The Fox and the Pigeon hole Chapter 7

7. Truth

Rafiel wakes, he opens his eyes and, immediately alert, jumps to his feet. Looking around he sees that he is in a small cave, bright sunlight pours through the small opening in front of him, he crouches down and starts to edge through the small gap, wondering how on earth he got in here. Standing outside the cave in the sunlit forest he starts to recall the how he and Lance had become separated, how the officers had surrounded him, beaten him and then dragged him away. How he escaped and ran for it, now what was he going to do, he thinks still looking around, he has no idea where he is or if Lance escaped, he starts off into the forest unable to stand staying in one place much longer and still wondering where Lance is. He walks for a couple of hours, stopping frequently because of the pain of his injuries, and still deep in thought when inevitably he comes across the smooth expanse of vertical rock that has caused so much trouble. He looks around, this place is unfamiliar to him, he has not been here before so a renewed hope of overcoming the cliff soon takes him over. He scours the cliff, but it is as smooth and difficult to climb as before, the answer comes to him when he looks up into the canopy of trees above him, which are still frequently sending droplets of moisture onto his head. He looks up at the trees weighing his options, he knows that staying here would be murder, the officers would find him in a matter of hours but the alternative is dangerous and unwelcoming. After a few minutes of indecision he starts towards an oak tree that he has been eyeing for some time and, sighing, he grabs a low hanging branch and starts to climb.

It is slow going, his injuries make the climbing hard work and the branches are unsteady under his feet, softened by the storm. It takes him a couple of minutes to reach the highest branches and, choosing his path cautiously, he starts to edge along it, trembling at the thought of the hard ground metres below him. The branch he is slowly moving along is higher than the cliff but not over it, it will take a good jump from the very edge of the thin branch to make it, Rafiel stops, breathing hard, he needs all his energy for this suicidal attempt but he would rather die on the forest floor than be taken by the officers to be tortured slowly into madness. He gathers his courage and slowly continues along the swaying branch. He is almost ready to make his jump when he hears a crack and slowly the sound of a branch breaking away from the tree below him. Looking down he sees a moss covers branch crashing to the ground and with added haste readies himself to jump- if a small amount of moss can bring down a branch then it is only a matter of time until his gives way as well- he is almost at the edge of the branch where it is at its thinnest. He is just about to jump when he hears another crack and feels the branch drop several inches under his feet. He launches himself into the air just as the branch gives way and falls to the ground below. Rafiel falls as though in slow motion towards the cliff, he’s not going to make it, he thinks, but with a stroke of luck he slams into the very edge of the cliff and is able to pull himself up by a tree root that sticks out of the earth in front of him. Looking back he sighs and catches his breath before he starts off into the dense greenery at a jog.

*

It is a moment before anyone moves, the officers are standing against the wall staring back at them with more curiosity and fear than Lance has ever seen before. They look at each other cautiously and then one who is slightly shorter than the rest steps forward. “Come” is all He says in his deep voice, but it has more warmth than Dawn or Lance has ever heard from an officer. “Where” Stammers Lance, the officer looks back at him but does not answer, “Where” repeats Lance persistently, the officer sighs
“We have to go, we are not working for the government anymore” He looks down as though he is deep in thought. “Why” Says Dawn in a small, scared voice.
“The government are not as good as we thought” He says, still looking down.
“Good?” Says Lance indignantly, “they have never been good” he says, disgusted,
“We know” Replies the officer looking away from them with obvious regret in his face, “We see now how evil they are”
“How could you not see how cruel, how twisted they are?”Says Dawn, exasperated.
“We see now, we are... we regret what we did to people, but there is no time now, we have to go” He looks at them urgently and then glances nervously out the Large window which looks into the corridor.
“Where are you going?”
“No” says the officer impatiently “You have to come with us”. Dawn sniggers,
“Why should we trust you” She says looking at them with astonishment, “after everything that you have done”, the officers are fidgeting and shifting their weight guiltily,
“Look” Says the short officer, “you have to trust us, if we don’t leave now then we will all be captured”.

“But” says Suheila, who has been quietly listening from next to Lances bed, “why are you leaving now?... I mean, why not sooner” She looks up at them curiously.
“We were going to stay” He says, sighing “After all were do we have to go, but then, they... they called a meeting, and we were all there, we didn't think anything of it, but they...”
“What? What did they do?”Asks Suheila
“They just... they told us that they were leaving” He says in a rush.
“What?” Says Lance “you mean they just, left? Why?”
“Enough!” The voice startles Lance and Dawn, they see that another officer has stepped forward and is looking angrily at the first, “We have to go!, now, or we’re all going to die” The sheer finality of this statement makes the other officers stare, but he ignores them and turns to Lance and the group that surrounds him “Are you coming or not because we’re leaving right now” He raises his eyebrows in his anger.
“Well” Stammers Lance, “Yes , I mean it’s going with you or being captured so...yes”, Lance gets up off his bed , he is weak from lying down so much and feels lightheaded but follows the officers out quickly with Dawn and Suheila.

*

The glare of the sunlight and the increasing heat of the day have given Rafiel a pounding headache, he walks through the dense forest slowed by fallen branches and tall ferns but he keeps going, motivated by the thought that Lance may still be alive somewhere, defenceless. It is about midday, he has stopped for a rest and is sitting on a boulder, breathing hard, as he looks down to the ground he notices a small hole and then others following it. “Footprints” He breaths, he stands up and follows them to a clump of bushes, pushing through them he sees the footprints continue into the forest and continues at a run. He runs hard for an hour resting less often now and soon comes across a Large grey building that looks so out of place in the natural beauty of the forest, he approaches it somehow sure that Lance will be inside. But before he can reach the door he hears an ear-splitting siren and notices lots of tiny red lights flashing above windows and doors. He realizes a moment too soon and thick metal blocks are already beginning to slide noiselessly across every access point to the building. Rafiel sprints hard but the doors are already covered in metal and he arrives just in time to hear a sinister clamping noise as the door locks in front of him. Wailing like a wounded animal he sinks to the ground hopelessly.

*

Inside the ground shaking sirens are even louder and just as Lance, Dawn, Suheila and the officers are walking down the empty corridor that leads to the main lobby, and the exit. The loud noise makes the officers freeze but the rest are startled and look around confused, and then, before they can say anything the officers are sprinting down the corridor. Without thinking Lance and the others follow. They crash through the double doors into the lobby and see the officers standing hunched with staring eyes at the exit, Lance looks too and his eyes widen as well. The doors are not doors anymore, they are covered in metal and not a single ray of daylight can be seen, they are trapped.