I gulped.
Reluctantly, I followed Sergeant Hill back down the long corridor and past the other empty cells with empty beds. I held my breath, silently wishing Bryce and Matthew were trailing after me like personal bodyguards. I felt like this whole mess was my fault, but I knew better than that. It was fate, and fate meant it was also partly Matthew's burden to bear.
"You know, we won't hurt your friends."
I stared ahead in silence. Sure, you won't.
"You mean a lot to us - a lot to me. You see, you're special. Special enough for me to keep you here, in the safety of New Atlanta." He smiled down at me, small dimples appearing on his aging face. "All the answers you've ever wanted are right on the other side of those doors."
I made no move to consolidate the information. I had many questions, but none that Sergeant Hill could answer. At least not the ones about the things I've lost. I glanced at Hill. I didn't trust him with even my pinkie.
"Welcome to The Dome."
He grinned as a pair of thick double doors were pushed open.
Before us lay a glass tomb. The glass, clear as the sky, curved itself high up over us. Colourful birds chirped and fluttered from tree to tree, watching us curiously. Tall pine trees made the place smell like a freshly carved wooden dresser and small ferns spread a calming pattern out across the floor. Tulips blossomed whilst the crawling daisies fixed themselves firmly onto the surrounding trees. They gave off little bursts of white and yellow that complimented the tulips and other arranged flowers.
It was a large forest, filled with the most wondrous colours that shimmered wherever you laid your eyes. It grew around a fashionable old bomber, dotted with a matching camouflage, that sat stationary and faded into its surroundings. The green of its wings spanned out, crawling daisies securing themselves to it like a wreath. The Dome was not small by any chance. By the expanse of its roof, it appeared to weave on in a maze of bushes like a real forest for hundreds of meters.
A water feature sat towards the entrance of the dome-like structure, a grainy path winding around it and disappearing into the maze of plants. A large stone eagle sat on top, and water spewed out of its mouth, trickling down over the sparrows beneath it.
"I had the last stonemason specifically build it," Sergeant Hill said, noticing my gaze fixed on the statue. "Good, isn't it?"
I nodded. Unsure of what to say. It certainly was magnificent amongst all the greenery of the little forest. And the detail on it too! I could see every feather shaft, and every riff on its claws. It didn't matter that the pond beneath it had little floating stone ducks of equal accuracy.
"We built The Dome from scratch. Scavenging what was left after the weather ruined most of the planet. As you can see, we plan to replant similar domes to kickstart ecosystems in our other cities."
"Why are you showing me this?" This was like walking into a dream, and as much as I wanted it to be real, I believed it wasn't. A man of his reputation didn't just build beautiful things because he wanted to.
His icy blue eyes watched me with an unnerving appeal. "Because you are the reason we were able to do such a thing."
"How? How, on God's earth, can I be the reason you were able to build a greenhouse from nothing?"
His eyebrows lifted slightly. I knew I had caught him in the middle of a lie this time and I knew he knew it too. "You saw me once," he said.
My mouth gaped a little, and this time it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Saw you? Me!?"
"Yes, you! Do you not remember, Ellie? Oh, how could you have!? You were just a little girl; a smart one, nonetheless. The moment I saw those braids of yours and your deep brown eyes," he paused, opening his arms up to The Dome. "You hold the key to all of this, my dear."
"The key?" I asked, my eyebrow rising further up my forehead.
He rolled his eyes, reluctant to say whatever was on the tip of his tongue. He waved his hand at me. "That is a story for another day."
"Tell me!" I demanded.
He hesitated.
"Tell. Me."
"You know where it is."
My stomach dropped and I swear my heart skipped a beat. I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice got caught, trapped in an endless void of dread. "Wh-where what is?"
"The thing your father hid."
There was no faking it now. He knew about the book, about its whereabouts. "I don't know what you're talking about."
He scoffed. "Don't play games with me, Ellie. You don't know what I'm up against; all the evil forces at play."
"What!? Like yourself?"
He rushed forward, grabbing my collar and pulling me up towards him. I struggled against his hold, but he didn't waver. "You are insignificant. Puny and stupid. A girl with no power."
"If I'm so insignificant, why am I still alive?"
He dropped me, flattening out his military jacket. "Because I need that book."
I stared at him. On my life! He will never get his hands on that book. "Well," I mocked, "I can't help you."
He grinned, the dimples in his cheeks laced with malice as he leaned forward. "At the flick of my wrist, I can kill you."
"Sir!"
Our attention wavered and we both snapped our necks towards the intruder. Sergeant Hill stood straighter, turning to the Officer who had so rudely interrupted his interrogation. He scowled at the scared man standing before him. "What!?"
He hesitated, choking on the sound that came out his mouth.
"What is it!? Can you not see I'm busy?"
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. We have a problem...sir."
"Explain."
"The bounty hunter tried to run."
My stomach dropped and my head began to swim in circles. Bryce. Did he really think he could escape from this hell? Didn't they sedate him? The poor thing was probably in pain and disorientated, and it was all my fault. I had led them both here. It was my duty to protect them and I was failing miserably.
Hill nodded as I slunk back into a bush. If I ran, I could get myself out of here and find them both. I knew Hill would kill us all, but he couldn't possibly achieve that if he didn't have us to begin with.
"Bring him in."
"Yes, sir."
It was now or never. As the Officer turned his back, I lunged forward, shoving him out of the way. He yelped as I ran past him and for the doors. Hill screamed at his Officers. I smiled, the exit was right there, I could almost touch it, and then, just like that, I was falling towards the ground.
I landed with a heavy thud; my hands splayed out. An Officer lay on top of my squirming body, holding it down, as I tried to break free. If I died now, then all of this would be for nothing.
Hill's footsteps crunched over the gravel. He knelt beside me. "Oh, Ellie. What are we going to do with you?"
"Your threats are empty to me!"
He nodded. "Perhaps you care more about your friends than yourself?"
I stopped wriggling, letting my lips stay in a firm line. The faces of the two boys laying in the medical beds, unable to move, sifted through my mind like a horror movie. Protect those that protect you. I scowled. This wasn't going to end well. I only hoped my actions would save them both. I hoped it would save us all.
He nodded. "That's what I thought. Get her up."
Someone gripped onto my shoulders, hoisting me onto my feet. I struggled to find my footing as I was dragged out of the way so the Officers holding Bryce could walk through. His head hung low, the blonde locks covering his head now matted with blood. His arm was in a brace and looked swollen and painful, and he made no effort to move against the men holding him.
"Bryce!" I screamed. He lifted his bruised face, his cool eyes meeting mine. Slowly, he shook his head.
"Clearly, your little friend doesn't know what happens when people try to run." He walked up to Bryce, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulled his head back. "Not so tough now, are we?"
Bryce scowled. His face was coated in blood and his cheek was swelling in a bright array of purple and blue. The stark blue of his eyes contrasted his changing face so dramatically I thought I was almost looking at someone who wasn't Bryce. He swallowed, making no effort to even look scared. He spat at Hill's face, his saliva making a mural on the evil man standing before us.
Disgusted, Hill grimaced, curled up his fist. His face turned red with rage as he whacked him in the stomach. Bryce grunted as his body doubled over and he began coughing, trying to recover from the blow.
"You're a monster!" I screamed. "A pure monster!"
I wanted to die. I wanted to close my eyes and die. But I couldn't. I couldn't even take my eyes off of Bryce's bruised and bloodied body as Hill hit him over and over again. With each blow, Bryce grunted until a mere whimpering escaped his lips. Hill stepped back, shaking his wrist.
Bryce's strong, sturdy body was dropped in a heap on the floor. He curled over on his knees panting and spitting blood from his lips. His strength wasn't enough to withstand the wrath of Sergeant Hill, and he groaned, sloping further towards the ground.
I struggled against my hold, and with a flick of Hill's wrist, I too was dropped. I dived for Bryce right as he was about to slouch over on the ground and pass out. I grabbed his chest, propping it up.
"Hey, hey," I cooed, lifting his chin up in an attempt to keep him awake. "You're okay. You're okay."
He made no effort to respond and instead sat heaving on his knees.
I turned to face Hill, scowling. "How dare you!"
He chuckled. "How dare I? Oh, Ellie! How naive you are!"
"You fucking coward," Bryce whispered, staring up at Hill in defiance.
I yelped as an Officer rushed forward and booted Bryce in the stomach. He doubled over in pain, spitting more blood out from his lips. I grabbed him just in time as his body began free-falling for the ground.
"Ellie," he breathed, "you have to run. Get the hell outta here."
I searched his face, waiting for a facial response, but he slumped over, unconscious.
"Bryce? Bryce!" I shook him, but he just lay unconscious in my arms. Knowing it was useless to keep on shaking him, I cradled his head, giving it some cushioning and comfort as he slipped further into his slumber.
"Now that I have your undivided attention," Hill stated, "you have exactly forty-eight hours to tell me where the fuck that book is, or your little friends will die."
I boiled with anger, my fists on the verge of curling up as I propped Bryce's head gently down in my lap. I stroked his cheek, the scratchy hairs on his chin prickling me. At least his chest still rose and fell. "If you kill us, you will never find out where that book is!"
He laughed. "Oh, yes I will. Now, have I told you about what your father did to me?"
I shook my head, rage still threatening to burst out from deep within me.
"Good. Let's start there."