Brennen Im Feuer Ch 10

As I woke up, I looked around and was blinded by what seemed to be the brightest of lights. After getting my bearings I found myself not, in fact, dead, but very much alive. I remembered getting shot in the stomach and looked down to a small scratch but nothing more. It didn’t even hurt. I looked up and saw a shadow coming towards me. I panicked but before I could do much more I saw that the shadow was James.

“James?!? You’re here?!? But, but you’re dead! I saw you die right in front of me!”

“No,” James said, “You only saw what they wanted you to see. You believed what they wanted you to believe.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand any of this.”

James explained, “Okay. I’ll start from the beginning. District 1 is actually a kind of test. They put you through so much so they can find the people with true strength, true determination to become a better person and a leader of society. The people that are content to waste their lives and lack the ambition to accomplish their goals are destined to stay in District 1 until they die. Morrigan, you passed the test and now you are no longer in District 1.

I was taken aback. James had blown my mind. I had to ask, “Where am I then?”

“We are in District 7.”

“What? This place is even worse! I’ve got to get out of here!”

“District 7 is nothing like what we’re told in District 1. It is actually the exact opposite. This is quite literally a utopian society. We all work for each other and live in harmony. The reason why this District has to be a secret is because only a select few deserve to be here. If you are strong enough to believe in yourself and what is right then you earn your place. Commander X and his government created lies so that undesirable people do not find their way in and risk everything we’ve strived for.”

After taking a second to process everything I said, “There are many others that deserve this life instead of the one they’re living! We have to bring them here!”

I then saw a figure in the doorway. “Wait before you go down that road.” Commander X had just walked into the room. While I had seen him before on the screens in District 1, he was not as I expected. He was wearing a dark uniform and carried himself with a cool confidence that seemed more awe-inspiring than malevolent. “Let me explain what we’re doing here.”

Commander X went on to explain everything. He told me that he uses the big screens in the library and the district hall plaza to keep up on the goings on in District 1, not to crack down on slight infractions, but to figure out the people that may excel in the utopia that is District 7.

“Commander, tell me how you saved James and me. I saw James killed before my eyes and taken to the crematorium and I was shot painfully in the stomach. Explain how this can be real.”

“First I’ll tell you about James and you. What Officer Azrael did was hit James with a paralyzing anesthetic that releases a blood-like compound. That’s why he appeared dead. He was merely paralyzed and unconscious. That is what happened to you as well. And it’s real because, I mean, you’re definitely not dead, right?”

I shook my head. I knew I wasn’t dead and this was too crazy to be a dream or anything. “Okay, Commander. I’ll give you that. But how did we get here? The forest between the two districts is completely unsafe, how have we not been killed inside there?”

He smiled and said, “Have you noticed how the crematorium is next to the forest that links our districts? Well, inside the crematorium there is an underground tunnel that leads to the district. Anybody who is sent to the crematorium is actually escorted through the tunnel, brought to this building and eventually sent off to start their new life. There is nothing that can cremate anything in that building, I couldn’t even make toast if I wanted.”

“This is all surreal, Commander. What made you think I was ready for this new life?”

“You have been on our Watch List for a long time. The only reason we didn’t want you sooner was our fear that you may want to expose the real machinations of our city. We were hopeful that we could sway you to see things our way.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I ever can.”

“Give us some time and hopefully you will. We sense a great potential in you. You are destined for greatness and I hope we can help you reach your destiny.”

I thought about it for a minute. This was a huge weight brought on my shoulders. Eventually I had to give in. “Okay, you have one chance but I am certain that I won’t be able to see things your way.”

“One chance is all I ask for,” he said smiling. “Take a walk with me and I can assuage any fears you may have. I feel we can come up with a solution that benefits both of us.”