Young Writers Society

Alejandra

I glared at the youth pointing a gun at my face. "And why, exactly, would I give you my watch? Also, shouldn't you be working?"

He cocked his head, an eyebrow raised. "You're the most stereotypical innocent I've ever met."

"Stereotypical! I was a few months from getting my PHD! I need to be on my way, anyway." I take a step, but he blocks my way. I sigh and press the laser shock button on my watch, but nothing happens. "Out of battery already? I swear, the engineers back home are hopeless sometimes."

He raised his gun and there was a loud bang. He collapsed to the ground, and a man standing behind him lowered his gun. "Alejanda Ibarra?"

He pronounced my J the English way, so I shook my head and repeated it with the correct pronunciation. "And did you really need to be so violent to the boy?"
*****************************************************
Luca

Ying-Zhu. That was the name of the kid I'd decided to help. He was smart enough-sticking around with one of the older innocent girls and staying away from the inmates. Still, I heard from my contacts that Logan wants to play with the new Innocents. I have a strong stomach, and I still shudder when I see the results of Logan's games. They wouldn't stand a chance.

I make my move while he's at work. Break a window, slip in. Pretty simple. I land on the floor inside, unnoticed. Of course I'm unnoticed-all the regular factory workers are focused on taunting the Innocents, Ying-Zhu among them. One steps up to the boy and says, "You think you can do real work? Boy like you probably can't lift more than a pound. I think you should die. Less resources wasted."

I step out of the shadows-can't help it-and say, "Sorry, buddy. The kid's under my protection."

Most of the other workers back away at the sight of me. I'm used to it. They may never have seen me in person, but my reputation has spread around the island. The boy with the pure white hair. The "Death Child."

The boy's tormenter ignores him now. "Whadda think you're doing, kid? Got a death wish?"

I just shrug and plunge my dagger into his throat. "Enjoy the last few seconds of your life. Anyone else?" Nobody steps forward, so i yank the blade from his throat and gesture at Ying-Zhu. "Come on, kid. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." Nothing besides whatever Anarchy wants you for, anyway. But whatever it is, it's better than what he'd get wandering about the island til he got a knife in the gut, or if lucky, his throat.

Miranda Furia

Innocent

"Sit please," a small man whose face was shrouded in darkness motioned to a chair in front of him. I did as he asked, for now. "Governor, do you know why here?" He leaned back, the little light painting his body in ghastly images.

"Because I'ma horrible person and I needed to be here for the sake of the world?" I smirked. Apparently he wasn't pleased.

"You are because we wanted you here."

“We?” The ignorant tricks works almost every time.

“Don’t fool us, Governor. We can always have you go through the aptitude test and “fail.” I’m here to tell you about your job.” I smiled softly and opened my briefcase, rummaging through the items I had in there, but never taking anything out.

“You got me, sir. I’m not a horrible person, but I guess the world needs me here, right?”

The man nodded, “you were a personal recommendation for this job. You know how to manipulate people. yes?”

“As much as the next person,” I muttered nonchalantly, “I am good at making well with what I have, but frankly, if you want me to be successful with this, you’re going to need to be a bit more lenient with the amount of help I’m going to get in this.” The man said nothing. Sighing, I pulled out a manilla envelope and slid it over to him. “Lucky for you, I’ve thought of some things that might help me in this endeavor.”

I sat still, watching the man as he opened the envelope and lazily inspected the list. After a short while, a small smile formed along the edges of his mouth, but he said nothing. Finally, I cleared my throat, “So? I know it’s a long list, but I feel that-”

“No,” he stuffed the paper back into the envelope.

I furled my eyebrows, a slight heat touching my cheeks, “Excuse me?”

“No. I’m sorry, but this is not how it is going to be. This is not a vacation, and it should not be viewed that way. I’m sorry if you were misinformed at the beginning of this, but this mission is very real and very dangerous. We need you to be as realistic as possible. So, no help will come from us, at least, not directly.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “This mission is dangerous, Governor. You need to realize that the prospect of not living this through is not just something to keep in mind, but it is to be expected.”

There was a slight tap on the door, and he peered at his watch. “I have spent too much time on this meeting. Here,” he slid another piece of paper into the manilla folder and passed it to me. “That is a list of people with our cause. It is your duty to unite them in as discretely a fashion as possible.” He leaned in, and I could suddenly see his face in the dim light.

He had scars streaming down the side of his face. From the looks of it, they were recent, and one had dark purple steam puffing out of it. The others had a dark liquid oozing down the side of his face and his neck. He had lost one of his eyes to the gashes, but his other one looked alive with energy and spirit. It was a pale green, but it shone with a fierceness that was all but contagious. I reared back instinctively, and he chuckled. “Life here is harsh, Miranda. This is no casual walk in the park.” He traced the scars ever so gently. “This is actually one of the better things that has happened to me.” He looked down and heaved a heavy sigh. “You’ll get used to seeing things like this. I have. At least I’m not dead. At least I can still strive to make my dream a reality.”

I cleared my throat. “That’s nice and all, but I need to know where I’m going to be staying for all of this.”

He nodded, “already fitting in nicely. You’ll be living as an Inmate, with an Inmate. She’s also with our cause, although she won’t know you will be. It’s your job to get her to stay with us. Everything you need to know about her is in the envelope. and don’t lose it.” He stood and shook my hand, motioning me to the door. As I reached it, I heard, “welcome to Subversion, Governor.”

Smiling, I walked outside to greet my new home.

Logan Lienal

The trip back to the room where I had elected residence was short and sweet when I travelled by the roofs. I couldn't be bothered to pick up a prey today, it would be more fun to let the other Inmates go for the easy ones, then take out the ones who refused to die. The door had taken a bit of a battering at some point, but not many people dared to push it open any more.

Skipping over the dark stains crisscrossing the floor, I pulled open the fridge and picked out a water bottle. I didn't trust anything else. I took a gulp as I sat down on the sofa. It seemed slightly bitter, but the Innocents had raised so much dust and thirst that I didn't care. I started flipping my dagger over my fingers, imagining it scoring someone's skin until it slipped through my fingers. I frowned at it. As I bent over to pick it up, I blacked out.


Dahlia Lienal

I woke up on the floor next to the dagger Logan had dropped and picked it up, tucking it into the sheath that had been one of our few compromises. The Serium that Anarchy had spiked the water with apparently hadn't been picked up by her, so it was good enough for now. I stood up, stretching to a wave of nausea. Keeping Logan away - even with a Serium - was a stomach churning task.

Pushing the door open, I hurried out ino the street. I had to find some Innocents, to at least tell them that Anarchy was there and that they needed to find a helpful Inmate before Logan found them. The schizophrenia wasn't easy to explain to people, especially when I had allowed it to get so extreme, but at least I was helping this way. I looked around, trying to find the nearest building where the Innocents would be allocated to work. A factory nearby seemed the best bet.

I stumbled in through an already broken window - didn't want Logan's reputation scaring them off - and set out on the hunt for Innocents. The few Inmates I encountered started as they saw me and the dagger on my hip. It stung and made me feel awful that everyone was afraid of me because this body had killed. I heard a few jeers from further down the corridor and poked my head around a corner just in time to see a white-haired boy stab a man in his throat. A flicker of Logan's memories told me that he had a limp and that he's known. "Death child". Marked down as extremely hard. I suppressed the memories before the acid started rising in my throat at her other thoughts.

"Enjoy the last few seconds of your life. Anyone else?" A few of the other Inmates shuffled, but no one stepped forward. He turned to an skinny, buzz-cut Innocent standing behind him. "Come on, kid. I'll make sure nothing happens to you." I recognised the kid from the few pages Anarchy trusted me to glance at. Ying-Zhu. Logan couldn't remember any of them. Either the white-haired boy was with Anarchy, or he was tricking the kid. It wasn't unlikely. I followed them quietly until they left the building. A few steps out, the white-haired boy turned down an alley then stopped.

"I know you're there." Logan was the one who could hide and conceal, not me.

I lifted my hands away from the dagger, not sure of what to do, really. "I'm just making sure Ying-Zhu's okay." The Innocent jerked his head up at the mention of his name, staying behind the white haired boy.

"You're Logan." There was so much accusation in the voice that he didn't need to say anything else. You're Logan and you want to kill this kid in the most gruesome way possible. That was probably going to happen a lot.

I shook my head. "No. I'm Dahlia." He looked puzzled and his hand tightened on the knife. My eyes widened. "I'm schizophrenic, okay? Logan's my alter. I'm not out to kill anyone. Ask Anarchy for my file if you don't believe me." The flicker of recognition in his eyes at the mention of the organisation assured me that Ying-Zhu was in good hands.
"Can I know your name, or do you want to make sure Logan doesn't find out? I can't guarantee what she'll get..."

Kaleb Rivera

Imogen cut out the light thing and went to lay down. I sighed, it was a little to early for me to sleep. I kept thinking and thinking of what will be happening in the next few months, I was definitely going to have a tough time here.

"Imogen?" I say. The light came on and she looked annoyed. "What?" She said. "Can you be my friend?" I ask. It might have been a cheesy thing to say, but I needed it right now. Her eyes widened a little. Maybe she didn't expect me to ask something like that. "What...why would you ask something like that?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Maybe I just need a friend." I answer. She sat there a minute without a reply. "Maybe." She replied. I gave her a half smile and she looked angry. "Are you mad or something?" I ask. She didn't say anything, turning off the light again, she laid down and I didn't say a word.

--------------- the next day-------------------

Imogen was awake before I was. Not that it mattered. When I woke up she was eating what looked like dry toast. "Want some?" She asked as i walked to sit with her.

"Definitely not." I answer. I liked bread but not toasted or even burnt. "You have something against toast?" She asked. I nod. She doesn't say anything. "Do I get to learn anything today?" I ask her. "Yes. What exactly do you really want to know?" She asked.

"How do I survive here?" I ask.

Ying-Zhu Fong
Innocent

Everything had been a blur since his failure in the physical part of the entry procedures. He'd managed to get hit on the head by a few times, and for once, he was grateful for his contact lenses. At least those wouldn't break from face-impacts.

Of course, without proper cleaning supplies, his eyes were in awful shape by the time the strange young-but-white-haired-boy, or so called "Death Child" dragged him away from a job where his vision wasn't all that necessary.

And so they came to the present situation. Ying-Zhu rubbed his eyes and tried to pluck his lenses out without a mirror while white-haired-boy faced off with some newcomer lady with short brown hair. They had both mentioned an organization called 'Anarchy', and Ying-Zhu was dying to know what that was about, but he knew better than to interfere when the tension ran so high.

"Can I know your name?" the Dahlia lady asked, "or do you want to make sure Logan doesn't find out? I can't guarantee what she'll get."

"We'll leave my name as a mystery for the moment," White-Hair said. That was Ying-Zhu's name for the person, though in his mind he had to think of him as 'Bai-Tou-Fa'.

Then, Dahlia noticed Ying-Zhu picking at his eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked. He wasn't sure if it was concern or scientific curiosity in her voice. English was so hard to understand.

"Contacts," he muttered, "dry out the eyes unless proper lubricant is used. They also can cause permanent damage if left in during sleep, or can slip under the eyelid and get stuck because of REM during deep sleep." He got the left one out, now for the other. His vision only slightly better without spoiled lenses, Ying-Zhu wondered if Dahlia looked displeased or not. White-Hair seemed unfazed. "Duay-bu- Oh, whoops. Did I say that all in Chinese?"

Grimacing, Dahlia mentioned something about Anarchy finding the strangest people before going on to speak in hushed tones with White-Hair. They grabbed Ying-Zhu and dragged him along behind them, and he noticed that no matter how dangerous-looking a person they crossed paths with, the crosser gave a wide berth. Clearly, these two and their Anarchy organization were nothing to be trifled with.

As their walk drew on, Ying-Zhu found himself panting. He'd never been fit, and Dahlia and White-Hair liked to keep their paces brisk. Neither seemed to notice, however, until they stopped.

"I can't believe it," White-Hair said, crossing his arms. He was obviously displeased. "This requires training. You have to be both smart and fast in order to survive here."

"With the way he sputters," Dahlia muttered, "I'm not sure he's either." Suddenly, she jerked her head up and glared at White-Hair. "You should probably take this kid," she said hurriedly, "and be fast, would you?"

Ying-Zhu and White-Hair watched her jog away before a flash of trivia resurfaced. "Schizophrenia is a disease in which the mind believes that other voices are speaking to them. Often times, those with the disease believe that others are plotting to harm or control them. For whatever reason Dahlia's other self, Logan, I believe you called her, kills people, I'm sure it is out of fear, and not a true desire to kill." Ying-Zhu scratched his head and looked at White-Hair, "did I say that aloud, or in Chinese?"

The inmate shrugged and beckoned for Ying-Zhu to keep on following him. "Your accent doesn't sound like I expected," he said, "Now let's go meet back with my contact. Anarchy needs to know that I found you."

Ying-Zhu hoped this 'contact' would be able to get him some corrective lenses. A nice, thick pair of glasses would be great. Then he might be able to see what everyone's faces actually looked like.

I turn to look at him. "Well you've already worked out the first part." He looks confused and I sigh, "Ask the right questions. Part two is not annoying the wrong people. Basically don't speak unless spoken to and keep your head down." He looks like he's listening. Good, it hate being ignored. "Part three become an inmate. You got registered with a house and job, correct?" He nods. "Don't show up to either. Look confident and self assured, cocky, don't look over eager, don't get shocked by blood. Always carry a visible or semi visible weapon, learn where to stay away from. Here being an innocent is an invitation to be killed. A mark of the condemned. Part four is making contacts. You don't have friends here. You have allies and enemies. And don't ask people to be your ally. Save someone's life, do them a major favour. Make sure they owe you. And don't trust the wrong people. You got all that?" He nods, looking slightly overwhelmed.

"Good, because the last part is the hardest. You have to want to live." He opens his mouth to protest, but I wave my hand, silencing him. "You might think you do, but are you willing to let someone die so you can live? Are you willing to kill so you can live? Because the people who survive here will do anything to survive. But in the process you become slightly less human." I pass him a knife. "So decide now if you're willing to let that happen. If you are you can keep that knife. Otherwise go outside and stab yourself, right now. Because I promise that will be a faster, less painful death than what you'll get otherwise." I lean back and look at him, staring directly into his eyes. "Your choice."

Nathan
Inmate

I froze, watching from the window as an Innocent ran ahead frantically, behind him one of us. I shook my head. Running is stupid. I walked away just as I heard the person screaming out and then silence. The shop was closed today, as it is every day of The Welcoming. It was always the same, the strongest Inmates using this as an easy way to eat and loot, the weakest venting out their anger and shame. While those of us, like me, we simply stayed away.

This year’s different though. I can’t stay away. At one point I’ll have to go out there, and do something. Protect some people. I got a file along with a video telling me what to do. They told me they’d give me information on my mom. They are the real defectors, they visited me months ago and informed me of the video. I believed them, and I still do. I sighed and climbed the stairs to my living quarters. Most of these little shops had living quarters above them. As I arrived in the upper hall I heard Johnny sharpening his knife from his room. I have five other people living up here, Johnny is one of them. He’s nothing like me, he’ll kill anyone he sees who doesn't do something for him. I stop by his door, knock a couple times.

“Stop being a wuss and just barge in here you idiot!” he yelled. I opened the door and just like I thought, he was in his robe sharpening his knife. There were times I barged in and I saw things I would like to erase forever from my memory. I've learned my lesson.

“You planning on going out today?” I asked him. I knew his answer before it came out of his mouth, I just had to ask.

“Of course. The real question is, am I going to shed some blood? The answer is yes. Am I going to try to find someone to work for me? The answer is yes. Am I then going to kill them if they fail me, the answer is also yes.” I roll my eyes. He liked to use the ones who begged him for mercy as his personal slaves until they did something he considered wrong and then they were done. I only managed to help one, only one out of the many. I shook my head.

“I know some of them, if you touch them you’re out.” I told him. He looked up from his knife and raised an eyebrow.

“You know them?” He smirked. “What makes you think they’ll want anything to do with you? They’ll be afraid of you. They’ll hate you.”

“Oh shut up, they won’t hate me. I do know them, and again, if you so much as look at them wrong I will kick you out.”

“You think you can hang that over me, boy?! You think I don’t have other places to live?” I laughed. I knew he didn’t have other places to live. Nobody wanted to keep him, mainly because he always stole from them, had unclean habits, slept with their wives or in the worse case daughters, and just because he was an idiot who always, always eventually got on everyone’s nerves. He get’s on mine every single day, but I burden myself to keep him here in order to help the society. Nobody would thank me though, nobody cares. That and he really didn't have any money. Unless someone is an Innocent, they need to pay to rent out a room, pay or kill. And while he was ruthless he wasn't “the death child” or anything.

“What if we make a deal?” I added. He started sharpening his knife again, as if it wasn't sharp enough, then nodded for me to continue. “If you help me to protect these people I know, you can stay here forever.” There was only the sound of the blade hitting the steel as he thought it over. He was a pretty good fighter, a much better fighter than me. I wanted to get better though, or at least get good. I figured he could teach me some, and also help me keep an eye out for the bad gangs out there. He knew a lot of them. I also was given something by Anarchy that I wanted to learn how to use, a gun. Johnny used to live in the real world as a criminal so he’ll know how to use it. I never so much as touched a gun my whole life. It made me feel weak, but I brushed the thought away. I know how to fight at least. Fight and lose, but fight nonetheless.

“Forever?” There was excitement in his voice, hope.

“After I die, you can still have the room. I’ll have a deed made, you can sign it, if anyone says otherwise, you can kill them.” I tell him. He smiles. Grins. Shakes his head and throws the knife on the ground and grabs me into a painful and severely uncomfortable hug.

“Deal, boy. Deal!” He said, and I pushed away from him forcefully.

“Don’t ever do that again.” I said in my most serious tone. He just laughs at me and slaps my face.

“Who knew you’d be such a great kid? I was planning on killing you in your sleep the first few nights, but you clever son of a bitch, you have an iron door. How’d you get that made?”

“I know people. Good people. People you’d never understand.” With that I left quickly. Trying to stifle my anger. Nobody calls me a son of a bitch. I just hope he’s the help I need. I walk to my room and use the pass code to unlock the DNA reader and slip my thumb on it, after that my iron door opens and I enter into my room, or apartment. I have everything one could ever need to survive in this room. I also made sure that even if a bomb destroyed the bottom half of this building this top half would still be standing, thus keeping me safe. I may not have the killer instincts or the strength many here do, but I do have some great connections as well as some brains to know what to do. I sit on the edge of my bed and run my hands through my hair. I had to go get these people some time. I reached under my bed and pulled out the folder that I was given.

"Talia Marvin, Alden Corner, Mahima Sankaran." I looked through the photos and information on them. Great, I thought, I'm going to have to earn their trust first.

_ _ _ _


Talia
Innocent

I watched as slowly people started to disperse. I noticed that some people had the guts to walk away on their own and seemed okay, while other's were much less fortunate and got killed or chased as they were walking away. Now it was just a handful of us left in front of the tall buildings. Partially I didn't want to leave because I wasn't sure what to aspect, but also because I wanted to be smart. If I moved right away of course I'd be a target, but if I stayed put then the people in front of me would hide me and the people leaving would act as distraction, giving me time to look around for a clever way to escape any attack. Finally I realized that there was almost no way to go without someone either trailing you or running into someone. So I decided to stop allowing my fear and worry to paralyze me and went the direction most Innocents didn't go. I needed to find Revolt Road.

I walked slowly and casually, I already took off my watch a while ago after seeing that that's what many of the Inmates were after. I didn't want to look like an Innocent, I wanted to blend in. It seemed to be working so I got even more into character looking at different Innocents around me carefully as if scrutinizing them. As I turned to look I saw a young girl with black hair and dark brown eyes looking around her tensly. I was about to look away when I saw she started running, as if in danger. Immediately without thinking I started to run towards her, and that's when I saw them. Two large men were chasing her, one seemed to have a dark red circle on his blue shirt, he's injured so he won't get too far. I decided to focus on him first, I took up speed as I chased him down, when I got close enough I yelled,

"Hey!" He turned in surprise and I saw it, the relief, the relief that it's only a girl, only a weakling, only me. Anger surged within me and I took my watch from my pocket where I kept it and sent a laser beam to his chest. He fell down instantly shaking from the shock. For a moment fear seized me, did I kill him? I wondered watching as he slowly stopped moving. I couldn't think of it. I hurried on to meet the other guy, at least the girl could run, she was well ahead of him, I saw as he held a knife in his hand ready to strike. As soon as I ran fast enough to catch up to him I slid underneath his feet and swiped him down to the ground. He came down with a heavy grunt and the knife was no longer in his hands, I scrambled to my feet, but he was just as quick and I felt a fist collide with my jaw. I ignored the burst of pain as I rushed towards the weapon on all fours. He got there before me and I ducked as the knife started swinging towards me.

He advanced trying to catch me, but I kept moving getting out of his reach, in anger he finally got up and I did as well and kicked up between his legs before he could think. He fell to the ground in agony; I heard him groan again as someone kicked his side. I looked at the girl with the black hair and dark brown eyes and smiled.

"Hey," I was panting, trying to catch my breath.

The girl glanced around, her mouth open, she was panting as well. We heard a noise and turned to see the first man, the one that fell from the laser, groaning, his arm twitching. I was glad I didn't kill him. Then in a split second reaction the girl grabbed my arm and hauled me down the opposite side of the street. I caught myself and ran behind her as she darted down another side street, and then another.

"Where're we going?" I asked in between heavy breaths. She slowed to glance around, her eyes searching the windows above us. She darted off to a set of rusty stairs that must have been used for a fire escape, taking them two at a time. My lungs heaving, I followed behind her, much more slowly. I paused as she glanced inside of a window and used her elbow to smash it open.

My guess was that she didn't live there. Oh, well. She flicked the broken glass shards off of the windowsill and hoisted herself up, disappearing inside. I paused outside of the window, peering warily inside of the dank and dusty room. Suddenly the warm skinned girl popped out of the darkness, making me jump, and gestured frantically inside. Wincing, I climbed in after her.

"Good thinking." I tell her, sitting on the ground. It looked like an empty abandoned room. I was still worried though that someone might find us, that people live here, or near here. "Do you, do you know where we are?" I asked.

She shook her head, and then leaned forward, into my personal space. I backed up with a protest in my throat, and then the girl lifted a slim finger to the side of her face, right next to her eye.

"What... oh." I realized that she must be talking about my bruised face. Just as I started thinking of it, my face started burning. I gritted my teeth and nodded, yes I was injured.

"Can you help me? I think I have a small kit in my bag." One of the things I made sure to do was to bring a small backpack with all my essential needs, things that I couldn't live without and things for survival. Among them I knew there was at least a bandage of some kind.

I handed her my bag and she took it, making noise as she dug through it. She pulled out the plastic white box and flipped it open, pulling out cotton swabs and a small tube. She leaned towards me again, and this time I didn't protest as she dabbed the thick junk onto the side of my face. Immediately my cheek flared up, and I winced.

"So... I'm Talia, but you can call me Tally. What's your name?" She didn't answer right away, her attention focused on tending to my beaten face. Then, in a heavy accent, she said, "Mahima."

In the dark, her brown eyes were near black, like shiny pebbles. I smiled.

"That's a pretty name." I told her. A light smile pulled at the edges of her mouth. She then pulled back, shuffling once more through the medical box, and pulled out a handful of bandages. She applied them carefully, delicately adjusting them so they wouldn't scratch against my swollen cheek when I moved.

"Thank you." I said. She nodded and replaced the medical box into my bag. "So, where are you from?"

A flicker of confusion danced across her face, and then after a pause it cleared. "I- I'm from India." I noticed then that were was a slight language barrier between us. I didn't really care, at least neither of us were alone. It was always more dangerous to be alone. Anyways we would learn from each other soon enough. We sat there for a while in silence until I realized that I had brought a map of the island with me. I asked her if she could hand me my bag, she did and I looked through it for the map, when I found it I pulled it open.

I had met with Anarchy before coming to the island. Anarchy specifically recruited me to figure out who the "leaders" of the island were, the most influential people. They also recruited me to watch the Enforcers, see if any of them were real people, or if they were heavily controlled. I was suddenly grateful that we didn't see any Enforcers on the road. I waved Mahima over and she sat next to me, the map covered the floor before us. Going through the map I pointed to her where we started. I saw Revolt Road.

"I need to get here. We need to get here. Then we can figure out how to stay safe."

Alden | Innocent


I walked along the street, gripping a small dagger inside my pocket. I kept my hood up and my head down trying to draw the least amount of attention to myself as I could. I was exploring, trying to get a good visual on the island. The wind came in at a strong gust and my hood was blow off my head. Seconds later, I felt a hand on my shoulder and then I was dragged.

I screamed into his hand kicking hard as I was laid in a small alleyway. The man climbed on top of me pinning my hands down onto the hard concrete. His breath was vial and his hair was greasy and black.

"Hey there, pretty boy." He chuckled his stench slapping me across the face.

I wiggled underneath his gigantic body trying to move from his grasp. I watched carefully as he pulled a long silver knife from his belt and move it skillfully towards my face. I screamed harder into his hand biting until blood drew and dripped onto my face. The man didn't even flinch.

"Now I can finally get a new watch." He breathed moving the knife slowly across my cheek.

I felt the cut burning right under my eye and down towards my chin. My anxiety was going crazy and my head was telling me that this was the end. I sighed and let him move the knife off my cheek and onto my neck.

"Goodnight, boy."

Then I heard a scream. The man and I both looked up to see a bond haired boy running towards us at top speed. I closed my eyes tight and felt the weight being lifted off my arms and hands.

"Alden Corner, right?" The tall blond asked.

I nodded and stood up and started to run after him down the street.

"Follow me,"

I leave Kaleb to think about what I said. I honestly have no idea if he'll still be there when I get back. All I know is he'll still be alive. He's not the sort of person who offs himself when things get tough. Determination is a good quality, but when it's going to cause future pain is it worth it?

My philosophical debate is the only excuse I can give for what happened next. Someone came up behind me and shoved a piece of cloth over my mouth and nose. I couldn't help, but breathe in the fumes. I felt myself black out.

//////////

When I came to I was sitting on a chair in a slightly darkened room. I checked and discovered I still had all my fingers. And both my ears. A man was sitting across from me. He smiled, a genuine smile and addressed me. "Imogen Trellis, consider this your invitation to join Anarchy." I must have looked confused, because he leaned forwards. "Anarchy is an organisation dedicated to overthrowing the government. If you decide to join these are for you." He gestured to the table in front of him.

On it are two beautifully crafted knives, no short swords is a better word; two shorter, but equally elegant daggers and a collection of throwing knives in assorted sizes. I pick them up, admiring them each individually. "We know you don't like guns." He's right, I don't like guns. I find them to be a too impersonal way of killing. Easier to laugh it off afterwards. I try to stay connected during the act. Because if I'm not prepared to kill them with my own hands, then I have no right to kill them.

I look back up at him, "Why me?" He smiles again, "In Anarchy we have intellectuals, we have fighters. But the one thing we don't have is a messenger. You've survived this long by staying out if trouble. You know the island better than anyone. Of course it's dangerous. There's a high chance you could die. So feel free to leave. No one will hold it against you."

He leans back and smiles, and this time I can read his smile. He knows exactly what I'm going to do. Not because I'm predictable, but because its what any sane person would do in this situation. "What do you want me to do first?"

Kaleb

When I came from the bathroom, I didn't see Imogen any longer. "Hello?" I yell. No reply. Something felt a little off but i just couldn't put my finger on it. "Imogen where are you?" I yell. After not hearing a reply, I assumed she had left.

Maybe it was time for me to go out and explore. I headed for the door. When I tried to open it, it was jammed. I pulled and then pushed but nothing happened. "Help someone!" I yell. There was no reason a door should be locked. My chest began to feel heavy.

"Help me!" I yell.

Finally the door opened. A male figure was in front of it. "You're Kaleb aren't you?" The dark man asked. I nod and he pulls on my arm. "You need to come with me. I have work for you to do." He says. I looked a little confused but followed.

Sasha Volkov
Inmate

Two or three days later, and I still hadn't heard from this Anarchy. It puzzled me. Why would they risk getting caught by the Enforcers to slip me that package in the first place if they have no intention of contacting me again once they know it is in my possession. And they knew I had opened it, these people weren't unintelligent. Insane perhaps, but it was clear from the way they were able to get that package past the gates without being caught that they had a lot of resources.

Did I want to know where those resources came from? Of course. Whatever money or technology that Anarchy possessed could help many villages like mine save themselves from poverty and eventual starvation. It could prevent others like me from ending up in Subversion. The life that the people lead on this hellish island reminds me of a television show from the year 2014. My parents used to watch it when they were younger, and they had copies made of it so that I and my siblings could as well.

I think it was called The Hundred or something like that, where the earth was nuked and society escaped on a space station, only for their life support to fail so they send children down to earth to see if it was safe. I don't remember exactly what happened. But with no rules or government, the teenagers tore each other apart. If only our lives here were works of fiction. But then, if they were, I doubt anybody would read or watch them.

~*~

The days that followed Arrival Day and The Welcoming were filled with death and blood, as Innocent after Innocent succumbed to the horrors of this life. Some died for what they had, others for taking what they didn't. I was currently cleaning out the garden and watering all the plants. It was the kind of situation in which I did my best thinking.

It didn't really matter how they died, I supposed. What matters is that they are dead.

Nothing was any different from the other years I had been here. And yet at the same time, everything was. For the first time in three years, I felt something that I hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

Maybe we weren't dead to the outside world after all. Maybe they saw what they were sending these Innocents into. What they had sent us all into.

But then again, when had they ever cared? Subversion was free population control method, nothing more. But whatever the case, I felt lighter than I had in a long time.

I saved several children and women from my many brethren, gave them food, and sent them on their way. I gained a few new enemies, but that was nothing new to me. Thanks to my aloof attitude and secretiveness, plus the fact that I refused to take a lover, all the men on Subversion hated me. But thankfully, they didn't hate me enough to deny that I was the best carpenter on the island.

The profit that I made in trading paid for the supplies for my garden. Even here in isolation as we are, Subversion has a very active black market.
So, over the next few days I worked and watched. I also prayed that no one would notice that several of the Innocents had a suspicious amount of food for being newcomers. If it was ever traced back to me, I was dead. But then again, that might be the better option compared to staying here for the rest of my life.

Luck was with me however. No one gave a the Innocents I had helped a second glance, for which I was grateful. Even though I no longer cared whether I lived or died, I did not desire to spend any time in the Enforcer interrogation chambers. The stories of what went on in there made the things that happened in Subversion look like a day at the amusement park.

Okay, this post is creepy. at least a little.



I tossed the dagger in the air over and over, frowning. Dahlia had put me in a filthy mood which hadn't left yet, even after a few days. Waking up in the middle of a road with people staring at you was never pleasant, even less so when you were me, and those stares were a lot more predatory than I would ever normally allow.

Growling, I stood up, pacing back and forth. I still couldn't remember anything, not even a flash, nothing. Dahlia was making more of an effort for once, and it was paying off. It was plunging my mood even further. It was one of the times where I wished Dahlia was a completely different person, in a different body, just so I could hear her scream. My fingers twitched as swallowed it down, reminding myself that as much as I despised it, we shared a body. It wasn't as if there weren't enough people on this island to substitute a body and some screams.

I licked my lips, almost unsure. Technically, quite a lot of the weaker Innocents had been killed over the last few days, but I wanted to kill someone strong. Does it matter? You want to substitute Dahlia. Is she strong? I shook my head, grinning. It was never hard to convince myself to kill anyone at all. Twirling my dagger in my hand, I stepped on the brown stains on the floor as I left, almost skipping out of the door.

***

It hadn't been that hard to find someone who was just asking for a blade to be scored all over their body. They hadn't even questioned once why a girl they didn't know would be be asking to be protected, the gleam in hid eyes told a story that had already happened before and it just made me more resolved to make them suffer as much as possible before letting them die. It had taken a while before they had given in, I was almost certain it was their heart which had given out and not the dagger in eye.

I hummed as I dragged their surprisingly light body in a stong bag down the street. It was dark enough for people not to venture outside unless they were hunting someone down, and the very few people I encountered didn't give a second glance to the bag, they'd probably be toting their own in a few more hours. I had special plans for this one.

Stopping at the main square, right next to the high rise, I located a pole sticking straight out from a building. Unslinging a coil of rope from my shoulder, I tied a knot in it before using it to hoist the man in to the airs. He swung there, gormless, drops of blood dripping onto the floor.

Still humming, I scraped my fingers against the wall. Whenever my fingers dried, I stooped down, dipping them in the growing red puddle. Finished, I stepped back, picking up the soiled bag. I turned and skipped away. WELCOME TO SUBVERSION - LOVE LOGAN dripped a little down the wall behind me.

Imogen Trellis - Inmate

You know, no matter how long you've been here you've still got at least a shred of your humanity if there are still some things that can make you sick. But I should probably explain.

This time I was shown out of Anarchy HQ, instead of being dragged around unconscious. Call it a membership perk. Actually I was quite relieved. No matter what side they're on some people can't resist an unconscious teenage girl. So I was lucky. The building is bigger, better equipped than I first thought. And the whole thing is underground. Next there's a maze of catacombs, then finally a ladder out. I saw less people here than I expected. Or possibly more. I'm not really sure anymore. Contrast this too the near emptiness of the streets outside. Something's wrong. I mean, more wrong than usual.

Shrugging, it's not too dark yet, I follow some of the people. It only takes a moment for me to realise I'm going the wrong way. Whenever anything gets worse here people run away, not gravitate towards it. Probably the only other sign the majority have of their humanity. It only takes a few moments for me to reach it. A body, hanging from a building and a message in blood. "Logan Lienal did this," I hiss lowly. Not lowly enough.

I hear a noise behind me and step out the way, pivoting and drawing my short swords. It's her, Logan. "Don't you appreciate my work?" She askes, with a half smirk. I suddenly realise the body could be Kaleb and turn my head to check, cursing at my attachment to the innocent. It only takes a couple of seconds. But for her that's enough. I find myself pinned against a wall, my weapons lying useless. She lazily pulls out a knife. That's when her face changes and she releases me. "What the hell?" "I- can't- explain," she gasps. "Not- enough- time. Not her- Dahlia. Go." I run, retrieving both my swords, sheathing them. Some instinct tells me to trust Dahlia, even if she is in Logan's body.

I'm running and I skid to a halt around a corner, panting. A young innocent comes over to me. I can tell he's an innocent because the first thing he says is, "Are you ok?" I nod and look up. Oh great, I'm just having all the best luck today. First Logan and now, well I don't know what to call him. There's only one person on this island with that combination of white hair and confident look. Most people call him the Death Child. It just feels wrong using that name, when he seems not much younger than I am. And he certainly isn't innocent enough. I'd go for my blades, but I don't have enough time. Then I realise, he's protecting the innocent. But why would he do that unless....."Anarchy," I breathe, just loud enough for him to hear.

Miranda Furia

Innocent

This place reminded me of a book I read back when I was younger. It was about a group of people sent down into an underground city to try and suggest a treaty with the city. It turns out that there was no government in the underground city and everyone was allowed to do what they wanted. And what did they want? Complete chaos. And it happened.

If you didn’t have what they wanted, they killed you. If you did, well, they killed you anyway. That civilization ran itself to the ground, though. This one would never, not with what the world bringing them the scraps of humanity every few months and leaving them on their doorstep.

I walked in the middle of the road, straying from the sidewalks. There were no working vehicles in this side of the Island, because every single one got destroyed or abandoned. My briefcase in one hand and a small pistol in the other, I idled my way to my destination.

Honestly, most of the Innocents here didn’t belong. They weren’t suited for war. They were suited for comfortable life, where you didn’t have to watch your back in your own living room. They were just lambs for the slaughterhouse.

“Aleksandra Volkov,” I whispered to myself. She was just another nobody to the average Inmate here, but she was my target for the rest of my time here. She is the one who knows this place, who is able to bring everyone together. She lives in a small home that was actually somewhat respected in the Island, since she’s been here for a little while and she is known not to be messed with.

What she doesn’t know is that her house is actually the soon-to-be entrance of the Interconnecting System that Anarchy has been making for a couple of months now. My job is to keep her with Anarchy.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” A male voice floated up to me. It was a silky smooth voice, and one that commanded the attention of anyone who heard it. I turned, holding my briefcase by my side. There was a side compartment in the small thing, holding an electric Cinquedea-sized knife.

“Hey, there guy. Guys. Little old for hide and seek, huh boys?” I motioned to the sides of the man, and three more guys appeared from the sides of the buildings. “Any reason we’re here, having this conversation? Small talk doesn’t happen on Subversion.”

“Since you’re a smart lady, I’ll get straight to it. I like your briefcase. I want it, so why don’t you hand it over?”

“And the pearls,” grunted one of the two to his right.

“Shut up, Gary. You go get your own pearls. We don’t want to rob her of everything, do we?”

“Oh, well, at least you’re considerate robbers. “

He nodded respectfully, “I try. This is a tough world, and I don’t want this to be too complicated. So, the briefcase?”

“Ah, no. you see, this has things that you probably couldn’t even read, let alone comprehend. So, seeing as you guys are somewhat respectable, I’ll ask you to come a later time, and I might have things for you.” My heart was pounding at my stupid plan.

“That’s not gonna happen.” A deep, gravelly voice startled me, and a large man grabbed my shoulder, shoving me to the ground. The briefcase slipped out of my fingers, and my only hope for fighting the men off was dashed. “Lock,” I grunted, and the voice-activated briefcase shut itself out.

Slamming my face into the concrete, the four men circled me. “You see, you had to do this the hard way. All we wanted was your briefcase, and we would had left you alone. Now, “he knelt down, pulling out a small dagger and traced it along my cheek.

“Now, we’re going to have fun with you.” Gary whispered.

Turning me around forcefully, the large man straddled my arms and legs to the ground, while the leader of them and one other was trying to shove my shirt up.

“Sto-stop!” I gasped as the leader slashed my shirt, contacting my skin as he did.

I closed my eyes. It was inevitable, my only protection was several feet away from me, but it felt like several miles.

I have failed my mission. Now, everything was falling apart, just like that.

Well, what did you expect? This is Subversion, not some slumber party. My conscious mocked me.

Well, I’m glad you think this is funny.

I don’t, I just face reality.

Something was being shoved down my throat, and I gagged, feeling bile and this acidic, iron-tasting fluid boiling up in my throat.

“Get out of here, you filth!” A female voice sounded through the darkness. The large weight of the man (or men, I didn’t even know anymore) on top of me was lifted off.

“Aleksandra, you’re crazy! Stay outta our business!”

“Any business on my street is my business. Go rape some other Innocent! Are you okay? You can open your eyes now.”

I tried to open them up, but the bile got the best of me, and I spilled the hot liquid onto the ground next to me. “It’s fine. Get the nastiness out of you. These men don’t know what they’re doing, scarring someone like that. Did they take anything from you?”

“My-my briefcase.” I saw it there, on the side of the road, like nothing happened. Pushing myself off the ground, I started walking to it, but Aleksandra got there first.

“My place, you can stay there for awhile. You’re injured. Let me help you there. There’s a bump there, yes, there.”

“Thank you, Aleksandra.”

“Call me Sasha.”

Luca|Inmate

A tall redhead girl runs around the corner and stops short at the sight of me and Ying-Zhu. She whispers, "Anarchy" under her breath. I glare at her, reaching for the knife at my waist, and she's smart enough to race off.

"Damn. Everybody seems to know I'm with Anarchy today." I start walking off down the street again, and the boy tagged along.

It wasn't long, though, before I spotted two Enforcers, strolling down the street. Someone who'd lived on the island as long as I knew them by how they walked. I grabbed Ying-Zhu's arm and whispered, "Whatever I say, just stay silent and look scared." Judging by the look in his eyes, that wouldn't be particularly hard.

If they knew I was protecting the kid, well, we'd both be in trouble. I could take down these two and probably more, but enforcers protect their own, and pretty soon we'd be in a whole lot of pain. Besides, I could probably beat them all in my style of fight, but why would I when I can get past them without putting the kid in danger? I grabbed the kid's arm and walked as if I was pulling him.

One of the enforcers, a big, burly man with a crop of red hair and freckles, grumbled at me. "What'cha doing with the kid?"

I assumed my cockiest grin. "Taking him to the Meat Market. They like the nimble ones there. If I wait, I'll lose all my hard-earned cash to one of the other scavengers. Or worse, Logan."

He slapped me on the back. "Smart boy. Go ahead."

I waited until they were out of hearing to mutter, "I hate Enforcers. You saw them, kid. Learn to recognize their type, or you'll get in trouble here quickly. They keep this place from ever becoming 'civilized', although I doubt it would become civilized even without their intervention. Fight with one, and you fight with them all."

He was quiet for a moment, absorbing this. That didn't last long. "What's the Meat Market?"

"Slave trade."

I heard his footfalls stop. "Is that where you're taking me?"

Bile rose in my throat. "You think I'm a monster, don't you? No, you idiot child. I'd had friends I lost to the Meat Market. I'd never subject anyone to that. I'm taking you to a friend."

I knocked softly on a door in an alleyway. A young-older than me, but still young-woman opened the door. I bowed slightly with a grin on my face. One of the few people on the island I respect. "Sasha. The child needs a place to lie low."