2 The start of ‘retribution day’

Alarm bells could be heard ringing in the distance, Instantly I knew I was screwed. Everything I had in my possession fell to the floor as I approached my window blank-faced, glancing outside I saw the silhouettes of many running in the same direction.

Disbelief was one of the many emotions I felt at that moment in time, why was this happening?

My parents rushed into my room and told me we had to leave, I attempted to protest but my parents made it very clear I had no say in this. The alarm had not been heard in centuries, yet we all automatically knew what it meant from the drills we had done in school.

Classmates would always joke about how these sessions were not necessary and that the cleaners would never attack our town, they referred to us as the pagans of the earth.

Oh, how wrong had they been? Now they need to evacuate and are unprepared because they caused a trend of being uncooperative when being taught vital survival skills.

Although my situation is terrible, a sense of satisfaction curves my lips upwards. They must regret their past behaviours.

The look my mother wore as she entered my bedroom made my stomach churn, I wanted to hug and comfort her but I knew better.

Instead, I settled for gripping the necklace I had inherited from her in my pocket and drew out the solace I could from it.

We were instructed to lock each individual of our household within the same room and stay put until reinforcements arrived, yet we were all scattered. Evident from the civilians I witnessed earlier, things were not going according to plan, Years and years of drills had been neglected as the threat became apparent, it was almost disheartening.

My brother was nowhere in sight as we passed his room, his gaming console sat idly on his desk while his game blared from the screen. Typical I almost scoffed.

There was no time to waste so we continued on in pursuit of safety.

Trailing behind my parents I felt indifferent, somehow I knew this day would come.

We were in an almost calming silence, to the extent that my parents' heavy breathing was audible, leaving me wondering how my own breathing sounded to others.

Step after step, I felt like I was in a trance, that all this was a fragment of my imagination, any second now my mum would walk in and wake me up for school.

My delusions did not help me in the situation I was currently in, I decided to focus on my surroundings instead of fooling myself.

Suddenly, I became aware of a foreign presence within my house.

The dimly lit room served to further agitate me, as shivers erupted along my skin.

Glancing at my parents I realised they were not aware of this development, I almost pitied them, yet at the same time I raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Options became prevalent in my mind, stay put and abide by the regulations, or hunt down the intruder: as a curious individual, the latter proved to be more appealing. The duo in front of me were distressed and so me slipping away went unnoticed.

Theories sprouted within my mind, for the cleaners to intrude on my residence, some if not all of the individuals within must be corrupt.

This did not help ease my nerves, I had to find the source in order to find answers.

For some reason it seemed they were intentionally being obvious, almost as if they were luring me away from my family members: however, if that were the case it would make no sense.

Deciding to put up a front or more so a brave facade, I entered each room one by one.

Biting my lip did nothing to calm my nerves, as I entered the first room.

The space was cast in shadows which to me resembled figures, my heart began to race in trepidation. Placing my hand against the wall in an attempt to feel for the switch, my hand finally came in contact with the device, with a flick the expanse was finally illuminated in a bright ray of light. The contrast from dark to light led to a well-needed adjustment in my vision, blinking repeatedly caused the irises in my eyes to tune in with the lighting.

To my disappointment, no one had been revealed, with a frown I headed to the next location.

It seemed my eyes were expectant and began showing me things I wished to see, as once the light switch revealed the areas, no one occupied them: this was the case for several rooms I passed on my journey to answers.

When I reached my own bedroom, the door was ajar– in an instant I knew I was in the right place. Before departing with my parents I remember closing the door behind me, was it the trickery of my eyes again? Immediately I brushed those doubts away, instead a newfound confidence coursed through my veins, this was certainly the place I had been seeking.

With the turn of a knob, anxiety became apparent in my being.

Behind this door was the reason society lived in fear for centuries, behind this door held the answers to the questions I would ask myself in the shower or just before bed, clarity was near and that scared me.

The truth had never been this close to me before, I had to grab it by the neck and accept it. Once I learn of my towns, as well as my own inevitable fate, I wonder what expression would dominate my face, I wonder if my face would even be my own by that point.