As the Crow Flies

Chapter 5

The sun rose slowly, light creeping in through the small windows. As a few of us began stirring, the lights inside came on, and the bell rang, telling us it was time to get up and head to the mess hall for breakfast. We all robotically got up, made our beds, and lined up by the door, waiting to be led by the guards. I'd been in general population only a couple days and had fallen into this systematic process with ease.

There was one thing still torturing me. Possibly the worst torture you can inflict, not knowing. Not knowing who or what I was anymore. Not knowing what was going to happen to those I knew or cared about, and not knowing what was happening to Gabriel. I still hadn't seen him since the dungeon. I had no idea if he was still alive, and if he wasn't....it would be because of me. That thought weighed heavily on my mind and in my heart.

Winny stuck close to me, showing me what the day to day looked like in the camp. I'd learned a lot in a short time. They began gathering up the Malums two years ago, according to Ben, tracking them down through viral videos and accidents caused by their powers. One by one, we were tracked down and rounded up, erased from our neighborhoods like we never existed. There were hundreds of prisons all around the world, meaning thousands of Malums. Thousands of prisoners.

Ben was here after the camp was first built. He was ripped away from his family, a wife and two children, without warning and without being given the opportunity to say goodbye. He's been here the whole two years, not knowing what's become of them, and with no way to reach out and make contact. Maggie arrived two months later after she tried to heal her sister at a hospital and she was turned in. Her sister ended up passing away and that was the last of her family, she had never married or had children. She was dragged from her bedside, the last memory she'd ever have of her sister being her screaming her name as she died. Winny was turned in by her parents. She had managed to keep her powers secret from most everyone, but she used it on her mom to read her mind about the possibility of an affair against her father and her mother went ape and called authorities. She hasn't even tried to find out if they're ok, she feels so betrayed. Harvey and Justin were both videoed using their powers, and the videos spread like wildfire online, they were captured like I was within a week of the videos being uploaded.

We all stuck together, creating a small group outside the rest of the Malums. We ate together, our bunks were close by, and we shared our stories. I'd never had anyone to talk to about my life, and Winny's angst against her parents mirrored mine in a way, and we became quite close in the short time.

After breakfast, we were released into the main yard. It wasn't much, a square sand pit lined by tall, electrified fences topped with curly barbed wire. There were towers at every corner and midway down each side that housed armed guards. I eyed the perimeter, noting the number of guards in and out of the square, and an idea began forming in my mind.

"Has anyone ever actually tried to get out of here?" I asked the group, Winny, Ben, and Maggie. Harvey and Justin were on chores today, unable to have their yard time, instead, they were deep cleaning the housing unit and lavatories.

Ben shrugged his shoulders, replying, "Not from this camp. Everyone's afraid of what will happen if they try. And even if you did get out, there's not a populated area for miles through this desert."

"Not from this camp? Does that mean someone has tried in another?" Winny inquired.

Maggie was the one to respond quietly, she leaned in close, "There's a child here who has remote vision, you know, can see things far away or happening in other rooms. They say they saw an attempt at an overthrow of a camp in the North."

This peaked my interest greatly, "What happened? Did they escape?" I whispered back.

"You'd have to ask them. They don't talk much. They're name is Payton." Maggie replied, pulling away from the quiet conversation before we attracted the attention of the guards.

I scanned the yard, looking for anyone isolating from the many small groups and cliques that had formed, and spotted someone sitting in the shade against the main building's wall. I gestured with my chin and asked, "Is that them?"

Maggie nodded quickly. Apparently our whispering had garnered attention though, and a group of three guards were approaching us as we sat in the dirt in a small circle. We all got to our feet, brushing off, and separating before the guards spread us out forcefully. I headed in the direction of the young person Maggie had identified as Payton.

As I approached them, I took note of their unique appearance. They had short, light brown hair, and a thin stature, it was like I could see their bone structure even through their clothes, they were so skinny. I looked at what I could see of their face, trying to determine if they were male or female. They had delicate, small features, thin lips, a skinny, pointy nose, and eyes that were ever so slightly too close together. Their chin was also quite sharp, making them look even thinner. As I got closer, they raised their face to meet my gaze with theirs, and I was shocked to see their eyes were a deep, forest green, so bright, I could see the color even from a few yards away.

I stopped at a respectful distance, and looked around for guards. None seemed to be close enough to hear us, but I still spoke as quietly as I could while still making sure they could hear me.

"Are you Payton?" I asked.

They dropped their gaze and their hair fell in front of their face. "Depends who's asking. What do you want?"

"Someone told me you had some information about an attempted uprising in another camp. Can you tell me about it?" I asked blatantly, not trying to conceal my reasoning for seeking them out.

"The last time I talked about that, I was thrown in the dungeon for two weeks. I'm not saying anything." They gracefully rose to their feet and began walking away.

"Wait! I need to know. I have an idea to get us all out of here, but need to know what happened first." I called after them, careful not to yell too loudly. Lord knows what would happen if the guards overheard me talking about an escape plot.

Payton continued to ignore me and walked near the guards, forcing me to abandon my quest for information, for now anyway. I turned and headed back towards the group, noticing that Harvey and Justin had managed to finish their chores and join everyone outside.

Harvey and Justin looked like complete opposites, Harvey had a gothic appearance with pale skin, dark eyes, and long black hair, while Justin looked like your typical high school football star. He was easy to get along with and had a great sense of humor, somehow always managing to keep his brown locks looking tidy and put together in our living conditions. It was amusing to me, the group we'd put together. Two teen girls, two post high school boys, a middle aged man, and an aging old woman. We were quite the sight compared to most other groups in the square, most separated themselves by age and gender.

"How'd it go?" Ben asked me as I approached.

"Yeah, did they tell you anything?" Winny piped in.

"No, they didn't want to talk about it. They're afraid of any possible punishment if we were caught talking." I responded, frustration evident in my voice. I had to find out what they knew.

The day rolled on, the heat draining the little energy we got through our measly meals. Every hour or so, someone would be collected and taken inside, probably for their scheduled assessments. I thought about Miss Freilin's torture we all had to endure at least once a week. I wondered if she was torturing Gabriel. I hadn't thought about him most of the day, having been distracted with trying to come up with a way to get Payton to talk to me. I wondered if he was ok, and if he'd approve of my plotting. I remembered his hateful tone about Miss Freilin, and his disapproval of the way we were treated, how much he hated the word Malum.

I looked at the group, all of us lined up in the sliver of shade we had managed to claim. We needed a name that we chose. One that we owned, and one that wasn't a slur.

"We need a name for ourselves." I said to no one in particular.

"What do you mean, we have one. Malums." Winny said innocently.

Ben and Maggie both had the same response as Gabriel to the word, "That word was created as an insult." Maggie informed Winny.

She flushed, as I had when I learned that, and I grabbed her hand to reassure her, "I hadn't known either until someone told me."

"It means "wrong" in Latin," Ben told us. "They chose it because of our flaw." He said flaw as sarcastically as he could manage with his typical overly serene and serious tone.

"What could we call ourselves then?" Maggie asked him.

"We should all brainstorm and vote on one tomorrow." I suggested, and everyone agreed with a nod.

As usual, the bell for the end of the day rang as the sun kissed the horizon, lighting up the sky in fiery oranges, reds, and pinks. We all headed towards the bunkhouse, ready to get some shut eye after a long day in the sun.

As we reached the doorway, there was a commotion inside. We all looked at each other and hurriedly pushed to the front of the stalled line. As we broke through the front of the crowd, we saw Payton being held down by a guard. They were screaming obscenities at them and fighting to get free. Another guard walked over with a baton, raising it above his head before bringing it down as hard as he could on Payton's ankle. We all heard the crunch of breaking bones as it connected, and their scream filled the room. They fought to roll on their back, and with the one good leg, kicked as hard as they could at the guard who just hit them. The kick connected with the guard's knee, causing a cry of pain from him as he collapsed to the floor. This earned Payton a punch to the face from another guard and two more ran to assist. Payton struggled against the two guards grabbing their arms, lifting them off the ground to a kneeling position. The guard that had punched Payton lifted their chin, kneeling at eye level. Payton spit right in the guards face. He slapped them as hard as he could, making them spit out blood. They looked back up and smiled, red liquid covering their teeth and more blood dripping from their nose. The two guards holding Payton's arms began dragging her towards us, the crowd parting to let them by.

"Guess you want another stint in the hole?" One guard asked Payton sarcastically.

"Just kill me you spineless piece of s**t!" They responded, spitting blood at the guards.

"We have something better than that!" Said the guard Payton had kicked, as they limped along behind.

As they left, we all looked at each other in shock. I had no idea why Payton had gotten attacked by the guards, and hoped it wasn't because they were seen talking to me. I stared at the spots of blood on the ground, wondering why everyone I talked to got hurt. I was pushed gently on my back, looking to see Winny trying to lead me to the bunks.

"C'mon, we don't want to be next." She whispered.

As we reached our bunks, I couldn't stop picturing Payton's blood smeared smile. How could they not care if they lived or died? How could they ask to be killed? What had they done to piss off the guards? Did they hear us talking?

These thoughts and others went around in my head like a carrousel, keeping me from getting any sleep. I stared at the ceiling like I had on my first night here, now more determined to get the hell out of here. There had to be a way, a weakness in their system. I just had to figure out what it was, and get every prisoner to be willing to help. With all our powers combined, they couldn't possibly keep us here.

...

The sun baked my skin as I lay on the ground, watching the guards. I was ready. I was going to come to terms with my death. They approached me and lifted me up, carrying me towards the building. We arrived in Miss Freilin's office, and I was dropped on the ground, staring up at a sparkling crystal chandelier and large oak bookshelves. I heard her voice, but couldn't understand the words she was speaking to me. Without warning, that all too familiar pain filled my body and I was so close to death, I couldn't even cry out. It hurt me more than it had ever hurt before and I knew she was trying to finish me off, for good. I felt wetness on my cheek, knowing I was crying. I thought to all the dreams I'd had coming up to my eighteenth birthday, meeting someone and falling in love, living on my own, experiencing freedom, maybe even having children someday, giving them a life I'd never had. I had so much I had wanted to live for, and now, here on the floor, I welcomed death, now knowing I was never going to get what I wanted. I was worthy of nothing. As Miss Freilin's attack continued, I closed my eyes, the pain fading away as I became numb, the darkness overtaking me. I was ready.

...

I woke in a cold sweat, forgetting where I was and panicking. I felt something strange in my cheek, and I touched my face and realized tears were pouring from my eyes, I looked around and remembered I was in the bunkhouse. I closed my eyes, breathing through my nose to try and slow my heart rate. The clock on the wall read 4:37 am.

I didn't want to go back to sleep and risk another dream, so I quietly climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom, wanting to wash off my salty tears. As I looked in the mirror, I was surprised at my appearance. In my short time here, the days in the sun were already tanning my skin, bringing out freckles I never knew I had. Even through my puffy, red eyes and messy hair, I could see my mother in my face. I turned away from the mirror, not wanting to think of my parents, I was upset enough after my dream and seeing Payton beat and carried away today.

For some reason, I thought of Gabriel again in that moment, wondering what it would be like to be comforted by him. I remembered his handsome face and strong body, and imagined being wrapped in his arms, how safe it would feel. I felt embarrassed at myself and shook my head, trying to clear the images swimming in my overly imaginative brain. I did miss him, though, and hoped I would be a able to see him again.

I walked back to the main room, finding my bed in the dark, and trying not to wake up the person on the bottom bunk as I climbed under my sheets. I looked out the windows, far above our heads, and saw small pinpoint lights I knew to be stars. Out here, away from the cities, you could see millions of stars in the sky every night, hardly ever a cloud to cover them up. In a flash, I saw a shooting star, and I closed my eyes, whispering a wish to myself.

I kept my eyes closed, but didn't go to sleep, spending the rest of the night thinking of an empowering name for our kind. After hours of listing ideas in my head, I settled on one. It was Latin, just like what they had picked for us, but meant something very different. We would be called the Digna, the Worthy. Because we were. We were just as worthy as everyone else. I....I was worthy of a real life.

As everyone began stirring, I smiled at the name, knowing that the group would love it, although I was still curious as to what everyone else came up with. I rolled out of bed and placed my feet on the ground. Just as I turned to make my bed, I was grabbed by the hair and thrown to the floor. I looked up at two guards that I recognized as the two that had carried away Payton.

"You're ordered to come with us." The one on the left said sternly.

I climbed to my feet, "Why?"

"Don't ask questions!" He barked.

I rolled my eyes, and was smacked. I gotta stop doing that, I thought to myself.

Holding my cheek, I was walked through the bunkhouse towards the door. As we passed Winny, Maggie, Ben, Harvey, and Justin, they gave me reassuring smiles and nods, Winny waving as I went out the door. We marched towards the main building, and I couldn't come up with an idea of why they wanted me aside from Payton spilling what I'd asked of them. I was pissed, thinking that they could've possibly turned me in for asking about the revolt.

We entered the building, the air conditioning shocking me, having not felt cool air in what felt like forever. We headed towards the staircase, and my heart pounded, were they taking me back down there!? I stopped in my tracks and received a hard shove from behind. As we descended level after level, I knew that was where we were headed. I would be in that cold, wet, awful room again, alone and in the dark, awaiting whatever type of punishment they saw fit.