The lone tunnel we pass through is deadly quiet at this time of day. All I hear is the soft squealing of the wagon's tires as we travel down the meandering path that leads to the North City.

My body is hunched over in exhaustion and I'm curled up in a ball with my arms tucked firmly around my legs to protect myself from the blistering cold.

As we turn, our wagon swerves over a small rocky bump and its metal wall slams into my back, sending shockwaves of pain down my spine.

I squeeze my eyes shut but it still feels like the crack of a whip against my skin. The darkness behind my eyelids do nothing to drown out the affliction.

I've always hated working in the south. We travel through dark endless tunnels that grow colder and colder as we near the mines but the raw materials they use to build their infrastructure are found in abundance there and it's our job to dig them out.

My hands are numb from the blistering cold but we have been given no form of protection. If we freeze to death, they will leave us behind. There is no room for the weak on this planet especially when it comes to us.

My eyes traverse along the dark grey walls we pass, trying to find something, anything that might distract me from the tumultuous journey I must endure for the next few hours.

Nothing stands out from the dull grey stone that sinks in unevenly and occasionally juts out in a cluster of menacing spikes. I've seen them a hundred times before and the thought of seeing them a hundred times again causes me to shiver in fear.

I automatically look at Mira, who glows under the faint blue light like an apparition. She is older to me by a few years and was made to work overtime as well. She chose to remain a slave when she turned eighteen and I wonder if she is contemplating her decision at this very moment. Her eyes are closed and her thin lips are trembling but she somehow looks calm, as if our tiresome journey and back breaking overtime shift hasn't affected her in the least.

The young boy with us however is a whole other story. I don't understand why they made him work the extra shift. His face has gone blue from the cold and he looks like he is about to pass out. I pray for him to survive and then realize there is no point.

I curl my hands and tangle them in my tattered sleeves and then squeeze them between my legs. My feet are covered in worn out shoes and I am thankful that I don't have to worry about them as well.

The three of us sway back and forth in our rocking wagon and I glance ahead into the darkness trying to gauge how far we've travelled. This ride would go on for hours but I am praying that we reach the city in the north soon.

Faint blue lamps that line the walls light up as we pass and then shut off once they are shortly out of range. Because of this I can only see darkness in the distance ahead. I grit my teeth in annoyance, trust the Plutonians to provide the bare minimum when it comes to us.

In front of our box like wagon, sits two of them in a much more comfortable looking two-seater. Unlike us, they lounge in a heated sealed chamber that glides along the tracks dragging us with it.

I can only see the silver hair on their heads and when one of them turns around I quickly look away. To stare at a Plutonian is strictly forbidden. They may look like us and talk like us but we are beneath them. They have ingrained that thought into our heads ever since I was brought here.

My hands shake and I squeeze them tightly together. It might just be my imagination but it is beginning to feel warmer. I am exhausted and my eyes threaten to close but I pinch myself hard to keep awake. I have a fear of sleeping off here on the tracks and never waking up.

So many have done so before.

The wagon shifts slightly and I realize that they are picking up speed. The two Plutonians must be as impatient as I am but I know it is a bad idea. The floor here is uneven and moving fast would cause an accident.

Sure enough we go over a higher bump and the cabin with the two Plutonians swerves to the side. Our wagon is still on the track but the cabin is stuck. They fiddle with the contraptions in front and a loud buzzing sound echoes from the engine but it doesn't budge.

The three of us sit in silence until one of them opens the door and gets out. He crosses his arms over each other and turns to us.

"Well what are you waiting for?" His accent is thick and the words are different from the English we were used to on Earth but after all these years this has become my English as well.

We don't have to be told twice. Mira and I jump out of the wagon first. The young boy who looks new and barely above ten years old follows us slowly and frowns with every movement. I can tell he is in pain as he rushes up to us.

My back is stiff from hunching for so long and I stretch myself out quickly before squatting down to look at the tyre.

It has run into a small hole in the ground and gotten stuck. The cabin is heavy, much too heavy for just the three of us to lift. I push it slightly but it doesn't move at all.

How do they expect two girls and one boy to lift this thing?

This is one of the few times I dare look up at the Plutonian who is staring at us. The other one has also gotten out of the cabin. They stand at its side with their arms crossed over each other. Each of them stand tall at six feet, from their heads to their toes they are pure muscle. For them lifting this up wouldn't even break a sweat but they stand there staring at us instead.

The older looking one scowls when he catches me staring.

"We don't have all day. Get on with it." I see his hand at his waist band reaching for his snap gun. It is a weapon they use to punish us, one touch can melt skin almost instantly due to the absurdly high current it emits. The scars on my feet and thighs tingle as I stare at it.

The sight of it sends us into a frenzy and we try to lift the wheel together. It barely lifts off the ground before it sinks back into the hole again. I gasp loudly and my shoulders hurt from the effort.

"Come on put your back's into it. If you succeed we'll give you three some rhye tonight," One of them teases and I see red.

It's just a game to them. They know they can lift it but they want to see us suffer. This gives them pleasure.

I swallow down the burning hatred I have for them and it churns like acid in my stomach. I will not let them win, not when I've come so far and so close. Tomorrow I turn eighteen, tomorrow I have a choice.

I look up at Mira who has her hands wrapped around the hilt that connects to the wheel. She is waiting for me to pull it with her. I will not end up like her. I would rather die.

The three of us hold on tightly and pull with all our might. My knuckles sting so badly and a bolt of pain shoots through my back. It feels like my skin is tearing under the pressure but I pull until a small scream erupts from my lips.

The wheel lifts off and we push it forward onto even ground before we all fall on our backs gasping for air. Mira is smiling gratefully but the boy looks like he is about to pass out. My hands sting and I look down and see that the skin over my knuckles have cracked and blood trickles out slowly.

I hear the engine roar to life and the cabin begins moving. The Plutonians are already seated inside and on the move. If we don't get in now we will be left behind to die in the cold.

Ignoring the pain, I bolt upright and make my way for the wagon. Mira is close behind and we manage to grab the sides of the moving wagon quickly. I am about to climb over when I notice something is off, I look behind to see the boy has collapsed and is lying on the floor.

I know the Plutonian officers will not stop for him and the anger I feel towards them forces me to turn around and head back. Once I have his arm over my shoulder I drag him towards the wagon. Dread fills my chest when I see that it has already moved quite a distance.

Mira is already seated inside and she stares at us guiltily, looking like she's going through some internal conflict. My legs feel like they are about to give way and I stare daggers at her for not helping. This seems to do the trick and she jumps off to help us.

With the joint effort we are able to haul him over the wagon walls and we jump in soon after. I give her a small smile and she returns it. This is our triumph against those monsters in the cabin and the annoyed expression on their faces lights up my day despite our gloomy surroundings.

The exhaustion suddenly becomes too much to bear and I give in to the rest my body so badly craves. The sound of our tyre's screeching wake me up once we have reached the North city gates. We stop outside our quarters and I get out quickly. The blood on my hands have dried and it cracks when I move. I make a point to not flex my fingers.

Mira jumps out as well but the boy doesn't move.

I peer inside and see that he is lying on his side with his mouth wide open. I shake him gently and then more urgently. It would not end well for him to delay our officers. His body wiggles within my grasp but he remains unconscious.

A lump forms in my throat and suddenly I am unable to swallow. I want to call out his name but I don't even know it. My hand shakes as the wagon moves away and Mira pulls me back.

The boy is dead. He did not make it.

Heyyy welcome to the world of Plutonians which I'm sure you can guess is on Pluto lol. Of course more will be explained soon but as of now hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you thought about it in the comments below. :) :)

Thanks for the support :)