The Encroacher's Trilogy: Dystopia (COMPLETED)

Prologue

My name is Flora. It's taken me up until now to face the truth. You, whoever you are and wherever you are deserve to know it too. The world isn't what it was anymore. I never knew that, we never knew that; but let's not get ahead of ourselves... let's start from the beginning.

So I have one question: Will you stay with me?

***

Pull yourself together. You can't bail on me now.

The walls were bare and closing in on me as my temples pounded and lips trembled. The corridor was cold and filled with the sorrow of memories I hated to be reminded of.

I knew that I had to keep moving and that was inevitable; no matter how much of my strength they had sapped from me. I had waited too long for the right moment to open up and here it was, waiting with a warm embrace.

I could feel a cool breeze seeping in from the outside world- pulling me closer to freedom; calling me; pleading me to hurry.

My chapped feet were screaming with agony as they slapped their way to the emergency exit. I grasped the tail of my nightgown from under my feet and ran faster, and faster with my sole focus on the ajar door and away from the scurrying feet close on me.

A voice said something inaudibly over a tannoy and the echo of footsteps ceased to a halt as if they knew I had run too far for them to catch me.

They have given up. Now is my chance.

With a new surge of confidence I emitted a sonic boom and increased my speed. My heart was close to bursting with adrenaline and fatigue but a crease formed on my mouth to remind me there was no stopping me now.

Come on Flora, just a little stretch left.

I grinned at how close my freedom was. I flew past the prison cells next to the Steel Doors, however there was no time for a nosey glance inside of them and instead outstretched a hand for the door.

Almost, there...

My hand strained to push open one of the Steel Doors that was a hairs grasp away.

WHAM.

Something knocked me to the ground. Something... strong. A searing pain jolted up my body like a bolt of electricity and drool dripped onto my face from a snarling snout. I realised that I had come to find myself underneath the guard dog. The Rottweiler. Their treasured pet.

This Rottweiler was their last resort when they knew a victim had become unstoppable. I remembered a while a go I was lying on my bed from where I came from and heard the unfortunate cry of an escapee before being captured. I remembered looking at every failed attempt with a heart wrench knowing it was near impossible to escape and the only chance we all had was through death, or the Masters.

Laughter snapped me back to my senses. I returned my gaze towards the dog. It was a standard shape and colour of a Rottweiler, black with brown patches on its tail, legs and face. It had a strong build but a very short docked tail. Its teeth seemed particularly sharp as if in its free time it sharpened it on bones from who knows where. When it turned around to watch its Masters looming closer I took my chance and attempted to heave my leaden body underneath its weight. It bit down harder.

I grunted. I foolishly grunted and cried out in pain. Laughter poisoned my ears.

The Masters finally caught up with me and they all wore identical fiendish smiles in their purple Lab coats while being very childish and grinning and pointing.

The circle of scientists then separated to allow a bald man to step forward. His purple Lab coat trailed on the floor beneath him. He stood so close to me that I had the fortune to take in his wonderful features; i.e colourless eyes that changed with his mood, a jaunty face (which was surprisingly young for his demeanour) and glasses- well, what he called his 'reading' glasses whenever he read our statistics off of his damn checklist.

Let's just say we know each other because we had a long, delightful history stuck together.

"Oh, dear Flora." He swiped my nose tauntingly as if he knew (note the sarcasm) that I hated that.

"Why attempt when you can't achieve?" He said with spite and then dragged me to my feet to return me back to The Lab.