When David told us to run, we ran.  I didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was I needed to get out.  I kept checking to make sure Jamie was right behind me, I couldn’t afford to lose him now.  I heard a gunshot go off and I prayed that everyone was ok.

I saw a lot of commotion near the biggest building and pulled Jamie to the side.

“We need to get into that building.”

I saw a line of people waiting to get inside and a guy at the door checking names off a list.  

“Thomas, let’s get in the line.  We might be able to sneak our way in.”

I, very nonchalantly, walked to the end of the line behind Jamie. 

As the line moved forward, I heard someone say, “Everyone get to the auditorium for the assembly!  Then, you’ll get to go home!”

Whoops and hollers were heard throughout the line.  I almost felt bad, a lot of them might never get to go home.  But, our main priority is to get as many of them out as possible.

“Once we get inside,” Jamie whispered, “we wait until we can get the most people out as possible.”

“As many as possible.”

“Get in line!” I hear an anger shout from behind.

Oh no.

When I turn around, I see David, Marla, Shirley, and Taylor held at gunpoint, without Jacob.  They joined us in line and we told them the plan.

“Everyone got it?” They all nod their heads yes, except David, who seems to be completely out of it.  “What happened to Jacob?”

They all swallowed and sighed, until David spoke up, “He’s dead.”

“What?!”

“What happened?” Jamie asks.

“He was shot.  I’m gonna kill them.  Just watch me.  They’ll all be dead by the end of this.”

“David,” Marla says in a sweet voice, “you need to calm down.  Everything will work out.”

“No, it won’t!” The tears were already flowing down his face.  “I just lost Jacob, I lost him, the love of my life!  You don’t know how that feels!!”

“It’ll be ok, David.” Shirley says between her own sniffles.  They all hug, telling him everything will be fine.

“Guys, we’re almost to the front,” I say.  “Get ready.”

“Name?” The guy at the door asks.

Jamie blows a puff of smoke in his face, he’s been getting better at that, and we ran inside.  Fire trailing behind us, not letting anyone get too close.

It feels like we run forever until we find an open door that we slip through, right before it closes.  We hide behind sommes barrels along the wall right as some guys come running through the door.

“Where could they have gone?”

“They aren’t in here, come on, let’s keep going.”

They left through the same door and Jamie and I were the only ones left in the room.

“What is this place?” Jamie asks.

I look around, computers lining the walls.  The screens had footage from all around the building, there were at least 100 different cameras showing.

“It’s like a security room or something.”

“The cameras, they’re moving around the building, though.”

I looked closer at the screens and realized Jamie is right.

“Look, they all have little names in the corner.  Alyssa, Maria, Carter, Isaiah…”

“They’re people.”

How?  How can they see through the eyes of…people in the building?

“They’re controlling them.”

“What?” I don’t understand.

“Look, they can give them commands.  Of course.  After the promise of getting to go home after all these years and then realizing they have to stay.  No one would be happy about that, they needed a way for the graduated kids to stay.  How do we get them out of it?”

“Destroy the thing controlling them?”

“And what’s that?”

“It’s right in front of us.”