Concept Art for the Circular Walkway [https://i.imgur.com/25dsaZb.png]
Concept art for the Circular Walkway
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Everyone watched the two walk away, too stunned to move or follow.
Zac was confused. Thinking hurt right now, but the captain was moving too quickly and he needed to be more aware, more present to make the right decision at this crossroad.
Ignoring his throbbing headache, he willed his mind to think. This would be his first life changing decision of many.
In some ways the captain's words made sense. A country at war did not want internal strife. With those that did not conform, it was easier and cheaper for them to leave than struggle later with dissent. Entice the troublemakers away with morsels. This must be the smaller price to pay I guess.
Yet Zac’s gut churned at the thought of following the drill sergeant. Deep down, he felt this was a trap. It was too easy. Too simple. A blank terms and conditions form that he signed his life away to and the proprietors could play with him according to their whim.
So he quashed his mind and moved with his gut towards the south exit, following the trail left by the captain.
He walked past a number of people who had not awoken. They lay on the ground, sleeping comfortably. Those who had stood up divided themselves 50-50 towards the north and south with each person trudging the long lawn towards their respective representative.
As Zac approached, he was in awe of the archway's majesty. It was made of glistening gold panels and covered with ornate embellishments and murals. There were humans worshipping a transcendent shining being. Beautiful harvests of plenty. The shining being gave the people a shining orb. The orb floated behind Soldiers pointing their guns at gigantic monsters.
"Beautiful isn't it." The captain said, and everyone turned to see him staring at the archway wistfully. "It is called The Remembrance Walk. A gift from our forefathers." The captain turned to look around. "Welcome. You've all made the right choice".
On the other side of the field, Drill Sergeant Penelope was also addressing her cohort. "Welcome. You've all made the right choice".
“Humanity is at risk of eradication.”
“Humanity is at risk of eradication.”
"Help us achieve victory".
"Escape while you can".
They both began to walk through their archways, leading their respective groups out of the lawn and beyond the quadrangle.
The captain stopped before he reached the end of the archway. On their left they had arrived at a set of high double doors. He walked up, and sensing his presence the large double doors trembled and slowly opened outwards. Unimpeded he continued walking and was swallowed by the darkness. The crowd, glancing at each other, followed in silence.
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Zac’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit passage. Through the doors was a plain corridor, wide enough for 5 people to walk shoulder to shoulder. The further they walked, the less light spilled in from the outside to illuminate the path, until eventually they were walking by faith, using the sound of the footsteps ahead of them to guide their way. After a minute, the long procession reached another set of double doors which again trembled and opened into another room.
They piled in, and found themselves at the back of an auditorium with tiered seats and black glass walls. The captain walked down the large steps and reached the front. Slowly they filled all the seats with people standing in the aisle or tuck sitting at the front.
Jostling was replaced with nervous restlessness as everyone focused on the captain. They were watching the Captain's every move on the stage as he bided his time. They wanted to talk or move, but something was suppressing them. Zac was sitting in the corner back row, but he could feel a pressure… Zac frowned as he tried to figure out the source, seems to arise from the captain… like he is an apex predator... and we are sheep... with no place to run. He looked around, noticing the lack of exits.
Zac's thoughts were cut off.
"Now" the captain began to speak as he rapped the black glass.
In response to his knocks, the black glass walls at the front of the auditorium and to their sides suddenly became transparent. Outside, Zac could see the beautiful mysteries of space: purple nebulae gas, a nearby asteroid belt, and the moon which the citadel space station orbited.
"Cast your attention to the city side of the hall."
Zac turned around and looked to his left. He could see the drill sergeant and the rest of the people who had chosen freedom. They stood near the blue barrier that separated civilisation from space. One small line separated life and the vicious vacuum of space. The free were entering into a large spaceship. Once collected, the drill sergeant walked to the front of the vehicle and easily jumped 5 times her height before landing gracefully into the cockpit. The wing doors came down either side of the cockpit and [psssshhhhh] sealed shut.
The spaceship hovered over the ground and took off, melding into the barrier and coming out the other side otherwise unharmed. It slowly orbited the citadel until the spaceship was stationed right in front of the auditorium. Then the ship's walls became transparent, allowing everyone to see each other. One tightly packed group in the ship, to the other tightly packed group in the auditorium.
"Let this be the first lesson to everyone here". The captain spoke again to the army recruits.
Suddenly the group in the ship collectively became scared and began clutching their heads and mouths. People were frantically banging on the invisible wall, looking at the other group in the auditorium. On one end of the ship, a small visible hatch to the main compartment could be seen opening, exposing all the people inside to the vacuum of space. Only the cockpit, a separate compartment of the ship, was safe.
Their bodies started to swell like balloons as their blood internally boiled, held together by stretched tight skin and restrictive clothing. There already wasn't enough space and people were squashed up against the transparent spaceship walls. Some people were pushed out of the spaceship as the hatch opened wider. Eyeballs exploded, and stomach, bowel, and bladder decompressed. The vitreous humor, urine, vomit, and faeces vaporised from the low pressure of space as it left the human body and subsequently crystallised from the infinite cold into a shimmering brown and yellow mist, filling the interior of the spaceship and floated around the ship.
A gruelling fifteen long seconds later, the grabbing, silent screams, and convulsing finally stopped. Then, something ejected the bodies from the spaceship and hundreds of frozen bodies slowly floated peacefully off in all directions, some into the distance and some towards the auditorium.
The drill sergeant gave a salute to the captain and flew in a U-turn, joining with the barrier and parking back where she had left.
Peace returned to the local space. The rays of sunlight shimmered as light was refracted through the tiny icicles.
Zac was standing out of his chair in shocked silence, eyes wide and unblinking, jaw slack and open. Chills and raised goose-bumps all over his body.
The captain's voice echoed once again.
"The Citadel does not tolerate traitors".