Tammy had been in solitary confinement for two years. She was kidnapped from her home, where she lived with her dad, when she was sixteen. Two years may not seem like a lot, but in solitary confinement it feels like forever. Tammy hadn't seen another human being in two years, but she defiantly knew they were there. Every morning Tammy would wake up to the smell of human feces, that the other prisoners had smeared on the walls, and howling and moaning of the other inmates. She would hear the prison guards banging the doors of other captives cells, the clanging echoing down the hall. This place was driving her mad.
Tammy's cell was 10' by 7' hollowed out block of cement. A small cot hung on the wall and a metal toilet sat in the corner. The door to her cell was made of solid steel. It had a small slot where the guard would push her meals through. She got one meal a day, a tasteless brick of Nutraloaf, delivered to her on a small napkin. The walls of her cell felt as though they were closing in on her, everyday a little closer. When she first got there she became hysteric, clawing at the walls, screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping that someone would here her cries. All she got was a face full of pepper spray and a cold shower. The pain of the cold water on her stinging skin and eyes was horrendous, she spent that night bawling on the floor of her cell.
As the days went on she became quite and reserved. Her food sat uneaten at the foot of the door, growing old and moldy. No one came to check on her, no one took her to the showers, no one released her from the claustrophobia of this little cage. She was alone with only her and her thoughts.
The hallucinations started after the first year. First it was bugs. They crawled under her skin, threatening to borrow deeper. She tried to dig them out, but they were always to fast and disappeared before she could grab them. A young boy would talk to her as she slept filling her dreams with nightmares of his death. Her long time friend, Amber, would visit her every once and a while telling her how she probably deserved this and this cell was her home now, might as well get used to it. She began to fear humans. She made friends with the bugs in her skin and tried as hard as she could to shut out Amber and the young boy, but they always came back. After the second year her door opened.
She was curled up on the floor of her cell. The temperature had been raised to ninety degrees and the tile floor was the coldest part of the room. She heard the door squeak open and jerked up, pressing herself against the back wall. A boy stood in the doorway. He had sandy blond hair that was cut short and soft grey eyes that glittered, even in the dark. He reached out, his fingers brushing her arm. She swatted his arm away and bared her teeth, every inch of her being tense and afraid.
The boy stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes looked sad and doubtful.
"I'm Terrence," He spoke, his voice was soft and comforting. Tammy didn't move. "I am here to rescue you." Nothing. Tammy didn't even blink. "You're Tammy right?" Terrence reached for something in his back pocket and Tammy ducked behind the bed. He held his hands up before him, "It's okay. It's just a piece of paper." In his fingers he clutched a small piece of paper. Tammy peaked out from behind the bed and snatched the paper from his grasp. She stared at the characters before her. Panic gripped her as she realized how foreign these letters seemed to her. A word jumped out at her. She stared at it, eyes wide.
"Why...my...name?" Tammy croaked out, her voice was scratchy from years of disuse.
"We have a feeling you might be the chosen one." Thomas replied, nervously scratching his neck. Tammy cackled, her voice cracking with the sudden sound.
"You think I can fix all of this? I have been stuck in this dump for years, and you think you can waltz in here and have me win a war!"
"I can at least get you out of here." Terrence responded, scuffing the floor with his boot. Tears welled up in Tammy's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She thought of her dad living all alone in their house, her school, freedom.
"Okay," Tammy finally spoke. She cleared her throat. "I will go with you, but please don't put me back in here." Her response turned into a whimper. Terrence reached out his arm to comfort her, but she shied away from his touch.
"Um," he nervously ran a hand through his hair, "Let's go." Tammy slipped out the door on Terrence's heels and paused as soon as she passed the threshold. The hallway stretched out in both directions, lined with metal doors exactly like the one Tammy just walked out of. It was night so the hallway was mostly silent except for the occasional moans and screams. She followed closely to Terrence, eyes darting around, jumping at every shadow. Terrence stopped so suddenly that Tammy ran into him. She jumped back and peeked around his torso.
Two boys stood in the middle of an intersection. They both wore black T-shirts and cargo pants, hands hovering over handguns holstered at their waist. One of them had light brown hair that hung low over his chestnut eyes. The other had jet black hair cut short like Terrence's and soft blue eyes. The one with black hair looked up, hand relaxing to his side.
"Did you get the girl." he asked. Terrence nodded on moved to the side, revealing Tammy's dirty face. "Good." The boy nodded. "I'm Tim by the way." He held out his hand for Tammy to take. Tammy stared at it, inching closer to Terrence.
"She's nervous around people." Terrence explained.
"Oh," Tim dropped his hand. "That's Ty." He pointed at the boy standing next to him. The boy gave a small wave.
"Come on," Terrence griped, "We have to get moving."
"Chill out dude," Tim replied, "We're moving." The two boys took up position behind Tammy and Terrence as they turned down the hall.
"Where are all the guards?" Tammy whispered, "They never leave their stations."
"We took care of them," Tim answered. Tammy looked up at the boy, confused.
"You killed them?" She asked.
"No!" Tim looked appalled, "We just distracted them."
"How?"
"We have our ways." Tim answered mysteriously with a sly grin.
"Don't scare her." Terrence muttered, rolling his eyes. He opened up a metal door to reveal a stairway, spiraling up into the darkness. Terrence entered the stairwell and began the climb to the top. Tim and Ty ushered Tammy up in front of them, closing the door behind their backs.
As they reached the roof the sounds of gunshots could be heard outside the door. Tim glanced up at Terrence, a grim look on his face. "Tammy, you and Ty will stay down here," Terrence spoke, "Me and Tim will signal you when it's safe." Tammy nodded nervously but obeyed his command.
Left alone with Ty, Tammy fiddled with her jumpsuit. She didn't fully trust these people, but what else could she do? She definitely didn't want to stay in solitary confinement for the rest of her life. She glanced over at Ty.
Ty stood with his back to her, gun pointed at the ground, arms tense. A banging sounded on the door. Quick, three times. Ty turned and caught Tammy's eye, "That's the signal." He brushed past her and opened the door. A soft breeze pushed back Tammy's matted hair and ruffled her jumpsuit. Tim stood just beyond the door frame, arms waving in the air. An army helicopter, the ones with two blades, drew close to the building and landed, gently, a few feet away. Tim relaxed his arms to the side and turned, motioning Ty and Tammy forward. A few people dressed in scrubs and carrying first aid kits rushed from the helicopter.
"Terrence went down." Tim whispered, his hands pulling at his hair, "We still don't know if he'll make it."
"It Terra okay?" Ty asked, his voice full of concern. Tim didn't answer. The people in scrubs kneeled next to a group of people, who slowly dispersed. A girl walked over to them. She had light blond hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and caramel colored eyes. Her face was tear streaked and dirty, she wore a black shirt and cargo pants. As she came closer Ty wrapped his arms around her shoulders and she cried into his shirt.
"Is Terrence going to be okay?" Ty asked, his voice was soft and concerned.
"I don't know." her reply was choked as she tried, but failed, to hold back her sobs.
"That's Terra, Terrence's girlfriend." Tim told Tammy. Terra turned around at his words and caught sight of Tammy.
"Let's get you into the helicopter." Terra smiled, her face softening. Tammy cautiously followed Terra into the copter, she tried to sneak a glance at Terrence, but he was hidden behind the medics. "Find a place to sit, we will be leaving soon." Terra instructed. Tim and Ty came in together and sat on the floor near the back of the copter. Terra joined them and Tammy shuffled over. She sat down, apart from the rest of them, curling her knees to her chest. A few more people rushed into the helicopter along with the medics. Someone shouted a signal, and the helicopter rose off the ground.
Tammy stared out the window, watching the prison disappear into the night. The twinkling lights of the city made it feel as though they were surrounded by stars. Tammy sighed, she may not be with her family, but at least she was leaving the prison behind.
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