Eyes shut

Chapter 4

"Is everything okay?" Blake asked.

Aiden turned toward him and said, "Yeah, it's nothing."

He took Mia's hand and followed behind Blake. A smirk showed on his face as he still felt the intense gaze of the two on his back.

Blake continued talking until he reached a cranky old man and introduced him.

"This is Garry; he might seem old and have a foul mouth, but he's a nice guy."

"Who says I'm nice? Stop spouting nonsense, and when will you stop bringing more people? Don't you see how much this place is crowded!" The old man answered with a displeased face.

Blake "Don't worry! These guys are here to help."

Garry took a look around the guys and added, "Huh! How can these guys help? One is too young, the other is too big, and what about the child?"

Dong looked toward Blake. "About that, is there someone who can take car..."

Aiden cut him off and said with a firm look, "We'll take her with us!"

Dong turned to him, looking surprised. "What? We can't; she's just a child."

"Can you excuse us for a moment? I need to have a word with him," Aiden asked politely.

Blake didn't understand a thing and answered, "Ah! Okay... Don't mind us."

They headed to a corridor not far from the others. Aiden took the opportunity to ask, "Have you seen those two up there?"

Dong asked, "Do you mean the men and the women who were staring at you?"

Aiden "Yes, those two... Mia says they were the friends of the guys who killed her mother, so do you think she'll be safer here or with us?"

Dong  "You're right... Sorry, I didn't think too much about their glare."

Aiden  "It's okay... Anyways, we should just get information from those people and decamp."

Dong "I thought the same. We can't stay long. Seeing Blake's personality, this place won't stay quiet for too long."

Aiden "We've got to get out of here before this place becomes a battleground for power-hungry predators."

They both agreed and headed back where the others were. Mia felt a gentle touch on her shoulders. Surprised, she turned back and found Dong smiling at her. He patted her head and directed his gaze to Blake and Garry. "We'll take her with us!" He affirmed.

Blake, "Okay, just be careful... Anyways, if you need anything, just ask Garry. He knows every nook of this place since he worked here."

Blake , "Let me show you the other guys. They are not the best choice, but at least they volunteered."

Just before leaving Garry and continuing on their way to the operating room where the volunteers stayed, he said in a low voice, "Not sure they'll make it."

"He's really unhappy to have us here," Dong thought as he followed back the others.

Blake opened the wide door, and there were four persons readying a bag for their outing, while the fifth one was seated on a chair writing on a paper. All turned toward the sound of the opening door, with different expressions painted on their faces: curiosity, hostility, and relief.

Blake took all their attention by saying, "You'll all be glad to hear that these three will join the research team."

Moved by Blake's words, a lady spoke up. "Are you sure we can take them with us? What about the child?" She asked.

Dong looked at her and answered her questions. "You don't have to worry about us; we can take care of ourselves. Just do what you must."

"I hope it's not just empty words," she added, distrusting his words.

Blake said, "Don't dramatize things, Emma. We finally found some helpers, so enjoy the moment while we can."

Blake said, "No more chatter; let me introduce them to you. From the right, you've got Emma, Will, and Lucas. From the left, you have Nathaly and Dwayne. And from my side, Dong, Aiden, and Mia. I hope you can get along."

Blake turned toward them and said, "Excuse me then, guys. I have things to do; you can ask Dwayne if you need anything." He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Apart from Emma, everyone welcomed them. They tried to get to know each other. Nathaly seemed to have taken a liking to Mia; she knelt down and tried to talk with her. She seemed to know her ways with children. On the other hand, Lucas and Will were fascinated by Dong's gadgets and the army armory. While I was more preoccupied about the room we're going to stay in, I headed toward Dwayne, who was still busy, and asked,

"You must be the one who manages the supplies, aren't you?" Dwayne looked my way and answered, "I'm your guy; it's not easy, but with the mess we're in, I try to accommodate."

Aiden "I can see that; with all the people this place has taken."

Aiden "By the way, is there an available room we can stay in?"

Dwayne said, "Let me see; there's only one left, room 203. She's at the end of the corridor; you can check it out with the others and maybe take some rest before the first outing."

Aiden "Thanks, Dwayne. I really appreciate it; I'll go see it then."

Aiden waved to Dong and told him to join him in room 203. When he finished his conversations, he came out of the operation chamber and headed toward the end of the corridor.

He opened the door, checked out the room; nothing out of the ordinary. He took out the sleeping bag he got from the shop, put it down, and slipped in like a dead man.

He stared deep into the ceiling, sighed, and said, "What a hell of a day!"

...To be continued