The next day, as the sun rose, a crowd of hundreds, possibly thousands sought exit from the camp. Both young and old, sick and well; all demographics came forward.
Needless to say, each and every one of them was denied exit from the perimeter. Those who resisted were seized, and any further opposition led to execution.
They were no longer intent on keeping up the facade of civility, casting it aside, these people were reduced to livestock awaiting slaughter.
Days passed, and it seemed as though hopelessness was embed into the earth. Hundreds had tried all manner of ways to escape the camp. Each one a failure that resulted in detainment, or death.
Standing by as these atrocities were committed, Nikko and Maya sat on the edge of a crumbling concrete platform, their faces turned towards the distant city skyline. Visible only as faint silhouettes beyond the barbed wire, and guard towers.
"It's never going to happen, is it?" Maya finally muttered, her voice low and her tone defeated.
The previous stoicism she presented had been shattered like an outer shell, leaving her true self exposed.
Nikko glanced at her, her arms drawn tightly around her knees.
"I think we've known that for a while now." Nikko murmured, her voice subdued.
A wall had been built, housing her emotions within. Nikko's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms and drawing blood. She didn't say anything for a long moment, her eyes fixed on the fences as though staring hard enough might make them vanish. But they didn't. They never would.
The camp's boundaries loomed around them, rows of fencing reinforced with steel and flanked by armed guards who patrolled as though they were imprisoning criminals instead of watching over refugees. But by that point it was clear, those in power saw it all the same.
They'd seen what happened to the many who tried. The ones who believed they could outwit the guards or break through the barriers had been dragged back bloodied and beaten; or worse.
"He would've found a way." Nikko said, her voice breaking slightly.
She hadn't spoken his name in weeks, or rather couldn't. The weight of his memory crushed her spirit, and she couldn't take it anymore.
Maya leaned back, her gaze tracing the outline of the bleak heavens.
"Nikko." She started, grabbing her friend by the hand.
"He's not here anymore." She said softly.
"And we can't keep pretending like he's going to walk through those gates and save us."
Nikko's jaw tightened, her shoulders trembling under the weight of grief and frustration.
"I KNOW THAT!!!" She snapped, although, the anger was more so directed at herself.
"I know he's gone, but we still have to try. For his sister, for her sake."
"How?" Maya wondered.
Turning to look at her, frustration evident, she asked her.
"They won't let us leave. You've seen it. I've seen it… Everybody in this godforsaken camp has seen it!" Maya yelled.
Getting closer, she looked Nikko right in the eyes.
"So tell me, how in fxcks name we're going to escape with our lives."
Maya's outburst was surprising, but not unwarranted.
"We… don't have the manpower, or resources to escape. We'll probably end up getting caught, or worse." Nikko spoke out, not holding back her thoughts in the slightest.
"So what are you saying? We just give up? Let her rot in that city all alone?" Maya asked in shock.
"I'm saying that we need to think!" Nikko responded.
Leaning forward, her grip tightening around Maya's shoulders.
"There has to be a way, but acting like everyone else won't get us anywhere. We need to be smarter than that, we need to be patient."
Maya didn't answer right away. Her gaze fell to the dirt at her feet, with imprints of countless footsteps, all leading nowhere. She thought about the loss Nikko had to face. She thought about Naomi, left behind in a world that no longer made sense. She thought about her parents and siblings, how worried they'd be. And then, her mind went blank.
"Patience." Maya echoed bitterly.
"You think she has time for our patience?"
"What I think is that you need to calm down." Nikko asserted, her grip loosening on her shoulders.
"I am calm." Maya spoke out, taking Nikko's hands off her.
"I… I need to think." She said as she walked off.
"We'll… figure something out." Nikko muttered; her fragile words carried away by the wind."
The day went by, and night fell. Things however were different that night, the camp which was usually teeming with faint murmurs, occasional shouts, and more than a few flickering candles, was eerily silent. It was a quiet so deafening, the rustle of insects echoed through the air. The absence of activity was not just unsettling, it was suspicious.
The junior guards patrolling the perimeter exchanged weary glances, the unusual quiet gnawing at their nerves. But the lack of light unsettled them even more. Even the usual attempts to climb over or under the electric fence were ceased. The watch commander immediately sent a report to the Security Officer, marking the event as unusual.
"The camp is unusually silent tonight. No signs of candle light or movement among detainees. Perimeter is secure, and no breaches detected. Awaiting further instructions."
Upon receiving the report, he immediately ordered a status check. Patrols were doubled, and additional routes were investigated. However, the silence persisted, with no evidence of escape attempts, or resistance.
Still, he relayed the matter to the Operations Officer, sending a report with a more urgent tone.
"All detainees accounted for, but the camp is unnaturally silent. No apparent defiance or escape attempts detected. Requesting strategic evaluation and additional orders."
Operations Officer, James Wright, interpreted the implications of this anomaly. Considering several scenarios at play.
"The way I see it Commander, there are three possibilities here."
In the commander's quarters was Magnus, his bulk crammed into a squeaking plastic chair. He was a man of considerable size, with light brown hair, and a tidy mustache. Sweat slicked his forehead as he awaited the officer's review.
"Well spit it out James, what do we have here?"
"This could either be a passive resistance, health hazard, or the more likely occurrence-"
"The calm before the storm." Magnus stated, interrupting James.
"Yes sir."
Magnus realized the danger this posed to the structure he had established. A crisis on a national scale would occur if any one of them managed to escape, enough time had been spent weakening their resolve, enough time had passed since the disaster. At this moment, most people wouldn't bat an eye if there were no survivors. He knew it was time to silence the camp permanently.
"At the crack of dawn, we'll reduce it all to ash." Magnus ordered, sweat dripping down his head as he gave the final command.
Following that, a full investigation was conducted by the Intelligence Officers. Interrogations were conducted immediately, starting with known agitators of resistance.
The Security Officer ordered the deployment of riot squads, and secured all possible exit zones.
Resources were immediately restricted, an attempt at pressuring the civilians into submission. Soon the entire camp was lit up with search lights, while Disciplinary Officers disseminate warnings about the consequences of defiance.
While seeming unnecessary, Magnus wanted to display one final show of strength. Hoping to finally crush their spirits, and hold off any rebellion till daybreak.
Investigation teams were mobilized to uncover the truth. Infiltrators among the detainees reported no signs of resistance. In fact, the people seemed genuinely confused by the heightened response, proposing the idea that if there was an attack, it would not be something of mass knowledge. The best they found, was an anonymous command to keep quiet tonight.
Nikko woke up abruptly, seeing the intensity of the guards actions the first thought that crossed her mind was Maya's whereabouts.
"She didn't come back." She realized.
All sort of thoughts went through her mind. Her breath became ragged, her pupils dilating, whilst her heart rate doubled.
Then a bright light engulf the heavens in a single burst. It seemed as though hell opened up before her very eyes. Several pillars of fire spiraled into the sky, leaving all in awe. The camp erupted into chaos as the fireballs lit up the heavens at dawn.
Stumbling out of her makeshift tent, her mind racing with frantic thoughts of Maya.
Then she felt someone grab her.
"Let's go!" She yelled.
It was Maya, covered in dirt and breathless. Having forced her way through the crowd of onlookers.
The entire camp erupted in chaos, finally free from the carefully maintained order. A wave of rage and depression overwhelmed the people, as thousands stampede the gates. They had been beaten and broken, but finally came the opportunity to trample their oppressors.
The guards were overwhelmed nearly instantly, the greatest fear of the Magnus. The people, were many, they were so many that they outnumbered the military force sent ten times over. That' s why his primary strategy was to keep morale low. But it wasn't like the man was there to witness it come to pass.
The camps set up for the commanding officers were lit ablaze by explosive charges, at their fuel tanks. Flames tore through the officer's quarters, leaving the insides a hellish nightmare, filled to the brim with the choking smell of charred flesh.
Soon it became a free for all battle between the two sides. However, amidst the chaos the two girls made their escape. Somehow, managing to steal an abandoned truck, Maya drove them away from the scene, using the light of the flames to guide them before the first rays came.
When they were far away enough from the nightmare, Maya pulled the truck to a stop. Both sat in stunned silence, the adrenaline still fresh in their veins.
"What just happened?" Nikko asked, admittedly, but understandably confused.
Maya exhaled sharply.
"There was a rumour about an attack being setup. I didn't know if it was true, so I came up with an escape plan, just in case."
Nikko turned to her, her eyes filled with gratitude. Without another word, she threw her arms around Maya, holding her tightly. Maya stiffened at first, flustered; then she slowly relaxed, returning the embrace.
"Thank you." Nikko murmured, tears streaming down her face.
Maya nodded, her voice soft.
"Whenever you're ready, we'll keep going."
"Just... give me a minute." Nikko whispered, clutching the remnants of hope tightly as she clung to her friend.