2020

The Rooster: Part III

        Enoch jumped down from his bunk.  Underneath was a snoring Bleeding.  He walked out of the room, into the long hallway and out of the Gemini sleeping space.  He tapped a Gold on the wall and it echoed.  He headed toward the bathroom but veered a little and tapped on the Virgo sleeping quarter's wall.  He continued to the bathroom and waited inside for about five minutes.  He then walked back down the hall; Vida was waiting for him.

        "Where's Naor?"  she whispered hopefully.

        "Yesterday he said he wouldn't come," he replied, "I still called him."  He sighed.  "Ready?"

        She nodded, and they both started towards the guard door.  When they made it to the hallway Vida broke off.  She started to walk toward The Gardens.  Enoch stayed behind and watched intently.  She was about halfway there when two guards noticed her.

        "Hey!  You there!"  they shouted,  "Stop!"

        She stopped and turned to them sheepishly.

        "What are you doing?"  the taller one asked firmly.

        "Well..."  she stammered,  "I think I left some Golds in The Gardens this morning."  She pointed pathetically at the sign over the entrance.  "I didn't want to bother you, so I thought I would just go."  She looked down and kicked her foot against the floor lightly.  She held her hands behind her back.

        The guards looked at each other.  The shorter one said,  "don't worry, ma'am...I'll accompany you."

        "Oh!"  she replied,  "well you don't have to do that!"

        "It's all part of the job,"  he said as he put his arm around her and started walking towards The Gardens.  The other guard was just about to object on account of him being jealous, but instead he trudged back to his post by the door that read,  "Officers & Guards Only."

        Moments passed like hours for Enoch.  Then Vida yelled,  "Quick!  Guard!"

        The other guard ran towards The Gardens, and Enoch looked around the corner.  Vida was pointing towards the back of The Gardens circle.  The guard ran past her, and she tripped him.  She grabbed his head, smashed it into the stone ground and started dragging his body towards the door.  Enoch ran quietly towards her to help.

        Everything was working even better than planned.  Vida grabbed the guard's arm and scanned the symbol on his wrist.  The door opened, she grabbed the stun baton off his belt, and they both ran in.

        "Now comes the hard part."  Enoch thought.

        They came into a wide open space with tables and chairs everywhere.  All of the tables were empty except one that had a noose on it.  This sent shivers down Enoch's spine.  Vida didn't notice it.  To the right there was a large room with chords coming from the sides of it and running all along the walls.  To the left they saw another room, and in the corner they saw a small hallway.  They ran to the corner.

        Both of them were too afraid to even breath when they ran down the small hall.  Vida ran in front weilding the stun baton. Enoch ran after her almost constantly looking behind.

        They turned a corner and saw the elvator to The Light.  It was massive with orange grated sides and doors.  There was a control box to the left.

        Vida ran directly to the box while Enoch stayed behind to keep watch.  Vida swiped the officer's card she got in The Gardens; the panel buzzed and turned green.  The elevator door clanked open.

        "We have a problem!"  Vida cried,  "There is a lever here that needs to be pulled in order for the elevator to go up!  I don't see a control inside of elevator."

        "What?!"  Enoch whispered angrily.

        "I guess they didn't want it to ever be empty down here."

        "Okay,"  Enoch thought,  "We need some kind of rope...I've got it!", and he ran down the hallway again as quietly as possible.  He ran across the room, picked up the noose, and started running back to the elevator, but just before he was about to enter the hallway he heard the entrance slide open across the room.  Someone had come!

        This scared Enoch, and he ran even faster through the hallway not caring about the loud noise he was making.

        "Get in the elevator!"  he screamed.

        Vida ran into the elevator just as Enoch put the noose over the lever.  He ran and joined Vida and pulled hard.  The lever didn't go.  Naor was holding it.

        "Oh!  Good!"  Enoch exclaimed,  "Come on!  Jump in!"

        Naor stood there motionless.

        "No."  He lifted the noose off the lever.

        "Naor!  What are you doing?"  He started to walk toward the lever.  Naor pulled out a pistol and aimed it at him.

        "Hey!"  Enoch said lifting his hands,  "What's your problem?"

        "Why would you want to leave?"  Naor laughed while tears streamed down his eyes.  "It's beautiful here."  He wiped his eyes.  They heard footsteps and shouts echo down the stone hall.  "Everyone should love it!"  he yelled.

        Enoch was holding Vida in the elevator.  Vida pulled out of his arms.

        "He's right, Enoch."  she started walking towards Naor.

        "What's wrong with you, Vida?!"  tears streamed down Enoch's eyes as he yelled reaching for her.

        "Nothing,"  she replied calmly as she walked towards Naor.  The sound of guards got louder.  "I love you."  She yanked the lever down.

        The door slammed shut; the elevator flew through the rock tunnel.

        A gunshot rang through The Catacombs.

        Enoch screamed through his tears.

        "VIDA!"

        The End