Chapter 1

I have started writing a novel. It, like all my writing,  is a work in progress. It’s my first attempt at a long piece of writing…be gentle. Other chapters may appear slowly.

 

CHAPTER 1

I stared out the window as the black smoke drifted through the streets like grey tumbleweed.  How did I get here?  I couldn’t remember the last time I saw the sun. It feels as though it has been forever. The memories of fresh air and blue skies linger in my mind but all I see is ash and rubble. Remnants of iconic buildings and powerful towers line the streets but only shattered pieces remain. The greasy, dirty window reflects my mood as I wait patiently.

“Ms. Andrews?”

No, no, no. I’m not ready. Not yet.  In the distance I can see the glow from the fires that burn. My once majestic city looks like a war zone and it feels like I’m waiting to take my place in their army.  The grip on my shoulder startles me and as a gloved hand gestures my path.  I take one last look out the window.

My captor’s footsteps are heavy beside me as I make my way down the darkened hallway. Lights flicker on either side of me as I walk to meet my fate. While I’m not technically a prisoner, I might as well be. I’m not here by choice.  A little nudge in my back reminds me to pick up my steps as I start replaying the last few years in my head. The movie is grainy and choppy and reflects the severity of my choices.

The day the Sovereign came in to power no one believed that things would escalate so quickly. The world watched but the Sovereign was manipulative and seductive in his approach, laws changed and we were indoctrinated systematically to believe in the power of our new ruler. Those of us who didn’t internalize the teachings quickly found ourselves under threat. No one knew exactly what the punishment but I had a feeling that I was about to find out.

In my previous life, I was a teacher but as the Sovereign’s power grew, our curriculum grew smaller and the realm of available information narrowed.  My love of literature was no longer relevant. Days of sharing the works of Shakespeare and the great novels were replaced by mandated lessons that supported the Sovereign’s beliefs. To Kill a Mockingbird was banned for its liberal messages and novel after novel followed suit. We lived in a dystopian paradise where free thought was persecuted and seething evil reigned.  At first, I did my job and followed the mandated changes but eventually my big mouth got me in trouble.

“Turn left here.”

At the end of the hallway a heavy steel door awaited my arrival. I swallowed hard and edged myself reluctantly to the passageway that held my fate. I put my hand up to the cold metal, my pulsed raced and my blood burned in my veins but before I even had the opportunity to hesitate a large hand pushed me from behind. I stumbled through the door, shaken by the unexpected help and stunned by the bright light that awaited me on the other side. I shielded my eyes but remained blinded by the intensity of the beam.  On the other side, hints of shadows were at what could only be a table.

“Miss Andrews, you have been tried and convicted….” A voice boomed from beyond the shadows.

“Wait, what?” My confusion was honest.

“Miss Andrews, you have been tried and convicted…” The voice repeated itself despite my protests “…of insubordination, of refusing to follow doctrine and of rebelling against the Sovereign.”

“Sir?” My stomach was flipping around faster than a washing machine.

“You have been convicted in absentia and sentenced to…”

“Pardon me, Sir?”

“You have been convicted…”

“How can I be convicted if there wasn’t a trial?” I yelled past the glaring light in to the nothingness beyond.

“… in absentia…”

“There wasn’t a trial!” Apparently under the new regime, legal rights are now irrelevant.We should have known this was coming as soon as the Sovereign started tightening up borders. First, new arrivals to the country were being banned and then it was deportations. It wasn’t long before the miscreant and the immigrants were tried and sentenced without ever setting foot in a courtroom.  Not long after that the search began for the “defiant” -those who showed even a hint of disagreement to the Sovereign.  Now it was my turn. I was convicted without even knowing I was on trial.  My body was shaking with anger. The vibrations reverberated through every inch of my being.

“Miss Andrews, you need to stop talking”.

My big mouth again. When I was removed from my teaching position, I was told there would be a meeting to discuss my behavior. I guess this was it.

“You will be escorted immediately to the Underground.”

The Underground. A whole society where people who have been deemed “undesirable” by the Sovereign are sent. Up until today, I hadn’t been entirely certain it existed. It had been the subject of rumor and urban legend as people began to vanish. When people started disappearing from society, talk started of the place they were sent. Some assumed that the Sovereign merely had them killed but stirrings of this other existence continued to creep in to the gossiping of those looking for loved ones.

I tried to shade my eyes from the light beam and scanned the room for the quickest exit. The metal door was blocked by my escort. On the other side of the shadows a small square of yellow glowed. If I ran now, I might be able to get there. I bolted, aimed towards the glow but about three steps in was met by the solid wall of the beast who had brought me in. His arm extended quickly and caught me across the chest. I was on the ground before I even registered what had happened. I coughed, sputtered and moaned as a large syringe made it way towards the side of my neck.