“I wasn’t actually sleeping, more like daydreaming with my eyes closed.” I lie because I don’t want him to know the truth. When I feel overwhelmed, I tend to fall asleep, as if my mind is trying to keep me from exploding.
I shake my head and rub my bleary eyes. Before me looms a twenty-foot cement wall ominously rising from the earth. Barbed wire wraps around the top like a snake. There’s no green, just a thick cloud of dust kicked up from the tires of passing vehicles. A colossal protrusion from the wall grabs my attention.
“What’s that?” I ask, pointing to the immense structure.
“That… is none of your concern,” he says, stopping the Jeep. We’re at another checkpoint, and Cole flashes his ID. A young guard standing at the gate inspects it and then looks at me. He grins.
“She new?” he says with a smirk. “Damn, man. Why can’t I have your job?”
“Yeah, she’s new,” Cole snaps.
“Your best yet.” He winks at Cole and then looks at me. “Good luck, sweetheart. You’ll need it.” He opens the massive metal gate, and we follow the others through. It closes with a screech, a thud, and a distinct locking sound.
Cole parks the Jeep in an open space alongside other vehicles carrying newly branded sinners.
“One more stop before you see your new home,” he says. “Orientation.”
I climb down and my joints crack, feeling achy from sitting so long. My neck radiates with burning heat from the brand that permanently labels me a whore. I drop my eyes to the dusty ground, feeling ashamed even though I know it’s not true. But they think it is.
He gives me a quick shove in the direction of the door where I see others with bowed heads and new brands brightly singed into their skin. I imagine that we look like one sad convoy of losers filing into a small, dirty room. The fluorescent lighting flickers and there’s standing room only. Cole leans against the wall with the other guards, observing us carefully, while we squeeze into the room like cattle.
A large screen mounted on the wall in front flips on automatically as the lights go out. A female voice, powerful yet sweet, begins giving the history of the Hole.
“Fifty years ago, after World War V, society was downtrodden from years of fighting. Bombs destroyed highly populated areas, leaving the former United States with high crime, unemployment, and depravity.” Black-and-white images of the last war pop onto the screen—people running as explosions burst in the background. Children screaming. Bodies lying unattended in the streets of war-torn neighborhoods that once flourished. “Then our Commander, our Savior, and our Leader came to power.” The screen flips to a photo of the Commander, wearing a black mask to protect his identity. “After witnessing decades of crime, he saved us from our sins—revamping our judicial system and creating jobs for all. Bringing peace and security to our country once again.”
More like demolished our judicial system, I think. I barely remember my father talking about the war before the Commander. Most of my recollections are of my father cautioning me on being careful about what I say to others to avoid being accused.
Rough footage of the Hole being built by sinners pops onto the screen and breaks into my thoughts. “He created a system by which we would know, forevermore, who the criminals in society are, thereby protecting us from their crimes. By keeping all the criminals confined to the Hole, our society would remain pure and uncorrupted.”
To my surprise, the video shows a state funeral with mourners dressed in dark clothing, parading through High Society. “After our dear Commander passed, his protégé, handpicked and trained, rose up to carry on our beloved traditions. We owe him our allegiance, our thanks, and our praise for saving us.”
The propaganda video ends as static charges across the screen. Not a word is said among all of us while we wait. The guards straighten up as the lights come back on, dimly flickering as one guard stands in front of the room. He barely glances at us as he reads from a paper in his hands.
“You’re all here because you’ve been accused of crimes and branded as criminals of the state. The Commander is the ultimate power over all. From here on, you have no rights. Each sinner will be assigned a job upon arriving to your quarters and you will report to your jobs daily as commanded. The siren is your warning to report immediately to your bus. Buses will transport you to the trains at the main gate. Do not miss your bus unless you’re dead. You will obey all laws in the Hole. There is a hospital, but you may only seek treatment for your health if approved by a guard or if it is detrimental to the health of the guards. One guard will escort you to your new quarters and most of you,” he says while glancing at me briefly, “will be on your own afterward. No questions allowed.”
Fear catches in my throat. I’m no longer considered human.