Freiheit

~ Story was written by me. Give credit if used. ~

contains violence!

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE READING

Freiheit - a township of freedom, far away from Valtrousen. Every year, The Ones will go on a journey to visit it, and return with new resources and weapons. Nobody is allowed to know how The Ones gather such things, except for The Greats and the Controllers. In fact, Curios weren't even supposed to know about Freiheit at all! The rumor got out when an old man by the name of John Peters saw a screen in The Controllers' room. It showed live recordings of The Ones torturing and killing native Freiheit villagers. John was later killed, because The Controllers didn't want anybody to find out about this. But it was too late. The legend of Freiheit had spread throughout Curio-city.

The Ones - teenaged Curios. They're in charge of punishing lawbreakers and gathering resources from Freiheit. If you've read the Hunger Games, then you will know that The Ones are similar to Peacekeepers.

Valtrousen - the main township in Curio-city.

Ingrid - our main character. She tells her dramatic story through first-person views.

Curios - citizens of Curio-city.

The Greats - they hold the most power in Curio-city. They're always treated like gods.

The Controllers - brain hackers. Literally. They hack into the minds of people, forcing them to only think good thoughts. If a person knows more than they should, the Controllers will execute them. 

Destiny Pergola - the headquarter of The Ones.

Interesting Facts:

• Freiheit means Freedom
• There is a reason Ingrid's dad stopped talking
• I'll keep posting more chapters every week or so

Every morning at sunrise, Curio-city citizens, commonly called Curios, would meet in the Township of Valtrousen for a hostile yet pleasurable start to their day. At six sharp, the town would bustle with the excitement and emotion of its people, leaving no clear pathways and no unfilled buildings. Children under thirteen years of age were required to sit on the Great Valtrousen Stage, where they would soon discover what their day would be like. Teenaged Curios, called The Ones, would meet around the Destiny Pergola. Mature Curios would walk around Valtrousen, carrying possessions like food and weaponry and completing tasks given by The Greats.

And watching the complicated schedules, assigned seats, and the petrifying thoughts that crammed the minds of Transfers, The Controllers leisurely enjoyed cups of herb tea and wine. For them, reading thoughts was an everyday thing. With a touch, a click, and a zap, Controllers were hacking into the brains of Curios all over Valtrousen. This of course invaded all of the Curios’ privacy and forced them to think only good thoughts. This was why nobody rebelled. Apprehension had taken over Curio-city. 

Except there was one place far from Valtrousen without a Destiny Pergola, a Great Stage, or even Controllers to steal its freedom. It was a Township of freethinking.

The place had no name.

But to many, it was known as Freiheit, a Township like no other.

I woke up to the sound of a baby crying. My heart shattered, and I longed for security. My hands grew colder by the second, and I felt my lips drying up. My palms, they were ice. They were as cold as the night, yet somehow sweating. Maybe it was fear, I don’t know. My mother and father were talking in the hallway outside of my bedroom door. I heard the words they said, and I felt their emotion. I knew they were scared. They were scared for me. Time passed, but I remained still. My breaths were short and sudden, like an abrupt burst of pain. Pain, it’s what I felt. It was like lighting, zapping me all over. The feeling of contentment was utterly alien to me. Years had gone by, yet nothing seemed to change. Well, until now. Today was that day. I would either go with the Worthy Ones to the place of Freiheit, or stay here in complete anarchy.

I remember sitting on the Valtrousen stage for the last time yesterday. I couldn’t focus. My vision went blurry. My mind went blank. I was recalling my Mindful’s schooling on The Legend of Freiheit. She wasn’t supposed to do that. It was against the Valtrousen Code. She was executed that day, right in front of me. It hasn’t left my mind, and I know it never will.

I remember the chains, the whip, and the cries of pain. The brutality was horrific. I saw the sweat shining off of her forehead, and the blood on her neck. My hands were gripping the ribbon that separated us. I struggled to tear it. When it finally ripped apart, I had lunged forward. I ran to my Mindful and collapsed in front of her like an ill-treated animal. Then The Ones came. They dragged me away. Farther and farther they took me, until I was almost out of the building. They tied me up with ropes of thorns, and left me there until I had lost enough blood. When they were satisfied with my torture, they released me, and I still remember the last One leaving the building.

His breathing was different than the others, rapid. He was scared.

  He glanced back at me so speedily that I’m not even sure it actually happened. Maybe I was just desperate for comfort. Maybe I had imagined it.

The purpose of living, my Mindful had said, wasn’t to keep your body alive. It was to never let your heart die. And I’m not exactly sure my heart is sentient. If it’s gone, I’m gone. Why am I not dead?

The pain isn’t physical anymore, although I have several scars throughout my body. It’s more internal now. The only thing keeping me from perishing is the memories of my Mindful, and the things she had said. After yesterday, I’ve been quoting everything she’s ever told me. It’s almost like keeping a journal. Because the things she feels, I feel. Almost as if I’m living through her. She was the only person I understood. And I think it’s safe to say that she understood me too.

I wonder about what it’s like to die, to float away through the clouds into your dreams.

I knelt down beside my bed and prayed.

But not to The Greats.

Freiheit the Movie: Chapter One

My tall leather boots trudged down the hill. I tried hard to cherish every moment that I wasn’t in Township. My breaths were short, but I managed to calm down.

“Ingrid,” my mother whispered as she came nearer to me; “deny everything they say.”

I just nodded.

“Don’t tell them anything. Not even your name.”

Again, I nodded solemnly.

We arrived at Township.

The sudden realization that my father hadn’t spoken the whole trip alarmed me. I stopped walking. People of all ages stumbled around, bumping into me as they passed. My head raced. My vision went blurry.

I snapped out of it, remembering the reason I halted.

I turned around and ran into an alleyway. My feet hurt badly from the walk, and this only made it worse. Seeing that everyone else was walking on roads, I knew that this surely must be illegal.

I threw myself onto the ground, catching my breath. Thinking hard, I dug into my satchel. I placed the contents on the ground before me. There was a knife, a stone carving of a diamond, and some cherries I had picked earlier. Nothing useful except the knife was here. I thought again. Cautiously, I looked at the people passing the alley. They acted as if they were mindless robots, waiting for their next command.

Little did I know that this was exactly what they were.

Knife in hand, I stood up, regaining mental strength as I did so.

“Ingrid.”

I looked forward, startled out of my mind. A small bird was flying over the alley, nothing else. I looked around again.

“Ingrid,” said the voice, this time louder; “they’re approaching.”

My stomach dropped, and so did my knife. It fell to the ground with a clink, and a little puff of dust appeared afterwards. It was all I could do to stand still.

Usually, in situations like this, I would take advantage of my surroundings. However, at the moment, I had no clue where I was.

My eyes frantically searched for the voice’s source. I found nothing, but continued to tell myself someone was there.

“Ingrid.”

There it was again.

“Who are you,” I began; “and what do you want?”

“Ingrid,” it said in a calming, songlike voice; “never answer to them.”

I tried to tell myself I was drowsy, and this was all in my head. Maybe I should just get going.

As I was about to leave, more voices chimed in. They all spoke in the same melodious tone, and in unison, which made the alley sound like a choir.

“Ingrid,” they sang; “oh, come with us. Come with us to the place of Freiheit. Come, oh come!”

The voices grew louder, and they became haunting. I curled up on the ground, covering my ears from the spine-chilling songs of the alley.

I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Stop,” I screamed at the top of my lungs; “Leave me alone!”

Dead silence filled the alley, and it was as if I had muted life itself. Then I heard the bloodcurdling sound of footsteps.  It was The Ones.

The first One was on horseback, hauling a large glowing rod of what looked like electricity over his shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes at me. Sweat glistened from his forehead like dewdrops on a leaf. It was quite noticeable that they were dripping away, as well. His lips were dry and cracked, and some blood could be spotted on his chin. But maybe the blood wasn’t from his cut up lips. I don’t know.

He wore an eye patch on his left eye, and squinted with his right. I was convinced he was as blind as a mole. This, of course, gave me an advantage. I could sneak away if I planned it out right. But just when I had some hope, seven more Ones came marching into the alleyway.

But they didn’t seem on task. More distracted, really.

Then I started thinking about The Ones in a way I had never thought about them before.

Because right here, in the alley, I didn’t see The Ones standing before me. I saw human beings. They were just plain, innocent Curios. They were like the rest of us.

Maybe they don’t want to help The Controllers, I thought to myself.

But this was such a crazy thought to think. Was it possible that The Ones were just being forced to torture us?

The first One shoved me against the wall harshly, and he pounded his arms against mine. He had a raging, bloodthirsty look in his eyes, and it erased my earlier thoughts of The Ones being innocent. My heart pounded powerfully in my chest, and I felt like I might detonate. I strained myself to take a regular breath. Preferably one that wasn’t painful.

It was clear that the One was determined to kill. But all I did was walk into an alley. What was so wrong?

Was something going on without me knowing?

I managed to speak, but it came out in a rough tone.

“What did I do,” I spoke timidly; “Did I think something wrong? Did I do something cruel, like murder? Did I steal?”

I gasped for another breath.

“Did I,” I continued; “Did I do anything to you? No!”

The words came out stridently, and I realized I was screaming.

The man looked shocked. He dropped me to the ground, kicking me as I fell. The first thing to hit the hard, dusty ground was my nose, and I instantly tasted blood.

 The purpose of living, my Mindful had said, wasn’t to keep your body alive. It was to never let your heart die. And I’m not exactly sure my heart is sentient. If it’s gone, I’m gone. Why am I not dead?

 That was when I saw them leave. They rode away hastily. Their horses’ hooves left curvy, soft imprints on the dirty pathway. Golden light poured down over me. It wasn’t the golden of goldbricks, candlelight, or even fresh honey. It was the golden of a perfect sunset. It was the golden of a glowing path lamp at midnight, while you take a walk with your beloved. I felt content for the first time in years. The light was welcoming, and it was vibrant with warm, sweet love. The golden color was almost effervescent. This, I thought before my thoughts flew away into the light of bliss, was the perfect shade of gold.

It had been hours, days, maybe even weeks before I woke up again. I was in an unlit cave of some sort, feeling the ground with my half-awake hand. My eyelids felt heavy, and it was a struggle just to get them to stay open.

I looked (as much as I could in the dark) around to see if there was a light switch. Maybe even a candle, a torch?

Nothing.

“Well,” I said, feeling unsatisfied with my escape progress; “It would’ve been nice if they told me what they were doing. Before they like, hypnotized me with light and shoved me in a cave.”

I looked at my hands. “And they chained me up, too? Great.”

I played around with the metal for a while, trying to keep myself occupied. But mostly, I was trying to stop myself from thinking about this horrible situation I was in.

Something clinked.

“Oof!” I fell backwards.

My eyes closed. “Here we go again.” When I woke up next, I found myself staring at a filthy dark grey ceiling.

My tailbone was aching, probably from the plummet, and being tossed around didn’t help it much either. My neck was sore as well, along with my right shoulder, and my nose was distended with dried blood.

I coughed, and my mouth was instantly crammed with dust from the grimy room. My hair was tousled, and my face was brown with sludge. My eyes were watering from the dirt. I was a complete mess.

I sat up, but it caused me more pain than I could handle, and I began throbbing.

Some of the dirt clumps from my face fell to the floor as I attempted to sit up.

Eventually I succeeded, and the majority of mud had been swept away by the wind.

Wait, wind? I looked around frantically. I began to take in my surroundings, an ability I had learned from my Mindful.

Lucky for me, I had been taught well, and was able to identify my location in less than ten minutes.

The room was murky and humid, and reminded me a lot of a swampy cave. So dark, in fact, that it would make a perfect hiding place for a…

I was in the home of a creature, I thought. Yes, that was it. Valtrousen did have a lot of creatures!

The grey brick walls of the room began to vibrate faintly. I failed to notice. Instead I stood up and felt my snarled hair, wondering what good it would do me to keep it this way. None, I concluded; and so I pulled out my knife and sliced my hair shorter than my shoulders.

A brick hit the ground with a thud. I twisted around abruptly, and unthinkingly threw my satchel at the wall. That same golden light reappeared.

I find it remarkable how something of such fineness can hold such supremacy, and have such a dominant strength within it that any individual would fail to notice how tremendous it really is.

Small and frail, but unbeatable and brave is how my father used to describe me when I was a child. That’s why he called me his light.

To be continued… big surprise coming soon!