[II] - Into the darkness

I had a meeting with my friend, a person that transfers the proof I register to someone that actually can do something with it, a person in the “brain” of the RR.

It would be too easy if I just posted it on the web. When everything you do is tracked, I would only get myself in deeper crap I wouldn't be able to get out of. I would be immediately tracked and taken to the place I have no knowledge about, a place where all of the inobedient go. That’s why working alone is a one-way ticket to losing your freedom.

As I walked further along the dark alley, I saw enormous and tall corporation buildings in the distance, with their blinking lights and projectors showing the most deserved people of the city. I wonder how tall are those building? I've never been close to them. As I saw the faces on the colorful projectors clearly from such far away, I thought they must be enormous indeed. This huge city sparkled and shined amazingly at day and night, with thousands of color and expressions, changing every second.

When you ask the people on the streets, what is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen in their life, the most expected answer is — this metropolis. The place where we all live in. The answer is flat. Maybe it's because their life is still like water in the puddle after the artificial rain? Or maybe they are afraid to say anything else, because what possibly could they see? They have never seen anything beautiful, nothing else than this city, and they will never see.

This city is a cage, a big concrete and metal box, that has only one view to the outside world, the sky. But even the sky isn't real, and the stars, and the moon aren't as beautiful and gorgeous as in the real life. Those things are constant, like a picture, they never change. I wonder if I will ever see anything else beside this city. I wonder if I will ever see the clear sky, the sun shining freely and fully, and the wondrous world that lays behind the tall walls of our cage.

I was getting closer to the place of our meeting. We were supposed to meet at the side alley that was located by the north metro station. Every district in this city has 5 main metro stations. The central one and 4 more that head to different directions inside the district.

I waited in silence for my companion to come, and I was getting frustrated. Why did I even come out of the house in the first place? Why didn't I come back after realizing that no one was on the streets? And why isn't he coming? He was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago.

Wasn't that enough for me? I questioned myself with anger.

Suddenly, something black moved in the corner of my eye. I quickly focused and tried to find the weird object. Out of the blue, I felt something fluffy and soft rub into my leg. I jumped from fear and freaked out screaming, making the thing run away from me, into the dark alley I was standing by.

“What-t... What the hell?!” – I yelled as I was looking at the place the object disappeared in. What was that?!

After a second, it slowly came out of the darkness showing itself clearly. In the colorful lights of the neons, a dark cat was standing on the asphalt, looking at me with his big yellow eyes. I couldn't believe in what I just saw.

“A cat?! In here? Buddy! How did you manage to find yourself in this cruel place? Order Officers would have dealt with you a long time ago!” – I crouched down and reached my hand towards the creature.

It came closer to me and rubbed its fuzzy head against my fingers. I felt sad for it, Order Officers catch every free animal roaming around the metropolis, and their fates are the same, dark same for everyone. Only the high-placed and rich people can afford to have pets, indoors. Those living outside are seen as a potential disease spreaders and secret message delivers. If they manage to survive, they never know what awaits them around every corner.

I searched its soft fur with my fingers. No collar, no anything else. The cat licked my hand with its sharp tongue, and fled into the dark alley it came out of previously. I didn't move and waited.

Does it want to show me something? The creature sticked out its head from the darkness, and looked at me as if wanted to invite me into the pitch dark unknown.

“Do you want me to go with you buddy?”

The cat nodded.

Shocked, I carefully went after the cat, barely seeing anything in this alley. I took off my sunglasses and tried to focus my eyesight to distinguish my surroundings. Unfortunately, I didn't have any source of light to help guide myself.

While I was wondering in which direction to go, I heard a silent meow. I followed it and thought:

Where the hell is this creature taking me? Why am I even following some weird cat, that doesn’t have any reason to be here right now, as their kind had been purged a long time ago. And, I was supposed to meet a person a few minutes ago?

But my curiosity in this monotone city was sucking me deeper inside of that dark road.

Every now and then, the cat meowed to help me find my way. I never knew, that this place even existed, such dangerous and dark alleys would infuriate the higher ups.

Am I doing the right thing? I just had to wait for my friend…

I followed the sounds for a while, and then unexpectedly, I saw something mysterious and weird at the end of the alleyway.

From behind the corner was coming a blue and flashing light, and as I slowly got closer, I started to hear weird noises. I heard battle noises of struggling bodies fighting each other. Every kick, punch and scream echoed through the closed and narrow alleyway. The cat showed itself in the blue light and looked at me with its big eyes. Suddenly, it ran into the alley around the corner, into the source of the light and noises.

“Wait! No! Hey! Don't run in there! You suicidal cat! Come back!!!” – I tried to scream as I looked behind the corner.

What is happening there… These ominous sounds and creepy lights… A gem of fear started to crystallize inside of me.

I didn't want to lose the cat from my sight. Furthermore, I didn't also want anything bad to happen to him. I wanted to help, it deserved a better life and home. This poor creature should have better home than “the streets".

I followed its running silhouette with my eyes, and decided to rush. As a habit when entering mysterious places like that, I turned on my recording camera.

I ran forwards the ominous lights and noises, with an awful feeling that before me, there won’t be anything good.

And then, out of nowhere, before I reached the exit, something cold and hard grabbed my leg, causing me to toughly fall to the ground.

Before I could react, my face with an impact hit the concrete ground, and my hand trying to rescue it, scratched themselves against the harsh surface.

“Aghhh... Great!” - I shouted lying in demise on the cold and hard street. I tried to get up immediately, but that was a bad idea. I moved my body in pain, and felt something warm flow down my face.

And the cat, it was nowhere to be seen.

“Why am I so reckless and always run too fast, not watching the surroundings? How did I not notice the the obstac...”

Sitting frightened on my knees, I turned my head. There was something lying on the ground, that I haven’t noticed earlier… I felt the cold object…

Behind me, was a thick hand, sticking out of the darkness.

“Aaaaaah!!!”

I jumped back in fear, as I didn’t know whose hand was it, but after a second, I slowly crouched to the body to analyze it.

A dark, thick outwear, reminding me of a coat-suit mix, being strangled with a black belt with things attached to them. Pockets were everywhere on this outfit. The tech wear I’ve been familiar with… The clothes were severely damaged and soaked with blood. Do I recognize this outfit from somewhere? Oh no…

Unfortunately for me, this hand belonged to a Order Officer, now lying still on the ground without any traces of life. His dark blue military outfit was burnt in few places.

…! An officer?!?! Wait… Wait… If there is one… There must be definitely more around…

And I’m completely defenseless… Oh no… Oh no… I need to escape this place.

What did exactly harm this officer?!

The person wearing this was a man, that had no more than 20 years old. His blonde locks were lying in the dust of the street, tangled with little rocks. His quite young and fixed face showed no emotions, as if this person was empty inside. His long eyelashes here calmly resting on his handsome face, and his big, pale now lips, awaited for something to resurrect their owner. Was this… person dead?

I attempted to touch his face with my shivering hands, but my attention was brought elsewhere. I noticed that his right hand was holding weird thing.

That’s… a laser gun, with its red light still turned on. The weapon was still active!!!

The magical realization came to me immediately. In our reality, getting a shooting weapon is almost impossible. I started trembling from the excitement, and my stomach hurt a little bit. I mean, this man is almost dead? I don’t have the ability to help him, no matter what. This crushed my heart with a bitter feeling. This is a person after all, but it’s an order officer. A one that killed dozens of others probably. With distaste and a grudge in my mind, I inhumanely decided that getting the weapon is more important than concerning myself with the wellbeing of this man.

I carefully reached my long hand to grab the weapon next to the body, when suddenly the gun sight pointed straight into my forehead.

The body which I was over, breathed so slowly, that I couldn’t detect anything. I turned my head just to look straight into the eyes of the man. They were delicate, with the color of light green, like the leaves on the trees described in all the books I read, and they were looking at me with unknown fear and despair. I looked at him too, trying the best to express what am I feeling right now. With the working weapon pointing at me, I could die any moment. Is this were it ends? I don’t want to die. I…

In moments like this, a human doesn’t know what to think. It’s an indescribable feeling swallowing you whole. You don’t know how to react.

I wanted to see many things… the beautiful sky, wild nature, happy people, and the free world.

I closed my eyes and waited.

“R..run.” — I heard a quiet, but deep voice.

“Run quickly... Go back...” — I opened my eyes and realized that the young man put his weapon down on the ground.

His face expressed the pain he must have felt, as the blood stains were getting bigger. Looking better at him, I could say he was just a bit older than me. I felt miserable and pitiful of him. Maybe it isn’t what he wanted. It’s not what we all wanted. It’s the first time in my life that I felt pitiful for an Order Officer. Lying like that, with no future before him. While I was thinking about the sad way of our existence, I forgot why did I even come here.

I came to my senses, and looked at him again. Now his face showed something I couldn’t explain nor understand. With his eyes opened widely, he was looking behind me, and his body started to uncontrollably shake. I realized something, and turned my head slowly.

Behind my back was a tall person standing, holding something in its long and slim hand. He looked at me with his light blue glowing eyes, similar to a black void hole that sucked everything that was surrounding it. And only the blue light of hope was still trying to get out of the unavoidable power. We stayed like this for a while, but this while seemed to be like infinity... I... have I seen those eyes somewhere before? He didn’t blink, he was still looking at me with the same creepy look.

I… What have I gotten myself into…

I didn't know, in what occurrence I just invited myself in.

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