I awoke the next day to the sounds of birds chirping, the sun on my face, the wind through my hair and about five rifle barrels pointed at my face. "Make one move, and you're dead," came the voice of an older man. I would have been able to describe him, but the sun was in my eyes, and I didn't want to risk getting shot by raising my hand to shield the light.

"Okay," I said succinctly.

"Now," the voice said as I felt something land on my lap, "put those on around your wrists, then turn over on your stomach with your hands behind your back."

"Sir, I don't-"

"Shut up and do what you're told, or we will shoot you. This is your last warning."

With those options, I decided to go along with the situation. I didn't know these people, but they weren't from the camp. I had no idea if the world was the same as when I was taken or if it was changed and dangerous, as the sergeants said at the camp.

One thing I did know was that I couldn't go back. I would have to make the best of the situation and escape if it turned out bad. If I could escape. I looked down at my lap and saw two zip ties had been thrown there. I secured each one around my wrists and turned onto my stomach with my hands behind my back.

"Did you do this to the tree?" the man asked.

I managed to get a peek at him while the zip ties were being secured. He was thin, with salt and pepper colored hair cut extremely close to his scalp. His skin was a dark brown that looked weathered from being out in the sun.

"Yes, sir," I said. I didn't see the point of lying.

"Hmm," was his only response.

They covered my head with some sort of sack that itched like crazy. Afterward, they picked me up from the ground and pushed me along. The sack kept me from seeing, but I knew I was being guarded and escorted simultaneously. Occasionally, I would lose my footing, and someone was there to keep me from falling. Additionally, my back was occasionally prodded by the barrel of a gun so I would move faster.

A few times during the walk, I was turned in a different direction. Our path must have been decent since I didn't trip too often. This was saying a lot because it felt like we were walking for hours.

Twice we stopped to rest, and they lifted the sack over my mouth and gave me some water. I wasn't sure what was used to give it to me. It was some type of canteen, but the mouth was huge. The water poured out fast, and I almost choked.

My legs were sore, and I could feel at least five blisters on my feet after the long walk. I was starting to think that we would never reach our destination. Then I heard a voice in front of us, far, but not too far, telling us to halt, so the party did.

We waited for a few minutes. I couldn't tell what was going on, but if this was any type of military operation, the group's leader would talk to a guard, and they would exchange passwords. Everything must have been fine because after a moment and without any more comments, we started to move again.

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I hoped we were at our destination, but we made a sharp right and began climbing uphill. At first, I took long steps, hoping to eat up the distance, but after a minute, my thighs were burning, and I struggled to keep the air in my lungs. After at least twenty minutes of hard uphill walking, my ears picked up on signs of life.

I focused my eyes to see if I could glimpse what was on the other side of the sack. Over the years, I learned that I could manipulate matter as long as it touched any part of my body. The process took longer if I wasn't using my hands. I didn't know if this was because of practice or another reason. Still, as we walked, I was slowly able to spread some of the fibers apart. I didn't want to do too much out of fear of being discovered.

The first thing I saw was a large building looming before me. The walls were dirty from years of neglect, but it was clearly made of concrete and had a solid-looking metal door. The door was opened, and I was thrown inside.

I hit the ground awkwardly, without anything to brace my fall. The wind was knocked out of me, but I managed to not faceplant the floor. I curled into the fetal position, trying to get some air back in my lungs. A large body pressed up against me and pinned my arms. I just about had enough and was about to fight when my bindings were cut, the pressure left my body, and the metal door slammed shut.

I struggled to get my breathing back under control but managed after a minute or two, then I leisurely took the sack off my head. I wasn't worried about being locked up. I could break out anytime I wanted, but first, I would see what kind of people they were.

I was hoping they weren't too bad, but it wasn't looking good based on my treatment. On the other hand, they could have killed me while I slept, but they didn't. I would repay that by not doing the same to them.

After I pulled the sack off my head, I took stock of my surroundings. I was in a confined building that was made of cement and brick. They had set this place up for me when they learned about my ability. I just wish they would have done something about the smell. It smelled like reheated kimchee that had been left in a damp room.

There was a metal toilet in the corner of the room, and as I took a closer look, I confirmed that's where the smell was coming from. It wasn't a working toilet, but just a fancy hole in the ground. The good news was that I could use the bathroom whenever I wanted; the bad news was that the toilet was almost at max capacity. If I was kept in there too long, I decided to escape on general principle.

No one came to check on me for almost the rest of the day. A little before sunset, there was a knock at the door and some rattling. I presumed it was some type of lock and bracing equipment they set up outside.

A man's voice told me to stand away from the door and to turn around. He also warned me that if I didn't, I would receive a plethora of bullets. I didn't want to test what he said, so I obeyed.

The door opened and then quickly shut. I could hear the lock and bracing equipment being put back into place. On the floor, about a foot in from the door, was a green plastic canteen, just like the ones we had at the base. Next to the canteen was a metal plate with what looked like bread and stew. I was grateful for the food, even though eating in a bathroom was disgusting. After years of military food and limited ingredients, the food made colors dance in my mouth. Feeling better after some rest and food in my stomach, I decided it was time to get some information.

"Hey," I yelled. No one said anything, so I kept yelling and banging on the door until someone did. "How long am I going to be kept in here?" I smiled to myself and decided to add a little extra flair. "I demand to see your leader!" I hollered like a noble in medieval England.

The response I received was less than enthusiastic. I was told that the leader would see me tomorrow morning and not to try anything that would get me killed before then. Unfortunately, with the stench of the latrine, I couldn't promise anything.