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Tower

“You have to write it down sweetie”

“I don’t want to”

“Let it out” she paused. “Let it all go” the lady pushed over a paperback journal with the horrific symbol printed in the center.

“You will regret this” name snatched the pen stood up and sat in the corner.

name wrote London, she paused tilted back and then scribbles it out. She started at the women on the other side of the desk, picked up the pen and wrote ‘The trails of hell’. As the women left name in a poorly lit four by four pink room she began to writing furiously.  

Imagine buildings twice maybe three times taller than the tallest buildings you’ve ever known. Imagine from the street looking up they appear to be going on for a lifetime. So tall they trick your eyes into believing they are blocking out the sky, just a small strip of yellow and blue visible from the centre of what used to be a street. Buildings identical and conjoined by glass walk bridges with wires; more wires than you could ever imagine. It was year 2100, or as we called it in the block year 21. People can spend years if not decades ever leaving the buildings, they use lifts, bridges and escalators that conjoin and spread through the towers like an endless trail of digital tunnels. It sounds scary writing it down now but never having to leave the comfort and safety of the towers was seen to be idealistic. After ‘ the hottest winter’ we needed breathable air and a digital therapeutic environment, DTE for short. The bridges although made from soundproof glass were encasing plasma screens, you could walk from a beige concrete hallway into the most tepid and delicate of forests. Despite their digital beauty people rarely stopped to admire the scenes, procrastinating is a punishable sin.

The sun grew hotter in the early years. Clots of wild fires plagued the earth burning fields of crops, towns of people and most of the worlds food sources started to deplete. The ice caps melted within weeks causing mass panic, people started to loot, riot and kill. Scientists to this day still do not know why the sun changed, I don’t think people really want to know why. It was the least of our problems. London became a micro farm, the government banned cars, roads became spaces to grow food. ‘If London is to thrive again we must look back to mother earth. We must look to redeem ourselves in her eyes. London will become as of today her own’ What the mayor meant was that if people wish to remain in London they must comply with a new set of rules, cars are to be melted down to build barriers. Roads will become land for citizens to tend to and work will be started immediately on what we now call the towers. Oxford street was to be transformed into thirteen towers, encased in thick mental walls. Only one door sat at the south side of the walls,

The ice caps melted and land grew smaller, England was shrinking and nobody could tell us how small it would become. As the mayor may have predicted at the time people started to migrate, word had gotten out that London was thriving. Enough food to see through the winter. The walls were finnished and check points set up, you had to have a valid permit to leave but not many wanted to. As for getting into London thats was almost impossible. My grandmother found a way, I’m not sure how even to this day my mother doesn’t like to talk about the beginning but she felt it was important that I knew. The schools don’t teach us anything close to this, the official story is that the plague started and London had a contingency plan in place. You would only get that story if you asked, people didn’t ask because they didn’t know the real story. My mother said that they want us to live and die within these towers, if we question our resistances or the government then we would be deemed dangerous. Few have tried before, they branded them terriosts. Plotting the towers demise, for us all to be scorched by the earth. I have only ever been outside a few times, it was when the chem clouds were out of England over America. We only saw a couple of people in the streets, they were but a thick mud now. It covered everything even the first set of windows on the ground floor. The metal walls still stood strong although partly rusted from time, the air felt thin and sticky. My lungs welcomed the natural air. It was this day on ground zero that my story really began.

Password protected blog post 2 - titled, My first earth day.

The news came in around 14:00pm that for the first day in my 19 years in the towers we were going to be let out. I have a small LED screen in my bedroom or POD as I like to call it. The daily broadcast started with a gleefully camp middle aged man shouting about E day. The Chemical clouds were going to be shifting from the south over towards what was America, this meant the air would be cleaner. We would be allowed out for five hours tomorrow. The Thatcher tower would be opening level 1 and everyone would need their identity badges ready for scanning. I begged everyone I knew to come with me, school friends had no interest in the outside world. They were taught only bad things would arise from curiosity, my mother had work at the administration. She did however lend her mothers

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flash fic 1

My eyes screamed with pain as I pealed back my eyelids, struggling to see in the harsh lighting of what felt like sub-zero room. I don’t know if it was fight or flight but I wasn’t scared, my hands fleeted over my body. There must be a scar somewhere, they must have wanted my organs.  

“hello” someone faintly called out.

“Where are you” I shouted at him.  

My eyes sticky with slime and sleep finally adjusted to the room, it was a glass cell. three glass walls surrounded by water, the glass floor crushed a sandy ocean floor below. Behind the bed I was sitting on was a glass wall although foggy I could see a man sitting on his glass floor watching me.

“Do you know where we are?” I paced the cell looking for something.  

“yes” he laughed  

“what’s so funny?” I pulled off the bed sheets.  

“We are in a glass box” he smirked at me.

I pulled back the thin mattress to reveal a silver sheet of metal, I tugged at each end trying to pull something off.  

“what are you looking for?” the boy stood up and walked over towards his bed.  

“a way out” I dropped the mattress down and sat on the bed facing him.  

“don’t you think I’ve tried that Megan” he sat on his bed facing me.

“how do you know my name?” I tried not to but I must have looked surprised.  

“look down” he laughed again as he pointed at my breast. For the first time I realised I wasn’t wearing my clothes, I was wearing a skin-tight silver suite with Megan brooks sown into it.

“what do they want with us” I asked.  

“ THEY” he scoffed at me, his brown eyes now fixated on mine.  

“the men who took us”  

“Megan, we put ourselves here”

“I remember them, they wore black and they had tasers” I wiped the window with my bed sheet.  

“Megan they weren’t men, they weren’t human” he put his hand against the window as if he wanted me to hold it.  

The sun must have set as the water around us grew darker with every second, I covered my face with the bed sheet and tried to block it all out. The boy finally stopped calling my name but I wish he hadn’t. The pressure from the water made the glass creak, I swear I can feel them closing in on me. “boy, what’s your name” I called out but he ignored me. Keep the sheet over my I rolled over and peaked through at him laying close to me, only a few inched of glass separating us.  

“Megan” he rolled over to face me.

“look up”

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, I had just assumed because of the water that we were submerged in the ocean. “it’s metal?” I asked.  

“Yes, but look closer” he pointed.  

There was a silver hatch in the ceiling, it must slide open. It must be the way out.  

“I thought we were underwater” I sounded stupid saying it.  

“in a way” he paused.  

“if we were underwater Megan how would we be breathing right now?” he laughed.  

“Megan we are in prison” winced at the word.

“I’ve never seen a prison like this befor-“ he cut me off.  

“It’s an android prison, hence the water. If this break the glass they fry”  

“but why are we here” my body started to tense up, I could feel the panic flowing through me. The room grew foggier with my rising temperature.  

“calm down Megan” he put his hand against the glass, droplets of water seeped down and onto his bed.

“why are we here?”

“it’s Justin” he smiled and let his hand slip down the window.  

“what is?” I snapped at him.

“My name, it’s Justin Brazer”

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Zombie somthing

Grandad passed painlessly, sad, cold, but peacefully at last. He was wearing his blue thick jumper from m&s, odd socks. Left foot sporting polka dots, right foot styling plain red. I've never seen my brother cry before; even as a child he would have rather of gotten even than cry. Thomas had spent the last two weeks by grandads side, appeasing his every request however odd; like ice cream with a flake and pulling up floor boards for his hidden treasures. That he wished to be passed down to the family; only to find dust and pipes of course.

He lived in a two bed semi detached house on knole road, I like to think it has a post modern look about the place because well, it's old school. Rustic fire place, green carpet throughout, dated sofas with a hint of modern television, iPad and karaoke machine. Thomas has been clearing out all the junk the past three days, the house is a council owned building and they ever so kindly told us we had a week to move everything out. The door bright red with a strong feeling of nostalgia was half open when I arrived, walking in I called for

Thomas but nothing replied. This is strange because Thomas has the hearing of a bat, if you don't know bats are blind and can only see with their heightened sense of hearing. Boxes of China crashed as I walked through what used to be the living room, I felt a strange lump in my throat telling me that nothing was going to be okay. Grandad was our last living relative in England, this meant that me and Thomas were all alone in this little but large island. Oceans away from our mother and farther, Sarah and Brian.

When grandad first passed away I was so angry, my flesh was steaming I could feel a sense of imaginative strength raging from my body as if at any minute I was going to tare the room apart. Desk legs flying into Windows and my office manager Debra laughing because she "always knew I was a crazy". I could hear something up stairs, a strange sort of clanking. The kind you hear at night when all the lights are out, when you can't sleep

Because all you can think about is that noise. The one you blame on the four year old

Fridge. I decided to go investigate, with every step a felt an ever looming sense of doubt that maybe I was just in the wrong house. All of grandads furniture was missing from the

Living room. The stairs that were once covered in photo frames now bare walls, only yellow wall paper that clashed with the green dated carpet. Finally I heard Thomas shout! A great yell of pain. “Thomas are you okay”

“Yeah sorry sis, I'm in the loft” he half shouted At me

“I'll be down in a minute, just want to get this tree”

The tree fell down. Not down the loft hatch but down through the roof.

“Oh Thomas, that pissy girl at the council is not going to be happy about this!”

“We can just put a rug over it”

“Yeah. A rug on the ceiling makes perfect sense”

Thomas had his moments of questionable sanity like when we were little; he was eight I was ten, he didn't speak for an entire month. He never told us why, or how it was even possible. I always assumed it was a bet with one of his friends, although he never really had many friends. Only one that I could remember, George. They were the same person, they laughed at the same things, ate the same things, liked the same games. Never apart from each other as if they had their own little world.

I brought  dinner Thomas!

Dinner was two falafel salads and two ice cold diet cokes, Thomas is notoriously known for being a calorie counter. He never ate pizza unless it was low fat cheese and wheat free, his favourite foods were rice and salads. I on the other hand liked large full fat pizzas and those cheese and pineapple squares you get at low budget wedding party's. The Air seemed still as we both avoided the conversation that was grandad.  I asked him how his new job was going at the garden centre warehouse. He said it was fine. The Conversation was almost as dry as the air, Thomas got up to turn on the light. Typical English weather meant that by five o’clock the sun was already retiring from the sky.

“I don't believe this”

What?

“They've only gone and shut off the power to his house”

Really? You spoke to the power company already?

“Nope!”

Well someone must have, I bet it was that pissy bitch from the council!

“I don't think she's actually out to get you Mia”

Prove it.

Maybe it's just the bulb?

Thomas moved around using every appliance or electrical switch he could find. Flicking up and down, on to off. Turns out it wasn't the bulb.

Maybe we should just head home, we can't do much in the dark.

“I guess let me just grab my bag”

Thomas hates leaving things half done, he would

Normally work till late at grandads.

Just as we stood up in total darkness something odd happened. A sudden wave of police sirens bleared through the streets. You know at night when you're trying to sleep and you hear those blue light sounds in the distance. You never really pay much attention because it's normal in the city. This wasn't like that, it was the sound of tens maybe hundreds of car sirens. No screaming like you would imagine, no sight of the lights just the noise. Above at least three helicopters circling around, making the house shake. This sudden disruption puts a little bit of fear even maybe a lot in my mind.

What is that?

“I have no idea Mia, it's dark”

It was only then that I realised everything was dark, not just this room, nit just this house but the entire street. Knole road was plunged into darkness.

What do we do Tom?

“Let's just go upstairs in case it's not safe out”

Thomas has always been a total wimp.

No Tom I'm going outside.

Grandad’s door sticks, you have to hold onto the little latch and pull hard in the right place or it will appear locked. As I rushed outside Tom following I looked down the hill towards London, not one person in the street, no cars or any of grandad’s neighbours.

As we started to walk down the hill towards the sirens that grew louder I noticed how the moon was bright. We take it for granted, it's so beautiful and big. It felt closer than ever before, somewhat comforting. Just as we got to the end of the road and London was out of sight the sky light up with flames. An explosion. A big one. It made this strange whipping sound like the earth had been struck by God. Flames filled the sky.

Thomas screamed at me, dragging me away towards grandads, we broke into a run all the way up hill.

“What was that?”

“How can that happen Mia?”

“Was that central London?”

“What do we do?”

I don't know Tom! We got to the gate just as the biggest blast of wind, dust, air came at us. So powerful it moved cars inches forward, the street was filled with noise now. Car sirens, house alarms, breaking windows. Still no people.  

“the Loft”

Thomas ran through the door and started to climb the stairs, it's dark. So dark, I had my feel my way up the stairs in such a panic I slid down two steps with a thud. I swear even in that moment of fear I heard Thomas laugh. Thomas starting to climb the ladder, looking around I could barely breath. So many strange thoughts running through my head, why is this happening? What is that smell? Where is everyone? Stupid answers to my own questions ran around in circles in my head. I gripped onto the ladder as I climbed up I could see a light of some kind. Through the landing into grandad’s room coming from the window, it was like a phone light, maybe a camera. I pulled the ladder up with a large amount of effort and no skill, it was hit in the loft. I could feel sweat dripping down my head and hitting my arms, I'm so out of shape. I used to run everyday after work, head phones in, tacky running clothes the whole lot. Now most days after work I just sit around waiting for something to happen, I guess in some way now it has.

Do you have a light?  

“Nope, I think my phones over by the rug.”

“Be careful though, it's covering the hole”

Thomas it's dead, literally nothing.  

“Sorry! I was listening to maroon five”  

“where's your phone?”

It's in the car, doesn't grandad have his fishing stuff up here?  

“In the boxes by the wall”

Found it.

I don't know if  it was the events of yesterday or the fact we was stuffed into a cluttered hot loft but my watch told me that me and Thomas had slept until eleven the next morning. My body ached from the lack of boarded space and my skin felt dry. I could taste well what Thomas described as history, I called it dust. We decided that the best thing to do was to keep calm and quite, the plan was to open the hatch, grab some food and water from the kitchen, sneak back up to the loft for a plan of action.  

Ready Thomas?  

“Sure, should we you know?”

He pointed to the pile of gold clubs.

I guess if you think that's a good idea?

“It couldn't hurt right?”

We let the hatch drop to an open, it hit the wall and echoed throughout grandad’s half empty half boxed up house.  

Thomas! It's dark.  

"That’s not possible, is it?"

The blast may have caused clouds to form, or maybe it’s raining

"Don’t you think sleeping in the loft we would hear if it was raining?"

We climbed down the ladder and walked towards grandad’s bedroom window, his room hadn't been touched since he died of heart disease last Monday. The room was stuffy and the air felt almost electric, like a storm was passing above our heads. Grandad’s bed still dressed in the same floral patterns, four old pillows stacked up in the middle where he used to sleep. The same yellow wall design from the stairs, dark brown bulky wardrobes in the corner of the room. Why does everyone over forty have those? The floor covered in his belongings that fell from the blast, or maybe the helicopters, the window had dusty netting draped along it. The street looks dark, we stood looking for what felt like an hour. My heart pounding in my chest with every beat anticipating something, anything. I can’t take this anymore Thomas, let's just go down stairs and get something to eat.  

“No wait Mia, there over there”  

There was that light again, something was flickering in the garden of the house opposite. I had no idea what it was, who it was. Should I be scared or was this all just in our heads, I mean sure we haven’t seen anyone in a while but really they could just have been doing the same as us. It could be a candle, someone’s keeping their house light up with candles. Probably those fancy smelling ones, the elderly love those candles right?

Thomas finally bulked up enough courage to follow me out the door, grandad’s camping light in hand we treaded slowly as if the ground below us could collapse at any second. Edging slowing across the road looking in every direction for someone, something. I couldn’t help but think about how funny this must all look to the people inside that house, two strangers tip toes across the road as if they were scared of the dark. The truth is I think Thomas is a little, it’s understandable the deafening silence of the street and frightening darkness of it all. The house looked the same as every house on knole road, except this one had an expensive looking car in the drive. A jaguar maybe, what an earth was a car like that doing in this town. Maybe he works in the city?  

As I knocked on the recently painted blue door it fell open, I wasn’t exactly knocking hard. After all the smallest bang echoed down the road, probably all the way to London. Should we go in?

“No! It might be trap by the terrorists”

Don’t be stupid Thomas, what would terrorists be doing here setting small traps for two locals?

“Well aliens then, trying to collect us to breed robot humans!”

Any other theories you would like to throw out there?

“Okay well it’s just plain rude to walk in on someone’s house isn’t it?”

I guess, if they’re home.  

We both looked back at the half opened door, I realised then that we’ve been here for what felt like ten minutes and not one sound came from that house. I decided to be bold and push the door wide open and call out, Hello! Anyone home? We’ve been over the road since yesterday, I was just wondering if you knew what was going on? Hello! Anyone? Please!

Tears slowly crawled down my face, my heart rate finally slowed down.

“Mia. Nobody is home”  

Just then the largest dog known to man came running down the stairs, his bark so loud it cut through me. Around his neck a star shaped light that flashed when he moved, it was for night time walking I suppose. The dog barked and barked as if to tell us to leave, its teeth widely on show as a warning. Thomas began to attempt to calm the dog, walking cautiously towards it. Each step he would praise the dog, calling it laisse as if by naming the dog it would be less vicious. “Calm down baby” “We won’t hurt you” “you’re just hungry aren’t you?” The dog stopped barking, its tail went down and it began to whine. Thomas grabbed his collar but the dog didn’t seem to be phased by him, the dog was focusing on something else. Something behind me. “He’s called Toby”  

The dog ran towards me, leaping in the air and pushing me to the floor. He ran off down the road towards London his barking growing louder and more intense every time. “Are you okay?” “That was crazy!”  

I think so.

As I leant up and looked towards the road where the dog had been staring, nothing. what did he see? Am I going crazy? This is why I like cats. I couldn’t see much Thomas had the camping light tight in his hands, I could still hear the dogs bark echoing from down the darkened road. He sounded like he had stopped running, focusing his bark on what he had seen behind me. Maybe his owner? Maybe his owner was so scared of us they ran away! That's logical right? Whatever it was I'm just glad it's gone. The dog let out a horrendously twisted cry, it went on for longer than I thought possible. Thomas and I knew exactly what it meant. He grabbed me off of the floor and we slammed the stranger’s door behind us. The glass pain in the door shook, “was that too loud?” He winced at me. In that moment I could truly see fear in Thomas, his eyes so dilated and bold. His hair sweaty and pushed back, lips pursed together as if he was forcing himself not to scream. Looking at him made me want to cry, my body felt like I was sinking into the ground. My heart started to race again, the never ending thumping against my chest, my eyes so strained from the lack of light made them sting.  

I grabbed the suit case, it was lighter than expected. This must hold some clues as to what’s going on or where the people from this house were going, we walked through the living room towards the kitchen. It was a modern house with lots of gadgets that are now rendered useless without power, the kitchen has a working fridge although it continuously beeped to remind humans that it’s back up won’t last forever. We grabbed some cheese, bread and bottled water. Thomas searched through the draws and found more batteries, a torch and some birthday candles.    

“Do we risk going over the road again?”

I don’t know, let’s just check upstairs out and eat some food.

We walked back through the extravagate living room, up the wooden stairs and into the bathroom. I figured it would have the best lock in the house. The morning has turned into the afternoon and still the sky looked the same through the frosted windows. Thomas went through the bathroom cabinet as I broke off chunks of cold cheese and scoffed them down, I’m so hungry. I missed my friend Jane, she works with me at the stupid office. It’s really un-meaningful work but Jane makes it fun, she sends me rude jokes and chucks the odd stationary item at me when she thinks nobody is watching. I especially missed my cat, it sounds sad I know but he is so cuddly and always so playful.  

The afternoon turned into night without any new noises or lights, the suitcase was a bust, just clothes. Swimming costumes and cardigans. The normal getaway case for any girl taking a trip away. The only useful item was some dry shampoo, Thomas insisted I left some money for the food in case we later had to pay the consequences of entering their home. I wrote a note:

Dear sir/madam  

Me and my brother ate some of your nice cheese, I think it was Bree but I am uneducated in the cheese area. It was very nice and I have left you some money. I hope you’re not too mad, your door was open and your dog attacked me. He seemed very upset about something. Perhaps next time you go out you should lock your door and take the dog.

Thanks you for the food

Concerned citizen, Mia.  

I decided we should run back to grandads, gather all the food he had left and climb back into the loft. As we left the house it felt colder than before, the moon finally decided to show its face, as a conscience the street looked a lot less horrifying. Maybe this was all just in our heads after all? I locked grandad’s door and even stuck a couple of boxes in front of them, using the new torches Thomas found we split up. I gathered all the food, utensils, and batteries. Thomas grabbed bedding, jumpers then filled the bath with water. He saw on television once that in the event of an emergency it’s important to fill everything you have with water before its shut off. We took Grandads can opener with the intensions of unpacking all his fishing gear, I knew he had a little gas cooker. Whilst I set up some questionable beds Thomas searched through Grandads boxes, we shut off all of the torches but one. The room felt a lot smaller now and the air was cold, almost like frost was growing over the roof tiles above, the air felt thin as well as thick. A strange wetness about everything you touch, Like water was seeping out of my skin.

Thomas found a wind up radio, he turned the little crank slowing as if it was a delicate job. All our questions are finally going to be answered, he flicked the switch on then begun to scroll through frequency's, nothing came out but black and white fuzz. Scrolling past stations than fell silent, large companies who even in the worst situations I've known continue to broadcast. I felt anticipation for something, anything. Anxiety would have been a better word. How can there be nothing Thomas? Where do we even go from here  

"let's just keep listening, maybe the aerial is broken?"  

It's entirely plausible that it is just a cheap radio, it was only little; the size of a torch and a bold green colour. We left it on a silent station. The local London station that normally broadcasts bad music and lot's of traffic updates. I slipped under the covers turned off the light, silently waiting, always waiting for something. The radio begun to fade out slowly, I guessed it was running out of power. Thomas are you awake? How can he sleep like this, with everyone gone. It doesn't add up, no bodies, no warning. Everything seemed normal yesterday morning, life was just standard. I went to work, had my performance review. Graded a strong member of the team, achieved bonus for the month, finally sorted through my emails. I even ordered a new microwave, dam. I guess that's not coming now, with nobody to deliver it, oh and no power to use it. I wasn't looking forward to going to grandad's house, I mean it is depressing. Packing up someone's entire life in boxed, chucking out all the things he deemed worthy to keep but we don't. I drove straight here after work, only stopping off to get our dinner. It wasn't as busy as it usually is but I figured it's Friday. My stomach was growling, my eyes still so sore. I don't know if I can handle this anymore, part of me thinks It's all so stupid. That we should just drive into central and find someone.  

The loft hatch began to shake, only slightly but enough for me to sit up. Thomas was gone, I called out for him but my voice had been taken away from me. Normally something like that would strike up an unimaginable amount of fear and panic in me, for some reason I felt still and calm. I was scared sure, just not uncontrollably scared. I looked around as much as I could, the room still dark, the camping light and torches were gone. Maybe with Thomas? The skylight window offered a limited light from the bright moon, something was scraping at the hatch. Like a dog but bigger, how can it even reach the hatch without the ladder. I crawled closer, trying to peak through the tiny gaps now appearing were the hatch meets the wooden floor. The scraping turned into a fit of rage, something was now smashing into the wood, tearing away chunks. I finally screamed, so loud. Everything in my body went numb, my voice not breaking from the scream. I flung my body under Grandad's bedding, like a child hiding from a storm. Catching my breath under the covers, something climbed into the loft with me. I'm not alone anymore, claw sounds scratched against the floor as it came towards me. I have nowhere to go, nothing to protect myself with. It's breathing heavy like a dog's, it's heat projecting towards me. I felt a weighted mass climb up onto my legs, crushing them slightly. I tried to pull them out from under, I'm too weak. It's now laying on me, I pulled back the covers. It wasn't lying on me, it was standing over me with four chunky legs and jet black eyes. Four bony arms, one looked rotten. It's face almost entirely covered in thick mould, maybe even moss. Each arm has a hand, four fingers and one thumb. Like a human but with long finger nails covered in black dirt. It's body looked skinny and pale in the moon light, What are you? It didn't make a sound, it just raised one of it's arms and impaled me with it's nails.

"Mia! Wake up!" Thomas awoke me from the worst dream that I've ever had.  

"Mia seriously, listen!"

Gasping for air, soaked in sweat. I tried to calm myself and listen. The radio. It was playing music, it was a classical song. The one from the theme park advert, it was both exciting and menacing. I started to laugh, for the first time me and Thomas goofed around a little. Dancing around the loft, trying not to hit our heads on the low beams. The song went on for what felt like the end of time, playing with out emotions.  

"Mia did the song just-"  

It's on a loop! Why would someone do this?  

"at least it's something though, someone must be out there"  

We aren't alone anymore.

I felt myself becoming tearful, my heart sped up again. The pounding of eternity, just when things start to feel better something comes along and reminds me that my own worst nightmare is me. I've suffered from anxiety attacks my entire life, from silly things like calling the bank to driving alone. I've always pretended I'm someone else, like an actor playing the role of a confident young lady. I don't want to be that girl anymore, I want to take risks in life, get promotions, put myself out there. My watch had stopped but I think it was about six in the morning, I told Thomas about my dream. All he said was that grandad doesn't have a window in his loft, I couldn't help but think he was hiding something from me. The day felt as dark as my thoughts, today we have to leave. I cannot spend another hour in this loft, cramped up to my darling brother.  

We opened the hatch for the last time, it made it's normal fud against the wall. Letting down the chunky metal ladder; I through down the radio and some of grandads fishing gear, I figured the camping fire and tools might come in useful. We climbed down the ladder, still dark. Where has the sun gone, this doesn't make sense? The boxes at the front door had been knocked over maybe by someone trying to get in, I couldn't careless at this moment in time. Looking for my bag in the dark living room. Must find my car keys."That's strange Mia, the boxes have been pushed over" "Why didn't we hear-" Thomas I really don't have the energy to care right now.  

I know I'm being rude, this is just getting all too much. Where are my stupid keys, I'm sure as hell not walking back to central. I through boxes of china around, the poor light made it almost impossible to find my car keys. Breaking plates and angry slurs from my mouth filled the room. "try to keep it down sis" NO! I've had enough. The door creaked open from a strange gust of wind, the cold air gave me a deep chill running up my spine. Why is the door open? "I told you the boxes were pushed over" We both stared at each other for a while, the door now wide open.  

"I'm sorry to bother you, I can see you're a little busy" A figure had appeared in the doorway, tall shadowy figure. He spoke with an athorative tone, almost like he would be a police man, or maybe a security guard at the national art gallery. I picked up a plate, I know it seems like a pathetic weapon of choice but there wasn't anything else around. Thomas shone his torch light at his face. "I live just down the road, well I am unsure but I think I've been asleep for almost three days now" He looked about twenty seven I think, I'm not very good at guessing ages. He was wearing a white shirt with a black skinny tie, black skinny jeans and brown brogues. Clean shaven with short dark hair and bright hazel eyes, he was a cliché beautiful person.  

"you're the first person we've seen for days, where do you live?" Thomas shouted at him.  

"listen guys, what's going on, I haven't been able to use my phone and the powers out"  

What's your name?

"I'm Peter night" he said looking around the room

What are you looking for Peter night?

"I thought I saw something, that's why I'm here." He spoke a little softer than before.

Saw what?

"It doesn't matter, are you guys going somewhere?" He asked

Thomas shouted again, and before I knew it this stranger was coming with us. We gave up on my keys and decided to take Peter's truck. The air felt a lot warmer now, I started to sweat a little, drips of salty tasting liquid fell from my forehead. I don't know why but this made me even more anxious, maybe it was because Peter although strange, was probably the most attractive man I've ever laid my eyes on. His skin looked soft and tanned, a smile so perfect it could light up an entire street. Wait, that's not his smile. Guys! The street! It's....glowing! Peter ran out first, he began to shout "NO, JESUS NO, MY HOUSE, PLEASE NO" I pushed past Thomas who was standing silently with his mouth open, Peter's house was on fire. The flames leaped well above the height of the house, dancing in the sky like fireworks. Black smoke escaped the house gracefully turning white as it reached the nights sky, Peter's cries for help faded out of focus, all I could concentrate on was the sinister sound of the crackling house. It consumed me, the fire was so beautiful, like somehow it was clenseing my soul of all anxieties, all it's deepest fears. Reaching depths of my mind that I never knew existed before, something in me wanted to change. Let go of it all, become the girl that other people are scared of, the type of girl to walk down dark alleys alone at night.

Thomas grabbed my arm pulling tearing me away from the only sense of paradise I will ever feel, he pulled me towards Grandads house. "Mia just listen to me, where is your car? Where is peters truck?" The street is empty, not even that Jager we saw is here anymore. The sky seemed lighter now, like the sun was finally returning to us. "Mia, what are we going to do?" Thomas sounded hysterical. We will have to walk Thomas, Peter let's go. I'm not staying here any longer than we have to. "I can't just let my house burn Mia Peter sounded angry, like somehow this was my fault. What are you going to do call the fire brigade? I know I shouldn't have said it but it just slipped out of my mouth. I cringed at myself waiting for his reply. "Fine, but we go to the train station" he said with a monotone voice. "Why, there wont be anyo-" Peter cut off Thomas and explained that although he didn't expect the train to be running it was a more direct route to central. He planned to leave us when we got to the waterloo to go look for his grandparents, he spoke like nothing mattered anymore. What was in his house that meant so much to him?  

We started to walk up the hill away from  central London, no smoke above central since the first day of the explosions. This must have meant that either someone put out any fires or that the explosion was controlled in some way. I walked infront of Tom and Peter pretending that I was content on being alone, I could hear them talking about Peter's job. From what I could make out he was a glorified web designer, making banking applications for mobile phones and tablets. He earned enough to buy a house out right in edges of London, drove a large truck and played lot's of video games. Thomas seemed to like Peter but I couldn't help thinking they were hiding something, they spoke softly at times so that I couldn't hear. I know paranoia this isn't paranoia. Being paranoid is when you think someone is following you, or checking your food isn't poisoned. I heard my name a couple of times. Did you say my name? "erm yeah, just slow down Mia. We don't want to lose you!" Thomas acted as if everything was normal, but I knew it wasn't. The street was cold, dark and somehow wet although haven't seen rain since it all started. That's rare for England, The houses looked normal; as if nothing had happened. I felt like knocking on each door asking for some help, maybe people where just hiding. I mean Peter was home right?  

We reached the top of the hill, Thomas and Peter standing next to me we looked down on Crayford. It's a small down connecting to Kent and London, there was nobody around. Only a few cars scattered around but bursting with flames, the air smelt of smoke and strangely petrichor. It was exactly twelve twenty when we reached the sports outlet, Thomas thought that we could all do with some better clothing for the long walk we had ahead of us. We were ignorant to approach the building so quickly without calculating the best vantage points. The doors were suppose to be automatic however without power they were midway closed, I could squeeze through but I honestly didn't want to. Peter and Thomas pushed and pulled at the sliding door, trying to force them open. I found a large rock and just through it at the glass doors. They shattered in front of us, Thomas yelling at me and peter rushing us inside as if we were not alone. I don't know why I did it, I just did. Something maybe the fact it was getting all too tedious caused me to smash the doors. I'm growing ever tired of not having answers, I've had no food or sleep for what feels like weeks.  

The store was giant and intimidating, like a somehow it felt like it was better than me. I know that sounds stupid there was just something about that place that didn't feel right. Peter stormed off in a tantrum towards the shoes near the front, trying on ridulosly lavish styles. Throwing the ones that didn't fit him on the floor, Thomas yelled towards him "Try to not trash the place Petey" Petey, what they're friends now. "Hey, I need a new wardrobe, mine went up in flames" he laughed at himself. Thomas I'm going to look at the girls clothes, I walked off down the middle of the store, just a little torch we found at the neighbours in hand. The store didn't have iles it was more of a large jumble sale, racks of reduced hideous clothing. Track suits and trainers aren't really my style but who cares, Peters a dick and Thomas is my brother. Nobody to impress anymore, I found a beige blouse and some denim dungaree's. A large baggy jumper and some high-top black boots, I stuffed them into a backpack then headed towards the changing room.  

The changing room was plastered in pretty people posters, young teenagers with blonde hair and perfect bodies surfing the great waves of some unknown sea. Red velvet curtains covering the little sections that people change in, walking slowing down to the end one so that Peter couldn't see me I heard something. Crying, someone or something was crying. I hoped to god that it wasn't Thomas, the lobby smelt of new clothes and the floor was wet. I took half steps towards the crying, each footstep squelching on the damp floor. I called out a couple of times, "Are you okay Thomas?" My torch gave off a low orange light, only circling on what you focused it on; I could see coat hangers, baskets full of clothes as if people had dropped them and ran. The crying stopped, I could only assume Thomas had become embarrassed. I grabbed the curtain and pulled it back slowly, it was soft but cheap. The type you would find at a school, my socks felt damp from all the water. I didn't scream nor run, I just froze staring at her. She was so white in the face, her body covered in blood, similar to the red velvet curtains. Her eyes had been ripped from her skull, teeth scattered on the floor. I imagined they would crunch under my weight, something had ripped her to pieces. Chunks of flesh everywhere, like she has been put into a blender without the lid on. Dried blood spatters across the white walls of the cubicle, an arm missing. Bones showing from every part of her body, was she eaten? I didn't do anything. I just let go of the curtain and walked back into the shop. So much to think over, so much to contemplate, nothing made sense. Why was she dead, her body torn apart and hung up for someone to see. Was she left for me?  

“Nice jumper” Thomas mocked me. They found me laying behind the till counter, I could hear them calling my name. I just wasn't in the mood to respond, the store was huge. The front was covered  mainly In glass with tall sale posters in every window pane, manikins styling sporting outfits, rails made the place look untidy and claustrophobic. The word sale splatter on every wall, rail, window even clothing items. The longer I looked at the word the more my brain played tricks on me. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. It was everywhere one moment and gone the next. I knew that seeing that girl would mess with me,  I just didn't know how. I felt so angry, it was building inside me. I could feel myself pushing back the rage packing it tightly inside my stomach almost making me nauseous. I got myself in such a state I couldn't decided if I was holding back anger or actual vomit, actually. It's vomit. My mouth jolted open and dark bile fell all over Peter. "What the hell Mia!" He wasn't happy. He marched away cursing my name, calling me a stupid girl. A pile of thick dark liquid laying on the floor infront of me, I've never seen sick like this before. Thomas patted me on the back whilst getting up to chase after him, I could hear Thomas trying to calm Peter down. He's so rude, both of them.

Peter

"Look, I know she's your sister but-"

"Yeah she is, so just leave it alone" Thomas cut me off

We sat on the floor outside the changing rooms, I kept playing with the laces on my shoes whilst Thomas picked up a barrel of golf balls he knocked by accident.  

"Listen your sister isnt right, you know that right" the words just slipped out of my mouth.  

"She's my sister Peter" He was pissed at me.

"Well there is something...."  

"Go on buddy?"  

I hate it when people do this, it's like why the pause, or when people say I know something I cant tell you.

"She said she had a dream, where something was scratching at the loft door trying to get in and-"

"Why was you sleeping in the loft!" I couldn't help myself but ask.

"and it impaled her with something, well I didn't think anything of it at the time"  

Thomas paused for a while

"But well, when we left the loft there was these claw like marks on the top of the hatch" He looked scared.

"It was like something was trying to get out, not in" He started to laugh nervously.

"It's stupid right"

I just smiled at him, I mean something isn't right with that girl but I highly dought she's a young wolf. I chucked a golf ball at him and our eyes met, he looked sad. It's understandable, he's got a freak for a sister and the worlds gone to shit. Well presumably gone to shit, I'm still holding out for a decent explanation.  

We decided to check out the staff room, maybe there was food or a vending machine. Mia was laying on the floor next her gross sick, probably feeling sorry for herself. "Listen Mia, I over reacted.....I'm sorry" I pulled a dopey smile at her.  

"Look Peter, pull that shit again and you're on your own" She had a nasty face on her, god I hope she slips in her sick. Tom jumped over the till counter and knocked on the staff room door. "Hello, anyone in there?" He shouted with a geeky look on his face. Mia pushed past him and tried to open the door, it was locked. A silver keypad with numbers and letters. "Now what boys?" I started to type in random sequences like the classic 0000, of course nothing happened. Mia was looking through the draws on the counter, she was chucking things around and Thomas was picking them up. The door has a tall sheet on safety glass in it, althought it was so dark inside I could only just make out a table. Something was laying on the floor next to it. I asked Tom is I could borrow his torched and started to look around the room leaning my head against the window pane, a table sat in the center of the room with five brightly coloured chairs  tuc

[samuelcrobinsononlinearchive]

island .1

I don't remember a lot about my first day, I remember the feeling of the sand in my toes. My body was shaking from what I can only still assume was being washed to shore. The sudden exposer to light burning my vision, a cool but warm breeze swooping over the island’s sandy landscape slapping into me. I didn’t panic, I stayed collected like a proper lady. That was until I stood up, I looked down the beach over the sand bump and saw a pile of wooden shacks and caravans decorated in light bulbs. In the center of the islands black sandy landscape my mother’s run-down house, it sat proud in the middle like the island was welcoming me. Then towering over them all a tall city sky scraper on the right. I hadn’t seen the tower before, but I could imagen the tall building sharing space in a tight city somewhere. Nothing made sense, it was terrifying but seeing my mothers house in the center of it all made me sick to my stomach.

A thick rusted metal bracelet was locked around my wrist, it let out a shock every time I tried to make a step closer to the buildings. My body fell to the ground with every attempted, my legs fell numb and my Bladder felt weak. I drew a line in the sand with my fingers and collapsed onto my knees, dipping the bracelets I to the cooling sea water. I short hiss let out as the bracelet cooled off, my shorts filled with water with every invading wave. I felt violated as I fleeted my hands over my body checking for scars, if the tide comes in I will have to make a choice. Burn or drown. The moon soon replaced the sun with what felt like a blink of the eye.  

light bulbs looped around the shacks in a decorative manner then straight across to my mother’s house. They finally led all the way up to one of the scrapers balcony's. Large metal plates of some kind that let off a strange humming sound were fixed on two sides of the sky scraper. It looked as if it had been ripped from the ground it was once fixated to and dropped on the island by mistake. This was no mistake, someone has gone through a lot of effort to put me here, to put my mother’s house here, something was going to happen and I knew that it was meant for me. I laid on my back looking directly at the stars, not a single cloud had past since I woke up. The stars and the ocean waves were calming, if it wasn't for the shocking metal bracelet and the fact I was starving this could have been a lucid dream.  

why me? I'm an average boring teenager with no hobbies or much sex appeal. I left school last year and started working in an office, I still live my neurotic mother who insists that we all sit down to dinner every weekend. The tide finally went out and my body could dry a little, it was warm but nothing too extreme. I don't know how long I can last laying here with out anything to eat or drink? I don't remember the last time I ate, in fact I don't remember anything about the last few days. I remember work but it felt like so long ago, how long have I been on this island? How long did I spend traveling unknowingly to the island? Am I older now? I guess I must be right? I'm at least one day older than when I woke up here.  

The moon moved slowly behind the cliffs next to the skyscraper, the island seemed almost still, voided of life. The only man-made noise came from the humming of the metal plates, maybe I should have called for help? I figu    the more attention I drew to myself the more I'm likely to get the attention I'm not looking for. My hair was frizzy and dry from the oceans embrace and my eyes felt run down from all the drama and silent tears. They started to feel heavy until I finally gave into the forth coming sleep, the last thing I remembered about my first day on the island was thinking. "I hope I wake up tomorrow"  

Day two.  

“Who are you” a little boy, I guess around eight or nine was standing over me.  

“Who are you?” I was never very good at conversing in the morning.  

“I asked first, who are you?” He stepped back as I started to sit up.  

“Hey! You have a bracelet too?” I pointed at his wrist.  

“We all do” he turned his head towards my mother’s house.  

As I stood up I could see people of all ages starting to stand up, a man laid on the beach no more than ten feet away from me.  

“Is he okay?” The little boy grabbed my hand and pulled me towards him.  

“ I can't it will shock me!” I yelled at him, you shouldn't yell at kids unless you have a shocking chunk of metal on your wrist.  

“Mine shocks me too” he looked down at his wrist.  

It was only now I could see the burn marks on his arm. The metal had singed into his skin, it was red and full of puss.

“It didn't stop until the sun came back” he pulled me towards the man who still laid motionless. I could see at least ten people gathering just outside my mum’s house, some were crying and others were shouting. The man must have been in his early twenties, maybe even my age. He was wearing a black suit with an expensive looking tie, his shock bracelet was different to ours, it was slim and red.  

“Is he okay?” The little boy let go of my hand and begun to search through the mans pockets.  

“You shouldn't touch him kid” I couldn't help but sound condescending and old.  

"What's your name?" The little boy looked up at me with his big brown eyes.  

"Phillip" he pulled out the mans wallet and begun to look through it.  

"His name is Luke Thomas Ryan and he's nineteen yea-"  

"I'm almost twenty actually" Ryan sat up and put his hand out towards Phillip.  

"You shouldn't be taking things that don't belong to you already Philip" Ryan took the wallet shoved it into his pocket and stood up. He looked at me for a while, as if I was the first women he had seen in days.  

"What do you mean already?" I mean that would imply he's been here for a while and that he was aware of his being here?  

"I mean this is only day two on the island" He looked as if he was startled by a woman speaking openly to him.  

"So, you know where we are?" I felt like Sherlock himself deducting words and taking in every inch of him with my eyes. He was tall, almost seven feet with daft looking blonde hair that fell in front of his eyes. His suit was perfect, no wrinkles or sand patches.  

"I woke up last night, I'm guessing like both of you?" He flashed me a quick smile showing off his perfectly white teeth. He must have bleached them, nobody has teeth like that. "Who are you anyway?" Great how do I answer that one?  

"I guess I'm Julie and that's Phillip" burgh why did I say that.  

"Well Julie and Phillip, let's go find out why we are here"

Phillip grabbed my hand as we walked towards my mother’s house, a group of at least twelve people were gathering. Ryan walked ahead of us and shouted for everyone to calm down.  

"does anyone have any water?" He took control of the situation but I'm not sure that was a good thing. Everyone looked no older than twenty with the youngest two being Phillip and a girl his age called Phebe. There was seven boys and seven girls totalling to fourteen of us, we all sat on my mother’s wooden porch waiting for something to happen. Ryan kept asking people to raise their hands to stupid questions he was asking, I guess he thought he was Sherlock too.  

"Has anyone been to this island before" Nobody raised their hand.  

"Is anyone here a member or was a member or a terrorist organisation" What does he think this is? Political kidnappings.  

"Did everyone wake up outside" Everyone but Phillip raised his hand.  

"I woke up inside a cave" Phillip sounded scared, like the cave had somehow hurt him.  

"I nudged him a little and asked him where the cave was.  

" I can't tell you Julie" He looked down at his wrist.  

"It hurt me"  

"Not this time Phillip I promise"  

I didn't think It was a good idea to tell anyone this was my house, I mean they could think I had something to do with it. I'm not even sure this is my house. A boy just a bit young than me told everyone that all the doors were somehow locked, he had tried to kick them down but they were too hard for just him.  

"Does anyone recognise these houses?" A ginger girl in an oversized yellow jumper raised her hand.  

"Well actually, that's my house" She pointed to the tower.  

"It's mine too" a boy no older than me raised his hand. Soon almost everyone concluded that they knew or had stayed in one the buildings on the island. I still didn't think it was a good idea to own up to the fact that this was my mother’s porch we were sitting on. The fact my house was in the centre of the island had to mean something.  

"We should at least investigate the tower" Ryan couldn't help but sound like a leader. The leader of what I have no idea. I finally spoke up and said I would come with him. Phillip stayed with Phebe on the porch of my mother’s house with another girl called Jane. She said that she would make sure they didn't get too scared, another boy called Charles asked if he could some with us. See if his apartment door would unlock with his card key.  

Soon there was five of us, marching towards the tower. It had looked close than I thought, each step I took the tower looked no closer. My body was aching with exhaustion, I felt not a day older but decades older. The black sand was deep, my feet sunk a couple of inches like a snow day back home. The size of the building makes it appear closer than it is, it has shiny tinted windows with steel looking fixtures. Sloppy welding and rusty frames, it was as if the building was revealing its age and imperfections to us. The humming grew louder as we started to close in on it, almost unbearable. Who could live here like this?  

"Hey, you look worried" Ryan dropped back from the group to walk beside me.  

"I'm okay, just thirsty that’s all"  

"Yeah, we really need to find something to eat or drink soon before we start eating each other" Ryan nudged into me.  

"I'm afraid I don't eat meat" I couldn't help but wonder if he already knew that.  

Waking up on a strange island somehow makes you paranoid about everything and everyone.

"Have you noticed yet?"  

"noticed what exactly?"  

" Well now Julie, I thought you had more whit about you" He laughed at me. Jerk

" There are how many people on this island so far?" He slowed his pace down so that the distance between us and the others grew.  

"Seven girls and seven boys?" I did that thing where you heighten your voice at the end of a sentence so that it sounds like a question.  

"Good now, have you noticed that my bracelet and yours are different colours?" He looked smug.  

"well, actually it was the first thing I noticed"  

" So there are exactly seven silver bracelets and seven red" he stopped walking and faced me.  

"Julie, what if that's because there are supposed to be two groups?" I laughed at his ridiculous question and carried on walking.  

The doors to the tower were grand, expensive looking but dirty from the sand. The black tinted doors had a beautiful 30's art deco pattern around them.  

"The key doesn't work" Charles was getting annoyed.  

"wait, that's new" He said.  

Next to the beautiful doors was a black techno looking thing. Like one of those eye scanners you see in spy movies. I walked through the group and put my metal bracelet against it, it beeped a few times and then flashed red.  

"Charles try yours" He pushed his red bracelet against the door scanner. It beeped again then flashed red.  

"Okay someone else try" Ryan being the born leader called each of us up one by one until finally he pushed his bracelet next to the scanner. Nothing happened for a while until a few seconds later it flashed green. The door unlocked with a mechanical clunking noise. "Access granted".  

"Sorry did the door just talk to you?" I couldn't help but laugh at how stupid that would be. Ryan pulled open the door first and made a heroic declaration about how he would be the first to see if it's safe. My hero. Charles followed him and then returned to inform us unheroic folk that it was safe to come in. Tyrone and Joanne went in next follow by myself. The hallway was a grand room, filled with smart looking furniture. Typical rich English décor, with a beautiful white marble floor and a large front desk. I could imagine the smart dressed receptionist denying people access for not being presentable enough. The elevator was already at the ground floor when we arrived. The lights were out but somehow the elevator had power. We didn't question it for too long because Charles had mentioned that he was on floor seventeen. 17 flights of stairs in wet knickers. I went in first followed by Ryan and then Charles, Tyrone and finally Joanne who wasn't a small girl. Ryan had his back to me when Joanne pushed backwards to avoid the closing doors. His hand crashed into mine causing our bracelets to connect. They let off a short but hard shock knocking both of us to floor. I could hear Joanne screaming and tyrone hovering over me asking if I was dead, I was still conscious but barely breathing from the shock. In the panic and cramped elevator someone must have pushed the buttons because the speaker announced our arrival at the penthouse top floor.  

***

My mind and body started to reconnect, adjusting to the pain. I snapped out of REM and my body flung up, mouth wide open letting out sharp gasp.

"Oh my god, we for sure thought you was both dead" Tyrone wasn't the most optimistic. "I'm okay, I think" Again I did the body pat down, checking for any cuts or burns. My mother worked in a hospital, she always talked about people who had no access to medicines and that even a paper cut could be life threatening.  

"I'm all here" why did I have to say that out loud.  

"Sorry, what?" Tyrone looked confused.  

"Don't worry, is Ryan okay" I asked.

"He's fine, we put him in his bed" Joanne was stuffing her face with some strange looking mush.  

"What do you mean his bed?" I asked.  

"yeah, look" tyrone pointed to the wall. A painting the size of my bath hung above the marble fire place, in the centre of the painting a grey-haired man sat with authority. Next to him stood a beautiful young wife and on the left, was Ryan, he looked just as unhappy about the painting as I was.

"Why didn't he tell us?" I was angry, somehow it felt like he had lied to me. Jerk face  

"well it's obvious, isn't it?" Charles walked out of what I can assume from the flush was a bathroom.  

"Why?"  

"Because Julie, his family own this building." Charles sounded resentful. That would make sense, his bracelet was the only one that worked.  

"Can I see him?" I asked nicely.  

"It's not my house, you don't need my permission" Charles was a snappy boy. I got up from the sofa I had awoken from and past the stacks of metal boxes that Joanne was helping herself to. The pent house looked over the entire island, the left side of the living room was made from perfectly clear glass. I took a moment to take it all in, the ocean’s tide had come back in. I could see mountains made of black sand for as far as I could see. It was almost the perfect view, you know. If we weren’t stuck here and all. The living room felt tense, like the others had already decided they didn't want to go back outside or share food with me. Ryan was laying under the covers with his suit still perfectly crease free, I looked around his bedroom at all his books. The classics like, Moby dick, the catcher in the rye and of course Bridget jones. His CD collection was small but sweet, some strokes and a six-disc set of driving music. I assume this was a present from his probably very beautiful girlfriend. Nobody would voluntary purchase a cd set that's over twelve hours long.

"Julie come here" he whispered.  

"You're awake" He looked pale but still beautiful.  

"Quickly, before they hear me" He snapped.  

I walked over to his modern looking bed, it had a silver chrome base with a thick memory foam mattress and black silk sheets.

"Is this bed supposed to levitate" I laughed at him  

"Like is this one of those NASA beds?" I'm too funny sometimes.  

He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer.  

"They know" He said.  

"They being and know what?" I'm so confused.  

"I heard them talking" He said in a serious tone.  

"They know about the bracelets" He looked at my wrist.  

"What about them?" I'm not catching on.  

"You're the only silver one here" He pointed at the door.  

"help me up, I need to change and we need to get out of here" He sounded so urgent.  

What had they been talking about? Was I going to become subject to a fashion war? So,     what if mine is silver and they all had red ones.  

Ryan flung his jacket on the bed and pulled off his white shirt over his head, his body wasn't crease free like the suit. His body is so toned, each part of him covered in muscle and perfection. It was wrong to look but who knows if I will live long enough to see another mans body. He tapped the wall and flung open a hidden wardrobe.  

"How come you never told me that you lived here?" I asked.  

"I don't, well not really."  

"This is my dad's tower"  

"I just stay here, every other weekend, that's the deal anyways" He pulled on some skinny black jeans and a black t-shirt.

"We need to get you out of here" He said with such urgency again.  

"I don't get why?" I asked him again.  

"They've figured out that you and Phillip and the others have silver." He sounded concerned still.  

"That doesn't mean anything Ryan?!"  

"Hey, we should take some food and water to the others” Ryan walked into the living room like what he had just said was nothing.  

“If you want to call this food” Joanna lifted her head up out of one of the metal boxes.  

“We should take this one” Charles closed shut the box Joanne was stuffing her face with. “Just the one? There is fourteen of us” I couldn't help myself.

“Yes, but they will eat it all” Charles snapped back at me.  

“Some of them are just kids Charlie” by the face he pulled he didn't like being called Charlie. “Yes, they are kids Julie” he picked up the case and headed for the door.  

“If we give them all the food, they will eat it leaving nothing for me” Charlie slammed the door shut behind him.

“for us” I snapped back.  

“I guess I'll get the water then” Tyrone tried to move a barrel, tried being the key word there. I skipped out on the crowded lift and decided to take the stairs, each floor was beautifully decorated with marble flooring and exotic plants. Floor after floor drowning with unbearable silence, not even the humming of the plates. I couldn't stop trying to decipher what Ryan had meant by ‘they know about the bracelets’. who cares? I don't care. To my surprise only Ryan was waiting in the lobby with his perfectly good-looking hair, he was slumped over a Victorian looking sofa looking all droopy.  

“Hey are you okay?” He shot up into what I guess he thought was a more appropriate posture.  

“Sure, I didn't hear you come down”  

“I will announce myself next time, like the front door”  

“the others didn't want to wait around, I tried to get them to but-”  

“you don’t need to explain”  

The lobby was fun, it had tons of sofas and arm chairs with little candy bowls. The lights were out and the tinted glass almost made it dark, but it felt a hundred times safer than outside. I couldn’t tell if it was Ryan or the building but I feel better.

“What did you mean upstairs, about them knowing?”  

“Listen, this is going to sound insane but when I woke up I felt something” his eyes avoided me like the plague.  

“You felt something for me?” weird.

“No Julie, I felt something” he stood up walked over to me and whispered into my ear  

“not here Julie”  

Time felt so still, I don't know if it was the way he said it or the fact his face was so close to mine.  

“We should go find Phillip, he's probably worried” I walked towards the door.  

Ryan looked confused as if somehow, I was supposed to breakdown or beg him to talk. Not me. I know boys, they love a helpless girl.  

Charles was halfway through my mother’s window when we got back to her house. He had smashed it with a part of the wooden porch. I half expect my mother to smack him over the head with something and march him out the front door. The windows where covered in dirt from the sandy landscape and gushing winds, it felt safe before but now everyone could see into my home. Charlie was trying to unlock the door from the inside, banging into it with his stupid body. I pushed through the Crowd and put my wrist up to the scanner, the door unlocked with the same computer like sound. “Access Granted” I could hear people talking about me but I'm too angry to care.  

“Charlie, get out of my house!!!”  

“Get out you idiot”  

“now”  

I was too angry to see it at first. This wasn't my house.  

“You live here?” Ryan had followed me through the door.  

The living room looked the same but not the same, the walls white, the furniture missing. No photos, no sofas even the rug was gone. In its place was a stack of TVs, I counted almost twenty of them. They all faced towards the front door, different sizes and generations. A mint green 1930’s TV sat next to a high tech flat screen, TVs all in a row facing the door. Some were stacked on top of each other, somewhere slightly behind others. Charlie started to walk around the back of them, checking for any cables.  

“you said you lived here Julie?” Charles stopped and started at me, as if implying the TV’s had something to do with me.  

“yes and no” I turned to look at Ryan just as the back row of televisions turned on. A black screen with basic white text flickered on, each one saying welcome. The front row turned on next with a sinister powering up sound, displaying the same black screen with the same basic white text saying HOME. I could hear people starting to panic on the porch, peering through the broken window. Phillip pushed his way through and gripped my hand. Ryan ordered that everyone should leave the area but me, Tyrone, Charles, Connor and Jess. Three reds and three silvers.

Ryan closed the door and walked straight up to the TV in the center of them all, it had four brown legs with a matching TV frame. On the front was another bracelet scanner, he pushed his wrist against it but nothing happened.  

“You next” he pointed at Charles. Nothing happened.  

“Now you” he pointed at me. I pushed my wrist up against the scanner and started to walk back in line. Suddenly the screens turned red, then black then even blacker until they were all off.  

“Welcome Megan” the TV in the center stayed on.  

“Who is Megan” Jess looked at me. I shrugged it off, I didn't want to tell them my real name. I had no motive to lie but even Ryan didn't admit to owning the scraper straight away.  

A symbol faded onto the televisions.

“what is it?” Charlie looked at me.  

“why would I know” the screens were old, not shabby chic but old. They flicked making the symbol almost impossible to understand.  

It could have been an animal of some kind, a man’s voice started to talk. “Welcome, I wanted to start by saying this will be your new home” he paused for a while. “Let me start with the rules, there are fourteen of you but only seven can survive” his voice didn't flinch, no sound of concern or empathy. A cold man. “Not six, or eight, only seven” Ryan grabbed my hand, I looked round at him and everyone else. We were all stunned by his words.  

Ryan doesn’t look surprised; does he know who the man is?

Ryan's grip tightened. “you cannot leave the island, you cannot hide from the island and you cannot defeat the island” the man’s voice stopped and the screens shut off almost Instantly.  

The screens powered on one at a time, they all displayed the black screen with white letters spelling out i-l-d-n-s-a. island.

I knew what this meant and I knew that Ryan knew what this meant. Seven. Seven only.

They want us to kill, Kill children.  

Without a flicker of hesitation, I walked past the televisions and run up the stairs towards my bedroom. The floor boards were bare and creaky, my bedroom door was locked.  

“Ryan” I screamed down to him.  

“Ryan” he came stomping up the stairs towards me.

“what's wrong?” He looked genuinely panicked.  

“kick down this door?” He titled his head a little.  

“I would do it myself but I'm not in the mood” I slipped him a half smile and turn to watch his foot clammed into the door.  

I need to play the game, if he thinks I am weak I have the element of surprise later. No children are going to die on this island.  

The wood cracks slightly with every kick, someone from the called up the stairs and asked if he needed any help. It almost sounded sinister like he was going to take me out. The door finally gave way and swung open, Ryan grabbed my hand and pulled me in slamming the door shut behind us. The room was full of metal cases and one silver bag, it was all foreign to me. Ryan walked over to the window and looked down at the children playing.  

"They want us to fight each other?" he said.  

"who exactly are they?" He laughed.  

“The people, the ones doing this”

Why is he so calm? I need food.

"We should find somewhere to sleep" he said.  

“I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s going on” I pulled him away from the window and looked directly I into his deep eyes.

“listen to me” he held my arm.

“I don’t know what is going on, but what I do know if Charles had already figured out that half of us are red and the other silver” he paused.

“after that show, or whatever it is he will make a divide”

“seven reds or seven silvers” I thought out loud again

“me, you, Philip and that little girl Phebe I think. We will stay at my house tonight, tomorrow we can work start a search group” he smiled and walked out if the door. I peered out of the window and saw Ryan starting to address the group, he was telling everyone to ration the food in the case they had taken from the tower and find someone where to sleep. He suggested that they sleep at least in pairs of two and in the shacks or caravans. Charles and Joannea volunteered to start handing out the food and water. No surprise, keeping the best for themselves. I’ll search the rest of the house and then grab Phebe and Phillip. Just as I was about to walk away from the window Ryan shot me a glare, I caught his eye and gave him a half-hearted smirk.  

The trunks in my room were filled with dried food packets, they were white paper like squares with black writing in the centre. They mostly read things like pasta and mash, an occasional pudding packet. I pulled out two puddings and a bottle of water, I noticed the silver bag on the floor again. It felt heavy, like a bag of blankets. The zip had been broken off, like someone clumsy had packed it in a hurry. Without another thought I grabbed he bag and headed for the front door, I slammed the door shut. “door locked” people turned to look at me on the porch, I had hoped that I could slip out unnoticed.  

“why did you look the door” Charles shouted.

“it was an accident” I tried to shake the comment off and walked down towards the caravans.  

“Phillip” he must be in one of them.

“they are in my cabin at the end” Jane caught up behind me.

“listen Jane, can you get Phillip and Phebe to tower”

“The tower?” she stopped walking.

“it’s not safe, I will tell you everything later”

“erm” Jane paused for a moment her brown short hair waving in the cool breeze.

“just bring the kids to the tower in ten minutes, try not to let them see yo-”

“let who see us” her face dropped

“everyone”  

I slipped through a gap between two caravans and walked behind the row of shacks and cabins, I could hear people starting to walk down on the other side. Chatting about who’s place they were going to stay at tonight. How can everyone be acting to calm about the situation? We will most likely die here, who knows what they will do if we don’t kill each other? I got to the last house in the row, my house. I could hear Joanne, Charles and Ryan talking. Ryan told them to stay together tonight and stay alert, Charles wanted to stay in the tower, he wanted to go to floor 17 and find out if his clothes were their but Ryan suggested that he stayed at Joanne’s caravan because it was getting dark quickly.

Jo and Charlie started to walk away and giggle, she was clearly into him.  

All Charlie is into is himself love.  

“you can come out now” Ryan shut the metal case and turned around to face my house.  

“how did you know” I moved around the side if the house slowly to check we were alone.

“my dad used to take us hunting”  

“hunting, that’s awful” I sat on my porch and fiddled with one of the planks on the floor.

“what you don’t eat animals?” he laughed.

“nope”

“even in all of this?” he waved his hands around as if introducing a scene at a theatre  

“have you looked at the food?”

“no” he looked confused

“meat free baby” I flipped up a peace sign and laughed at him

The wooden plank finally gave way and one of the nails fell out, I slipped the nail into my pocket whilst Ryan was preoccupied with checking the food packets.

“you’re right” he slammed the case shut.

“even in all of this, you’re upset about going vegan?” I laughed and mimicked his hand gestures.

“why are you pulling up the porch?” Ryan walked over the help me with another plank.

“curious, help me with another one”  

After we had removed three planks, I laid flat and stuck my head under the porch floor.  

“what is it?” Ryan shouted, despite being only inches away from me.

“more sand” I pulled my head up and covered the hole with the planks again.  

“what was the point then?” Ryan stamped down on the planks.

“wires, the house has power; wires would lead us back to the source of the power”  

Just as Ryan sat down Jane and the kids came running around the corner of my house.

“we should go quickly” Ryan said as he pulled me up from the floor.  

The walk felt even longer this time, with only a string of white bulbs to guide us to the tower we shuffled along in blinding darkness. My mind going into overdrive. Ryan knows more than he is letting on, what if he wants us to come back to the tower because he thinks we are weak? Kill us off whilst we sleep in his own home. Ryan wouldn’t do that would he? He wouldn’t. He can’t, I won’t let him. Me, Phillip, Jane, Jess, Skyler, Tyrone and Amy are silver. That means Ryan, Charlie, Jo, Connor, Rex, Claire and Phebe are Red. Whoever is doing this wants two children to fight until death. I won’t let it happen, I must act weak in front of Ryan, Connor, Charlie and Jo. They are my only challenge here, but Ryan. How could I kill him? Tomorrow I’ll find that cave, take Jane and the kids. If we wait things out until the other fight it out, then they should let us go, right? Seven no more or less, that’s what the man said but he wouldn’t leave us here to die. Would he?

Ryan opened the door, although it was loud we were far enough to not have to worry about the others hearing us. The ground floor was in complete darkness, only the elevator buttons were visceral.

“everyone to the light, I’m going to shut the doors” Ryan was last in. The realisation that we were strangers forced onto an island set in, my hands started the shake uncontrollably. Each step towards the elevator in total darkness, avoiding my urge to cry. Scream.  

“why did you lie to me?” Phillip grabbed my hand out of the darkness

“I haven’t?”  

“you said your name was Julie” the boy stopped  

“I’m sorry Phillip”

“it’s okay, my name isn’t actually Phillip” he smiled  

“what?”

“it’s Pip”

“well pip, do you want to press the button?” the boy raced to the elevator and slapped into the control panel.

“Door locked”  

We made it to Ryan’s Pent house floor, Phebe had fallen asleep in Janes arms; her mouth wide open. “you two can take my parents room” Ryan pointed across the living room.  

“Megan, help me keep the doors open whilst I get something to wedge them” Ryan pushed the door back.  

“why, you shut the doors didn’t you?”  

“let’s just take extra care tonight” Ryan dragged over a small sofa, he pushed it through the doors so that the light doors were forced open. I climbed over the sofa and scooped up Pip, I didn’t really take in how grand and spacious Ryan’s house was before. A modern electric fire burned in the centre with three grey sofas surrounding it, small bronze and glass side tables beside each one with rustic looking lamps.  

“Why are the lights on?” Pip looked around the room

“it’s a timer, don’t worry guys” Ryan walk over to the open plan kitchen area.

“anyone hungry?” he started to unpack some of the packets from the metal boxes.  

“let’s go find you a bath and some clothes” I carried pip through Ryan’s bedroom into his on suit,