soviet refugees emerged all across the UK after the Soviet Union was defeated. He had witnessed large groups of refugees exit train stations and airports when it was on the news. Even in person, Kevin recalled seeing groups of them leave local train stations. Some of them even joined his school, and like him, they were heavily bullied and ostracised. Soviets were everywhere for years, yet gradually, they became unheard of, both in the media and in reality. The Merchants probably realised their mistake, Kevin thought darkly, connecting the dots between the avoidance of their existence in the media and their aptitude for protests in their new countries.
Tessa came back to bind Kevin back into the van, which Kevin reluctantly submitted to. The man was behind her, talking about the two sandwiches he had brought down, and let Tessa choose which one she would have on the road. She left and closed the back doors of the van without even glancing at Kevin. And then, they were back on the road to Arumlily.