Sacrifice

(This is a continuation of the first story I posted on Reedsy, called The Dark Circles. It fit this writing prompt, so I took a chance and managed to finish the story in a way that I was happy with.)

Rachel’s eyes opened, but she couldn’t see. A cloth was tied around her head. Chains bound her wrists and ankles. The collar on her neck also felt metallic and was tight and very uncomfortable. She thought she might be in the back of some kind of truck. Rachel sat up sharply. A harsh but low toned voice came from a space in front of her. “So, up and about, are we?”

Whoever it was, finally removed the cloth. Although inside the vehicle was still kind of dark, she could now make out three people in combat uniforms. Their guns were securely holstered and not pointed at her face, which was something of a relief. The man closest to her, offered up a bottle of water. “Thirsty?” Rachel nodded, as yet unable to form words. He took the lid off.

She drank most of the liquid down, keeping her gaze locked onto his. He just stared right back at her, with no visible expression on his face. In the dim light, she could read his name tag as Wilkinson. The other two were Cremer and Pierce. Why the tags specifically caught her attention at a time like this, was beyond her. She tried to make herself more comfortable on the seat.

Her tummy grumbled. She was kind of hungry as well. But Rachel knew it was best not to push her luck. These weren’t the kind of people who wanted anything to do with abnormals, especially capturing them. She could sense their hostility. If they were at this very moment, given the order to kill her, they wouldn’t even hesitate to do so, without shedding a single tear.

Speaking of tears, she held back her own, hoping that Rose had got away to safety. Since her grandmother wasn’t the one, they were after, Rachel figured she’d be alright. How to know for sure, was another matter. She heard talking when the truck paused for a moment and the sound of a gate opening. The soldiers had arrived at their drop off point.

 She was pulled to her feet and dragged towards a concrete grey building, which in truth looked very much like any other building. This had clearly been the general idea behind its location. The facility was hidden in plain sight. Nobody around here would bother to check it out. A high barbed wire fence surrounded the exterior. She wouldn’t be surprised if it were electrified as well.

Taking a brief look around, she was disturbed by the fact that she almost recognized the street that they were on. So, the journey had not really taken her that far. Something to keep in mind. Two guards joined her captors in the elevator. She kept quiet, watching as the numbers passed by, all the way down to the basement area. Walking down a long corridor, Rachel caught a glimpse of several filled up cages on both sides, more suitable for animals instead of humans. She heard curses and dreadful screams coming from elsewhere.

People in long white coats and carrying clipboards, were walking around taking notes and chattering away to each other in hushed voices. The logo on the left side of their jackets spelt in capital letters, the word GENO. No doubt some kind of secret government group that experimented on abnormals. The workers went about their business, as if there was no criminal activity going on.

Rachel tried to disguise her fear, but it was difficult, especially when she herself was locked up in one of those cages. The chains were gone. She could feel the curious and wary eyes of her fellow inmates watching her. Suddenly she was overcome with the urge to rip the collar of her neck. Someone whispered, “Don’t do it kid.” She ignored them. Her fingers made contact and an even sharper electric shock went through her.

She cried out in pain. The guards just turned their backs. So, that’s how it really was. Very well, she would just have to find a way to deal with their indifference. Rachel slowly crawled onto her bed, which was little more than a mattress on the floor, with a blanket and a lumpy pillow. Sleep eluded her for most of her first day/ night in the GENO facility.

WEEKS LATER...

Anyone who had known Rachel Parker before her capture, would be shocked and dismayed at her appearance. Never a big girl by any means, she was now as thin as a skeleton, and even paler, with permanent shadows under her eyes. Her fellow abnormals were not in much better shape. She only knew them by their first names. At least they had been allowed to keep those. Some had cuts and bruises, for attempting to fight back. But it was hopeless. Their numbers were dropping.

Nobody who worked in this place, really gave a damn about the prisoners' health. Although a few scientists had raised some issues about the subjects' living conditions; after all, how could they run tests on damaged and unhealthy patients? The cages were furnished more comfortably and the food actually became edible. There was only so much staring out of the barred cells at blank walls, that you could do.

Books , games and an old tv were provided for entertainment. Daily excercise remained brisk walks around an empty courtyard. Regardless of these slight changes, there was no escaping the fact that it was still a prison. However in this one, the inmates hadn't done anything wrong, except to be born different from the rest of the population. Rachel thought about her family. She knew they wouldn't give up on trying to find her. If only there was a way to get a message to the outside.

####

As with most people who end up sharing spaces, friendships had developed. Once Rachel learned that the guards wouldn't punish her for talking to the other inmates, she opened up a little. They usually stuck to inoffensive and safe topics. It was comforting to know that she wasn't alone. The bond she shared with them became as strong as anything she had with the friends she grew up with.

Jay and Samuel were opposites in powers; fire and ice. But that didn't stop the brothers from being close. The streets had been their home for a long time, so no one would notice them missing. Anya and her girlfriend Francine found each other about ten years ago. One coud move things with her mind, the other had an affinity for nature and its creatures. They used to live in a cottage, deep in the woods.

Marius was a confirmed bachelor who had been living the high life, because of his brief glimpses into the future. But even he was somehow blindsided by GENO. Wendy could shapeshift. She unfortunately impersonated the wrong person and was found out. Adele set things on fire and finally got captured. Craig was able to breathe underwater; he nearly got away. Niall was a rarity, even amongst abnormals. He had more than one abiltity and was tough to take down.

####

The alarms blaring at their highest volume in the middle of the night, soon woke everybody up. Rachel was panicking slightly. Her friends also looked concerned. Yet Niall appeared to be cool as a cucumber. He was even smiling. "It's about time." The lights snapped off in a flash. Explosions rocked the building. The elevator doors opened, to reveal a bunch of strangers, dressed in black.

They carried no weapons, but judging from the ruckus upstairs, these guys didn't need them. The electronic locks on the cages blinked red. The prisoners stepped out cautiously, as if at this moment they were unable to fully comprehend what was going on. Niall walked right straight into the unfamiliar group was now kissing a lady like his life depended on it. She smiled at him when they parted. "I knew you would come." "Always."

An older guy wearing glasses, was typing away on a tablet. He pressed a button and the collars fell to the ground. He wiggled his fingers; blue sparks erupted from them. Niall introduced Rachel and the others to his wife Rayna. His whole attitude had changed. "Shall we?" Unleashed, he was an unstoppable force. They made it to the emergency exit in very little time, leaving a trail of bodies and destruction along the way.

Rachel had never approved of violence, but for getting out of here, she was willing to endure it. They all watched the GENO facility crumble from within. Fire and police sirens didn't take long to start wailing. A large black van pulled up. "We should go." Francis was the first to speak. "Who are you guys?" "Abnormals seeking to protect our kind from atrocities such as this, by any means necessary. Believe me, our enemies are just as ruthless." "What were they doing to us?"

"Trying to both cure and weaponise your powers. The mind control serum they developed doesn't work on abnormals, but they can steal our abilities. So they were going to do that and then dispose of you. Nobody needed to know where these powers came from. The plan was to create gifted soldiers out of carefully chosen ordinary human subjects, who would also follow any orders without question."

Niall handed around some drinks and snacks. The freed prisoners wolfed them down. He continued talking. "Unfortunately, GENO has facilities all over the place. We eradicate as many as we are able to." Rachel had to ask her own important question. "Can I call my family to let them know I am okay?" Rayna passed her a mobile. "The line is secure, go for it, kid."

####

Francis and Anya built themselves another wooden cottage in a different forest, even further away from civilisation. Adele and Craig went travelling. Marius learned that he'd had a child with a former girlfriend and felt like he should meet her. Rachel surprised everyone, by choosing to join the cause.It would no longer be safe if she ever went back home.They knew that she was still alive and that was what really mattered.

Wendy had no friends or relatives that she was close to, so she stayed as well. Jay and Samuel tagged along. Here was a real opportunity to fight for freedom and justice for their kind. Plus the siblings both had crushes on their female friends, and this was a good a chance as any to see what else might happen. Rayna kept in contact with everyone, giving those on the outside, updates on the groups' progress.

It was an uphill battle for sure. There would always be certain individuals, who were afraid of abnormals and the powers they possessed. Conflicts were bound to keep occuring, perhaps more often than anyone could have predicted. But perhaps, some day, in the far future, things may settle down. One can dream right?

THE END