wake up…

wake up

wake up…

His eyes slowly opened, the sea of starsl around him glistened in his eyes, nearly blinding him. He closed his eyes again. A gust of wind erupted, throwing the boy far away, further into nothingness.

wake up…

He landed face down, looking into the watery surface below, admiring this unknown place. A boy faded into the reflection, he was confused, he had never seen his own face before.

“W-who are you?” He asked.

A voice responded…

*muffled words*

The boy could not understand what was said.

“Hel-“

Another gust of wind interrupted him, throwing the boy into the air, he began to fall and he closed his eyes once again.

Now is not the time

Wake up!

He jolted awake confused by the dream he just had. The boy carried a puzzled expression on his face. 

His mind returned back to the cell where his body was trapped. The boy was trapped in a prison cell just below the ground, where all the prisoners were almost completely isolated.

Suddenly, loud banging came from just outside the cell

“Get your ass up number 15! I got work for you!”

The boy has been used to this, he has been stuck in this place for 10 years, since the day he was born. He doesn't properly know how to speak, he only knows the words he picked up after hearing the guards talk to each other.

He laid still, not answering to the guard… the cell door opened. A tall shadow appeared before him. The shadow moved and blood painted the floor and the walls. It moved again, this time splattering blood outside the cell door.

“Get up.”

The boy got up, but fell straight to his knees.

“You are worthless 15, just like your mother, you understand? Remember, when I say something you fucking do it!”

The boy slowly nodded looking down in despair.

The guard left the cell, locking the door behind him. The boy couldn’t get up, he struggled to move his legs and his vision became foggy. He gathered all of his strength and crawled towards the puddle of his own blood left on the ground. He dipped his finger in the blood and drew a star on the ground, the reason why he was in this situation, and just as he finished it, his body couldn’t take it anymore, his head dropped down, and smacked the stone floor.

Days passed, and a rotten smell engulfed the cells around.

“H-hey guards! C-can you do s-something about this s-smell?!” A man shouted.

Three guards approach the man's cell.

“Shut the hell up, you want your ass to be next?”

“N-no sir…”

“Hey 16, I got news for you, it looks like I got a job for you, and if you don’t do it your head is coming off.”

“Y-yes I’ll do it.”

“You hear that rookies, these guys really like it work huh.”

“Haha, they always do sir.” 

“Hehe Always!” 

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Anyways 16! Your job is to dispose of the kid’s body, your going have a new friend here today and we need a cell, you understand?”

“Y-yes sir.”

“Alright, so get to it!”

The guard unlocks both the cell doors.

“Alright you two, watch him, if he tries to pull something, break his fucking neck.”

“Got it,” they both say.

16 enters the cell, and grabs the boy’s body, throwing it over his shoulder.

“H-how do you want me to get rid of his body,” he asks.

“That’s not our job now is it?”

“…”

16 walked out of the cell towards the entrance to the cell hallway, meeting two guards standing by the door.

“…”

“It’s okay, we are watching this one, just keep an eye on the other prisoners here alright?”

“…”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

The men opened the door, letting the prisoner into the main building.

“Hey, look down, I don’t want you getting any ideas about escaping.”

“O-ok.”

“Keep walking then turn when I tell you to.”

They reached a wall on the other side of the room.

“Turn right and keep walking forward, soon there will be a small tiny window, you can just throw his body out the window.”

“Y-you said you w-wouldn’t help me.”

“Shut your mouth 16!”

“…”

He reached the window and threw the body outside, noticing a blonde haired man being escorted with shackles around his feet. He looked at him in the eyes and they both met. The man smiled.

“Stop staring outside, you worried about the body stinking up the place? Don’t worry some animal will probably make a feast of the body.”

“Now back to your cell, and close your eyes this time before I close them myself this time.”

At that time the new prisoner was led to his cell.

“Hey move it, get in the cell!”

“Why is there blood everywhere?”

“No talking! What’s your name?”

“Re-“

“Shut the hell up, your number 51! That’s your name, nothing else!”

The man goes into his cell, the guard locks the door behind him and walks away.

Number 16 returns to his cell just after him and the guards escorting him walk away.

“Hey neighbor, how long have you been here?”

“M-me?”

“Yeah you.”

“11 y-years, w-why are you h-here?”

“I followed the stars.”

“T-the stars? T-the ones in t-the s-sky?”

“You are correct. Anyways, what’s your name?”

“I-I’m 16.”

“So Mr. 16, do you know why my cell is covered in blood?”

“Y-yeah, some k-kid died in t-there, n-number fif-fifteen.”

“Was that the kid you threw out the window earlier?”

“Y-yeah.”

“How fitting, my number is the opposite of his, number 15 to number 51, quite an interesting coincidence don't you think?”

“W-what about t-that is i-interesting?”

“Where I’m from, people see me as a shining beacon of hope, but that kid I saw, he looked to be the opposite of me, like the incarnation of despair.”

“Hey whatever your name is, is there anyone who stands out here?”

“N-no, nobody w-wants to stand o-out, t-they’ll g-get beaten.”

“What about the kid, did he do anything to stand out?”

“H-he ignored t-the guard, h-he w-was born here, s-so I g-guess he c-couldn’t h-h-handle it a-any m-more.”

“That kid was born here? What happened to his parents?”

“H-his m-mom… k-killed.”

“... I feel bad for the kid, on a separate note though, I plan on escaping tonight.”

“W-what!.. A-already?”

“As I said before I was guided here by the stars, I don’t know why, but I am willing to bet that kid is the reason I have been guided here.”

“B-but you were captured, h-how are you going to g-get past the g-guards.”

“I let them catch me, and right now I don’t want to be in this nasty cell, even though there is no real reason as to why I think the kid is the reason why I am here, I feel a connection to him. Even though it is early, I am again willing to be he is the reason why I am here. So how about it? Do you want your freedom Mr. 16?”

“O-of course, b-but h-how can I trust y-you?”

“Let me show you something.”

Number 51 closes his eyes, and opens his palm.

“Shadows disperse,” he whispers.

A dim light appeared on the walls.

“W-what was t-that?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Hey! What's going on here!”

The guard from the hallway entrance approached the cells.

“What was that light?!”

“What light?”

“Don’t mess around with me, go to the back of your cells now! And don’t make any more noise!”

The guard walks back to his position guarding the door.

“remember that light,” 51 whispers.

“o-okay”

“that is my signal, during then I will free us, and we will go retrieve the body of the boy.”

“g-got it.”