One (A SPM AU BASED ON LN2)

The Lab: Part 1

We made our way through a few buildings, staying out of the streets and out of sight when One helped me out of a window and onto the ground. Once I was safely in town, he turned and looked ahead to the huge building in front of us.

When I say it was huge, I mean it was HUGE! There was a thirty-foot-tall barbed wire fence around the section in front of us, with a large dumpster situated in front of the fence as if it was blocking something.

"Last time I came through here I cut a hole open behind this," One whispered, rushing up to the dumpster and trying to push it aside, only to barely budge it. "A little help?"

As soon as I realized he was talking to me, I quickly ran over and helped him push the dumpster aside, indeed revealing a small hole cut in the fence. He nodded in approval, then squeezed himself through, having me follow close behind.

Once we were in, the area around us looked like an abandoned playground like-area. However, it was foggy and dark, so it looked less fun and more eerie. There was a sea-saw, some swings, and a small structure with a slide, although it looked like none of this equipment had been used in a long, long time, as they were all rusty and weak-looking.

"W-What kind of lab is this...?" I asked One as he led me through the empty play area and towards the building.

"It's more of a Child Testing Facility. They take kids from different areas and gather data on them. There are all kinds of numbers here, and it has kids from all over the worlds. It's kinda like a horrible boarding school," One explained. "Just lay low. There are all kinds of kids here, and they're not exactly the friendliest. Just... pretend you're like a mouse in a house full of cats."

I nervously nodded, understanding. He had a weird way of describing that, but who was I to judge his way of speaking. I was just busy being thankful that I was never sent there. Every place I had been sent to I had always been alone, probably per my father's request. Knowing I was a six, he probably thought it would be safer if I was tested on alone instead of sent off to a facility that tests multiple children at a time.

The door to the lab of course was sealed shut, but lucky for us, when One knew another way in. He brought us around to the side of the building where there was a line of cloths tied together, making a rope from the ground to the top floor's window.

"I made that!" One stated, almost sounding proud of himself, grabbing ahold of it and starting to climb up. I waited for him to get to the top, then followed behind him. The cloths were surprisingly strong, I noted. Looked like knot tying was one of his many talents. Once I got to the top, I hopped through the open window into what looked like a school hallway, though it wasn't as pleasant as you might think. It looked run down and dirty, and it smelled horrible.

There were a few rooms which each had a bunch of beds crammed into them. They were smaller beds meant for children, but luckily they were empty. It almost was scary looking. They were bunk beds but with at least five bunks each. Each room looked so cramped and filthy. There were a few small toys like balls and building blocks, but not much.

There was one room that One hesitated in front of, briefly looking inside and shivering. The door to it was wide open, but there were a bunch of unlocked locks on it as if it was made to keep someone or something locked inside. I got on my tip-toes and peered around him to see a small room with no windows and just one door. There was nothing but a chair with some rope around it. It reminded me of solitary confinement.

"Let's... move on," One whispered, grabbing my hand and walking past that room, down a set of stairs.

He pulled me to what looked to be an air vent and grabbed the cover, pulling it off and crawling inside, waving me in after him. I, of course, followed, although I was curious as to why the heck we were crawling around in the vents when the hallways were wide open.