The Antelope's Journey

3. A property of WIC

“I heard you’re the last,” the voice was coming from a man who may had been in a nearer cage. He sounded opposite to her cage. “I was the second one to be captured. You’re the 40th one. That cell you’re in,” she was attentive to his voice. She couldn’t see in the total dark as the lights were still out, “the first one died in there. I have been in here for more than 15 years with him. He died days ago, infection. They tried their best to save his life.”

“Why do they care?” she asked. It made no sense to her that the hunters would even bother with these people’s health.

“You still don’t know why you’re here? That mark on your arm, it says you’re a property of WIC. I saw you come in last night. You look young, I’d say it is your parents that sold you off. Poor kid.”

“Property?”

The lights shot in and guards marched in with noise. They were urging the captives to wake up, for it was morning. They were taken to the dining hall. She was surprised to see that the others did not bother to fight. They seemed comfortable with the place. Even the guards were very casual, not so strict nor guarded. The entire place seemed friendly. They all packed and gathered in their groups by the tables with their meals.

Finally, she spotted the two guys she was brought in with, the previous night. They were being dragged out of the area by guards—these guys were as aggressive as they were when first bought in, the previous night. They were fighting to break-free. None of the other captives seemed bothered by the scene. “You must be new,” a woman joined Francina’s table. “I haven’t seen your face here before. You are here to bring out someone or it is money?”

“A fresh meat?” another woman just came by. The two of them seemed well acquainted. “We recruiting her? She seems too frail, Betty.”

“Hey, I’m just checking her out, okay?” She reached out her hand to Francina, “I’m Betty. This is my girlfriend, Mbali.”

Francina would not respond. Instead, she started looking around, studying the room. She traced the two guys to the door they’d been pulled through. She had spent the entire night, since she’d been locked in, devising a plan to escape. This was probably her best chance at escaping. The door was left unguarded and open.

“First, I want to thank the many of you for your patience over the years.” The boss was standing there, at the podium. He continued, “I know it has been long but finally, the time has come. It’s time to play.” Behind him, the large screen blasted the words, The antelope’s journey. First, you must make a short journey to the training room to complete your last test. You will also gear up and have your last night with us. Good luck with your journey. I shall see you tomorrow.”

They were all matching to the training room. “I never introduced myself,” a man appeared next to her. “I am Jim. We talked this morning.” She remembered that he was in the cell opposite hers. He was indeed, in his 40s. He was well built and of medium height. Just like his voice, he looked friendly and his wavy hair gave of a goofy vibe. He appeared confident and trustworthy. However, she was more focused on finding a way out. His words blurred out in a matter of seconds. Finally, she could see all guards occupied with the captives and that only meant one thing, she had the liberty to escape. Looked left and right, and she dashed through the open door.

She was in the passage. There were many doors, some closed and some open. There were people in there—and she shouldn’t be seen by any of them. These were kitchen, storage room, laundry room and all. Francina would glide and hide within the small shadows. She may had passed some guard toying with the switchboard. She whooshed past him and he saw nothing. Finally, she’d made it out of the maze-like passage. The guards were many, up and down moving around.

“You!”

Francina’s heart froze. She was walking up the stairs leaving the basement—

“The boss doesn’t like the door open this wide.” The basement lights had been shut off—he could not make out her face. He only assumed that was a fellow guard. She nodded at him and he left. She continued up the stairs.

In the same living room, she was brought to the previous night she could see the boss with the two men. He seemed to have been telling them things like he did her. They looked calmer now. She wanted to stay and listen in, but her escape was more important. She turned a few more corners, tried as much to hide from the cameras and finally, she opened the door. The alarm went off. She still raced out.

The entire premises was wailing with the alarm systems. She shot out in to the open, headed for the gate far ahead. A spike went through her shoe and into her foot. She almost fell. Looking down on the path walk between the grass, she saw spikes pocking from the ground—they were not there before. Suddenly, she was surrounded by guards. They circled her with their shotguns pointed at her.

They want me alive. They couldn’t kill me, could they?

She shot a kick at one’s gun off his grip. Quickly, she went down and twirled with her ankle stretched out, half the guards fell. She went back up and defended against their approach.

Meanwhile, the boss stood by his door admiring the girl’s natural ability. He was highly impressed. He may had been worried at first for her survival. Upon seeing her in action, his worry rested.

Francina was dragged back in and tossed back on the sofa. She glared at them. She was all ruffled up from the fight. The boss sat poised on his sofa and waited for her to calm down. Two guards held down her shoulders keeping her gravitated on the sofa. Realizing it was pointless, she regained composure.

“Ow, you are just like your—”

“My father?!”

“I was going to say, your mother. She was the vicious one between the two.”

These men were actually resting on her shoulders. Francina could now feel their weight on each side of her. She aggressively shook them off, and glared at the heaviest one. “Listen, I have no time for this,” she was addressing the boss. “Whatever this is, I don’t want it! You came into my house and you killed my own. You force me in here and keep me locked up!”

“And I am sorry. It shouldn’t have come to that. I had no idea that you were locked up. My boys handled the situation badly—I will deal with them.”

“Really? Because I saw you in on it too last night. Those two men. Clearly, they don’t want to be here, why force them in?”

“Everyone is here for their own reason. Let’s discuss yours—"

“I don’t…!” Much calmer now, “I just want to get out.”

He then started telling me about my mother. I did see the picture he showed me of her last night. But I guess, previously, I was focused on my alleged father. Of course, I would be since the description of him was in total contrast from the one I left on my carpet. I was drawn in by the idea that I might have a father who’s less of a d**k. The man had been haunting my dreams for years and finally, I was learning of him.

As for my alleged mother, I did not see much of her in my dreams but I did hear a woman’s voice in my head. It had been calling out to me. Urging me to find her. The voice would become even clearer during full moon.

“She is trapped in WIC property and only you can bring her back. She’s your family. That, on your arm, is a mark she left you with when you were younger. As for your father, only she knows his whereabouts.”