The Dome by Agnes

CRACK! BANG! Goes lightning on a dark and stormy night. That’s how I imagine it would be if we had any. Everyone’s forgotten what lightning or thunder is. How could you remember if you lived in a dome. The lightning my class is looking at is only what scientists say looks and sounds like real lightning. My school is at the DHQ (Dome Head Quarters). They want us to work here. My school is here today to delve deeper into the ‘exciting’ lives of the workers in the DHQ. The place creeps me.

‘Hello? Florence Marie Fickle!’ Finally, my best friend Candice gets my attention.

‘What!’

“Can you please come with me to the bathroom. Please?” I nodded. We set off looking for one. Soon we were lost in a maze of corridors, when I heard the word through a door ajar. The word that would soon change the lives of those living in The Dome. “Experiment”. I shushed Candice. We listened.

“How could you tell them?”. A woman hissed.

‘It just came out, I couldn’t bare it any longer. I don’t want my parents to die like the rest of them.’ A man pleaded.

The woman was not impressed. “You signed a contract. Now you’ve told me this. You’ll die like the rest of them in the Dome. You know there’s only 24 hours left, spend it wisely. Security! Take him away.” I could hear footsteps approaching the door.

Candice and I hung back and watched security drag the man down the corridor to who knows where. Candice was on the verge of a meltdown. I calmed her down telling her it would be all right. But how could it be if we’re all going to die in the next 24 hours?

“Hey dad? Would you believe me if I told you that the government is planning to kill everyone?” I asked at the dinner table. Dad burst out laughing, almost chocking on his food.

“The government? Trying to kill us? God, I knew you had an imagination, but this is a whole new level. Mum, did you hear Florence? She reckons the government’s trying to kill us!”

‘Dad, I’m being serious. I heard a conversation between these two people. It’s going to happen in the next 24 hours!’ I said, panicking.

Mum chimed in. “Darling, the government isn’t trying to kill us. We’re the only people alive on Earth. If they wanted to kill us, they would have removed the Dome and expose us to the toxic air.” I stormed out and went to my room. I flopped onto my bed, tired from the day’s events, and fell asleep.

The next morning I decided the only way to save our world from the Experiment was to go back to the DHQ to expose them. I faked being sick, as when I am sick, I have to go into work with dad at the DHQ. My parents always fall for it. I packed my recording devices and as planned, I accompanied my dad to work. When we got there, I pretended I needed to throw up, and rushed out of dad’s office and followed the signs to the staff room, where there was

bound to be people talking about the doom of the Dome. I followed the signs leading towards the staff room. When I got there no one was there except a man reading a newspaper.

“Excuse me, could you tell me where the head office is?”

“Oh, you must be Adeline, Mrs. Appleby’s daughter. Yes, straight down and right when you get to the recording studio.” The man strained a smile.

“Yep that’s me! Adeline Appleby! Did you mention something about a recording studio? What does it do?” I tried not to sound desperate, but the man looked suspicious.

“The recording studio? It sends out messages to the 150,000 people living in the Dome” he said, now dubious about who I was.

I sprinted down the corridor. The recording studio was exactly what I needed to share the shocking news with the Dome’s people. However, I still needed to record that perfect conversation as evidence. I turned right and was confronted with a row of doors. I knocked on them. An old woman opened one of the doors.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Sorry, but I’m looking for the head office.” I said hastily.

“What’s your business here little girl? You don’t look familiar.”

“I’m Mrs. Appleby’s daughter. She needed me to ask the director something.”

“Ahhh, Mrs. Appleby! Never heard of her” She slammed the door.

I tried the other doors, no response. I start to panic. Someone was approaching. I could hear the clicking of heels. I hid behind a cleaning cart. A woman was on the phone talking about… the Experiment! I got out my recorder, praying she wouldn’t disappear into one of the rooms. Luckily, she stopped in her tracks, rambling on about the Experiment. I got the perfect recording. After what seemed like forever, she moved on. I waited a while then scrambled out from behind the cart, grabbed the keys hanging loosely from a hook on the cart and raced to the recording studio. It was locked. I found the right key and burst in. I looked on the control panel and found a big red button; it said ‘The Dome’. Desperate, I pressed it and the whole room lit up with my face. My face must be all over the Dome I thought, so I began to talk.

“Listen everyone, I’m going to keep this short, sharp and sweet. The government is planning to kill us all in exactly 3 hours. I have a recording,” I clicked play, and when the broadcast ended I shouted, “Everybody come to the DHQ immediately!” I clicked the red button to end the broadcast. My face faded from the room. I could already hear loud footsteps approaching. I had to get out. I sprinted out of the room not daring to look back. I could see the light glowing through the exit door. I burst through and looked up. There in front of me was the whole population of the Dome. The government stood behind me, knowing that they were outnumbered.

“We must rebel against them!” One citizen screamed.

“KILL THEM ALL!” Another one said. Others nodded their heads in approval, starting to chant “KILL THEM!” This wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted us to be free from the Dome, and out in the real world again. I didn’t want anyone dead.

“STOP!” I screamed. All eyes turned in my direction, ‘The government have done something horrendous! They’ve deprived us of the lives we once led, all in the name of a sick Experiment. No one deserves to die. Not like this. Not in any way. That’s why we mustn’t murder anyone. Yes, they’ve lied to us and ruined years of our lives, but murder will not stop that from happening again. No, their crime will not be forgotten or forgiven. All they can do is free us from this lie, and give us back our lives.” I stopped and could hear my voice echo around the Dome. The echo faded to silence. Then a clap. Then several claps, mounting to an uproarious applause. I looked behind me, and could see tears in the government enforcement’s eyes. I could see helicopters above lifting the Dome. Finally, a blinding light, inviting us to come back into the real world we once called home.