Darkness suffocated my body like a damp, worn-out, bulky blanket, wrapping every inch of my olive skin. Suddenly I heard a guttural voice, "Lights on." I prepared myself to see the warden who was going to decide my tasks but, I was alone. I didn't know what to think. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that I am all alone? Definitely bad. No, I have to be optimistic maybe its good. Yeah right, 'maybe'. Be late once and your life will depend on the word 'maybe'. What an amazing life!395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsNlrq6J4Kp
I looked around; even with the lights the room looked sinister. The windows were all boarded up as if what was inside was too terrible to see. The room was specifically constructed with thick walls so that the screams could not penetrate them and no sound could be heard from the outside. That's when I realised there is no such thing as the time precision room, this is the 'CHAMBER OF HORRORS'. The final destination of every code-law violator, the closure of every fighter and the end-point of every sluggish Draconian. They called us 'Draconians' as if we were their puppet army.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbHbE29kE3
I didn't understand, punctuality wasn't a code law and I'm not some sluggish draconian still, I was brought here. Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding, a misunderstanding that can cost my life. What the hell is happening here?395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlK4qEZkWUH
The guttural voice was on again, "ID: 2414, age 17, completed one year of service with no violations and no misdemeanour until 5:00:30 hours, 22nd March, 2020. The Draconian is accused of violation of the recently added code-law 235, 'punctuality' by being late for the weekly conclave at the Great Hall. How do you plead?"395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpD8T7U2XLC
I gasped with shock, "When did punctuality become a code-law?" "If this is how you plead Draconian 2414, punctuality was added to the 'Folio of Code-Laws' by the Dictator himself yesterday night at eleven."395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpc3TX9z8U
I wanted to cry as anger filled my stomach, "But I slept at ten, I didn't know about this and also being late is not a big offense! Why are you people doing this? You can't kill me for just being late. This is foolish." "Ignorance of the code-law is no excuse. Chisel Halls of Ivy aims to mould the youth into the best of the country. We can't afford such petty mistakes in our Draconians and being late is one of the traits of a sluggish Draconian hence, we eliminate them. This is not foolish. This is logic. Now, prepare for your doom."395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡslpObiUjjq
This so-called 'logic' only added fuel to my wrath. I screamed with fury, blazed like fire, but there was no voice, there was no one. "Mom, dad, why did you send me here? Why? Why did you turn down my school application to the overseas at the last minute? I would have happily studied abroad and most importantly I could stay alive." I punched on the wall with pure hatred. A sudden gush of pain jolted through my fingers, "oww, that hurts." I gently massaged my fingers to relieve the pain.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGhcXHipnt
That's when it started, the horrors, the torture, the pain and ultimately my inevitable death. The four corners of the room opened to reveal a small box at each corner. All of them had a nozzle on its top. I examined them with utmost care preparing myself to fight whatever the box was going to do. But nothing happened. Maybe it's a bomb which will blow after a few minutes. 395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZIB7U3Ilc
Five minutes passed, a shiver went down my spine but nothing happened except, I could smell apple blossoms. How is that torture? The air became denser and grey in colour. That's when it hit me, 'tear gas'. 395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziQsUYakjf
I turned to see the steel door in front of me, my ticket to live. I tried to open the door by pushing against the surface of the door with my bare hands and then my whole body. All in vain, as expected. The door stood stubbornly in its place but, like the door I was also stubborn, I banged, I screamed even though I was cent percent sure that no one would hear me. Maybe someone, someone kind and good might hear and save me even though the odds in favor is a big fat zero. Well, if I never try I will never know.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMglSKIIUZL
Trapped, I knew it before but now that it is confirmed adrenaline flooded my system, sweat drenched my skin, eyes throbbed, heart thumped and my throat tightened. Fear tortured my guts and churned my stomach while the grey toxin graciously filled my lungs making it elastic as rubber, just weakening instead of contracting for the next breath. I needed oxygen in the place devoid of it.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEImcxnWSDy
Sooner my eyes started itching and rubbing them made it worse. Blisters formed on my skin and my whole body was itchy. This only happens if you're exposed to tear gas for ten plus hours and me having all these effects within ten minutes gave a huge blow to my hopes of staying alive. 395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyu5i7WBDX
I realised this is my end, my fall. As minutes ticked by, my death was nearing. Every second alive was excruciating. I wish I could flirt with death to ease up the pain. Sooner I realised I was falling, shutting down, my perception of time distorted; everything slowed down until I hit the ground and passed out.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2y2UEXw6v
The door flew ajar with an ear piercing sound. Somebody stepped in with a gas mask. It was a man with strong body as any state athlete. Nobody knows how he had evaded the security. As soon as he saw my dying body lying on the floor, he took me in his muscle-toned arms and walked out.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA223CQJ78L
He immediately gave me the first-aid with agility and made me lie on a soft, comfy bed. Within a few hours, I healed and regained my senses. I slightly opened my eyes to see a blurry figure of a man, even with the infinitesimal energy I didn't hesitate to ask, "Who are you?"395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TmiHeG7l6
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please point out my mistakes, if any. Vote if you like it and comment down your thoughts. 395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZRzMAde3K
Thank you.395Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqPZ4ld8D1
