Academy Island

Rats

(Authors note: Thank you to everyone who has kept reading this story despite my erratic updates. Life has been chaotic to say the least. Also please forgive my grammatical errors. I tend to only find them after I bite the bullet and post.)

The sunshine lasted only briefly before the next downpour began, making the day seem darker than before. Kota had us all retreat into the huts, three or two to each as the skies darkened as if it was approaching nightfall. I had gone along with Nathan and Dr. Green before seeking shelter, lighting lamps early at each of the doors even though it was hours before their usual rounds. They glowed, brilliant blobs of light beckoning at every dwelling that shape's otherwise would be swallowed by the dark rain. I gazed over our trail between huts, losing my thoughts to the roar of deluge filling in the footsteps we'd left behind in the sandy mud.

"There's one more, let's hurry so we can get inside."

Dr. Green had centered a hand on the small of my back, pushing me forward out of my thoughts by speaking directly into my ear. I stumbled only slightly, more catching myself out of a trance than anything, but both of them reached for me, holding steady as I found footing again. It was nice, if not embarrassing. And, as I'd noticed so many times before, synchronized. I couldn't shake the feeling that these men were military trained, and yet that didn't quite fit somehow. I puzzled over that as Dr. Green straightened, checking my face quickly before ducking under the dripping grassy eave of his hut to his own lamp to light it, torch sputtering and casting crazy dancing shadows across his face before the wick caught. He upended their sputtering torch into sand, twisting it as the flame died, leaving only the steady glow protected behind battered brass and weather-stained glass. The wide shutters clattered as he opened the door, creaking it wide to let both Nathan and I in.

I shivered, rubbing at my elbows and shuffling through the dark, but dry, interior of his hut towards the coals cheerily brightening his fireplace. The large stone slab they burned on protruded out enough that I could sidle up and sit, the stone heated and comfortable. I listened to the sounds of both men behind me, metal quietly clinking and the shush of wood and cloth as lamps were lit and outer clothes were shed. I rubbed my own wet hands together, reaching for the heat emanating to dry them faster, the edges of Victor's sleeves damp and cold against my wrists. Dr. Green, the bottoms of his beige pants also damp, stepped up alongside me, an armful of wood awkwardly gripped. I stood, reaching for a piece I could single out without making him drop the whole load. A soft smile spread across his face, green eyes dancing over my face as I took one and placed it haphazardly over the bed of coals. The rest he let drop to the side, clattering as he did so he could get his hands in front of the log that hadn't caught quite yet, the beginnings of smoke wisps rising under darkened, oxygen deprived coals. It bloomed prettily as he rubbed his hands together in front of it, flames waving gently as if saying hello. I shifted my knees, making room for him to sit alongside me and we both faced into the room, backs now warming and attention focused on Nathan, a leather knapsack in his hands that he was filling with a length of thin rope and a wooden box. Dr. Green smacked his forehead, a worried expression in his eyes as he watched Nathan place another length of rope in the depths of the bag.

"Shit, I totally forgot we were going out for those tonight. Hold on, let me get the bait."

He rose, approaching the large table he had haphazardly shoved to one side of the room to open a canister sitting amongst a clutter of strange inventions and bottles. As he lifted the lid an odor of old cheese filled the air. I pinched my nose to the sharp moldy scent of it, skirting questioning glances at both of them. Dr. Green laughed, placing the lid back on and placing it too into the bag. 

"We're going out to collect some water rats I need for, well, experiments. They live out by the swamp, and they're only active in the evening, especially when it rains."