“Freeze!”
I stop moving. I stand in the middle of the empty classroom, my can of paint poking out of my bag.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I put down my brush. It’s Mr. Amano.
“Hi, Mr. Amano.”
“Hi Tashie.”
The room is dark except for the halo of light coming from the door and hitting my left half painfully. I crack a smile.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s rest block, you should be in your pod. Are you alone in here?”
He’s just back from a trip outside, I see his hazmat suit and I wonder what he’s been doing.
“Are you alone in here?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Really?”
I don’t know what to do, Mika’s hiding under the printing machine and painting the floor silently. If I give her away then our mission won’t be completed.
“I was just messing around, sorry Mr. Amano.”
“Get over here.”
I do, my aluminum suit crinkles awkwardly in the silence.
“You understand what could’ve happened if the school guard found you here?”
“I know- I’d be in trouble.”
“Big trouble!”
I think of Mika and try not to shiver.
“Come with me, you’ll need an excuse to get back to your pod.”

I follow Mr. Amano quietly, he steps in the halls like a spider and when we reach the door to the room where my pod is he stops.
“Now, hurry!” He opens the door and I run inside hoping he doesn’t notice-
“Where’s Mika?”
I stop and crack a more pained smile than before.
“Was she in the room with you?”
“Uh- yeah.”
He glares at me; his icy eyes and silver hair make me feel cold.
“We better find her then.”



In a few minutes we are back at the room. I run in and poke my head under the printing machine.

There is nothing but our message painted on the floor.

“What’s that?”

“Nothing.”

“’Set us free? Save the Earth? Are you a rebel Tashie?” He looks ready to pull out his gun.

“No! No! We’re just protesting!”

“You know that’s not okay. We’re here because we can’t live outside.”

“We have the technology!”

“It would take thousands of years.” He shakes his head. “Tashie, this isn’t important right now, we need to find Mika. Do you have any idea where she went?”

“No! She was just painting when we left.”

“You should have gotten her out too!” He stole a glance over his shoulder. “If the school guard found her-“

“Freeze!”

Me and Mr. Amano freeze. We sense someone behind us…


I wake up, I can’t remember falling asleep but somehow I am waking up. I am in my pod; I smile at the photo of my mom.

And then I scream.

In front of me is a Gronog; a black, hairy rat-like person with an appetite for human flesh.

It pounds the door and I yell for help. This creature belongs outside, what is it doing here?

I cower and try to think of what to do. I realize there is nothing to do, my only exit is blocked and my lungs are becoming hoarse.

The Gronog rips off the door to the pod and grabs me with its sticky hands. I find the energy to scream again.

“Tashie!” Its voice is warped by too big teeth, “It’s me! It’s me!”

I look into the Gronogs eyes, they are red but their shape is one I know well.

“Mika!”

“We gotta get outta here!”

Mika drags me out of my pod room and down a hall of buttons and levers.

“Where are we?”

“I don’t know! Somewhere in the abandoned zone I think!”

“I was with Mr. Amano, did you see him?”

“No!”

We freeze, there is the door neatly labeled outside and its cracks are lit white.

“What-“

A scream rips out of the seams of the door. We take off again.

“Do you know how to get out?”

“No!”

“How long have you been here?”

“I’ve been awake twenty minutes.”

We fly by the monotonous silver doors and fluorescent lights. The cement floor hurts my slippered feet.

“Freeze!”

It’s Mr. Amano, he runs towards us in his torn uniform.

“Mika, is that you?”

“Hi Mr. Amano! We gotta go!”

“Why?”

“The door’s going to open.”

We don’t need to be told which, Mr. Amano had to have passed the door outside and I can still hear the screaming.

“I didn’t see anyone in your pod room-“

There’s more screaming.

“Oh shoot!”

“Run-“

“Where Mika? This isn’t a lockdown, there aren’t any alarms!”

“And there’s no school guards, Mr. Amano, there everywhere at night!”

“What do we do?”

We hear banging from the door.

“Mika how did you end up like that?”

“Like what?”

“You’re a gronog!”

“What!”

His eyes narrow, “Mika, I don’t like this.”

“We don’t have time, we have to go!”

“We cant follow a gronog Tashie!”

“It’s not a gronog, its Mika!”

“I’m not a gronog!”

I hear the door break open and all I see is white.


Snow is falling; I open my eyes and see the flakes kiss my lashes. I look around slowly and carefully. My arms are sore and when I try to move them I can’t. I try to open my mouth but my lips are sealed by ice.

I am in a freezer; I see Mr. Amano and Mika hanging in plastic backs by metal hooks. They are blinking and staring at me.

The walls fall down silently and I see the world, it is brown and dark and cold and ruined. I can see hills and mountains and dusty earth through the heavy snow. Mr. Amano was right, cleaning this up would take forever.

Mika rips herself out of her bag. She is shaggier and her eyes are indistinguishable from every picture of a gronog I’ve ever seen. Other Gronog’s are creeping into my line of vision and I close my eyes as one word enters my ears.

Freeze.