How long had I been locked in here?
Ten days ? Six months ? Five years ? I had no idea.
I could've counted the number of meals they'd thrown at me since my incarceration, but what would've been the point?
I was condemned, and I knew it.
I just ate the filth those army dogs tossed in my face.
I was twelve when they locked me up in this tiny room, with nothing but a toilet, a rotting mattress, and the stench of decay that drove me mad in the first few days, keeping me from sleep.
I don't even know how I survived this long.
My body was thin, filthy. My black hair had grown down to my shoulders.
And the best part ?
I talked to myself.
Was it to keep from going insane ? To stop myself from doing something I'd regret ? Or just to have someone, to talk to?
I had no idea. But it was all I could do in that cursed cell.
I thought many times about the reason I was here.
Would I do it again ?
Yes. Without hesitation.
Those monsters deserved it. I only gave back what they had given me.
If I could, I'd go to hell just to make them suffer again.
They didn't even let me savor the moment.
Isn't it sad that I could only return a fraction, a hundredth of what they did to me?
Just thinking about them made me nauseous. I might vomit.Better not to dirty my cell more than it already is. That'd be a shame.
*
A man in his forties sat at his desk, dressed in the standard military uniform of his country, solid violet, adorned with black lightning bolts like those on their flag. His greying hair was neatly tied into a bun.
A cigar in his mouth, he sifted through countless files.Every one of them belonged to a boy or girl under sixteen.
All were being held in "The Kennel."
It was where they select their "Dogs", in filth and rot. A place said to have only an entrance… and no exit.
The man had selected a hundred profiles.
It was time.
They needed a new litter of pups.
*
The guards were acting strangely. Silent men who normally patrolled in dull routine now seemed… excited. Almost cheerful.
I even thought I saw them smile when they dropped off my disgusting food.
Had something good happened in this shitty world of ours?
Suddenly, the door to my cell opened.Three guards entered, smiling as they stared at me.
That smile, I'd recognize it anywhere.
It was the smile of a predator cornering its prey.
The same smile I wore that day.
"Come with us."
It wasn't a request. I knew that.
I stood up, legs trembling.
How long had it been since I'd walked?Or even seen the light?
I couldn't say.
The guards surrounded me in a triangle, as if I could run.
Idiots.I could barely stand, let alone escape.
After a few minutes, we arrived at a massive metal door, seemingly indestructible.
One guard pressed his eye to the scanner. The door opened with a deafening roar.
I barely had time to see what lay beyond,
When everything went black.
*
The commanding guard sighed.
"They don't pay me enough for this shit. That was the last one?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Put him with the rest."
One of the men grabbed the boy by the collar of his orange uniform like a sack of meat.
He carried him onto a colossal wooden ship, no oars, its mast bore a familiar violet emblem, streaked with dozens of black lightning bolts.
Below deck, a hundred unconscious teens lay sprawled across the moldy floor.All bound in thick, black chains that wrapped around their bodies like straitjackets.
They looked like caged beasts, pitiful, chained, starved.
The boy was bound and left among them.
Seconds later, the ship rose into the sky and vanished, impossibly fast, a miracle known only to the elite few.
*
My neck ached terribly.
I opened my eyes. Darkness swallowed my sight.
Was it just a dream?
Was I back in my cell?
No, the floor felt different.
Not cold stone, but something else…Wood?
Had they moved me to a new cage?
I sat up with effort, tried to move my arms, something held me tight.
Chains. Ink-black chains crushed my arms against my chest.
As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw them.
Other teens.All dressed in the same damned orange uniforms, the mark of vile and unforgivable crimes.
Most were already awake, scanning their surroundings like wild animals.
And me?
I didn't care.
My life hadn't belonged to me in a long time. I knew that.
These lunatics wanted to escape?I'd enjoy watching them try.
I closed my eyes.I had made my decision.
I would wait.
Because they would come.
Who ? I didn't know.
When ? No idea.
But they would come.
Probably to execute us.
Or worse.
*
The hatch above opened, letting in faint rays of sunlight.
How long had it been since I'd seen it ?
Men in uniforms black as night entered.I'd never seen this uniform before.
Had we been sold to another country ? Were we slaves now?
A towering man, at least 6'3", with cropped hair and a rough beard stepped forward.
He spoke with a deep, gravelly voice:
"I'll say this once. You are no longer human. You are trash. You do not ask questions. You do not think. You do not breathe unless ordered to. From this moment on, you belong to "The Order". You are its property. Its objects."
One prisoner opened his mouth, but shut it instantly under the man's glare.
"You will now leave this place and face your admission trial. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you one piece of advice : Forget everything you've ever known."
He turned and motioned to the others to unchain us.
Just before stepping out, he looked back slightly over his shoulder:
"Try not to die."