“Do you want a shot to wake you up?" I asked him and he nodded sleepily.
Laurie pulled a canister marked 'adrenalin' from her bag and took out a syringe with a wicked grin on her face.
Taylor blinked at her stupidly for several seconds as he swayed against me.
“You're pretty," he slurred the words and smiled goofily.
Laurie tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear self consciously. "You might not think that in a moment." She took hold of his arm, pushed his sleeve up, and plunged the needle in. Taylor's eyes flew wide open and he instantly stopped leaning on me for support. He lunged forwards and kissed Laurie right on the lips.
I felt my mouth fall open as Laurie recovered from her shock and punched him in the gut hard enough to make him fall back into his seat.
“I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking," he spluttered, clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. His hands were shaking and he looked about ready to bolt as his eyes darted around nervously.
“You're probably feeling like running might be a good idea. But it’s not." Laurie fixed him with a hard stare, one hand on her taser and a look in her eyes that said she’d more than happily use it. Taylor's eyes darted about like crazy but he dragged down a deep, steadying breath.
“I'm okay. It's under control." He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry about laying one on you…it feels like I could run forever though."
“Yeah it's kind of a rush. Makes some people do stupid things." Laurie narrowed her eyes at him but a faint blush coloured her cheeks. There was a knot in my stomach as I watched the two of them regarding each other.
The silence became uncomfortable and Taylor dropped his gaze to his boots. The doors suddenly opened with a hiss, saving us from the awkwardness.
"C'mon." Laurie led us out through the doors of the train and onto the platform.
The other Wardens escorted the rest of the convicts out around us and we huddled together on the concrete platform. It was cold outside, the wind blew around us mercilessly and I was glad for the thick material of my uniform though it didn't protect my face. Life within The Wall hadn’t prepared me for the reality of weather.
The training unit loomed in front of us. It was a square block of a building with bars covering the few windows. It was very small compared to my experience of buildings, only three floors high. The Wardens who had been waiting on the platform for our arrival made an outer ring around us and ushered us through the doors into the block.
Our names were called out and we were sorted into three groups. Messengers, time servers and lifers.
Grey was joined by a wicked looking woman with one side of her head shaved clean and the other covered with long, thick, blood-red hair. She had a huge, half healed scar running from the corner of her eye and up through the bald part of her scalp. Her name was Dolly Vanderhousen.
Most of the other convicts joined the time servers group and a short, red haired man named Evander Payfield joined me and Taylor as messengers, which made three of us. I wondered briefly what he’d done to get sent here but it seemed rude to ask.
We were led down a short corridor to the dorms. Taylor and I hung back, letting the real criminals take the lead and hoping they wouldn’t pay us too much attention. I didn't like the way they looked at us. Like we were easy targets.
Each group was housed separately and we stopped off outside the lifer and time server dorms while the groups were shown in. Finally, we reached the dorm assigned to messengers.
"Nice huh?" Laurie smiled as we walked into the chamber.
The dorm was a narrow room containing just six beds. The whole area was unadorned and practical. Each sleeping area contained a small table with space for clothes but nothing else. A ring along the floor encircled each one.
There were two doors at the far end of the room which led to male and female washrooms.
"Get comfortable and have some sleep. The training starts tomorrow," Laurie said as we surveyed the room. She looked like she wanted to say something else but thought better of it before turning and walking out of the dorm with a wave.
“Twelve days of training and then we get sent out into the trials," Taylor said as he read a schedule which was hung from a board on the far wall.
Evander sighed and sat on the bed nearest to the exit with his head in his hands. I picked one at the opposite end of the dorm and lay down.
A voice sounded in my ear as my head hit the pillow and I damn near leapt out of my skin in fright.
“Would you like some privacy?" It was the same smooth voice that was familiar from the city, though I couldn't see any speakers.
My heart finally recovered from the shock as I lowered myself back down onto the bed with a sigh of relief.
"Okay," I replied, unsure of what I was really being offered.
A thin wall made of reinforced, white plastic rose up from the floor around my bed and extended all the way to the ceiling, boxing me in. I was alone with enough room to stand if I wanted to and a dim light on the table made it possible to see.
"This is a safe zone, it cannot be opened from the outside except by a Warden. Please rest peacefully with full knowledge of your complete safety whilst inside," the voice explained.
I looked around in wonder, a sense of relief spilling through me at the idea of that. I’d been expecting to sleep uneasily in a building filled with criminals and murderers but this meant that I could relax. At least while I slept.
"Thanks…but can I get out again for a minute?" I asked, unsure how to control it.
The wall slid back down but an uneven, slightly raised line along the floor marked where it was hiding.
Taylor was standing just on the other side of the line, looking at me curiously.
“I couldn't get in to you," he said, looking confused. “What was that?”
“It's a safety measure, so no one murders us in the night." I shrugged, trying to make light of the fact that they obviously thought there was enough chance someone might try to kill us that we needed such elaborate protection.
“Oh good,” he said in the same mocking tone. We exchanged smiles loaded with tension and I wondered whether we’d find a way to act like our usual selves while we were here or if the weight of our situation would keep this atmosphere hanging over us for the duration.
"I'm gunna take a shower," I sighed.
“I'll join you," Taylor said, moving to follow me. I stopped to raise an eyebrow at him as I waited for him to re-think that suggestion. "I mean I'll have one too, in the men's showers. Not with you…obviously." I let him turn a good shade of beetroot before laughing and heading for the promise of hot water.
The shower unit was scarce but functional and I attempted to wash some of the tension from my limbs alongside the shampoo from my hair.
I stepped out and towelled off quickly, though there was no hairdryer so my hair had to remain dripping wet. I dressed in the soft tank top and sweatpants that had been left for me to wear at night then headed back to the dorm. It was the sort of thing I would have worn back home and it made me feel a little more settled in the strange surroundings. Evander's wall was up around his bed so the room was effectively empty. I could still hear the shower running in the men’s bathroom and I chewed on my lip as I waited for my best friend to reappear.
I sat back down on the edge of my bed, refused its offer of privacy and took a deep, calming breath.
What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?
Taylor walked back in a few minutes later wearing similar white sweatpants to mine but he’d gone without a shirt. Back home I'd noticed that his chest had grown a lot broader and his arms had filled out with muscles. But without a shirt to cover him, it was suddenly obvious that our slots in the Health and Wellbeing building's gym had changed him much more than they had me.
My eyes slid over his body and I swallowed down on a lump that caught in my throat. Sometimes it was so easy to see the goofy boy I’d always known when I looked at him, but a man
was slowly taking his place.
Taylor shook his wet hair suddenly, sending a spray of cold water in my direction and I squealed as I dove for the safety of my pillow. He laughed and leapt onto the bed next to me, giving me a playful shove which I responded to with a smack from my pillow.
He snatched it out of my hands, tossing it aside before launching a merciless tickling attack on me which had me screaming for him to stop.
“Please!” I begged through my laughter. “You win!”
He slowed his attack and I instantly lunged forward to tickle him instead.
Taylor gasped with laughter, snatching my wrists into his grasp and pinning them to the mattress above my head as the weight of his body crushed me beneath him.
“Give up,” he taunted as I panted looking up at him.
“Never,” I breathed and he cracked a smile.
His gaze hooked on mine for a long moment and I was suddenly really aware of the way his body was pressed to mine, my legs parted around his hips.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably and nudged him with my knee to make him get off.
He released me instantly, rolling aside and flopping down on his back beside me.
We sat in silence for a while, staring up at the cold ceiling as we stopped giggling and the gravity of our situation sank in on us again.
"I don't want to sleep in a tank on my own tonight," I said quietly, looking at him sideways.
“I could stay." His eyes flicked to mine and back away. "In here, with you. If you like?" He shrugged like he wasn't sure if he should offer.
I considered the single bed and it crossed my mind that curling up in it with him might be a bit strange. But I really didn't want to be alone.
“I would like that," I said finally.
I tugged at the cord on my sweatpants to give my hands something to do.
Taylor looked at me again, rolling onto his side and pushed my wet hair over my shoulder.
“Come on then, shove over,” he teased.
I smirked as I shuffled aside, making room for him to lay on his back. He held an arm out and I lay on my side as I snuggled in against him, resting my head against his chest as I let out a shaky breath.
"There's no need to be afraid, they're just making an example of us. We aren't in any real danger," he said, squeezing me tightly.
"I know, but it's not like we can be sure nothing will happen. Just being around these people... You know that big guy they had in chains? Grey is his name..." I lowered my voice despite Evander being hidden behind his security wall at the opposite end of the dorm.
"I thought I recognised him from the news," Taylor said with a nod.
"Laurie seemed scared about what he might do. To me. He gave me this look." I shuddered at the memory. "We need to stay away from him."
"We will. C'mon let's try to get some sleep."
He pulled me closer and I sighed as I tried to get comfortable in the small space. It wasn't nearly big enough but Taylor let his leg dangle off of the side of the bed to give me more room. I curled up next to him and tucked myself into his side, trying not to overthink it.
It felt weird and I wished he was wearing a shirt so there would be more of a barrier between us.
“Would you like some privacy?" the smooth voice asked again.
"Yes," I replied. The wall rose up and closed us inside.
“This is a safe zone, it cannot be opened from the outside except by a Warden. Please rest peacefully with full knowledge of your safety," the voice repeated.
Taylor gently ran his fingers through my hair and I stiffened at the overfamiliar contact. He didn't say anything but he let his hand drop back to the bed as he clearly noticed me tensing up.
"Do you really think we'll be alright?" I asked after a while.
“You'll always be alright with me around." Taylor gave me a little shake and I knew he was dodging the question. I let it drop and shuffled closer to him to get more comfortable. I placed my hand on his chest and felt the steady beat of his heart beneath my fingertips. There wasn’t anything else that either of us could say so I closed my eyes and let it lull me to sleep.
I woke up with puffy eyes and wet cheeks. I didn't remember crying but the evidence was there. The nightmares of my parents deaths came frequently enough for me to be used to that but I didn’t really want Taylor to know how much it still haunted me.
Thankfully, Taylor was still out of it. His arm was wrapped so tightly around me that I had to wriggle to get free. I managed to get upright and stretched, enjoying the feeling of freedom in my joints after a night spent squashed in a corner. I looked down at Taylor, tucked my legs underneath me and considered what he’d said when we were exploring the house outside The Wall.
Maybe he was right, we weren't the same as we used to be. The boy I'd grown up with was gone and there was a man slowly taking his place.
His hair was darker than it had been when we were younger and his face was all straight lines, though it hadn't lost any of its appeal, just the boyish roundness that used to be so familiar.
Looking at Taylor was like looking at myself. He was constant and steady and he made me feel like I was home no matter where we were. I supposed he would be considered handsome and I had noticed girls taking an interest in him, but to me he was just…Taylor. My one constant thing through the turbulence of my life, my rock, my shield, the purest love I knew. He was the closest thing to family I had.
Taylor stirred in his sleep and I gave him a shove.
“Wake up. I'd rather be ready before the Wardens come looking for us," I said, ducking aside as he threw the pillow my way. He sat up straight and looked at me with a frown. Waking Taylor was always risky.
“Damn. I was hoping it was all a nightmare," he grumbled, rubbing at his eyes.
"Dream on. Can we get out?" I asked the wall which obligingly slid out of place.
Laurie was standing on the other side as if she had been about to open it and I flinched in surprise.
"Hi." I smiled up at her as she took in the sight of us clambering out of the single bed.
"I didn't realise you two were together," she said, looking between Taylor and me.
“Oh fuck no." I laughed. "He's practically my brother."
“We aren't actually related though. So it's not impossible," Taylor grunted, seeming a bit pissed at my reaction.
I glanced at him but I wasn't sure what to say to that. Laurie looked between the two of us as though trying to decipher our response and snorted a laugh before she shrugged it off.
“Well, I've come to make sure you're ready for combat training, so suit up," she said. Her eyes lingered on Taylor's bare chest a moment longer than was really necessary before she turned away to wake up Evander in the other closed bed.
We put on our camouflage gear and followed her out of the dorm. She took us down a long corridor past the other dorms, which were considerably bigger than ours, to a huge training room. Evander followed us without a word. I still hadn't heard him speak and it didn't look like I was about to anytime soon.
The training room was split into three main sections. The first area had treadmills, exercise bikes and other cardio and fitness equipment. It was very similar to the gym we used in the Health and Well-being buildings back in the city.
The next section was ringed off and empty save for the floor, which was covered in crash mats. Then there was an area with target dummies in a line along the far wall and a huge rack filled with different brightly coloured guns and knives.
“As there are just three of you, I've been put in charge of your training," Laurie announced eagerly.
I glanced at Taylor nervously and he raised his eyebrows marginally in response, Laurie could only be a year or so older than us and this basically meant we were putting our safety in her hands.
Laurie tutted irritably as she sensed our scepticism. "I know I'm still fairly low level but don't look so worried. I'm more than qualified to teach you this stuff." She led the way over to the ca
rdio equipment without waiting for us to respond and we hurried after her. “I need to push you a bit harder than usual today so that we can get fitness assessments on each of you. I know you all workout in the city so it should be easy enough." She moved to a side table and picked up three little boxes with electrodes attached to them. “I'll just hook you up to these and then if you could use a treadmill to each run ten miles as fast as you can that would be great." She smiled sweetly as she attached my electrodes then hopped onto a nearby table and crossed her legs while we got onto the treadmills.
“Go." She waved a hand at us and we started running. Laurie pulled out a book and began reading with an annoying smirk on her face. Not that I was jealous.
I’d spent two hours in the gym five times a week in the city since I was fourteen which was a little more than the standard requirements and I enjoyed it. So Laurie was right in saying it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. However, knowing we were being judged on everything we did made me push as hard as I could.
I glanced over at the other prisoners who were starting their training too. Dolly, the woman with the scar, acted like nothing I’d ever seen before. I watched as she sparred with a time server. The man approached with his fists raised and Dolly didn't react. He got close, almost close enough to reach out and grab her but she stood still, watching him through narrowed eyes.
He lunged forward but she’d already ducked aside. She used his momentum to fling him to the ground and started screaming in excitement as he fell. Dolly leapt onto his back and clawed at the man's face like she was possessed. He thrashed and tried to throw her off but he couldn't and she clearly had no intention of backing off.
Wardens started shouting warnings at her but she ignored them. After the third warning, they stepped forward and fired their tasers. She shrieked and collapsed as the man crawled aside, clutching his bleeding face.
There was a bitter taste in my mouth as I looked away and concentrated on my feet instead of the other convicts.
Laurie alternated between playing on her tablet, filing her nails, reading her book, checking our readings and getting us water as we ran. I could feel the sweat pouring off of me, but it felt good, like an outlet for the frustration I’d been feeling ever since this whole thing began.
Rebel Rising: A Dystopian Romance (Cage of Lies Book 1) Page 9