(set: $snapAtHer to false)
(set: $kindToHer to false) Your eyebrows furrow. As a groan crawls from the back of your throat, your eyelids open.
The world drifts into focus. You're in a strange room with bare walls, a heavy-looking whitewashed door, and a concrete floor that looks like it's been scrubbed down recently. You're in a bed, covered by a thin, white sheet. A florescent bulb hangs from the ceiling and the light jolts you awake and alert.
[[Where the hell are you?]]This isn't your bedroom. This isn't your house. Where the //fuck// are you?
You push away the sheet and straggle to your feet.
[[What happened?]] Where's your family? What's going on?Your mind races to recount the past twenty-four hours, but all your memories are too hazy and fragmented to make sense of.
Wait.
The sound of footsteps fall near the room you're in, with distant voices echoing close by. There's a low whirring surrounding you, too; some sort of pipes or machines are close.
[[See if the door's unlocked.]] You reach the door and press down the handle. It swings open, leading out to a hallway where distant sounds of life grow louder. Several bright lights line the concrete ceiling, revealing other closed doors nearby.
[[Walk down the hallway.]]
[[See if anybody is in the nearby rooms.]]You approach the corner. If whoever took you is nearby, letting them hear you leave your cell is probably a bad idea.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps fall in your direction. Somebody rounds the corner.
[[Stand your ground.]]
[[Run back to your room.]]You take slow steps towards the nearest door, hands balled into fists.
You knock against the wood, but there's no response. You can't hear any movement from inside, so you try to open the door.
Locked. Damn it.
Deciding that checking the other doors would only waste time, you [[head down the hallway.->Walk down the hallway.]]Pressing your lips into a thin line, your shoulders lock defensively. Soon, the figure appears in your line of sight. It's a woman - no. It's a //girl//.
She's got dark brown hair, the same shade as her skin, that falls in tangled waves. She looks about the same age as you, maybe a little younger, with brown eyes and baggy clothes that hang off her frame.
She lifts her gaze to meet yours and blinks. After a moment, her eyes soften. [["Ah, hello," she greets. "You must be new here."->"Who are you?"]]Adrenaline surges through your veins. You turn around and sprint back towards your room.
"Hey! It's okay! I'm not gonna hurt you!"
You slow to a halt and, after some internal debate, turn to face them. It's a girl with dark brown hair, the same shade as her skin, falling in tangled waves. She looks about the same age as you, maybe a little younger, with deep brown eyes and baggy clothes that hang off her frame.
[["Who are you?"]]"The Redeemed," she murmurs. "They're a cult that thinks the end of the world is coming, so they want to 'rescue' and 'protect' their own population."
Your mouth falls open. "//What?//"
"I know it's a lot to take in," she says, "but that's why you're here - and why I'm here, too." Her tone grows hollow. "They chose us to be 'saved'."
Saved? [[What?]]You splutter out incoherent sentences, stumbling over words as your throat begins to constrict. The world spins.
What? You... she... //What?//
Her mouth twists into a frown, but then she glances over her shoulder and sighs. "Look, I have to go."
[["Go? You can't go!"]]Well... okay then.
You spin on your heels and turn the corner, passing by more locked rooms until you reach a large set of double doors. You push them open and they reveal another long corridor with signs pointing in opposite directions: apparently, a canteen lies to the left, and the communal bedrooms are over on the right.
[[Go to the canteen.]]
[[Go to the communal bedrooms.]]You go left and walk down the winding corridor, eventually reaching some double-doors that have been propped open. Inside is the canteen, a large room filled with tables and benches, and what you think is a buffet stand at the front of the room.
There are lots of people around. Men, women, children, teenagers, adults; all sitting in small groups and talking over their food. The scene looks almost //normal//.
You [[approach the nearest table]].You walk right, moving down the winding corridor until you reach double-doors with 'Females' printed above them. You push the doors open.
It's a large room filled with bunkbeds, where females of all ages and backgrounds seem to be resting. Some lie on their beds, others sit on the floor staring into space. Smalltalk fills the otherwise quiet space.
[[Approach someone nearby.]](set: $snapAtHer to true)["Hey! Wait!"
She doesn't stop. Your temper flares. "Fine! Just leave me here on my own, then! Thanks so much for your help!"
She stills, and you think you hear her breath hitch.
"Go on," you spit, seething. "Leave me alone in this hell. I don't know what the fuck to do, but you leave. That's fine."
There's silence before you turns to face you, her face set in a smile that's eerily broken and forced. "Go the way I came," she says. "You're not alone. Not really, anyway."
She turns and leaves. What a freak.
[[Go the way she came.]] ](set: $kindToHer to true)["Okay," you whisper, with a throat thick with tears. "Just... can we meet up later? Please?"
She screeches to a halt. You watch her, waiting for a response - and you stare in mute horror as she turns to you, offering a smile that's broken and empty.
"You're sweet," she tells you, sounding almost mechanical. "Go the way I came, and you'll find the others. Y'know... I'm glad I met you today."
She turns and walks away, disappearing from sight.
[[Go the way she came.]] ]Soon, you find yourself back at your room. You head in the opposite direction and find a hallway with several white doors, with one at the end that's made of dirty brown wood.
You approach the door and nudge it open. You're met with Kessie's back, her head bowed as she stares down at something. You frown. "Kessie?"
She jolts and turns around, eyes wide and lips parted. She's holding a knife.
[["W-What are you doing?"]](if: $snapAtHer is true)[She stares at you - or rather, //through// you. "Go away." she says, voice flat. "Leave."
You blink, worry making your stomach churn. "Are you okay?"
"Why do you care?" she asks, sounding mechanical. "I'm the cow that left you on your own, aren't I? I'm the bitch that was //so fucking helpful//, aren't I?"
"Kessie-"
"Go. Away."
[[Stay.]]
[[Leave.]]]
(if: $kindToHer is true)[You stare at each other, silence throbbing between you. Her eyes are bloodshot and glassy.
"Kessie?" you murmur. "Are you okay?"
She swallows before glancing down at the object in her hands. After a pause, she whispers, "You should go."
"What?"
"Please," she breathes, "please, just leave."
[[Stay.]]
[[Leave.]]]Kessie's shoulders sag. "I'm really sorry, but there's something I have to do."
You gape at her. "But... I - I need to talk to you! Where are we? How do you know all this stuff?"
"We're in an underground hideout. I don't know exactly where, obviously, and they doesn't keep this stuff secret." Her eyes grow distant. "They're proud of 'saving' us."
"But... but..." Fear claws at your heart. "What about-?"
She glides past you, moving as if in a daze.
[[Snap at her.]]
[[Let her go.]](if: $snapAtHer is true)["Kessie," you rasp, a lump forming in your throat, "Kessie, please-"
"Get out!" she shrieks, voice rising with hysteria. "You can't stop me! I've been in this hell for too long, and //nobody// will stop me now! No-one!"
"Kessie, //wait//!"
You run at her as she turns the blade on herself. She aims for the heart.
She doesn't miss.]
(if: $kindToHer is true)["Hey," you whisper, voice shaking. "Hey, look, I... I know we're in hell right now, but this isn't the only way. We'll find a way out together."
"There is no way out," she mutters before choking on a sob.
"You don't know that," you murmur. "An opportunity could be right around the corner. People still care about you, you know. //I// care."
There's a pregnant silence. Kessie looks between you and the knife, torn.
"You know," you begin, stepping closer, "I still don't know my way around here. Why don't you show me around?" Kessie hesitates, and you hold out your hands. "Please? They're gonna move me out of my room soon, and I don't know where anything is. I don't wanna get lost in this place."
It takes a while, but it's all worth it when she drops the knife and takes your hand.]
[[Back to the start.->Start]](if: $snapAtHer is true) [Her hollow stare burns through your skin. Your lip trembles, but you have to accept the truth: there's no talking to her now.
Head bowed, you shuffle out of the room, her gaze scorching your back as the door shut behind you.
Her body is discovered a few hours later. Knife wound to the heart, they say. She's taken away, and you hate the Redeemed for confiscating the knife.]
(if: $kindToHer is true) [Your mouth opens and shuts but no noise comes out. She watches you with tired eyes, and you see her for what she is: a broken, life-weary girl that's had her spirit broken beyond repair.
You respect her wishes, and leave the room. Her beautiful, empty smile is the last thing you see before the door slides shut.
Her body is discovered a few hours later. Knife wound to the heart, they say. She's taken away, and you hate the Redeemed for confiscating the knife.]
[[Back to the start.->Start]]"I'm Kessie," she says, tone soft. "I know you're scared, but nobody's gonna hurt you, okay?"
The tension doesn't leave your body. "What's going on?" you ask, voice shaking.
Her shoulders slump and a look of resignation clouds her gaze. "You've been taken. Kidnapped. By The Redeemed."
[["The what?"]]It's a small group of teenagers. You swallow. "Excuse me?"
A few of them look up and blink at you.
You squirm. "Uh, I'm new here, and-"
"You don't know where anything is?" A boy with shaggy brown hair finishes for you, bloodshot eyes regarding you. "Bathrooms are in the East wing."
"Um, actually...
[[How do mealtimes work around here?"]]
[[Do you know someone called Kessie?"]]"Pretty much like you'd expect," he shrugs. "An alarm goes off when the canteen's open for meals, and it goes off again when the canteen's about to close. It closes for a while after every meal, so the Redeemed can clean up and get food ready."
"Does it get busy?"
"No, this is about as bad as it gets. Some people are put off their food, so..." he trails off.
"Ah. Right. [[Um, do you know someone called Kessie?"->Do you know someone called Kessie?"]]"Girl with dark brown hair, around my age? Yeah, I know her."
You say, "I met her just then, and she was acting kind of... weirdly. Like, distant and detached."
He sighs. "She's been having a rough time lately. I've heard she was one of the first ones here, and she always hoped there'd be a way to escape, but lately... I think she's given up."
[["Do you think she's okay?"]]"I don't know, to be honest." He looks around the canteen, looking like he's scanning the faces he sees. "She's not here. //Fuck//. Hey, you said you saw her before, right? Can you see if you can catch up with her? Y'know," he fidgets, looking uncomfortable, "before she does anything... dangerous?"
[["Okay."]]He looks relieved. "Thanks. I'd find her myself, but she was kind of pissed at me the last time I saw her 'cause I pushed her to talk. She wouldn't want to see me right now. Come find me after, okay?"
You nod.
Time to [[retrace your steps]].You find a young woman who looks harmless sitting on a top bunk, idly braiding her hair. "Excuse me?" you ask, and she shifts her gaze to peer at you. "Um...
[[how does this place work?"]]
[[do you know a girl called Kessie?"]]"Bedtime is eleven o'clock," she informs you, her voice hoarse. "You're new, aren't you? You probably woke up in your own room, then. That's so the newbies don't panic in front of everyone else. Give it a day or two, and you'll be moved into here."
Oh, //God//. "Got it. Thanks. Um, [[do you know a girl called Kessie?"->do you know a girl called Kessie?"]] "The one with dark brown hair? Yeah, her bed is somewhere over there." She gestures to the right side of the room. "Why?"
"I met her just then, and she was acting kind of... weirdly. Like, distant and detached."
She sighs. "She's been really down lately. Poor kid was one of the first ones here, and she always held out hope for escape, but... I think it's gotten too much for her."
[["Do you think she's all right?"]]"I hope so. Hey, you saw her before, right? Why don't you go check on her, just to make sure she's okay?"
[["Sure."]]"Thanks. Let me know later, okay?"
You nod.
Time to [[retrace your steps]].Lives Long Lost
By Caitlin Mclinden
[[Click here to start.->Start]]