It was dark.

It was dark, like it was the night of a new moon, and all the stars were hidden. It was dark, like I had plummeted myself into the depths of the world, my eyes useless. It was so dark, I couldn't see the difference between having my eyes open, or pressed shut.

The light that came from the basement had disappeared a long time ago. I dragged my fingers over the walls, rough, dry and sandy, trying to keep count of how many steps I had already taken. I had lost count. My fingers were grazed and dirty, coated with dirt and mud, my short nails chapped. My burnt hand stung at first, but I had forgotten the pain.

The cool air of the tunnel made goosebumps appear on my flesh, and it smelled like there hadn't been fresh air inside for weeks. The floor was uneven under my feet, with holes and slopes, forcing me to shuffle forward, foot by foot. I had stubbed my toes more than once, the sharp rocks digging in the soles of my feet. I was regretting this choice already. I hadn't taken a lamp with me. I couldn't see a thing. I had to create a path in my mind, not knowing where I walked or set my feet.

I heard Kael shuffle behind me. I stopped. He bumped into me, unbalancing my footing.

"Tenna?" he whispered hoarsely. "What's going on?"

I shushed him, and closed my eyes. It didn't make much difference. Then I heard it. Banging. Loud thumps above my head, and sand falling into the nape of my neck, rolling into my shirt. My eyes shot open. The thumps were also coming from behind us.

I heard a soft whizz.

A flash of light.

The tunnel was illuminated blue in front of me for a split second.

I didn't recognise it.

In front of us was a parting, splitting the path in two. I tried to dig in my memory, but nothing showed up. I didn't remember. It was so long ago... and I had only come here once in my life. I pressed my eyes shut.

Left or right?

Left, right, left, right, left, right, leftrightleftrightleft...

I don't know.

The thumping of boots getting louder and louder behind us. My eyes snapped open again.

"Tenna!" Kael called behind me. I felt a hand on my arm. "Tenna? Where do we go?"

"Yeah?" I said. I realised that wasn't an answer. I was still trying to remember the path. We didn't go this way the last time. Did I lead us wrong? Were we lost?

A cry behind me.

Kael!

"Kael!" What happened? I turned around, my arm stretched in front of me trying to get hold of him.

I let go of the wall.

The only feeling I had was left in my feet, shuffling over the floor, trying not to trip. "Kael!" I whisper-shouted again. I crouched down on the floor, feeling with my hands, trying to get hold of something.

Another whizz.

I stifled a scream. The tunnel illuminated once again in front of me. I now knew where the flashes were coming from. It were electro-guns. The Authorities had found the tunnel too; they were coming.

I grabbed hold of Kael's arm. He had pushed himself against the wall, as I had seen in the flash of light just mere seconds ago.

"Get up!" I hissed, yanking his arm. I tried to pull him up. "Come on..." I said, tugging his arm. He didn't move. I heard a groan.

"Kael?" I said, shaking him once more. "Kael, we gotta go—now!" With every effort I pulled him up.

Why are boys so heavy?

Another grunt.

I scoffed. "Yeah, yeah, sunshine. We have to get out of here," I said. I looked over my shoulder. I didn't see much; it was for the sake of habit. The tunnel had enough twists and turns to hold them up, but not much longer. We had to move. I hoisted my friend up, and finally he obliged.

Kael could walk on his own feet now. I let go of his shoulders. I set in a jog, one hand dragging over the wall, the other holding Kael's hand tight. I still couldn't see anything which was very annoying. "This way," I said. I heard Kael's footsteps thump next to me in a soft rhythm. I slowed down my pace. He was breathing heavily. "What happened?" I asked.

"My head. Hit the wall, tha—DOWN!" he yelled. Instinctively, I crouched down on the ground. A bright blue dart dug in the wall where my head just had been. I muttered a thanks. That had been close—too close.

The Authorities were getting nearer.

We had to hurry.

"Come on grandma, we don't got all day!" Kael said, grabbing my wrist, pulling me out my daze. He seemed like he had recovered from his smack, judging by his comment.

I stumbled behind him, holding onto his hand like a lifeline. The floor vibrated under my feet, from above and behind us. This tunnel was so old. I found myself hoping it wouldn't collapse on our heads. I tried to count the pairs of footsteps behind us.

I suspected at least four Authorities chasing us, which was still four too many for us to handle. I only had my dagger, and Kael his twin knives, hidden in his boots like always.

A knife against a gun? I guessed that didn't really have a high survival rate. I scolded myself for leaving my gun in my room.

Another whizz and flash of light sped toward us. I heard yells. I let go of Kael's hand, shouting an instruction in his general direction.

I let my instinct lead me. Then I ran; I ran till my breath came in wheezing gasps and my shirt was slick against my back with sweat. My legs started to burn, craving rest. I ran till I thought I'd collapse. I ran further, faster, pushing myself to my limits.

The soft whizzes of the darts were still flying around my head. I ignored them, just trying to put one foot before the other, trying to get out.

It seemed like there was no end to the bendy tunnel, stretching what felt like miles. My legs were heavily protesting, begging for relief. My fingers were still dragging the wall, my only guide in the pitch black darkness of the tunnel.

I probably took a wrong turn. I should've reached the end by now. My feet were grinding against the leather of my boots, which were filled with sand, my fingers were grazed and bloody, and my heart was pounding at a hundred miles an hour. I pushed myself to run faster. The flashes of light came faster after each other, now blinding me more than illuminating the way.

"Just a bit further!" I yelled over my shoulder, to Kael.

As if it was on que I saw a light, different than the bright blue ones, which seemed to accompany us constantly. I took a turn and suddenly I was standing outside, catching my breath and filling my lungs with fresh forest air. I leaned on my knees. I heard another whizz and quickly stepped aside, pressing myself to the rocks next to the exit to blend into the shadows. I tried to make myself as small as possible, hoping they wouldn't see me. Kael probably took the other side.

It was night. I stood in a clearing, surrounded by bailas trees looking ominous in the darkness, like bony fingers stretching out to me, wanting to grab me and pull me with them. They were only lit by a couple of stars and a faint moon. Everything looked black and white. I didn't recognise it.

Now I was sure we had taken a wrong turn, that this was not the rock formation where Kael and I used to go. We were probably at the south side of camp, near the train tracks. And train tracks meant Authorities. We had to get out of here—fast.

The thumps of boots got louder and louder, and suddenly the clearing was filled with Authorities. There were half a dozen, shouting orders. This was the first time I could take a good look at them while hidden in the shadows of the rocks.

I examined the Authority standing closest to me, and quickly came to the conclusion that they were all identical. They were all wearing black suits, that were softly shimmering, with a white stripe that ran the length of their legs and arms. On their forearm was something akin to a small display, radiating a faint light, but I couldn't read what it said. Dark helmets covered their face, making them unrecognisable. They were all holding a sort of gun; the electro-guns, which must've launched the darts that had been flying around our heads the entire time. It looked simple, about as long as an forearm, and the muzzle had a bright blue ring around it. The rest of the gun was smooth and black. Some of the Authorities had a sort of truncheon on their waist, which I recognised as taser rods. Some of the suits were damaged, even ripped in some places.

I grinned, knowing that the rest back at camp had resisted successfully—maybe they had even made it out. I hoped so. I had to get to Jaedie. A sound made me look up and I quickly realised that an Authority had started yelling.

The shouting Authority looked different than the rest; the colours of his suit were reversed, white with a single black stripe. The Authority lifted his arms, and pulled off... her helmet. It was a woman. She had close-cropped hair, a slim and rather bony face, and a long scar over the length of her left cheek, like a thin silver line. She looked like she could crush you with a single thought, if she wanted to. She had an aura of, well, for lack of a better word, authority surrounding her like a suffocating poisonous smoke. She creeped me out. It looked like she was the ranking officer. My theory was confirmed when she started giving everyone specific orders.

When the last remaining black-suited Authority had gotten a command, she addressed all of them at once, her voice resonating over the still clearing. "Fan out! I want that puny little Outlaw ASAP!" She turned around. I held my breath, not moving an inch.

She was now facing me, searching with her stern, dark eyes over the rocks. Two steps and she could see me. She abruptly turned on her heel, and pointed at an Authority standing a bit further away.

"You!" she hissed, her nostrils flaring, "Forget what I said—change of duty. Take the other Outlaw we found. Bring that one back to base. Report back to me," she said. The other Authority nodded and stomped away, followed by another Authority.

The other one? I thought, Who?

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Thanks for reading!

*gasp*

What do you guys think?

Kael! Would he be okay?
Do the Authorities creep you out? I know they creep me out.

Make sure to leave your speculations in the comments! ;p (and maybe leave a vote, while you're at it? ;)) I love to know what's going on in YOUR minds! :D

xoxo vivian