I got changed and surveyed myself in the mirror. The uniform I’d seen so regularly on the news looked strange on me. Like a nightmare given life.
I pulled my long hair back and tied it tightly behind my head, taking a steadying breath. I concentrated on my reflection, forcing back the tears which were trying to escape and letting my expression harden. I wasn't going to let this beat me and I sure as hell wasn't going to die in some filthy pit with a group of criminals.
Time to strap on my big girl boots and find out what I’m made of.
The suction release sound of the door opening drew my attention away from the mirror.
Laurie stood in the doorway with three other Wardens lurking in the corridor behind her, their backs to me. She was taller than me and looked formidable like all Wardens did, but there was a softness to her face which relaxed me a little. Somehow having her here made this all seem a little more bearable. Her mouth turned up at the corners naturally as though waiting for an excuse to smile and her blue eyes sparkled with life.
I was glad to have Laurie to escort me. I really needed to see a friendly face even if she didn't have a choice about it.
"Ready to go?" she asked brightly, like we were off for a fun day out instead of facing a firing squad
“If I say no do I get to stay here, maybe go back to my apartment and curl up under a blanket for the next three months while I pretend to serve out my sentence?" I asked, glancing around to see if I'd missed anything. Obviously I hadn't as this cell wasn’t actually mine at all but it felt odd to be leaving it after so long.
"You could give it a go," Laurie teased. I looked from her mischievous grin to the gun at one hip and taser at the other.
"Maybe not," I said, walking from the cell without looking back. The Lawless Trials might be all kinds of terrifying but remaining in that cell alone for much longer could well have meant the end to my sanity. At least this meant seeing other people, talking to them, fighting against them…
It didn't take long for me to realise we were heading to the cable cars as we traversed the city.
"No more helicopters?" I asked curiously. I realised I actually had no idea how the convicts were transported out to the battle zones for the trials.
Laurie glanced at the other Wardens before answering. "No. You’ll be transported by underground vehicle to the Lawless Trials complex," she explained quietly.
“How do they know there aren't contaminants there?" I asked as they escorted me along the Walkways.
“It's a specially selected area which had a very low contamination reading originally and has been made safe for use in the trials. It's protected like the city, though without concrete walls."
"Why don't people just run away from the trials then?" The other Wardens all gave me stern looks. "Not that I'm considering it, but the people who actually have to fight..." I trailed off.
After an uncomfortably long pause, Laurie answered.
"Because the site for the trials is a safe zone but it’s surrounded by an extremely dangerous contamination area. Only an idiot would run."
“Oh." Enough said.
We reached the cable cars on the north side of the city and headed straight to the air lock.
"No biohazard suits?" I asked as I hesitated.
"Don't worry, the landing areas are safe zones. You only had them on before because you were heading into an untested area," Laurie said, urging me forward, but I still hesitated. "Do you really think we would be going down there without suits if it was dangerous?" she pressed, clapping a hand on my arm and steering me into a waiting cable car.
The ride down still took my breath away but the excitement I’d felt before was replaced with fear. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and counted my breaths in an attempt to stay calm but I wasn’t convinced it was working.
At the base of The Wall where the cable cars turned around, a small group of people were gathered. I noticed some of them getting out of the car ahead of ours and could make out figures in the car behind us too. They were all dressed like me and were surrounded by Wardens.
There were plenty of scars and bulging muscles coupled with grimaces on faces that looked in no way approachable. I wondered if any of them weren't Dwellers aside from me and Taylor. I shifted from foot to foot at that thought but I hadn't been planning on making new friends anyway.
The Wardens were fanning out to create a circle around the prisoners and it suddenly started to hit home that this was really happening. We were being shipped off to take part in a televised fight for entertainment purely for being unlucky idiots.
Sorry Mom, Dad, I didn’t mean to screw up like this. I swear I’ll make you proud after I’ve served my term. I’ll work twice as hard to achieve every dream you ever had for me.
The door slid open as we reached the ground and Laurie pointed me towards the other prisoners. I stepped out and felt the softness of the dusty ground beneath my feet and the wind blowing in my face. It was like learning to breathe all over again. I’d never noticed how stuffy the city was but suddenly it was clear. I’d been trapped in that bubble for way too long. At least I’d get to experience a bit more of the outside world during my sentence.
Every cloud…
I peered around, hunting for Taylor and physically relaxing as I found him. He wasn't hard to spot standing to one side of the group and I swear he was taller than I remembered. At least six foot, maybe even more. Though his brown hair still fell into his eyes like the boy I’d always known.
I made my way to his side and he put an arm around me, pulling me close.
"Did they let you see your dad before you left?" I asked.
He nodded. "After the trial. Mom too."
"I guess orphans don't get visitors," I smiled bitterly.
“They said they were going to try and see you after they left me." Taylor held me at arms length and looked into my eyes with an annoying amount of concern. I shook him off and looked away from him, gazing up at the blue sky.
“I've been alone since I was twelve, don't start giving me the poor little orphan look." I walked away from him towards the rest of the group before he could reply, not wanting to hear any pointless apologies and he knew me well enough not to push it.
Taylor trailed behind, trying to wipe the pity from his face before I smacked it off.
The last cable car came to a stop and a group of Wardens twice the size of those that had escorted me disembarked led by Unibrow. They were surrounding a huge man who was restrained between them by hand and leg manacles attached to chains. His arms were roped with tattoos of various violent looking weapons and he was actually snarling like some kind of animal. He was tugging on the chains as though determined to cause as much difficulty for his captors as possible and I couldn’t help but stare at him.
His head was shaved completely bald and he had a nasty gleam in his eyes as they darted about, taking measure of all the other convicts. His gaze connected with mine and I took an involuntary step backwards, quickly turning away.
"Time to move." Laurie appeared next to me and I flinched a little as she spoke.
“Where to?" I asked.
She pointed across the open area of land to a tunnel entrance which was barely visible amongst the rocky terrain. The assembled group started heading towards it and we fell in with the masses.
“Transport takes you to the arena underground. It's safer, plus you don't know which direction you're travelling which helps with security." As she strolled along next to me companionably it was easy to forget she was a Warden. I was aware of Taylor following behind us, his eyes boring a hole in the back of my head and I guessed he was wondering why the hell I was talking to her.
The tunnel opened up ahead of us like a dark mouth ready to swallow us whole. The other convicts and Wardens were already disappearing rapidly downwards and out of sight as we moved to follow and trepidation built in my gut.
As we arrived at the tunnel entrance, we were met with a huge metal staircase that descended
deep underground. Each step was dimly lit with yellow lights but they didn't give enough illumination to show much of the surrounding cavern which dropped away from us.
"Line up, keep up the pace!" Unibrow shouted from behind us.
The other Wardens started to urge the remaining prisoners on. We lined up for the stairs, four abreast. Laurie was on my right by the wall, Taylor on my left and another Warden, who I christened Fish-lips, to his left. Bodies were packed in front and behind us uncomfortably close together and I was forcibly reminded of the old world images I’d seen of stampedes.
I looked back for one last glimpse of sunlight and noticed the Wardens holding the chained man at the rear of the group as he thrashed against the chains containing him. He snarled and cursed and my blood chilled as I hurriedly looked away again. I didn’t need to be told what he’d done to know that I needed to stay the hell away from him.
My boots clanged noisily as they made the transition from stone to metal and I started my descent among the masses.
All I could hear was the pounding of feet which echoed dully in the confined space. The light was so dim that I had to stare at the steps beneath my feet, terrified that I might trip.
The tunnel felt never ending. We delved deeper and deeper underground, and it seemed like the darkness was pressing in on us. I counted two hundred steps before we hit level ground. My breath came in little huffs and I stumbled as my legs adjusted to the change in pace. I tried not to think about how much earth was suspended above my head.
We came to a halt on a platform with tracks leading from left to right before disappearing into darkness. Laurie took my arm and guided me to the far end of the platform and I dragged Taylor along too.
A whooshing noise filled the tunnel and a rush of air ruffled my hair. Two pricks of light appeared from further down the track, getting clearer and clearer as something moved closer. A chill kissed my flesh as cold air seeped into my skin and I tucked my fingers into my armpits.
A deep rumble resonated all around me as the thing approached and the tunnel itself actually vibrated. A roar echoed around the open space so loudly that it drowned out every other sound.
“This is the transport network?" I asked Laurie in a shout as the train came into view. "I thought this was just used to travel between cities?"
“And to the Lawless Trials arena. Down here we don't have to worry about contamination," Laurie yelled back in explanation.
"How can they be sure of that?" Taylor asked, cupping his hand around his mouth to be heard.
"Constant testing," said Laurie dismissively, though Taylor didn't look convinced.
The train coasted to a stop with a set of doors in front of us and several others further back along the platform. We piled in and Laurie led us to the front of the carriage. The sudden silence made my ears tingle and I wondered how loud the train would be on the inside.
The seats were all arranged in fours, facing each other. Laurie directed us into chairs that faced forwards and I took the aisle seat. There were ankle cuffs attached to the floor before each seat which she locked securely onto each of us in turn.
Satisfied, Laurie took one of the seats opposite and relaxed into it, stretching her arms out in front of her and making her shoulders pop.
"Protocol," she said apologetically, indicating our restraints.
"Don't worry about it," I reassured her. I never would have thought that I could actually like a Warden. They’d always seemed so separate from the rest of us to me. But Laurie was so down to earth that I could almost forget what she was. "So how long will it take us to get there?"
“A few hours, but don't worry, you won't be awake for it." She smirked.
"More milk?" I scowled.
"If you're cooperative, otherwise it's a needle." She looked over my head and I craned around to see what had caught her attention. The huge man was being restrained a lot more heavily than we were and he didn't seem to be feeling cooperative. I watched a Warden preparing a needle and my eyes widened.
"Maybe two needles for him." I smiled but Laurie's face was stony as I turned back to her. She rummaged in a compartment next to her seat, took out two sealed bottles of milk and handed them to us.
“Be careful of him." She leaned close to me as she handed the bottles over before continuing in a whisper. "We aren't supposed to tell you about the other convicts but-" she paused as Fish-lips walked by.
“What?" I hissed.
"Just be careful, keep your distance. Especially you." She gave me a penetrating look which sent shivers down my spine.
I looked over my shoulder again as they plunged the needle into his neck. He was looking straight back at me and smiling, every one of his big yellow teeth on show.
I sank down into my seat and drained my milk without another word of complaint.
***
I woke to the rhythmic swaying of the train and blinked to clear the sleep from my eyes. I’d been leaning on Taylor and dribbling but thankfully he wasn't awake to notice and I wiped my chin super subtly, hoping no one else had either. I looked out of the window which was pointless as we were still in the tunnels and all I could see was my own reflection peering back at me.
"Stay fairly still or you'll have to drink more," Laurie whispered.
"Am I allowed to be awake?" I whispered back.
"Yes, just don't draw attention or they'll put you back under. They don't like to be disturbed on the journey."
I looked around at the other Wardens. They were all laughing, playing card games, watching movies on tablets and looking weirdly human. Laurie had a book and tablet set down on the seat next to her.
“You drug us so you can have fun on the journey?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
"What do you want us to do, sit here and stare at you all for three hours?" She wriggled her fingernails at me. She was in the process of painting them a violent shade of orange.
“I guess not." I smiled back, though it seemed kinda wrong all the same.
"Anyway, most convicts aren't exactly excited about this journey. It's a kindness really." She shrugged.
"Everyone wins," I said sarcastically.
“I suppose so. It's not far now anyway." Laurie smiled wryly.
"What did you mean about him?" I jerked my head in the direction of the giant behind me who was thankfully still unconscious.
"There's no reason to be worried really, they won't let him near you. You're just messengers. He’s a lifer." Laurie screwed the top back on her nail polish and chucked it on the chair with her other things.
"You mean he killed someone?" I gasped, leaning across the gap between our seats so that I could hear Laurie's whispered response. She paused and glanced about before continuing.
"You remember those girls who went missing? It was all over the news. Anyway, they weren't found alive and they didn't die easy." She frowned over my head at him. "His name is Grey Sinclair." She paused again. "The Lawless Trials are too good for some people." Her eyes blazed with anger.
“Did you know one of the girls?" I asked, surprised by her reaction. It was her job to work with criminals, she must have come across murderers before.
"Not directly, but he took a girl who was my sister's neighbour. Just a bit too close to home for my liking."
I suppressed a shiver. The people we’d be mixing with down here had done some seriously bad shit and I couldn’t let myself forget it for a second. We just needed to keep our heads down and focus on getting through our term so that we could rejoin society away from people like Grey Sinclair and try to forget this had ever happened.
Some of the other convicts were stirring now too and I sank down into my seat so as not to draw their attention.
I looked at Taylor, wondering if he might wake soon too. His face was pressed to the window with his mouth hanging open and if I’d had a sharpie to hand I’d have gone to town drawing on his face in a heartbeat. I gave him a light shove, then a harder one but he didn't wake up. I glanced at Laurie who just shr
ugged.
"What if he's not awake when we get there?" I asked.
“We give him a shot of adrenalin, then he wakes up perky." She smiled wickedly like she wanted to do that and I snorted a laugh.
The train started on an incline and I was pushed back into my seat by the momentum. After a few minutes we spilled out of the tunnel and daylight streamed in through the window, blinding me.
I gasped as I was given a view of the outside world, leaning around Taylor to get a better look.
We cruised to a stop at a platform surrounded by tall metal fences topped with razor wire. There were yellow signs on the fence with little pictures of a stick man being hit by a lighting bolt just in case anyone got any ideas about trying to climb them. Which I absolutely wouldn’t be doing.
I peered past Taylor to get a look at the rest of the surrounding area but all I could see was a big, grey building on the other side of the fence and even more Wardens pacing the platform as they waited for us to exit the train.
The windows on the other side of the train revealed a brown wasteland that sloped upwards beyond another fence. I couldn't tell what was beyond the hill and I could have groaned in frustration. The only good thing about being sent out here was the desperate hope I held in my heart to see more of the world beyond The Wall and we weren’t even being gifted that.
I shook Taylor as hard as I could and he mumbled something unintelligible but didn’t wake up.
Laurie got up and unchained both of our leg manacles.
"I'm actually doing a round of guarding here for the next few months, so you won't be getting rid of me just yet," she explained.
"Great, it'll be nice to have a friendly face around," I said, feeling genuinely relieved by that news. I didn’t imagine there were many Wardens who were as approachable as her and having a friendly face amongst their ranks was a definite bonus.
She smiled and helped me to pull Taylor to his feet with a grunt of effort. He staggered, clearly still under the effects of the sedative and I cursed as he leaned most of his weight on me.
Rebel Rising: A Dystopian Romance (Cage of Lies Book 1) Page 8