Children Light
He's the one who woke up

He ran with all his might.

His lungs almost exploded. His whole body feels hot. The voices chasing behind him were becoming clearer. He can't run anymore...

“R3! Yuhuuu!!”

“R3!”

No

He strengthened his legs and ran again

***

20 Days ago.....

He woke up suddenly. The room around him was pitch-black. He doesn't know where he is. His head felt dizzy as if he had slept for a very long time, yet he vaguely remembered he had only slept not long ago..

The dizziness in his head gradually disappeared. Slowly he rose from his narrow bed. His eyes began to see in the dark. There is no light source. He tried to stand up and

stepped but his leg shins stumbled upon a hard object. And he fell down, he felt falling on a soft object. And that thing is breathing. Quickly he tried to stand up. It turned out that he fell on people but fortunately the person beside him did not wake up.  His breathing is still regular. He was amazed and looked back at the man. Still no reaction. His breathing was in order, his chest rising and falling like nothing had just happened to him.

“Pssst...pssst!”

Uh...

“Sini...follow my voice!”.

The sound of whispering came from his left.

“Be careful slowly do not crash again.Follow my voice.”

“Sssst....don't make a sound. They can hear you. Sit here slowly.”

“You just realized? I mean wake up or wake up, really conscious?”

“ Uh...?”

“Hmm. Waking up in the dark. The difference is that I am alone in this room. You're lucky to have me. And if you want congratulations follow all my words.”

“First of all what is your name?”

Her name....what is her name?

“Ah.. yes, your name is what they used to call you. Shouldn't you remember that? They call me R1. Right now we're in room R and I'm in bed number one. I guess that's how they determine how to call us.”

His memory began to improve.

“R3...they call me R3” Her voice feels strange like the first new one she heard.

“Ah has started to remember? So you remember how in a day we have to do what? Later when the siren starts to sound do as usual, remember nothing changes. Or they'll know that you've woken up.”

“They are who?”

“Guard.”

“Guard?”

“ Yep. They're alternating. The morning until night is different from the night until morning. Reportedly the night until morning is more dangerous.”

“News?”

“Uh-uh. I woke up alone in this room. But out there are many other rooms. And in the other rooms there are also those who wake up like us. The one who taught me to stay safe is called B5. She realized I woke up when I made a mistake.”

“Uhm... so now I have to how? Do I have to go back to sleep?”

“No need...They never checked into the room. Later after the siren sounds one by one will wake up alone and I as R1 who will open the door and exit first. You just remember your order. Remember not to let the guards know you're awake. Anyone caught waking up instantly lost the next day.”

The rest of the night was spent listening to the explanation of R1 what he should do later. Though in fact his memory of what to do began to gradually return. It's just that it feels more fun and comfortable to hear someone else talking to her. Closed his eyes, tendered his head and accidentally his head nudged the shoulders of R1.

“eh..maaf”.

“What's wrong, tired ya just sleep here. It feels more fun now with someone other than me waking up in this room.”

R1 must have been smaller than him because his head had to be tilted down to lean. I don't know why he feels comfortable. Shortly thereafter, he fell asleep.

***

The deafening sound of the siren woke him up. The room where he woke up was still dim. He felt the person next to him hurry up. For a moment he forgot what to do. Fortunately, all the routines flooded back into his memory. He knows what he has to do.

Immediately he rushed to his feet and lined up. The one in front opens the exit. The sun is not yet seen. It was still dark outside his room. The person in front of him started running, and he ran. They ran towards a large field then continued to run through the field.About an hour they ran around the complex of buildings then a beautiful orange tinge decorate the sky. Surprisingly the sky. He wondered why all this time he did not realize how beautiful the tinge of color produced. The person in front of him was bigger than him and had moved forward. With steady steps followed, he knew which direction to go. The morning was routine as usual. Running sports continued morning gymnastics in the main field. But that morning he realized something was different. He became aware of the breeze blowing, and he smelled the smell of wet soil. As if this was the first time he felt when he was sure that he had experienced this throughout his life but somehow only this morning he felt really what was around him. He felt it for the first time......

Um.what yes.

For the first time he felt truly alive.

While doing routine movement. He glanced around it. He saw about two hundred men

doing gymnastics with him. And they march in groups. Each group wore a different color of clothing even though their dress model was the same. In his group wore dark blue and dark colored clothes. The group on his left side wears a bright blue shirt and on his right wears a black shirt. There are other groups. Some wear bright orange, yellow, green, red, purple, pink and white. Per group consists of about twenty people.

On the left side of the chest are letters. On his shirt is R3, the person to his right is R2 and R1 is next to him again. When he glimpsed R1, he was stunned. He knows they are the same. But R1 is different, her body is smaller than her, her hair is also long. His body also looked more grooved compared to his. As he began to look around he began to realize some of them looked like R1 and some more like him. He was surprised that they were all different. And his eyes again glanced at R1, inexplicably for him the most pleasing R1. He didn't see any guards there.

Morning exercise lasts for exactly thirty minutes. Next they marched towards the large building where his room to sleep was located. But there R1 and all whose body features are similar to her broke away and marched in groups towards the left, while she headed to the right. He circled the rooms with the door open at a glance, all the same iron beds arranged

neat throughout the room. Next is the bathroom where there are many rooms. In those rooms there is a place to pee. And behind those rooms was a large room containing dozens of showers.

He marched quietly waiting his turn. Their changing clothes are available on shelves attached along the walls to the shower room. After arriving his turn removed all his clothes folded and placed next to his clothes instead. There will be a turn for them to wash dirty clothes. And together with his group and the other two groups they started to shower.

He was curious and started looking left and right. There are no guards either. While rubbing his body he

take his eyes around him. He wanted to know if anyone other than himself was awake. It doesn't seem to exist because all of them simultaneously make the same movements. From turning on the shower faucet to taking soap and rubbing soap into the body, all perform the same movements simultaneously. I don't know if the awakener is really good at pretending so that there is no difference at all, he doesn't know. But for the first time he enjoyed the flow of water that soaked his body, scented the soap in his hands. And he felt sorry for the other people around him who could not feel what he felt.

I didn't feel like fifteen minutes of shower time had passed. Rushing he put on his change of clothes, the same dark blue color. He recalled a month ago he was wearing a light blue shirt and previously a leaf green. He didn't understand why, but there seemed to be no problem with his clothes.

He began to march again following the big man who was always in front of him. Outside the building they regroup with R1, and R1 takes over the lead of their group. They marched towards the building on the left side of the field. When entering the building he was fascinated by the height of the ceiling of the building. Looks table and chair are arranged elongated rows. There were five rows of tables, and each row could accommodate forty people by sitting face to face. The end of the table was attached to the wall where there was a box-shaped hole parallel to the table top sill. In the middle of the table there's some kind of rail. In an orderly manner one by one they stood up to take a position beside the chair.

Kriiiiiiiiing. They all sit in their seats. And from the hole of the box it began to slide bowl regularly lined up on the rails that were in the middle of the table. The rails moved regularly so that the food in the bowl did not spill in the slightest. After the first bowl comes out to the end of the table. In unison they took the bowl and simultaneously they began to eat using the spoon that had been provided in the bowl as well. The food is in the form of grains, mixed with nuts, and bananas with milk. He put the food in his mouth and put it in his. He enjoyed how his mouth tasted the sweet taste of bananas and savory nuts. Devouringly spent his food. The sensation he felt on his tongue made him regret why he did not wake up sooner. He didn't feel full yet but he knew it was impossible to ask again.

Shortly after from the hole began to slide glasses filled with yellow liquid. He impatiently waited until the glasses reached the end and stopped. He took a glass in front of him and gulped it. There's a little sour and sweet taste. But it felt so refreshing, he felt so fresh and ready to face anything.

***

It had been a week since he woke up, his days were boring. Always same. Starting with running and morning gymnastics, bathing, breakfast continued with their respective work.  Starting from washing clothes followed by cleaning all the rooms. After that they were together

to the factory where they are in charge of running machine robots producing microchips for telecommunications equipment and then exactly twelve noon to half an hour is their lunch hour. Then return to the factory again until six in the afternoon, then take a shower and have dinner. Subsequent to

they went back into their own room.

When he returned to his bedroom again that was the moment he was most waiting for. Because he could meet and

male while R1 female. And according to him of all the women he saw R1 is the most fun to see. Every time he saw the figure of R1, his heart felt overflowing. And if they get a different assignment placement he feels so lost and impatient that it's soon night where he can meet R1 again.

That night, he sat down next to R1. This time, R1 told me about his duties in the greenhouse. How the plants he cared for had been picked and so on.

“I'm sad today”

“Eh why?”

“It's been two days I didn't see B5”

“Eh? Where is he?”

“Yes that's what I'm so worried about, lest he wake up. There have been some people I know who have been awake longer than me who just disappeared. With B5 means already five people have disappeared.”

R3 never knows which one is B5, he once asked R1, but R1 only answers if there is time he will introduce them. It's just, it's hard. Because R1 said he didn't want to invite the guards' suspicions. R1 also showed that although there were no guards around, there were many hidden cameras monitoring them. R1 also told me how he had seen

the guard was repairing one of the cameras placed inside the ventilation hole.

But somehow, R3 did not feel worried or sad to hear how the B5 disappeared. In his heart there was a feeling of pleasure. He always felt pain in his heart whenever R1 told him about how B5 is like this, B5 teaches this, B5 teaches that. And he doesn't like that.

“I'm afraid..”.

“Why?”

“What if I also suddenly disappear?”

He gasped to hear that the possibility had never been thought of by him. No. gabe....Tiidak. This can't be

happen. He doesn't want anything to happen to R1.

“You will not be lost. I'll make sure it doesn't happen”

“Ahahaha....H3.ahahaha...How can you be sure that doesn't happen? You're even greener than I am about things here.”

“More green? Meaning?”

“Uh I mean about everything around us, I know better than you.”

“Ehm. But I will try to protect you.”

“Wahahahhahaha... You are so funny, how do you try to protect me?”

His hand. The R1 hand. Then he stood up.

“Eh where to go?”

“Out..”.

“You're crazy? What if we get caught by the guards? And the night watchman is reportedly more terrifying.”

“Tabard, huh? Let's just be careful. No one has dared to go out at night? They wouldn't have expected.”

“Entahlah...”.

“Alright, wait here. Maybe it's safer that way. That way you will be better protected. If anything happens you will remain safe.’

“Ah no..no, I'm coming. I don't want anything to happen to you either.”

His heart was like it had an electric shock hearing that. His feelings rose up with excitement. The r1 is drawn until they stand face to face and spontaneously embrace the R1.

“Eeeeeh.... R3, what are you doing?”

He smiled as he pulled R1 towards the door, then slowly opened the door space a little bit, Outside was pitch black. But then again, just as at the time he woke up, his eyes could see in the darkness. And slowly he was able to recognize the situation outside the room. Nimbly he slipped in the opening of the door that he accidentally opened a little. He saw R1 fumbling, grabbing the hand of R1.

“Hold my hand. Don't be afraid.”

And together they stepped in the darkness of the night.

***

R3 steps with heart. Can be felt the grip of both hands R1 in his hand and left arm. But he didn't mind if he was happy. R1 didn't make a sound at all probably because he was scared. R3 looks to his right and left. Everything was pitch black, but he knew the hallway on the right was the hallway to the bathroom. So he chose the left-hand side.

R1 staggered behind him. R3 continued to step up even though R1 was continuously tugging at his hand inviting him back into their bedroom. But R3 ignored him. I don't know what got into him. But his curiosity was so great. Ever since he woke up he wanted to know what was really around them. But every time he spoke to R1, R1 always rejected his idea to investigate further. And tonight, he can't take it anymore. He should know the situation around them. What really happened. And the most important thing is who he is and R1 is.

        He could see the exit to the main square. Throughout the passageway they passed, he did not see a single guard. He began to think that maybe the existence of this guard was just a trick to scare

them. The closer to the door, R1 grew more panicked and the harder he pulled his hand.  Finally he made up his mind, releasing the hands of R1 by force.

“Live here or return to the bedroom” Bye.

And nimbly opened the door a little until it was enough for him to sneak. He walked on tiptoes and stuck to the walls of the building. Somehow the absence of light did not bother him at all. He could see the situation around him. It's just that everything is just black and white. Between the building they live in and the greenhouse there is a large hall building where they eat the guard building is opposite it. It moves slowly with its right side attached to the outer wall of the building. The hall where they eat. And the building for the guards is in front of him. There was no light from there. The building for the guards is also terraced like the building of his bedroom. But the building is smaller. Doors closed. He was not brave enough to open the door, so he shuffled to the window and slowly straightened his body a little so he could peek out of the window.

What he saw made him horrified and nausea filled him, smothering his mouth to prevent the sound from coming out. He crouched back to catch his breath. And he gave himself one more peek out of the window to see what he had seen.

In a room that was not that big, he saw someone wearing clothes that were different from his. The clothes he wore were seen sticking tighter to his body consisting of two parts. The man's hand was larger than R3's and on each finger was a long, taper nail. His body was tall and strong. His eyes, though he didn't know the color, but R3 could see the eyes as if they were reflecting light.

Other than that person, there were three more people there. These guys wear the same clothes as R3. And they seem very strict. One man fell to his knees and begged. But he couldn't hear what he was saying. The others looked screaming. And another person seemed to be standing still. On the floor, there appeared to be 3 more people lying down. They don't move at all. There was fluid pooling under their bodies. And R3 can smell a faint rancid smell.

The big tall man grinned and laughed out loud. R3 can see the canines

length. And suddenly as fast as lightning, that long hoofed hand swung and gripped the screaming person. The other hand slammed into the man's back. The one who screamed seemed to be screaming louder. From his back flowed a thick liquid again. R3 didn't know what it was but it seemed that it made the screaming person so much pain. And the great tall man pulled him and his mouth fell on the man's neck. Looks like the guy is screaming. His body convulsed and cornered. While biting his neck,

the hand of the big tall man mercilessly punched alternately into the body of the person he bit.

Left.right..left..right merciless...

And suddenly one silent man took a chair and smacked it into the big tall man. Without taking his eyes off his prey. The big tall man raised his hand to fend off. And the chair was crushed the moment it hit his hand. With another grin, the other hand released the one who had been limp and did not move anymore, swung his hand and grabbed the one who hit him, he laughed again out loud. He lifted the man up until his feet did not touch the floor. And suddenly the man who was begging was running, the direction of his run towards the door but apparently he could not see anything so he tripped over the body that had just been thrown to the floor and fell. While one hand held up the person who hit him, the other hand raised the person who fell. And ferociously he bit the man's hand while pulling with his mouth until it was dislodged from his body.

R3 can't take it anymore, behind her body. He didn't realize his face was wet. He was confused his eyes were watering, and there was an overwhelming sense of sadness and fear filling him. He must quickly return, he must quickly return to his room. He doesn't want it until the person or creature finds it.

With a step he stepped. And keep trying to stick the body to the wall of the building. The building is sleeping, but he does not want to rush. With the same steps he walked while bowing.

When he re-entered the building his room was sleeping, R1 was no longer there. Panic is stirring him up. By staying attached to the wall of the hallway he moved towards his sleeping room and slowly slipped in. When he saw R1 sitting on his bed, he could not hide his relief. The water that came out of his eyes grew heavier and he did not know what it was.

He quickly stepped towards R1 and hugged R1. And R1 was shocked.

“Ouh. Back then. I was so worried waiting for you. Why so long? Anyway what are you doing. We can't see anything. It's free. Anyway if I get caught by the guard how? I'm so scared to know. How about we get caught by the night watchman. You can also harm me.”

Eh.... can't see anything? He's confused. How R1 can not see anything, while he can see clearly even though everything so colorless as in the morning. The words R1 prevented him from telling what he had seen. He does not want to make R1 more afraid again and will make mistakes. It must protect R1.

“uh there's nothing outside. And I'm fine.”

“Aaaah...already! You slept alone in your bed. I don't want to get close to you. You're so sloppy. I can follow the wretch if close to you.”

R3 turned towards his bed. His heart ached hearing the words R1. But he understood R1 must be so afraid that he said like that. His body. He tried to sleep. He has to wake up refreshed tomorrow so he doesn't make any mistakes. And from now on it's decided, he and R1 will have to get out of that place if he wants them to survive.

****