Long Way Home

14. Theo

Chapter 14.

Theo.

The gunshots sounded even louder than before, the gasps of shock from being hit and then the thuds of bodies hitting the floor span around inside the darkness of my mind. I was trying to wake up, but I couldn't. It was like I was trapped in my own head with no way of getting out.

A dart embedded itself in my calf and that was the last thing I knew before I felt my own body hit the ground, completely limp.

A pounding noise echoed around in my ears and then a muffled female voice, as if whoever it was was shouting at me from under the water. "Theo!" The pounding echoed again, more desperate this time, like fists on thick panes of glass. Another female voice joined with the first, making the sounds louder and more urgent.

I fought against the barriers of my sleepy mind, trying to push myself through them to wake myself up as quickly as possible.

The air that flowed in and out through my nose smelled clean; like antiseptic or like a hospital ward. The air itself was cool and calm, with no breeze. We were definitely inside.

Yet again, I heard the knocking of the fists and the sound of my own name being shouted even louder than the last time. I felt myself lying on my back on a smooth, cold floor or bed or whatever it was. My fingers slowly began bending and clenching into fists as I tried even harder to force my way through the fortifications of my own mind.

Feeling my eyelids start to flicker, I groaned, opening them up and instantly squinting and raising my hands up to protect my eyes from the bright, white that instantly filled my vision, leaving me blinded for a second.

Tipping my head to the side I opened my eyes once more, taking a few seconds to focus this time. Jade and Nicole were trying to get to me but something was holding them back. They kept shouting but it still sounded muffled, even though we were in the same room. I rubbed my own ears, thinking it was just me that created the reason for the muffled noises but they seemed completely clear and fine.

The two girls were both wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of knee length shorts. They had nothing on their feet and all signs of their belongings were gone.

I pushed myself onto my elbows and looked up at the ceiling. Everything in the room was pure white except our tanned skin, different coloured hair and a few words written on the walls in red.

The room was split into four quarters, thin lines separating each of us. Reaching out, I touched the air above the line but found that I couldn't push my hand any further, even though I could see the whole room. I knocked on the barrier and the dull sound that I had heard before rang out.

My eyes kept trying to close again so I rubbed them firmly, forcing them to stay open whilst I focused on the writing on the wall. In mine and Jade's corners of the room, the word 'DANGER' was written in neat, blocky print in a blood red colouring. On Nicole's corner was the word 'SAFE' and I turned my eyes to see the other corner for the first time.

Chained to the wall, still out cold, was Ollie, his body slumped forwards but being held tightly by the chains that were shackled around his wrists. His hands hung down weakly. Above him on the wall was the word 'LETHAL'. His head was bowed and the same blank expression marked his features. He was also wearing white clothing just like the rest of us. I knew for a fact that Ollie had been hit by three of the darts whereas the rest of us had only been struck by one each. So he would probably take longer to wake up.

Clearing my throat, I sat up and crawled over to the edge of the invisible barriers, pushing the palm of my hand against it again. "What's happening?" My voice sounded distant and weird due to the strange acoustics in the room. "Why did they attack us?" I shuffled over to sit as close to the others as possible, my knees pressed against the barriers of the room.