The Battle of The Sectors

*Disclaimer* Depiction of Blood

(This is a part of a larger novel series I'm in the process of making so please, please, please, don't steal my work)

We step into the desert-like heat and start walking, the coordinates only 2,000 feet away. Ryder is walking behind me, watching my back, although nothing hazardous crosses our path. I look at the pad, anxiously watching the GPS’s red dot to see how close we are. 1,500ft, 1,499ft, 1,498ft, 1,497ft...496ft, 495ft, 493ft, 492ft…And on and on and on until Ryder taps my shoulder and gestures for me to look up. When I do, I’m stunned to see a humungous, square structure with a keypad lock and a door. “Woah,” I breathe, my fingers grazing the hard steel.

       Ryder crosses his arms “This has to the place…but how do we get in?” he asks. The lightbulb goes off in my head just as he asks the question. The coordinates! 40° 46' 33” N, 80° 44' 41” W. I punch in the numbers and wait as the red light turns green and the door opens. Ryder raises his eyebrows “How’d you do that?” he asks. “The coordinates. It was pretty obvious.” I say with a smile. He rolls his eyes as I turn to the open door and take a step in.

        I’m only about halfway through the door when my shoe squeaks and I stop cold, praying no one heard. Thankfully, the guards don’t even bat an eye. I know they have had to hear it though. I bite my lip, every little thing about this place screaming TRAP!! I can tell Ryder can feel it too because he clamps his hand around my wrist as if to make sure I don’t go running off.

         When I look into the room I see two people, an older man -about 40 by the looks of him- and a younger boy who doesn’t look much older than me. He looks familiar too... I turn my head slightly to see a big glass box in the middle of the room. In the glass box sits a girl in a steel chair with arm restraints around her wrists. Her body is limp, her blond ringlets falling over her bruised face. Then I realize who the girl is.

         “Ember!” I try to scream, but Ryder covers my mouth from behind, effectively muffling my scream. I struggle, trying to get out of his grasp, but his grip is too strong. He half drags, half carries me outside and away from the building before letting me go. I try running back towards the building, but Ryder grabs me again, holding me back. I struggle against him, hitting and kicking him as hard as I can. “Let me go!” I scream at him through my tears. He pulls me harder, forcing me to the ground.

         “Kelsie! What is your deal?! Don’t you understand?!” Ryder yells at me. I’m alarmed by his intensity, his calm demeanor replaced by this frantic one, and I look up at him confused. The pain in his eyes is undeniable. “Kelsie, they’re using your sister as bait. They want you to go in there…and nothing good is going to be waiting for you,” Ryder says, his voice low and soft. “I care about you too much to just watch you walk into that.” His voice cracks at the end, although he tries to conceal it with a cough.

           I sit up, the hot, dry ground digging into my fingernails as I try to find the best way out of this. The best way to get Ember in my arms again. All of them require me in that building. I groan, wishing there was a way to convince Ryder to stay out here. Out of harm’s way. I still come up empty.

            I stand and cross my arms over my chest, choosing what I say next carefully. “Ryder…” I start softly as if talking to a small child. He rolls his eyes “Kelsie, whatever you’re about to say isn’t going to work. If you’re going, I’m going. And if we’re going, we’re going straight into a trap. Nothing we can do to change that,” he says. I sigh, accepting my defeat. “Well…Guess we’re going into a trap.”

             I walk back over to the building and go through the door, Ryder trailing right behind me. “Hey!” I yell at the older man, who now sits at a computer screen. He turns his head to look at me and suddenly, I recognize him. He’s the leader of the rebel forces.

             I gasp a bit and I feel Ryder’s muscles tense up beside me. The man gives us a crooked smile that sends a shiver down my spine. “Hello, Kelsie Elsher and Ryder Carson. My name is Seth. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He says. His voice is so deep that it rumbles. “How about we skip the intro and you give me my sister? Now.” I demand.

             Seth gives me a fake smile and turns back to his computer. I hear him type something, the keys making loud clicking noises. “The glass has been disabled,” he says in a bored voice. I turn to my side to see the glass box Ember was in before is gone, the straps around her wrists removed. She looks up, startled, and then she sees me. “Kelsie?” Ember whispers.

             I run to her and hug her as tight as I can. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” I whisper, on the verge of tears. She hugs me back, as tight as her weak arms can. “Oh, Kelsie, I missed you so much. I’ve been so scared,” she whispers, her voice trembling. I softly caress her hair and hug her tighter “It’s okay, I’m here now. I’m here” I reassure her. Suddenly, I hear a door slide closed with a bump and Ember flinches. I let go of her and turn around to see that the door with the keypad has closed, making the room significantly darker.

             Ryder’s face goes pale “Kelsie… You and Ember need to get out of there. Now!” He shouts. I don’t question him, I just grab Ember’s arm and run out of the room. “Not so fast,” Seth says with a grin. He snaps at the boy beside him and shouts an order at him. The boy nods and walks towards a door I hadn’t seen before. When he comes back, ten soldier-like men follow behind him. Half of them walk over to us and half of them stand by another doorway.

             Ryder mumbles something under his breath and I stiffen with fear. Ember’s breathing has turned irregular and she’s mumbling “Not again” over and over again. “Get them all and take them into the F.I.N.S* room,” the man orders. Ember goes pale and turns to run but one of the soldiers grabs her and drags her to the room, despite her struggles.

            I bite the arm of the first soldier that lays his hands on me, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth, and he yelps in pain. It’s useless though because another soldier has me by the arms in seconds, his hand clamped over my mouth. Ryder tries to help me but the men have his arms pinned behind his back. They lead us to the room and throw us in, the door sliding shut before I can even take a breath. The world seems to spin around me and I have to grip someone’s hand to keep from collapsing. The only thought I can form in my chaotic mind is: This is all my fault.

To be continued...



*F.I.N.S: Fear Inducing Nightmare Simulation