Retaliation

Author's Note: Please read this before moving on to the story!

Before reading the story, I would like to clarify a few things:

1. I've never read 1984 by George Orwell. A lot of people believed I ripped off that story with Revolution and that is not the case at all. With that said, if any characters, events or plot sections are similar to those found in 1984, they are completely unintentional and I deeply apologize for that.

2. This is not a Creepypasta, no matter what way you slice it. This is probably the farthest I've strayed away from that title and don't expect nightmare fuel when reading this. This is more of a stort story expanding on the world of Revolution so if you're to read it, consider it a 'Storytime', if you will.

3. As this is a seqeul to Revolution (a mindf*ck story), there will be MASSIVE SPOILERS! The entire twist and world of Revolution is revealed in the first section so before reading Retaliation, please read Revolution. A link will be supplied here: Revolution

With all of that said, please enjoy the sequel to Revolution and please tell me what you think in the comments below. Critiques and praise are always greatly appreciated!

Extinguished[]

I was sitting alone in the restaurant in the square. I ordered the ‘traditional breakfast’ and began to eat it eagerly once it arrived. I took a bite out of the meat and spat it out without hesitation. It tasted disgusting! I began to wipe my mouth when I saw a young man wearing a yellow shirt, white pants and a red top hat enter the restaurant. I recognized him; he was the same boy who rebelled against the Doctor last week. He looked at me and gave me a big grin. He began to walk towards me with the same sickening smile on his face. I gave him a slight smile but frowned a split second later, hoping he would stay away from me. He stood next to my table, staring at me. I looked up at him and decided to start a conversation.

‘May I help you, son?’ I asked him.

‘I am Sam! Sam I am! Do you like green eggs and ham?’

‘Well, nice to meet you, Sam I Am. Hey, your rebellion attempt last week was pretty risky, don’t you think?’ Sam I Am looked at me in confusion. His smile turned into a frown and he began to squint slightly.

‘I have no idea what you are talking about, citizen. I would never rebel against the Doctor.’

‘Did your head hitting the ground knock the memory right out of you? You stood right on that hanging platform in an attempt to rally up a mob and start a revolution.’ His facial expression went from confusion to anger.

‘Citizen, I must request that you refrain from using such language or you will be punished.’

I stopped for a moment, assessing what I’ve been saying to this boy. It took a few moments but it finally clicked.

‘What’s the matter? Am I not allowed to say ‘revolution’ or ‘rebel’?’

Sam I Am’s voice became more agitated in sound and was lowered to a harsh whisper.

‘Citizen, enough. Do not make me take drastic measures…’

I myself became angry by the changed Sam I Am. I stood up and began to shout at who was once a revolutionary with a dream.

‘Why? Why must I stop saying anything revolving around a rebellion? You were trying to start one not long ago! Where is the boy that didn’t care what people thought? What happened to that dream, Sam I Am? By the way, I don’t like green eggs and ha…’

My ranting was interrupted by a plate being shattered against the right side of my face. I fell to the ground and looked up at Sam I Am, who was holding the bottom part of a broken plate in his left hand. He glared down at me in disgust and dropped what was remaining of the kitchenware on the tile floor. The sound of it shattering into pieces echoed in the restaurant and whoever wasn’t looking in our direction turned their heads in shock and in fear. I could feel blood trickling down my face and hear it dripping onto the ground as it started to create several small puddles. Sam I Am then whistled and mere moments later, two police officers came in and picked me off of the ground, holding me by my wrists. Sam I Am approached me with a sadistic grin on his face. He grabbed my glass of water and dipped his fingertips into the drink. Putting the glass down, he took the salt shaker and poured salt all over the damp digits. Without hesitation, he slapped the side of my face that was bleeding, pushing whatever shrapnel that was embedded in my cheek deeper under my skin. I cried out in pain and Sam I Am raised his blood-stained hand for all to see.

‘Let this be a warning to all who wish to rebel.’ he called out menacingly. ‘It will only lead to suffering and imprisonment.’ He proceeded to spit onto the mess he had left on the restaurant’s floor that consisted of a broken plate, spilt food and blood puddles. I was still weak from being hit and slamming against the ground but my mind was fully alert. It did its best to command my muscles to resist the men holding me as their captive and make a break for it but the rest of my body was too weak to respond. I was dragged out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk where a police van was parked close by. Sam I Am opened the trunk and the two men threw me in. My body slid and collided with the back of the trunk, my head taking most of the impact. My vision became blurry and my hearing began to fade as I gradually lost consciousness. The last thing I saw before passing out was Sam I Am mouthing something to me and slamming the trunk doors shut, locking them tight.

Friend in Arms[]

I awoke on a hard bed with the smell of dry blood in the air. I could feel the crusty scab that formed on the right side of my face. My vision was blurry and I could barely see anything. All I could see was the shape of a male figure sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.

‘Well well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. It’s good to see you’re moving, at least. I don’t want a dead corpse for a cellmate again.’

I rubbed my eyes so I could clear my vision and get a better look at the man. He was rather shorter than me, probably around 5 foot 4 inches. He was bald and had his arms crossed, looking much older than me. His bright blue eyes were directed onto me but the most defining feature was the bright orange moustache that took up most of his face.

‘Who are…you?’ I said slowly, still recovering from being knocked unconscious earlier.

‘We don’t use common names here but you can just call me by what most people do: Lorax. And just who might you be, sunshine?’

He got out of his chair and walked towards me, never breaking eye contact. He stopped when he was directly in front of me, his eyes inches away from mine.

‘To be honest, I don’t know. I know everything I used to except for my name.’

‘Boy, those guys sure got you good, didn’t they?’ Lorax said, staring at the scar on my face. ‘If it’s any consolation, no one will ask for it. You see that number on your uniform? Memorize it quickly, that’s your new name around here.’

I looked down and read the tag on the front of my prison uniform. The orange jumpsuit and white tag glared and it was slightly painful to look at.

‘So my new name is…0357622…9?’ I replied confused to Lorax, who was then taking a seat onto his chair.

‘Good thing you can still read. That’ll keep you alive longer at least. And to answer your question, yes it is. That’s your name as far as the guards are concerned.’ He began tracing a line down his right cheek. ‘How did you get that bloody mess there, anyways? Daddy issues or somethin’?’

‘I had a scuffle with a boy named Sam I Am. Who knew he had one hell of an arm?’ Lorax seemed amused and began to chuckle to himself.

‘If there’s one thing you don’t do, it’s piss off the one they call Sam I Am. He may have rebelled some time ago but since his little trip to see the Doctor himself, he hasn’t been the same. Now he has undying loyalty for the guy.’

‘Do you know what happened to him?’

‘Beats the hell out of me. Only special people get to have an audience with the Doctor. The only time you’ll see him is when he wants to kill you himself.’

‘How long was I out for?’

‘Oh, I don’t know, around a couple of days or so. You lost quite a bit of blood, that’s for sure.’

In a sudden wave of panic for my family, I pulled myself to my feet only to drop back onto the bed mere seconds later. I felt light-headed and nauseated.

‘Whoa there, sunshine. Take it easy, you only just woke up from getting the crap slapped out of you. Use the last few hours of today to rest up, tomorrow is when things will get interesting.’

‘What about my family? I have a wife and a child, I can’t be in prison! I demand my one phone call!’

‘You’re not getting anything close to that luxury here, pal. Where you are is in the secret prison under the Whoville City Hall, the place of operations for the Doctor. Only traitors and the falsely accused come here to rot.’

Lorax sat down onto the bed. He was kind and gentle, despite his appearance.

‘How did you get in here then, Lorax?’ I asked him while lying down, hands over my face.

‘The Doctor doesn’t take kindly to those who try to stop his industrial growth. I tied myself to one of the last remaining Truffula trees in a form on protest with some other Whos. The result was…rather gruesome, with the Doctor’s workers sawing the trees anyways even though people were tied to them. Their solution? If they cut hard enough, they’d get through the trunk of the tree and the spine of a Who, if you catch my drift. It…wasn’t pretty, to say the least. For some reason or another, I was spared and brought to this dump.’

‘That’s rough. I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘It gets better. I’ve been here for close to a year and we all know how cold last winter got. I nearly froze to death had the Doctor not shown up with a portable woodstove. How kind of him, I thought, until I saw how the damn thing worked. I had no choice but to warm myself up with the lumber from the last remaining Truffula tree from the forest I tried to protect, all thanks to the “Great One” himself.’

The cell became silent. Lorax got up and leaned against a wall with his hands. It was silent for a few minutes until Lorax spoke again.

‘You should get some rest,’ he said in a soft voice. ‘You’ve got an important day ahead of you.’

I took Lorax’s advice and sprawled myself on the bed once more. Closing my eyes, I felt myself feel better as I fell into a deep sleep.

Intruder[]

I woke up to a loud thud. I sprang up from my bed and saw Lorax alert in his chair. It was late in the night, as the halls were completely dark save for the red lights that lined the corridor. All you could hear was what sounded like a struggle happening from down the hall. I got up and pressed myself against the door to the cell but couldn’t see anything happening. Lorax motioned me to get back to the bed and act asleep, so we didn’t get put on the spot I assumed. I quickly made my way to it and lay down again, eyes open and fixated on the door. The jingling of keys and the click of a flashlight was heard. I assumed it was a guard taking his nightly stroll to check on the prisoners so I closed my eyes to go to sleep again. However, moments later, I heard the lock to our cell become undone. A bright light shone through the cell for a brief moment and then it became dark again. I looked to see what was up and saw the door was still slightly ajar. Creeping to the door, I looked down the hall to see what was going on.

A figure dressed in pure black was opening each and every cell, shining the light around it, and closing the doors once again. Lorax hissed at me to return to the cell but I ignored him and entered the hallway. Watching the figure move about for a few more moments, I finally got its attention.

‘Hey!’ I shouted quickly. The figure turned to look at me, dropped the keys and began running away from me. I was about to give chase when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

‘Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?’ Lorax whispered intensely. ‘If you leave here, you’ll get shot.’

‘I have to follow that person, maybe they’re trying to help us.’ I replied, giving him unintentional attitude.

‘Or get you killed. Look, just go grab those keys so we can lock everything up and act like we noticed nothing.’

‘Or we can escape and free the others. Do what you want, I’m following that person!’ I released myself from Lorax’s grip and ran to catch up with the figure. As soon as I turned the corner, I fell to the ground. I was sucker punched in the nose and began bleeding. I looked up to see the figure I saw earlier standing above me.

‘What the hell are you doing, old man? Go back to your cell, I don’t need you messing me up,’ it hissed at me. The voice sounded feminine but I wasn’t able to clearly know as the figure was wearing a ski mask to cover their face.

‘Nice to meet you too. I saw you open our cell and I wanted to thank you…’

‘Thank me for what? Saving your sorry ass from prison? Listen, I didn’t come here for you or any of your friends back there. I’m looking for someone specific so stay out of my way!’ The voice had more malice to it, as the figure began looming over me more. Just then, footsteps were heard from where I came from.

‘Hey, sunshine. Wait for…’

Lorax turned the corner, only to be greeted with the barrel of a pistol in his direction. Lorax raised his hands in the air and crouched slightly.

‘The last thing I need are some old fools dragging me down. I’ve got a mission and a plan so don’t you two dare try to ruin it! You understand me, you geezers?’

The two of us nodded and the figure lowered their weapon, putting it in a holster tied to their black jeans. The figure turned and began walking away from us, as the sound of the heels of their shoes quietly echoed through the hall. Lorax and I looked at each other and without thinking, I called back to the figure.

‘We have a bone to pick with the Doctor as well, you know.’ I said in an assertive voice, mostly to mask the pain I was feeling in my nose and face. As soon as those words left my mouth, the figure stopped and turned their head to have Lorax and me in their peripheral vision.

‘Doesn’t everyone at this point?’ They replied with a sarcastic tone to their voice.

‘Don’t act so high and mighty just because you’ve got a weapon,’ Lorax chimed in. ‘Even with that pistol of yours, you’re outmatched greatly. You need all the help you can get, especially when you’re in the Doctor’s domain.’

The figure sighed and walked towards us. Taking their left hand, they removed their ski mask and tucked it into their pocket. With the mask lifted, the bright blonde hair of a young woman was exposed. Grabbing as much of it as possible, she tied it into a ponytail at the side of her head. She had a button nose and high cheekbones. Her face was dirty but clear of any blemish.

‘I guess you’re right. This could be a much larger task than I thought. I apologize for my actions,’ she said with a tone of voice that reassured us she was sincere.

‘Not a problem,’ Lorax said. ‘But I do believe pointing a gun at someone isn’t the best way to become acquainted.’

The girl reached out her hand to pull me back onto my feet. I thanked her and she nodded her head. She then looked around to make sure the coast was clear and began talking.

‘I’m the leader of the Whovillian Rebellion Team. I came here to bust my other advocates out so we can storm the City Hall from the inside and take down the Doctor where he stands. None of them were in those cells, most likely because this isn’t the most highly secured part of the prison.’ The girl then pulled out a map of the Whoville City Hall from the inside with multiple red circles and other markings to show where various things were. ‘We had a snitch come in and take note of everything in this place. If my team is to be anywhere, they’ll be in Sector 6, the most secured and guarded section of the prison. At the moment, we are here in Sector 2 which is closer to the ground floor of the City Hall. In order to get deep enough in the prison, a distraction must be created.’

Lorax began pondering and then shared his thoughts. ‘What if I take the keys back there and let all the prisoners free? That’ll keep the guards busy for a while and if we get to the outside, a riot can be made. Besides, I’m too old for espionage and action. Let me handle the simpler task while you two go on ahead.’

‘That’s a good idea…’ The girl paused, not knowing either of our names.

‘Call me Lorax. This here beside me is Sunshine. He doesn’t have a name so call him what you want. What is your name?’

‘My name is Cindy Lou Who. Other than that, there’s nothing you need to know about me.’ Lorax nodded. ‘Take the keys and cause a scene. That should buy us enough time to reach Sector 6. I wish you the best of luck, Lorax.’

The two shook hands and Lorax turned to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. ‘Take care of yourselves out there.’ With that, he turned and walked back to the cells. I smiled and waved good-bye to Lorax then turned to Cindy Lou.

‘Come on, we have no time to waste,’ she said, motioning me to follow her.

Evasion[]

I began to follow Cindy Lou down the corridor, each of our steps echoing throughout the empty hall. She walked with a style that stated she knew what she was doing meanwhile I’m hanging in the back following her, nervously looking side to side to make sure there aren’t cameras.

‘Aren’t there…lots of cameras around here?’ I timidly asked, worried to make a fool of myself. Cindy Lou abruptly stopped and raised her right hand in the air beside her.

‘Past this corner, there are. But if you look up there…’ Using the hand she raised, she pointed to the ventilation system above our heads. ‘There are no cameras. Plus, it gives us access to the whole building. All we need to do is get up there.’

Cindy Lou turned around and looked me in the eye. ‘Lift me up,’ she commanded. Cupping my hands, I lowered so she could step into my hands and, using all of the strength I could, lifted her up so she could reach the vents. She undid the hatch and climbed in and once inside, she reached out to grab my hand to pull me in. At that moment, I heard footsteps and talking. Guards were coming and Cindy Lou knew that. She looked at me in fear and anger, mentally telling me to hurry up. The footsteps came closer and their shadows began to creep on the walls. Panicking, I jumped to grab her hand.

‘How did those prisoners in Sector 2 get out?’ I heard one of the guards say.

‘I’m not too sure. Maybe Yurtle fell asleep on the job again, you know that fella’s sleeping schedule,’ the other guard replied.

She started pulling me up but her grip slipped and I fell to the ground. As I fell, Cindy Lou retracted her hand into the vents and the two guards rounded the corner. They were both middle-aged Who men in brown uniforms. On the right breast, the Doctor’s crest, which was a blue Truffula tree on a red backdrop was sewn. One guard stepped back while the other took out their gun.

‘Don’t move, you bastard or I swear I’ll open fire!’ I raised my hands in the air while the other guard took out his walkie talkie.

‘Chief, we got a free roamer. Doesn’t appear to be armed but we will ne-‘

A loud blast rang through the hall as the guard with the walkie talkie dropped to the ground dead with a bullet hole where his heart is. The other guard and I looked up to see Cindy Lou hanging upside-down out of the vents, aiming her gun at the armed guard. Before he could react, Cindy Lou shot the guard directly in the forehead.

‘What’s going on there? Officer, respond!’ The walkie talkie called out, the voice of the Chief blaring from it. Cindy Lou put her pistol away and reached her hand out again for me to grab.

‘Come on,’ she said quickly. ‘We spent more than enough time here, let’s go!’

Getting myself to my feet, I leapt for her hand once more and she pulled me into the safe zone. I couldn’t help but stare at the dead guards. I squeezed myself in the vents as Cindy Lou fastened the hatch on the vent.

‘It’s this way to Sector 6. Try not to screw up again, okay Sunshine?’ Cindy Lou said bitterly. She began to crawl away and I had no choice but to follow her.

‘Can you please stop calling me Sunshine?’ I asked Cindy Lou. ‘I know I can’t remember my name, but a stupid pet name like that isn’t my style.’ She turned her head so she could look at me.

‘Fine. I’ll do as you wish…Sunny.’ She laughed slightly and continued to crawl.

‘So,’ I continued to talk. ‘Why do you hate the Doctor? I mean, I know he’s a cruel dictator and all but what exact reasons do you have to despise him?’

‘You’re pretty ignorant for an old man, aren’t you?’

‘I’m only 37, I’ll let you know.’

‘Whatever you say. But those kinds of answers I keep to myself. And if I were you, I wouldn’t ask anyone that question. You’ll attract unwanted attention.’ I silently nodded my head. ‘Why are you in here anyways? It has something to do with that scar, I assume?’

‘I got assaulted by a kid named Sam I Am. Had it not been for his introduction, I would have never recognized him.’

Cindy Lou stopped moving. She turned to me with a look of shock on her face.

‘Sam I Am did that to you? But…why?’

Fallen[]

‘He was…different than what we may remember,’ I said. ‘He didn’t bat an eye when defending the Doctor’s will and assaulted me when I refused to obey. He wasn’t the kid we remembered him being a week ago.’

Cindy Lou shook her head in disgust.

‘The kid who once had a dream is now gone, I see. To think he could’ve been our greatest asset…guess not anymore.’ She turned once again and began to crawl while talking. ‘You see, I was there last week during Sam I Am’s attempt at a revolution. I watched as he tried his best to gather a group, not knowing he had one all this time. I would’ve joined him up on that hanging platform had the police not shown up. His attempt inspired us to come up with this plan and in one week, we had everything we needed. Maps, intel, roles to play out. It’s all going according to plan. Well, except for you and Lorax back there.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ I replied, partially insulted.

‘Had I not run into you two, I’d be with the rest of my team by now. However,’ she chuckled slightly. ‘I guess it’s comforting to know that there are people on the inside with us wanting to do what it takes to get rid of the Doctor.’

We heard some laughing coming from down the vent. We continued forward until we were looking down into what seemed like the lounge room. Guards of all shapes and sizes were eating and drinking around a table and a television could be heard in the background. As soon as the news report came on, they fell silent.

‘Good morning, Whoville and welcome to the 6 o’ clock morning news. Our top story is still revolving around the riots that started five days ago in the suburban faction of Eastern Whoville. As police are still attempting to calm the civilians down, massive shootouts are occurring.’ Clips from the riots began to be shown, gunshots and screams were heard. ‘Rumors speculate that the Whovillian Rebellion Team began these riots as a form of gathering attention in the media. This group has been operational for…’

‘Tsk, listen to that. We’d never pull a stunt like that just for media coverage, what do they know?’ Cindy Lou said quietly while grinding her teeth. The newscast continued.

‘…leader Cindy Lou Who has been taken into custody by police and has now been placed in the Whoville Maximum Prison. As for the surviving founders of the group, they have been taken to a prison on the opposite end of Whoville as to not have the main puppeteers of the group in the same building. Fortunately, the number of…’

‘Damn it! How did they know we were planning something?’ Cindy Lou began to tense up and become angry, her whispering becoming more intense.

‘…have been killed in a gunfight between riot control and protesters. Carey Grinch, one of the founders of the Whoville Rebellion Team, was shot dead late last night along with several other rioting…’

At that moment, the vent hatch flung open and before I could stop her, Cindy Lou jumped down onto the table. When she landed, she began firing a bullet into each of the seven officers, killing them instantly. One officer went to hit her over the head with a chair but she moved out of the way and kicked his knees in. While the guard was falling down, Cindy Lou grabbed his head and snapped his neck. The last guard tried to punch her across the face but she was too quick for him, easily able to dodge each punch thrown. After a few dodges, Cindy Lou stopped one of his punches and with her other hand and popped his elbow out of place with her other hand, breaking the guard’s arm. Screaming in pain, the guard became distracted as Cindy Lou was able to land a kick to his temple. The guard hit the ground hard, unconscious before the impact with the floor.

I clumsily made my way into the room as Cindy Lou began to storm out of the room. Before she could turn the doorknob, I grabbed her and pulled her away.

‘Are you insane? You could’ve gotten yourself killed!’ I exclaimed, trying to knock some sense into her. Full of rage, Cindy Lou began to struggle wildly, screaming while doing so. She began throwing punches into my chest.

‘I’d kill a thousand damn guards if it meant avenging him! Let go of me, Sunny! They killed him! They killed him! They fucking killed him!!’

She began to break down into a fit of tears as her punches got weaker and weaker. She eventually dropped to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. I took the table and moved it in front of the door, using it as a barricade. I knelt down and placed my hand on Cindy Lou’s shoulder.

‘The founder that was killed…he was very close to you, wasn’t he?’ I spoke softly, using the same voice when comforting my daughter at home. With a hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes, Cindy Lou frantically nodded. I got her to stand up and sit on a nearby chair. I took one from the other side of the room for myself and sat in front of her, looking directly at the young girl. Her crying calmed down but tears were still rolling down her cheeks. Placing my hand on her face, I used my thumb to wipe away a tear. She looked up at me and smiled weakly, giving me a small chuckle.

‘So how did you and Carey know each other?’ I spoke, giving the girl a chance to look at the good times she had with her fallen friend.

‘He…he adopted me when my parents…when my parents died,’ she said slowly. ‘I lived in a rather rich part of Whoville…that was the…the first target on the Doctor’s campaign.’ I nodded but remained silent. I let Cindy Lou continue to talk. ‘He came to the rich faction to take…to take as much of our valuables as possible to fund…whatever scheme he had in mind. Other families gave it willingly, as they had plenty. However…there were other families…like…my family who refused to give the Doctor what he wanted. That’s…that’s the reason there isn’t…a rich faction anymore.’

Rekindle[]

I looked at her puzzled. I do remember there being a rich faction growing up but I heard no news of it disappearing. Cindy Lou, who was still recovering from her emotional breakdown, continued.

‘I’ve always blamed myself for that day, you know? Like maybe if I had given the Doctor something when he came to our door, he wouldn’t have bombed us. But…but I guess I can’t change the past.’

“Bombed us”? What did she mean by that?

‘They say that it was a terrorist attack that night, that they were the ones who dropped the bombs. But in reality, it was the Doctor and his soldiers that did that to us. We were able to catch a glimpse of the side of a plane and it definitely had the Doctor’s crest on it.’

That’s when it suddenly hit me. It was late one night in the fall when we heard planes in the air. My family and I rushed to the window to see what it was. Loud whistling could be heard, followed by several explosions powerful enough to shake the foundation of our home. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like to be where the bombs dropped.

‘I watched as my family, among many others, died in front of me. A parent and a sibling lost in each blast. There was…so much pain and suffering. And I could do nothing to save them. It was every Who for themselves. When everything calmed down, I must’ve cried for hours until I fell asleep somehow in a pile of rubble. That’s when I met him; Carey Grinch.’

She seemed to have cried herself dry but continued to sniffle as she regained the rest of her composure. I got more comfortable in my chair, leaning back to listen to her story.

‘I woke up in a large cave with all sorts of knickknacks and contraptions. It took me a while to adjust to my new surroundings but then I noticed a tall green figure messing around with a sewing machine in the corner. He looked at me and walked towards me, making sure I was okay. He treated me harshly, at first. He did that to everyone he first met, talking to them with only negativity in his words. However, once you got close to him, he was the sweetest guy you could ever meet. As I grew older, he treated me like a father would treat his own daughter, like mine did. He eventually adopted me a few months after taking me in, once I eventually grew on him.’

She laughed a little but looked sad the instant the moment was over. She looked down at the ground, her feet swinging back and forth under the chair. I got up and knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

‘I can understand how hard it must be on you right now. However, we have to keep going. There are many other lives at stake and we have a chance of saving them. A revolution is going to happen, Cindy Lou, and you’ll be the front runner of it. Carey will be proud of you.’

I stood up and held my hand out, encouraging Cindy Lou to get up. She took my offer, got up and hugged me.

‘I’m sorry for being harsh on you earlier, Sunny. I really do appreciate what you’ve done for me right now, thank you.’ She spoke quietly, but I could still hear the sincerity in her voice.

‘It’s my pleasure.’ I smiled as we stood there in silence, in a hug that’s shared between good friends. ‘You know, if we get out of this alive and everything settles, it would be an honour to have you as an adopted daughter. I have a little girl at home and I know she’d love a big sister.’

‘I’d like that.’ She said as she let go of me and smiled. Suddenly, a loud knocking was heard on the door.

‘Hey! Come on guys, open the door! The joke isn’t funny anymore!’ A guard was trying to get in. We quickly looked around for an escape plan. The vent was too high up, even with a chair. The table was the only way to reach it but moving it would gather more attention and the guard would be let in. I then thought of an idea. I began to frantically strip the uniform off of a dead guard as Cindy Lou gave me a weird look. With the uniform off, I began putting it on as a disguise to use to hopefully get past the guard. I motioned Cindy Lou to do the same as the door began to shake.

‘Seriously, guys! This is the fifth time this week you’ve pulled something like this. Just let me in already!’

As Cindy Lou began to do the same as I did, I took one of the guard’s guns, cocked it and placed in my uniform’s holster, just in case. When Cindy Lou put the uniform on over her clothing, we moved the table out of the way. The door flung open and the guard fell to the ground.

‘Ha ha, sorry man,’ I said using a different voice. ‘Just having a little fun with ya!’ He looked at us funny but got up, rubbing his head and readjusting his glasses. I grabbed Cindy Lou’s wrist after waving good-bye to the guard and walked down the hall as fast as I could. It was quite crowded, with fifty or so guards in the corridor. Before we could turn the corner, I heard something that made my heart drop and caused me to freeze in place.

‘Stop those two! They’re imposters! They killed the guards in the Break Room! Stop them!’

Suddenly, all the guards in the hall stopped and glared at us. My body was too tense to move and Cindy Lou released herself from my grip, only for her to grab my wrist and sprint as fast as she could down the hall and around the corner. I did my best to keep up with her as I heard a stampede of guards making their way to catch us. We had to think fast.

Split[]

As soon as the chase began, sirens began wailing. The lights went out and only the red emergency lights were on. Cindy Lou must have been running for a few minutes before she began to lose her breath. There were many twists and turns we took however we weren’t able to lose the pack of guards that was after us. I then took charge and gave her a piggyback for a while until we came across a maintenance closet. Thinking quickly, I opened the door, entered and slammed the door. We stood on either side of the doorframe and peeked under the door to see the mob of guards run past us. Cindy Lou was catching her breath as I began to think of a backup plan. We couldn’t hide in this closet forever and there was only one way out of it, which was the door we came through.

‘Listen,’ I spoke between each heavy breath. ‘I have an idea and you’ll have to trust me on this.’ Cindy Lou looked at me and nodded, letting me know she was listening to me. ‘I’m going to leave this closet and get the mob’s attention. When that happens, I’m going to run past this very closet. Once they’ve gone past it, you’ll leave and make it to the upper floors where you’ll finish your objective of assassinating the Doctor.’

‘No way,’ Cindy Lou replied sternly. ‘There aren’t any heroes at this point, Sunny, so don’t be one. We need to play it safe if we’re going to make it through this. Do you understand me?’

‘Both of us will die if we stay here. If we split up, it increases our chance for survival. We need to split up if we’re going to go through with your objective.’

‘”The people of this team, they’re the most loyal you’ll find. When you go into action, don’t leave any behind.” That’s the motto of the Rebellion, Sunny. I’ve had too many members of my team suffer and make sacrifices for me and I’m not about to let you do the same. We’re in this together.’

‘I know we are. But…’

I hugged Cindy Lou once again. She seemed very shocked and didn’t move.

‘We’re all counting on you.’ I spoke softly as I let her go and opened the maintenance closet door.

‘Sunny!’ Cindy Lou called out as she tried to pull me back into the hiding spot. Before she could reach me, I closed the door and ran off. I didn’t hear anything else she had to say as I quickly ran after the guards that were after us. It was all up to her now. I had to do this for her and the rest of our civilization. After what felt like a half a minute of running, I was in the same hallway as the guards. They were all opening and inspecting rooms, probably looking for Cindy Lou and I. Taking a deep breath, I set my plan into motion.

‘Hey! Looking for me?!’ I yelled. The guards turned to me. As they began to chase me, I turned around and began running once more to give Cindy Lou the signal. As I made the corner, another mob of guards were blocking my path. They must have called in reinforcements.

‘Get on the ground with your hands on your head!’ One of the guards shouted, firing a bullet near my feet. I had nowhere else to go, I was surrounded. I did the only thing I could do. With a heavy heart, I lowered myself to the ground and surrendered. They stripped me of my gun and handcuffed me, leading me to a new cell that they said was located on the upper floors of the Whoville City Hall. I looked back in the direction of where Cindy Lou was waiting for me. It was all up to her now…I failed.

Broken Promise[]

I must have been sitting in that cell for quite some time, maybe a few days or so. At least it felt like that. I couldn’t get Cindy Lou off of my mind. I hoped she made it, I hoped she’d come and find me here. That time never came. My cell door only opened when two high ranking guards came in to retrieve me.

‘The Doctor will see you now.’ The first one said in a deep and menacing voice. The other bound my hands together with handcuffs and blindfolded me and walked me to the Doctor’s office. We walked up a few flights of stairs, took some turns and rode an elevator. When the elevator doors opened, I was pushed to the ground and forced to my knees.

‘Your guest is present, sir.’ The two soldiers said in unison.

‘Ah good. Yes, thank you now be at ease. Give me some time with my guests, if you please.’ The voice of the Doctor was of an old man roughly in his eighties. The two guards shuffled behind me and didn’t move after that. The Doctor began to speak once again.

‘So you’re the one who stirred up my home. I’ll give you this much, your bravery’s strong like chrome. But I’m downright furious with what you've done in my faction, so I’ll show you the results of your impulsive and rash action.’

The blindfold was taken off of me and I could see the room around me. It was very large and in the shape of an oval, with a desk near the back of the room. The Doctor was staring at me and grinning sinisterly, showing his yellow teeth. His hair was grey all around with a moustache and beard on his face. I felt anger swell up as I noticed what was beside the Doctor. Tied to a chair with rope was Cindy Lou Who, gagged with a cloth and looking as if she was mercilessly beaten. She had a black eye, cuts all over her body, clothing torn, and she was stained with blood.

‘What did you do to her!?’ I yelled at the Doctor as I tried to make a step towards him but the guards who brought me in stopped me.

‘Heh heh, I did what you did. You killed my guards so I beat the kid. It’s a fair exchange, wouldn’t you say? It’s more effective than showing you her corpse that’s begun to decay.’

‘If you lay another finger on her, I swear to God I’ll kill you right here and now!!’ I screamed at the old man, lunging at him while the guards did their best to hold me back. Cindy Lou looked at me wide-eyed, shaking her head as if to tell me to stop. The Doctor moved to his desk and opened a drawer. I was able to release myself from the guards and ran at the Doctor who pulled a gun from under the desk and pointed it directly at my forehead.

‘I wouldn’t suggest you take another step,’ the Doctor said with his finger close to pulling the trigger. ‘Or off of your feet, you will be swept. Go back to where you were and to your knees you will fall. Or the brains of this girl will paint my wall.’ He pointed the weapon at Cindy Lou’s head with a look of anger in his eyes. I stepped back reluctantly and got on my knees while grinding my teeth.

‘I have an offer,’ the Doctor continued, waving the gun around as he spoke. ‘A proposition, if you will. A way to so that no one will ever have to kill. Have the Rebellion surrender and call off the riots and such. In return, you’ll save the ones you care for much.’

I looked at Cindy Lou once again, who was crying softly to herself. During my imprisonment, the Doctor must have done some terrible things to her. Not only that, but it’s down to a choice; save her life and end the cause she’s been fighting for or have her die so the revolution attempts can continue. She looked at me with glistening eyes and shook her head once again. I couldn’t have her killed, even if it meant her fight would continue.

‘You monster…’ I began to speak between my teeth. ‘How dare you ask for such a thing just so you can keep your power! Why don’t you drop your damn weapon and see how you fight your own battles, you…’

A shot rang out as I fell to the ground in utter pain. I heard Cindy Lou scream through the cloth in her mouth as the Doctor shot me in the left shoulder to shut me up. I cried out in pain as the Doctor stood over me.

‘Watch what you say in my presence, you swine.’ The Doctor hissed. ‘Don’t you know that your life is now practically mine? If you happen to die here, I have a plan. Your family will in great care…with Sam I Am. As I speak, he’s on his way there. I’m not sure if any of them will be spared. To save them and the girl here, you must choose. Is the revolution or their lives the hardest to lose?’

In between curse words and heavy panting, I managed to get myself to my knees again. My prison uniform was tainted red from the left shoulder down to the arm. I closed my eyes in order to gather my thoughts. I know what I wanted and that was the safety for my loved ones. But I know Cindy Lou would want the fight to continue, even if it meant her dying in the process. I looked up at her. She was crying still but she nodded her head. She too realized the situation we were in. There was no way we could win.

‘Okay…’ I said between breaths, looking the Doctor in the eyes. I was losing blood quickly and I began to feel lightheaded. ‘You win, I surrender. Consider my words to act on behalf of all of the Whovillian Rebellion Team and all those who don’t follow your leadership.’

The Doctor smiled rather deviously as he lowered his gun to his side and removed the cloth that gagged Cindy Lou.

‘…Sunny…’ Cindy Lou said weakly in a raspy voice. The Doctor spoke as he began to untie the knots holding her to the chair.

‘And with those words you speak, the revolution comes to an end.’ The second to last knot was undone and I felt the handcuffs that kept my hands behind my back become unlocked. I released my hands and slowly got myself to my feet, holding the shoulder that was wounded.

‘I no longer have opposition…’ The final knot was untied and Cindy Lou weakly stood up. I began to run to her, ready to embrace her.

‘…and you no longer have friends.’ The Doctor raised the arm holding his pistol and while glaring at me, smiled as he pulled the trigger. Everything felt like it went into slow motion as the bullet shot out of the barrel of the Doctor’s gun. My eyes followed the ammunition as it made its way towards Cindy Lou. I let out a yell and tried to move faster but it was too late. The bullet lodged itself into her skull as a combination of brain matter and blood blasted out of the other side of her head. Her body began to drop to the floor as tears filled my eyes. Rage engulfed me as I charged towards the Doctor. Before I could take a swing, four guards took hold of me and began to drag me out of the room.

‘Sam I Am will continue to take care of your family, I’m sorry to tell.’ The Doctor said to me as he looked at Cindy Lou’s lifeless body. ‘As for you…guards, show him to his cell.’

I began flailing in an attempt to release myself from the ground. I wasn’t able to save her. The Doctor betrayed me and lied just to get his way. I had to avenge her. I had to avenge all those he took advantage of.

‘I’ll be back, you bastard!’ I screamed at the old man. ‘You’ll see! I’ll fucking kill you with my bare hands, you son of a bitch!’

The doors to his office closed as I lost control of myself. I broke down in tears at my defeat and there was nothing I could do about. All hope was lost. With the Doctor in full control with no resistance trying to overthrow him, no Cindy Lou, no Rebellion Team…it’s over. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Lorax. I’m sorry, my dear family. I’m sorry, Cindy Lou. I should have been able to protect you.

Epilogue: Glimmer and Shadows[]

6 months later…

‘Good evening, Whoville and welcome to your 11 o’ clock news. Tonight’s top stories begin with the Doctor announcing a new holiday: Doctorate Day. This will be a chance to give thanks to the life you’ve been given by the Doctor himself. As the Doctor said himself in a press conference today; “The people of Whoville deserve to be given the opportunity to look on the good life after the dark times we had six months ago.” In local news, mysterious acts of graffiti have been plaguing the eastern wing of the city for the past few days. These spray-paintings have included images of dead Whos, chopped down forests and many other gruesome scenes. However, the most constant of these paintings are of a phrase that reads “You’re destined to do great things. What they are is up to you.” No one knows the origin of these paintings nor do they know who is behind it. If you have any information regarding the perpetrators, contact your local police force. Now for the weat-‘

The television was turned off. The figure in the room got up and made its way to the door. Before leaving, it checked to see if the woman and little girl it took in were still asleep. They were so it began to creep into the other room and open the closet. The figure grabbed six cans of spray paint, each of which were a different colour, and placed them into a plastic bag. As it left the run-down apartment, it took the red top hat from the coat rack and put it on its head. Despite it also wearing white pants and a yellow shirt, it knew no one would see it at this hour.

‘Well,’ it said to itself. ‘Time to get to work.’

Written by Sshakenbakee