Whumpee is being walked out of the dark hole they’ve been held captive in for months, maybe years. They can’t remember. They had no clock to listen to the seconds tick away, or a window to watch the days slither by.
They’ve been in the dark all this time, curled up in a corner. Interrogated, chained, tortured for information, but they never gave it up. They put on the act and never once dropped the mask.
And now it was going to pay off, but they could hardly bring themselves to believe it. Were these people really trustworthy? They couldn’t even see their faces in the dark. They could only be led blindly through the damp tunnels, lit by one of the rescuers blinding flashlights. They’d found Whumpee in their cell, the only room in this abandoned hell-hole that was occupied. Whumpee had no idea what this place was used for in the past, but they never wanted to find out.
Their wrists were still shackled together, which was fine. Whumpee was used to it and couldn’t even remember the last time they could move their arms individually instead of as one unit. Their supposed saviors had claimed they hadn’t brought any tools that were safe enough to cut so close to Whumpee’s wrists. So they’d just snapped the chains off the cuffs with bolts, pulled Whumpee up under their arms, and now here they were, shuffling along down the corridor. Everyone’s feet were booted but Whumpee’s, bare and bloodied, so the one with the flashlight took care illuminating the ground for any dangerous objects not to be stepped on.
“I can’t believe we really found you in here,” the one to Whumpee’s right said. They sounded like they were about to cry. Their arm under Whumpee’s shoulder was trembling. Whumpee could barely lift their head to acknowledge the comment. “We looked everywhere these last couple years. Turned the whole town upside down. Even the sewers.”
Whumpee grimaced at the thought, but it went unnoticed in the darkness. Then they realized what the voice had said. Two Years.
Suddenly the party halted. There was the sound of metal turning, groaning, and then there was—
They had to squeeze their eyes shut. Whumpee couldn’t believe it. Had the world always been that bright? In their memories it didn’t feel that way. It never felt so blinding.
They moved forward, Whumpee’s head ducked. Their feet stepped from the cold pavement to something softer, warmer. They flinched, unable to open their eyes to see what they were stepping on until a distant memory came blooming to the surface.
With terrible effort, they peeled open an eye. Green everywhere, as far as they could see. Forget light, they had forgotten what it was like to know color.
“Sweet freedom,” said that same voice on their right.
They lifted their head to gaze out toward the horizon. They were in an endless field atop a massive hill. Behind them was the giant empty building they had been kept in. It seemed so foreign from the outside. Nature had taken it over, vines climbed over every wall. They had no idea what it may have once been. There was no telling.
But in front of them, the sky was on fire. The sun was setting beyond the crest of a hill and it lit the world in orange, pink, gold. Clouds shimmered, iridescent. A breeze caught through the grass, trembling through leaves on the trees, blowing softly against their skin. They could hear birds singing, calling across the field to signify the days end.
And in the light they could see the faces of the people who had saved them. Their friends. Their friends who they’d been protecting all this time. Who they’d never betrayed, no matter how Whumper cut and sliced and beat them.
“Oh, God,” Whumpee croaked, their voice was foreign to them. Weak and painful. “Oh, my God.” If they weren’t being held by the two under their arms they would have collapsed with relief. Tears began to leave thick trails down their cheeks, burning their face.
It was really over. They were free.
The warm voice on their right spoke again. Caretaker. “It’s good to have you back, Whumpee.”
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