Bailey’s Wall
I’m sitting on a makeshift bench I put together out of boxes a few hours ago. I shift my weight nervously as I take out my pocket watch. I fumble with it for a few minutes trying to open it. My hands are shaking so hard I can’t even complete this simple task. I give up on checking the time and carefully slide the watch back into my pocket. A sick feeling spreads through me and I stare down at the ground in a vain attempt to stop it. I try and find something else to do to pass the endless minutes until sundown.

Whatever I do, I avoid looking up. It’s there, casting a shadow that consumes all around it. I can’t bring myself to look at it now, even though I have seen it every day for my entire life. Its dark presence has been a constant from the moment I was born until now. I know I shouldn’t fear it, but I do.

The red light is slowly ebbing away. The sun is setting. Steeling myself, I tear my gaze away from the ground. I need to face it now and overcome my fear. I stare at it now as it looms before me. It looks like a giant, glossy, black snake. It stands about thirty meters high and must span about three meters at the very top. Its length stretches for miles, encircling the city. Other than the barbed wire which runs along its top, the wall lacks any features. I know that hidden behind the seemingly smooth surface are cameras, and guns.

It’s Bailey’s Wall -- A monstrosity built to “protect” the city from the forest beyond. But from the way it looks to me it isn’t there to guard us, but rather to trap us. I’ve lived all my life “protected” in the city. About the time I turned ten the police stopped enforcing any of the laws except the ones regarding murder. Now, things are so bad that whatever may be in the forest beyond seems a better alternative than living out my own private hell here. It’s taken me months of work, but I now have a guard’s uniform and the necessary papers to cross through one of the gates. I’m dressed in the uniform; it’s hot and uncomfortable. It’s not helping me wait for my opportunity.

It’s now too dark to see properly. The only thing that distinguishes the wall from the sky is that the wall is absent of stars. A few moments later street lights start to flicker on. They cast an odd yellow light over everything, transforming the bleak scene. Only one thing remains constant, Bailey’s Wall. It’s almost time. Through sheer force of will I manage to make myself appear calm. I ready myself for the ordeal ahead.

There is a faint click and sounds like a soft sigh. I look over at the direction the sound came from and I see an open door in the wall where there had been nothing moments before. I stand up and dust myself in an automatic motion. There is no way for me to know what lies for me beyond that open door. I think for a moment about turning back and then push the thought out of my mind. I’ve come this far, there is no way I’m letting myself give up now.