Chapter I - The Desperate Escape.

Sterilized by Isis Daniel

Photo by Rosie Sun on Unsplash

The blare of the breached perimeter alarm was finally fading, swallowed by the closer, more terrifying echoes of Regime K9s snarling and barking. They rang in my ears as branches whipped welts on my already raw hands. I fought my way through the darkness, lungs burning as I sharply inhaled the scent of wet grass and weeping willows.

Distance. Distance.

Richard’s mantra. His escape plan– our only chance. I risked a glance to my left: a cliff, impossibly steep, the moonlight shimmered on its peak.

The rendezvous.

Pivoting, I watched my footing and made a break towards it. Maintaining weight onto my right leg, I leapt onto the rigid wall of rock. Left. Right. Left. Right. The iambic rhythm of the climb, another drill, another layer of his training. I looked towards the peak. Distance. The snarling grew louder, closer, then suddenly warped into a deafening white noise. Through it, a voice – muffled, calm, and horribly familiar.

Richard? That’s not–

My heart seized.

One of them? Here?

It couldn’t be, and it didn’t matter. Focus.

I reached for a fixed rock, pulled up and securely landed my alternate foot on a sturdy branch, which stuck out from the cliff’s mighty mass. Climbing, I found my pace.

Right. Left. Right. Le–

A cry tore from my throat. I slipped on a rock coated with mud, causing both of my feet to slip and dangle as I clung onto the stone. I held my breath as I pulled. The veins in my hand reflected the blue dim moonlight like a blue ridged cliff. Come on. I pulled harder. Come on.

Tears were now running warm down my cheek. “Come on…” I whimpered. As I pulled, I found my footing and continued upward. As I got closer to the peak, the snarling and white noise began to fade. Finally, I landed my right hand on the flat cool surface. I pulled myself to the top, with my belly to the ground, and rolled over to my back. Breathing relief into the atmosphere, I closed my eyes and took a moment. Then, as if fire were injected into my bones, my eyes sprang open.

Distance.

I jumped to my feet and scanned the area.

'Perfect,' I grumbled silently to myself, before taking off in a light trot.

I escaped the woods, just to find more woods.

All he told me to do was to go north, and if they caught up to me, focus on getting distance from me and the dogs. Now, I’m back at square one, and I’m lost. I looked to the blue-black sky and saw nothing but long branches reaching towards the heavens, blocking my view. The trees were impossible to climb. No Big Dipper. No North Star. No direction north.

I had to keep moving. “But where?” I whispered to myself. “Just keep moving”.

Tears still rolling down my cheeks, I jogged toward my best guess of “north”. When I found a sufficient break in the sky, I would redirect myself. As of right now, all I could focus on was distance.

It was the only thing keeping me alive– so far.

An hour or so had passed, and my eyes began to feel heavy. My jog turned into a sluggish walk, about 2 or 3 miles ago. My heart rate was finally at a steady pace, but my body grew weary from the day’s run for my life. North? South? Left? Right? Distance clouded my mind. I just have to keep moving, and eventually I’ll get… somewhere.

Somewhere is inevitable, because dying is not an option… which is why it’s ok if I sit here for a second.

I should be ok if I rest my feet for a moment.

Just a moment– Right?

With each step, I sunk deeper and deeper into the ground. My calves burned with fire. The taste of metallic blood coated my mouth and my lungs struggled with each sharp breath, ending in a series of dry, heaving coughs that shot sharp pains up my side and lung.

My eyes darted over my arms, frantically searching for any sign of blood. Finding none, but the grime shadows of the forest, the deepening cold knot of fear made me look up. But that split-second of inward focus, caused my foot to lag. My boot snagged on an unseen root. I stumbled, losing my footing, then my balance, and pitched forward– arms flailing to wrap around the trunk of the closest tree.

I don’t want to die. Not like this.

I looked towards the sky and peered at the stars peeking through the branches.

Stars...

“Stars!” I exclaimed to myself with exhaustion, only supported by the breath to carry the word.

I’ve got to get up there.

I’ve got this. 1… 2… 3.

I leaped towards the closest branch, and then pulled my body up. My feet curled against the trunk of the tree, as I climbed, until I had a clear view. I looked up and located the Big Dipper high in the sky. It looked exactly as I knew it should; spring up and fall down. I know it’s higher during the springtime.

Stretching my arm to the sky, I spread my fingers as a gauge. With my middle finger pointing directly at the North Star, I looked north and spotted a small cabin only a few miles in the distance.

Is that it?

Choosing to head towards that cabin was a gamble, one my body could barely take. However, aimlessly roaming the woods was no longer an option and was never the plan.

I took a moment, and looked back. My childhood home… Well, what was left of it anyway, stood in the far distance of the trees and muddy cliffs, infested with militants. I could imagine flashlights flickering as they searched my parents' land for me… My heart, heavy with grief, had witnessed enough pain and death for the next ten lifetimes. My hand rested on my stomach…

I’m starving.

Richard's plan had gotten me this far. He was precise, always. But that other voice I'd heard earlier, so familiar, yet definitely not his– something about it felt... off. A discordant note in the symphony of terror the Regime orchestrated. The unease that had been a low hum within The Cause for weeks, now tightened in my own chest. Something was wrong, something beyond the Regime closing in.

I slowly climbed down, keeping my head north. Once I made contact with the ground, I looked forward and was faced with a choice: Life or Death?

My body, squared towards the north, I inhaled the crisp air and slowly exhaled my pain.

No matter how tired I get, death is not an option.

Taking it one step at a time, my sluggish walk became a jog.

Right, right. Left. Right. Left.

Picking up speed, I dug deep within myself, remembering that survival is a decision, a choice. Life is as simple as just living. My jog became a syncopated run. Each time my foot hit the ground it was a reminder: I’m here.

I’ve made it this far.

I kept the small cabin in my mind’s eye, never losing sight and trying my best to continue north. Each mile was harder than the last, but I couldn’t stop. Twigs breaking underneath my feet kept me awake and alert. In the hazy distance, I spotted the cabin between the trees. I saw no movement or lights. Slowing my run to a sluggish jog, I approached the rear end of the wooden cabin. There was no scent of a fire. No car. No sign of people. I walked around to the front. It looked more like a wooden shed, than anything else. Barely any porch and it had a square window to the right of the panel door, which appeared slightly ajar.

Abandoned?

The grass was unkempt. Chipped paint marred the door. Weeds climbed up the sides of the walls like layered tattoos, and the glass window was shattered.

I noticed that the gravel driveway was well maintained: no twigs or overgrown weeds.

Strange.

Before I allowed myself to overthink, I focused on the door ahead of me and reached for the lever.

Then suddenly, my heart began to flutter and pound against my chest as if it were trying to break out.

Snap.

My head whipped to the left, towards the woods.

I’m not alone… could it be–?

Panicking, I reached for the handle, but it was locked. As I tried to run to the side of the house, I was grabbed from behind. I screamed, but his large clammy hand muted my cry. I almost gagged.

My head was yanked against the stranger’s chest, and I was dragged back into the woods. I tried to wiggle away but couldn’t. My body quaked in panic.

They got me! They finally had me!

Tears bled down my cheeks as I kicked and squirmed against his body.

“Shut up.” He whispered in my ear. “Watch and wait.”

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Thank you for reading Chapter I of Sterilized! It’s an honor to share my art with you. But here’s the thing— I’d love to hear your thoughts as you dive deeper into this dystopian thriller. Drop a comment below with your theories, share this page with a fellow thriller-lover. Click here to read Chapter II and remember new chapters are released every Tuesday. We’ve only just begun.