I can’t answer the door. I stood frozen, cooling water dripping off me. The knocking continued, a heavy fist banging away. My towel began to slip from my hips, my fingers scrabbled to hold on to it and I hitched the towel up. Scrubbing myself down, sweat broke out across my skin. I could easily not answer the door. Whoever it was would go away, right?
I threw the towel on the heating rack and went to my bedroom. The knocking followed me, demanding me to answer it with every step I took. I went to the chest of drawers, pulled out and put on some boxers. Pausing, I wondered what to wear. If I answered the door, I need to be presentable and prepared. If I didn’t answer the door? Comfy clothes.
Shrugging, I went for an in-between and put on jog pants and a t-shirt. I grabbed some socks and put my running shoes on- just in case. I went to the door, the knocking was louder than ever. I unlocked the door and called out, ‘who is it?’
‘Open up,’ a booming male voice yelled back.
‘Who is it?’ I repeated.
‘Police. We need to talk.’
I opened the door and had to look up at the three people now standing before me. They were all dressed in the same dark blue suit uniform, with black shirts and dark grey ties. Their faces all looked the same as they all had the same hair style and short beards.
‘Mr Coy?’ the first one spoke.
I nodded.
‘We need to talk. Can we come in?’
‘What’s this about?’ I asked and jammed myself between the door and frame.
‘Please. Just let us in, Mr Coy. We don’t want to cause a scene, do we?’
‘All right,’ I said and opened the door.
They stepped in and I stumbled backwards. I and the door hit the wall at the same time and I felt a little breathless. The men walked in and looked for somewhere to sit in my almost empty living room. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking that they looked like an elephant in a doll’s house.
I didn’t bother to invite them to sit down, there were only two armchairs and I didn’t have another other chairs. I closed the door and stood against it. Arms crossed, trying to make it look like I meant business too.
‘What’s this about?’ I started up.
‘You were caught staring at a drone today, Mr Coy,’ the first answered. He was busy staring around, trying not to let the look of disgust leak across his face.
The other two were trying to fit themselves into the corners of the room, backs against the walls. However, they just couldn’t do it and so they tried to act casual, but that wasn’t working either.
‘What?’ I blurted.
The first man tugged out a notebook and flipped through it, ‘at around two twenty-five this afternoon, at your office. You looked out your window and stared at a drone. Why did you do that?’
‘I…Well, I didn’t know what it was. It startled me,’ I answered slowly and carefully.
He frowned and his expression made it clear he didn’t believe me.
‘Who are you again?’ I asked instead.
‘Mr Ryes,’ he said and flashed me a badge I didn’t see. ‘So, the drone startled you and then what?’
‘Well, I didn’t understand what it was doing there and it districted me.’
‘But you kept looking at it,’ Mr Ryes pressed.
‘Yeah, well….look what’s this all about? There’s nothing wrong with looking at a drone.’
‘But it isn’t right, Mr Coy. It raises eyebrows and then we come and ask questions. Are you a spy, Mr Coy? Were you born in this country?’
‘What? No and yes. What do you want? This is ridicules!’ I half shouted. I launched myself off the door and into his face without fully thinking it through.
The seconds flashed, Mr Ryes grabbed me and so did his two friends. I struggled against them, but they wrestled me to the floor. Metal cuffs bit into my wrists then they dragged me out. I kicked and screamed like a mad man as the dragged me out of the building and into a black van. They forced me onto a bench and finally I settled. My arms and hands hurt whilst my legs and breathing were shaky.
They got into the front of the van and were a rumble of the engine drove off. I bounced around in the back. My shoulders and back of my legs hitting everything repeatedly. My head spun, what had I done? What did they want? Where were we going? What was going to happen to me?
I felt like screaming, but I held it back. My feet scrapped across the metal floor and the sound was terrible. I took deep breaths and tried to remain calm. I shut my eyes and relaxed. I cleared my head and kept believing that everything would be sorted out and that this was all a mistake. The government didn’t just arrest people for looking and wondering about a drone. God, those things were everywhere now, doing all kinds of things and belonging to a whole range of people.
The van suddenly stopped and I slapped sideways into the bench. Pain shot through my shoulder, I cried out and tasted blood on my tongue. The van engine rumbled beneath me then started off again. I licked my lips and discovered I had bitten my lip and tongue. Sucking away the blood, I tried to push myself back up, but couldn’t do it. I thought about rolling off and laying on the floor, but then decided that it looked harder than the bench.
I struggled upwards, the van’s sides scratching my hands. I felt for something to cling too, but it was smooth metal. I got comfy again and went back to my breathing and believing. The van rushed on under me, but I ignored it and so lost all sense of time and place. My eyes started shutting and I kept snapping them open. Finally, though I give in and kept them closed.
To Be Continued… .
The Story Files 