I open my eyes to the sound of wind hitting metal. I think it might be the sheet metal that I bent yesterday and put on top of my tent so it would protect me from the rain. I watch the ceiling for a while. Actually, it cannot really be called a ceiling. It is a white canopy, about twice my height in length. I have a small tent, but it is enough for me.
I wonder when my turn to enter Helix will come. I stand up and step on the sand with my bare feet. I put on my T-shirt and get out of my tent. In the camp there are six more people besides me. Here people only live in the same camp with those they get along with.
I look at the sky. The clouds are blocking the sun. Just at that moment I suddenly find myself on the ground. Liam managed to knock me down by putting his shoulder into my stomach. I grab him, roll him over in the sand and get on top of him. I raise my fist and stop it just a little before his eye.
"Nice jump for your weight, but you couldn't avoid the punch," I say, laughing, and add, "You lost."
"One day will come when I don't lose," he says, laughing. Liam is younger and more athletic than me, but because of his excitement he never manages to win in fights.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
"I'm going to Helix to learn my turn. If you want, I can check yours too," I say.
"Okay Cole, but let's have breakfast together first," he says. I accept.
There are thousands of people living in the camps on the island. Of course there is also the inside of Helix, but we do not know how many people live there. This place is big enough. Everyone can live without bothering each other. Every two months new people arrive to replace those who enter inside.
Together with Liam we take the bagels and the coffee they bring for breakfast. We return to the camp area and sit together with the others. There are seven of us. Liam, me, and Riley are supposedly the single ones, but it is only a matter of time before something happens between those two. It is very obvious that Riley likes Liam. Jennifer is with Mason, and Jade is with Caleb. As for me, I usually prefer to spend my night with girls from other camps and return to my own tent to sleep.
After breakfast the romantic moments of the couples begin and Riley watches them with envy. I understand that it is time for me to get up.
"I have some things to do. See you later," I say.
Jade laughs and says, "Do I sense jealousy?"
"I'm really happy for you, but I'd rather be eaten by sharks than end up like that," I say.
Everyone starts laughing. I cannot see the meaning of being attached to someone here. While I am getting up, Jade shows me the middle finger, but I know she is not angry.
On the way I watch around, but there is nothing new. I have memorized this place already. I arrive at Helix. The autonomes around annoy me. They are responsible for security here and they also have the authority to shoot.
I go inside and enter my name. I see that my number is 886, and I also check Liam's number. 896.
I go out and sit under a tree, watching around. One of the men who arrived last week starts shouting at the door of Helix.
"Motherfuckers!! Come out and tell me what the hell I'm doing here!! I will blow each of your heads off one by one!!"
He does not realize what a big mistake he is making. While shouting he takes one more step forward and one of the autonomes tells him to step back. This time the man starts shouting at the autonome and throws a punch. The autonome steps back and the man falls forward onto the ground. When he lifts his head, the only thing he sees is the autonome holding its hand toward him. No sound comes out, but I see a split-second red light coming from above its hand, from the outside of its wrist.
The autonome lifts the man and takes him to the back. I do not know what they do with the bodies, and honestly I do not want to learn. I have no intention of getting myself killed like that man. From every new group, three to five people die like this. The others learn what not to do because of it.
I stand up and go to Last Call, my favorite of the three bars on the island. I tell Danny to give me a beer. I hold the glass with my right hand, my left hand in my pocket. There is nothing in my pocket, but putting my hand there is a habit. I sit somewhere close to the door. I am always close to the door. The chair I sit on is unbalanced, it shakes. I do not change it on purpose.
I take a sip from my beer and think about the first time I came here.
None of the people who come here remember anything from their previous life. Two years ago I opened my eyes on a ship. I tried to recognize the room I was in, but I could not. The bathroom door was open and I went inside. I washed my face and looked at myself. I went out in confusion.
They gave me my ID card and made me watch a video. I was in the video. I had recorded it for myself.
"I know that after this process I will not remember anything in the place I am going. I wanted to come here myself and I know that when I return from there I will not remember anything about that place either."
But I do not remember recording such a video.
The autonomes give me my ID. I look at it and see that my name is Cole Rivers. Then they take us to the shore and give us our numbers. Mine says 17483, but I do not understand what it means.
The autonomes gather us and take us to a room and a new video begins. With cheerful music a slightly chubby man whose hair looks like a wig appears.
"Welcome to Helix Island. After the long efforts you made to work here, I am pleased to inform you that you have been hired. The numbers in your hands show the order you must wait before entering the inner part of the company. Until that time, it will be enough for you to simply follow the rules on our island. I will be waiting for you inside. Welcome."
Everyone is confused and no one says anything. The autonomes take us to the beach and place me in the camp of a few people whose names I cannot even remember now. My adventure with them only lasted about four days anyway.
My beer finishes and I go to the bar and ask for a second one. The moment I take my glass someone bumps into my shoulder from behind. I do not know if it was intentional, but I do not turn to look at the man either. I know that if I turn around a fight will start. Still, the man speaks and says something. It is obvious he drank too much because what he says cannot be understood. Then he comes too close, far beyond the distance he should keep, and says into my ear:
"Watch where you're going!"
There is nothing in front of me to watch. Only the wall. Still I turn toward him.
His face is very close to mine and he is looking at me. A big man. His pupils are dilated. His left eyebrow is twitching. He clenches his fist but his wrist is loose.
"It happened by accident," I say.
Instead of calming him down like it should, this sentence seems to make him even more angry. The man's shoulders tense. His friend watches us silently. The conversations in the bar decrease and the attention begins to shift to us. Here people always do the same thing when they feel a fight is about to happen: they step back and watch.
He makes the first move. A swing from the right. Slow. Too wide. I move my head slightly to the left. The punch misses.
At that moment I do not slow down time, I do not think. I just do it.
I hit his ribs with my elbow. I hear the sound. The air leaves him. My knee rises upward by reflex. His chin comes close enough to hit my teeth, but I stop.
He falls. Hits the table. Glasses fall over.
While the man writhes on the ground he looks at me for a moment. There is surprise in his eyes. Not fear. More like not understanding. I have seen this look before.
I know that in moments like this other people's breathing becomes faster and their hands start shaking, but for some reason it does not happen to me. I do not even know how I fight so well. My body takes control and somehow I win fights like this. The things I might have done in the part of my life that I do not remember scare me in moments like these.
While his friend carries the man outside I look at my hand and see that I am still holding my beer. I do not know how, but it did not spill.
These small victories matter.
Danny says, "You're lucky the autonomes didn't come here."
I think so too. If they had come, they would probably be carrying me right now as well.
I drink two more beers and go outside. The wind hits my face. I go back to the camp and Liam and I decide to go into the sea. I like entering the sea after drinking beer.
He asks me what I think about Riley. I say she is a friendly girl and suitable for him. He smiles happily and jumps on me.
"Who knows? Maybe we will find someone for you too," he says.
I tell him that I am satisfied with my situation and that I can find someone whenever I want.
"I'm not talking about those kinds of people," he says.
I know very well what he means, but instead of answering I grab his head and push him under the water.
We come out of the sea and I convince Liam to go to Riley. I watch them from a distance for a while, see them laughing, and enter my tent.