Unknown Abyss
by Lily-Mae Harrison.
Being increasingly interested in the flow of order in society, observation of how people adapt to situations has always been a point of interest of mine. But what if you flip the world on it’s head? I’m a sixth form student at Christopher Whitehead with a fascination in the dystopia genre and a passion for creative writing, with an aim to make you question.
In this dystopian world, all anyone could do was comply. Rights taken away, us humans or ‘subjects’ treated as property. If you panicked, you were killed, if you argued against it, you were killed, if you attempted to fight in any way, you were killed. Those in power have no use for us who are weak, only wanting a stone faced army they can command and have do whatever selfish desire they pleased. In order to be chosen, to become one of the ‘Elite’ you would have to face your greatest fear without creating even a single bead of sweat.
Bloodcurdling howls of fear, begs and pleas for it to stop were an everyday occurrence in the ‘Devil’s Chambers’ shortly followed by a piercing bang that left us all numb. Every time I heard it, I would close my eyes and hope that the poor and innocent victim would finally be able to rest.
No one knew of the world outside these white and crimson speckled walls. Every day we would have some kind of torture inflicted upon us. The only thing we ever truly knew was pain. We had to remain emotionless; we could not give into any negative feelings (since positive ones simply didn’t exist) which drove almost everyone insane. We don’t have names, only numbers; we know nothing of the others here, nothing of ourselves either – all empty shells of nothing.
The people in white coats and helmets with clipboards in their hands watched us, looking for the slightest hint of emotion, the slightest slip up that would cause them to kill us without so much as half a second’s notice and a solemn expression. Not even with the slightest twitch.
Each day someone would break, not being able to deal with hiding behind an emotionless persona. We would all watch as their now empty shell would fall and crumble to the floor, acting as if nothing was affecting us, as if this was a completely natural and everyday occurrence and not as if some one’s eyes had just shut to never open again. Slowly this would drain you; you would either break, or lose your clasp on sanity.
It appears that today, however, it is my turn. They grab me harshly, with no sense of care or remorse. I have to remain a statue. They aggressively pull on my limbs and drag me down corridor after corridor of stained white walls until a door opens and they toss me in to a chair. I do nothing to fight it, just comply. They strap down my arms and legs, before covering my eyes and ears. Yet somehow it’s the most peaceful I’ve ever been.
There is a small pain in my neck and before I know it, I’m falling.
Falling… Descending into an unknown abyss. Its claws grab at my neck; it bleeds into my lungs. I try to reach out, to grab a hold of something; anything, but I am met with nothing. My limbs attempt to push me towards the surface but a sharp pain cascades from my head and shoots though me, my body protesting the action. I’m submerged in its cold icy grasp, capturing me like poison ivy.
I attempt to yell desperate cries, but they are left muted and muffled…
My eyes sting and tears scream. My thoughts run rapid in my mind. This isn’t it, this isn’t the end, I chant repeatedly in my head like a bittersweet melody. My silk white dress glides delicately through my desolate surroundings. I can taste the sweet bitter sensation on the tip of my tongue; I can feel it in my veins.
My skin has lost its colour, dark blue dancing across it. I can feel it now, my soul slipping away from its shell, my eyes becoming heavy and burdensome to keep open. My body is slowly starting to lose the fight and I am too.
The last thing I see is a sliver of scarlet red and the feel of its murderous grasp holding tightly. As my eyes close, I can see no light, only a never-ending darkness.
‘Subject 4311 appears highly distressed.’