Locked In

October 5, 3030 5:41 P.M.         They took my gun. I mean, of course, but now I have no way of protecting myself… not that I properly knew how to before, even with a gun.          The guards shoved us into the Capitol building, the one place I dreaded most. Of course, it was my father that betrayed us. Then again, could I really have expected something different?          We stay silent as we are led into a large office. I scan the surroundings, searching for a possible escape route. I find a desk, large windows behind it, and paintings of past presidents hanging on the wall, but no other door besides the one we came through.          I glance over to Bennett, locking eyes. A throat clears, drawing me back to the present. The large office chair spins around, revealing the one and only Penelope Driscoll. A smirk resides on her face, obviously pleased to see us in cuffs. It’s too bad there’s a gun pressed to my spine, or I would’ve smacked the grin clear off her face.         "Penelope?" Chloe asks, clearly shocked to see her best friend. "What are you doing?"         "Isn't it obvious, Chlo?" Penelope spins around in her chair. "I'm helping the government." She shrugs, releasing an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, Daddy is the president after all."         As if on cue, President Darlington enters the office, followed by my father.          "Ah, it’s nice to finally meet the teens we've been hunting down for the past few days," Darlington says, eying the three of us. "I gotta give it to you, that's impressive."         Darlington draws his gun, forcing my chin up to look at him. I stay still, refusing to show any kind of fear. I won’t give him that satisfaction. The President clicks his tongue and moves away from me, heading toward his desk and picking up a file.          “Let’s see here…” He scans the contents in the file. "Bennett Hall, Chloe Slater, and Scarlett Anderson." He closes the file and smiles at us. "Tell me, how did you not get caught all this time?"         "Well," I snarl. "Your guards aren't exactly good at their jobs."         A sudden pain erupts in the back of my head. I crumple to the floor, landing harshly on my knees. I try to process what just happened, but the pain of being struck overwhelms me. I barely comprehend Bennett calling out my name. There are sounds of struggling behind me, most likely Bennett fighting against his constraints. I hear the unmistakable sound of a gun cocking and panic floods me.          "Espinosa." I look up to see Darlington holding up his hand, ordering the guard to stand down. He then squats down in front of me as I sit on my knees. "You should choose your words more wisely, Miss Anderson."         I only glare at him.         "You're talking to my daughter, sir," my dad pipes up. "She doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut."         Darlington chuckles darkly, the sound churning my stomach. He grabs me by my chin, forcing my head up to look at him. "You're so young, yet you've still managed to slip past my guards." He releases me, standing up straight. "I found one of my guards dead. Want to tell me how that happened?"         "We don't know, sir," Bennett responds, his voice shaking.         "I think Miss Anderson does." Darlington waves his hand, and Espinosa lifts me to my feet. "It's how she came upon this gun." He holds out his hand, and Espinosa skillfully tosses my gun to him.         "It was self-defense," I say. "It was either kill or be killed. I wasn't taking any chances."         Darlington smiles. "Miss Anderson, I'm not mad. I'm actually quite relieved it was Higgins. He was such a handful." He places the gun on his desk. "I've seen you through the security footage. You’re not as invisible as you think, Miss Anderson."         "Security footage?" Chloe asks.         "Well, Miss Slater, you didn't think I don't have eyes everywhere, did you?"         "You knew where we were heading the whole time, didn't you?" Bennett realizes.         The president looks pleased. "Yes, Mr. Hall, I did. I had my eyes on you three the entire time." He joins Penelope behind his desk, pulls out a high-tech gadget, and sets it down on the table. Hologram footage pops up.         Chaos. That’s all I can see. Several students scatter around the school, trying to escape the hail of bullets aimed at them. Gunshots constantly go off, taking down children one by one. There’s Bennett, taking cover and looking around, before bumping into Chloe. The scene switches to footage of a hallway. I recognize the two students running, it’s Ryker and Luna. Luna suddenly collapses to the ground, hit by a bullet. Ryker screams, as do the other students in the chaos, but he continues running. He bumps into another figure, which I recognize as me. Students scramble around us, trying to make their way outside. I watch as Ryker and I make a beeline for the exit. That's when I spot that guard I killed, Higgens. I shake as I watch Higgens raise his gun and pulls the trigger. I squeeze my eyes shut as I hear the gunshot, knowing exactly what happened. It hurts living through that awful moment again.         I glance over to Chloe, her eyes glistening with tears and a set jaw. She’s angry and hurt, it doesn’t take a genius to be able to tell. Guilt pricks my chest, knowing that me lying about Ryker made it worse. I just couldn’t bring myself to accept the fact that my best friend is dead.          I return my attention to the footage. It’s now showing the streets and I can see myself running away from the school. The footage skips to Higgens, following me down an alleyway. It was yet another hard moment for me to watch, as I see myself somehow managing to escape from Higgens and pick up his gun. I remember how it felt, how heavy the unfamiliar weapon felt in my hands.         The footage cuts to Bennett, Chloe, and I running out of the Slater house. The guards break down the door. They must’ve caught a glimpse of us running, because they immediately aim their guns at Mr. and Mrs. Slater, killing them.         Chloe lets out a strangled gasp, immediately breaking into tears. "You're a monster!" she shrieks. "My parents!"         Darlington laughs. "Miss Slater, your parents betrayed me. That is the punishment. But believe me, your parents weren't the only ones to do so."         That's when the footage transitions to the guards pushing my mom and dad out of the house. I can hear Dad pleading for his life, Mom sobbing. A guard forces them down on their knees in front of the president. Darlington flicks his hand, and the guard, Silva, immediately shoots her in the head. I stare in shock as I watch her land on the ground, lifeless. Dad screams, and tells Darlington he'll do whatever he wants.         I shake in anger as I turn my head to my father. My jaw quivers, realizing he doesn’t even care about the situation. He stands emotionless, unbothered by rewatching his wife die.         "And that's how your father became my spy," Darlington informs. "Quite fun, isn't it? When you, Miss Anderson, and Mr. Hall went to your house to find your parents, I sent him off. Mr. Anderson snuck through the cellar door and called upon you. It was a lot easier than I thought to have him join your little mission." He gives me a sickening smile.         "Just kill us already," I say. "What's the point of taunting us when you're going to kill us?"         Darlington swipes his finger across his desk, rubbing his fingers together as if he wiped away dirt. "Now why would I do that? You've already proven yourselves worthy."         "How?" Bennett asks.         "I'm so glad you asked, Mr. Hall." Darlington motions for his daughter to get out of his chair and he sits down behind his desk. "You three were the only ones able to make it to the end of the city. And for that, you have deemed yourselves worthy."         "So we’re worthy. Now what?" Chloe asks tentatively.          Darlington laces his fingers, placing his elbows on his desk. He then leans forward. "You three are to be trained as my guards. Congratulations!" He beams at us.         I raise my brows. "You put us through all of this, just to make us your bodyguards?"         "It's better than being killed, is it not?" Darlington doesn't give me a chance to reply before he gestures for the guards to remove us from the room. ***         We're led into a large pit with a glass roof. We must be under the Capitol building. Connecting to the deep pit are narrow steps and walkways. I see several guards below, all of them at several long tables to eat and chattering. They look so normal as if they are there willingly.          I separate from Bennett and Chloe as Espinosa leads me to a small cell. The gate buzzes before it slides open, and I’m forced inside. There's a bunk against the right side of the cell, with a very thin mattress and pillow. There's a small table below the barred window and a steel chair. On the left side of the room is the toilet with a sink connected to it.         "Do I get an inmate?" I ask.         "No," Espinosa replies with a monotone voice. "Get changed, then meet us in the pit. Remember your cell number because I'm not going to show you where it is again." He starts to walk away but seems to remember something because he turns back to me. "Oh, and if you try anything funny, you will be punished."          I pick up a pile of folded black clothes off the bottom bunk. There’s a t-shirt, leggings, and even a black leather jacket. I throw on the clothes, trying to ignore the fact that anyone walking by can see me change. The clothes don’t even fit me correctly. The jacket is too big and the leggings are way too tight.          Nevertheless, I leave my cell and enter the pit. With everyone chatting all at once, it’s hard to hear anything. I try to find Bennett and Chloe, but there are too many people for me to find them. I climb up a stairway to get to the top of the walkway, hoping I’ll be able to spot at least one of them. I finally find Chloe, who looks just as lost as me. I rush over to her, and she frowns when she sees me.         "Chloe…” I say, cautious not to make her more upset than she already is.         Chloe tries to walk away. "I don't want to talk to you."          "No, please, Chloe, wait. I can explain!"         "Really? You can explain?" She scoffs. "Scarlett, you lied to me! You made me believe Ryker was still alive!"         "I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you."         Chloe shakes her head, crossing her arms. "You could've told me the truth."         "I couldn't. You don't understand, Chloe, he died in my arms. He was my best friend and I couldn't save him!"         Chloe stares at me coldly, then starts to walk away. I can’t bring myself to stop her. Over her shoulder, she says, "I loved him."         I nearly broke down right then and there but somehow I managed to keep myself composed. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I find a seat at a large table. People try to talk to me, but I’m so zoned out I barely process it. My mind completely shuts down. The moment of Ryker dying replays in my head and I can’t make it stop.         I loved him.         There’s no doubt about that, but she didn't know Ryker the way I did. He was my best friend, a person I could go to when I didn't have anyone else. Sometimes I would go to his house after school when I didn't want to go home, and we would sing in his room. He would play his guitar and we’d goof around, making up lyrics as we went along. Some of my best memories came from him.         "Scarlett?" a familiar voice comes from behind me. I turn to find someone I never thought I’d see again.          "Madison?" I stand and throw my arms around her. It feels like a relief to see one of my closest friends is still alive. After Luna and Ryker, I just assumed I lost all my friends.         "I thought you were dead!" Madison says, holding me tight.         "I thought you were dead." I pull away from her, smile, then hug her again.         "Ashton’s gone," she whispers sadly. "We were running to get out of the school and he suddenly fell." She starts to sniffle, and I tighten my hold around her. "I just kept running."         "He would've wanted you to."         "I know." Madison lets go and wipes away a few tears. "Just replaying that moment in my head, makes me feel selfish. I mean, what if there was a possibility that he was still alive? And I just left him to die."         I shake my head. "You can't think like that." I swallow hard. "Ryker’s gone too."         Madison gasps, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my God."         My nostrils flare, tears stinging my eyes. "I couldn’t save him."         "It wasn't your fault."         "And Ashton wasn't your fault."         Madison nods with a sad smile. "Luna was hit, too."         "I know."         She swallows hard. "Karter's here, though. He's one of the best trainees here. He's one of the top ten."         "Is that a good thing?."         "Yeah, it is, because if you're not in the top twenty, they kill you. According to President Darlington, you're not good enough to be a soldier."         I gulp. "So if I get in the top twenty. . ."         "Then you're safe. I'm in the fifteenth. I just hope I can keep it that way."         "I hope so, too." My fists clench in determination. My only concern is keeping me and my friends alive, and if it’s to play along in Darlinton’s sick game, then so be it. ***         I head back to my cell after wishing Madison goodbye. Just as I’m about to enter the tiny room, I hear rapid footsteps nearing me. I turn to find Bennett running toward me from the other end of the hall. I meet him midway, practically throwing myself into his arms.         "I was looking all over for you," Bennett says, pulling away to look into my eyes, his hands firm on my shoulders.         "Me too." It feels so good to see him.         "How's your head?" He lightly touches the back of my head, making me wince. "Sorry."         "It's fine. It’s just sore."         Bennett just nods.         "What cell number are you?" I ask.         "Eighty-three.”         "Good, we're close. I'm in cell seventy-nine." I lick my lips as I stare up at him. "I saw Madison."         Bennett raises his brows. "She's still alive? What about Ashton or Karter?"         "Ashton. . . Ashton’s dead. But Karter is here."         He nods gravely. "I need to look for him then."         I swallow hard. The entire world feels like it’s crumbling down around me. One moment after the other is just painful, traumatic. My chest tightens.         "How are we going to get out of here?" I ask, my voice barely about a whisper.          "I don't know if we can."