Chaddledee
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Chapter 1 – All in a day’s work
There was a buzz of excitement going around Work Camp Theta Alpha. No more than a week ago nearby Work Camp Theta Beta had been liberated, and by none other than the Craterguard Liberators. The workers of Theta Alpha were next, and everybody knew it. The guards seemed extremely tense and jumpy. They kept their Plasma Pistols out of their holsters, and kept their fingers on the trigger.
Fortis Vindico was a slave at Theta Alpha, and had been for as long as he could remember. The Light had gained control of the country mere months after his birth. He had never known his parents, as they had been sent off to a different work camp. He was quite young, in his late twenties. His eyes were a dull grey-blue. His brown hair was cut short, and he was well shaved, just like every other male slave. He was required to wear the work-camp standard issue orange jumpsuit.
Every week at the work camp the workers would swap jobs on a rota. On each work camp there are four jobs: farming, mining, working in the factories and moving everything from place to place. The last was loathed the most, as it was most tiring. Fortis was in Work Group B, so he started each month with mining and ended it with farming. At the moment Fortis was working at the factories. It was tiring work so he’d keep an eye on the guards and when they had their backs turned he would stop working, have a rest, and then resume as soon as they turned back.
He had made a few friends in his group, namely, Venus Astrum and Felix Thompson. Fortis and Venus were friends since they were very young. She had piercing, green, hypnotic eyes that you couldn’t look away from. Her shiny, black hair was long and perfectly straight. She had one of the most beautiful smiles Fortis had ever seen. Her skin was completely clear and lacking colour. She had a perfection that could only be rivalled by statues.
Felix Thompson was way down the other end of the spectrum. It was apparent he was in his mid-forties from his sagging skin and the grey highlights in his otherwise black hair, despite being in very good physical shape. His eyes were a cloudy grey, and looked as if they were lost in his memories. He was about twenty when the Light came into power; he had been around when people had the right to their own possessions, the right to say what they wanted, the right to do what they wanted, and that was what made the work camp that much worse.
It was late in the day and the Sun was setting. One of the guards signalled to the one standing on the balcony up above. The guard standing on the balcony held down the button on the microphone attached to his vest.
“Day’s up, people,” the speakers roared. “Shut down the machinery and proceed back to your living quarters. Anyone not in their living quarters within 15 minutes will be severely punished. I repeat, anyone not in their living quarters within 15 minutes will be severely punished.”
“Living quarters” was a bit of an exaggeration. They were really only cells. They were designed to hold two people each, and were very basic. They had a tap, two beds, and a toilet. The lack of objects in the cells gave the illusion of them being bigger than they actually were. The locations of the workers’ cells were based on the work group they were in. This made it easier to keep track of them. Fortis shared a cell with Felix, which is probably the only reason they had become such close friends.
Fortis and Felix hastily made their way across the work camp to their cells, which were at the opposite end to the factories.
“When do you reckon the Craterguard will come?” asked Fortis.
“When? Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Stop being so negative! If the rumours are true, then Theta Beta has been liberated. We are next!”
“But they may be just that; rumours. I have spent 30 years in here. There have been many rumours about the Craterguard Liberators coming, and so far, nought. Just don’t get your hopes up, okay?”
Fortis sighed.
“Okay.”
They entered their cell and were silent from then on. They went to bed immediately, as there was nothing else to do. From his bed Fortis looked up out of the barred window to see the stars in the night sky, and sighed deeply.
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