Automata

CHAPTER 4 - A Daring Escape

On that night, Annette decided to go onto the Surface. She had no experience whatsoever, and she hasn't even heard many stories about the Surface besides the fact that the military get sent out there to survey the land and that Scanner androids get sent out there to kill some creatures. Annette has never seen Scanner Androids before, but she assumed that they looked like the Household Androids that were in the Underground, but in special military clothing that was designed just for them. What were those creatures called again? She asked herself as she carried Ginger the cat outside to the PetCare Center. Ginger didn't seem to mind the cat purred in Annette's arms.

"Hello, would you like to schedule an appointment?", said the clerk who was at the front desk of the PetCare Center. Behind the clerk there was a clear door, behind it there were about 20 employees. Some were grooming pets, some were playing with them, and others were feeding them. They had cats and dogs in separate areas. Annette noticed that the clerk's nametag had the word "3h" on it, which meant that it was a Household Andriod. They need to rename these androids...Work Androids or something.. She thought to herself. "Ma'am?". Her thoughts were interrupted by the worker. "Oh, um, no I don't have an appointment, but I was wondering if you all could take care of my precious cat for a while..", Annette responded as Ginger rubbed her head against her chest. "I see..how long will you be gone?", the clerk asked. Annette looked at the floor, not sure. She realized that her choice was a very serious one and that there was a small chance that she might not come back. "I think...", Annette began. Her words were slightly shaky. She took a deep breath. You'll save them... She assured herself.

"3 weeks. I'll be back in 3 weeks.", she finally told the clerk. "I understand. What is this cat's name?", the clerk asked. Right at that moment, a human employee opened the clear door from the cat area, ready to take Ginger. "Her name is Ginger. Please treat her well while I'm gone.", Annette softly demanded. The employee held out their arms to take Ginger and Annette hugged the lovely cat one last time. "Goodbye, Ginger...I love you..", she whispered as she pressed her cheek against the fluffy orange cat's fur. Ginger meowed as she was handed off to the employee. "Don't worry miss, we'll take good care of her!", the employee said as they patted Ginger's head. They turned around and went through the clear glass door. Annette watched as Ginger was put into a comfy-looking cat bed. Annette looked back at the clerk and gripped her satchel. "Thank you so much.". The clerk nodded and said, "Have a nice day.". When Annette left the building, it was quiet. Yes, the street lights were there, but it was still eerie. Annette headed towards the closest military base. She knew that the exit was there since she's seen many armies go out of there.

After a walk that seemed like forever, she finally reached the military base. Annette caught her breath. The military base was located at the corner of the Underground society. She went to the very tall walls and since it was so dark she had to feel for a door or something that would lead her to the Surface. Her hands touched something cold. A doorknob... She thought. She turned it and it made a loud creaking noise. Her heart rate shot up. She looked around and nothing changed so she opened the door fully. She was met with a tall staircase. She couldn't see the top.

Though right after her vision began adjusting to the dark just enough that she could see the staircase, a loud alarm sounded: THE DOOR TO THE SURFACE HAS BEEN OPENED, PLEASE SEIZE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE. EMERGENCY. Annette went into a panic. The red flashing lights from the alarm in the "sky" were her only light source. She heard quick footsteps coming and began to run up the staircase without looking back. When she was at the top, there was another closed door. She tried to open the door but it seemed to be jammed. The footsteps echoed throughout the long hallway. No, no, no no, no...Not like this. She repeated in her mind as she used every ounce of strength to open the door. "Come on!", she yelled as she continued pushing the door. Then, the door slowly creaked open. It was being blocked by huge amounts of sand. The winds were strong. Some sand blew onto Annette and into her eyes. "Stop right there!". A voice boomed from behind her. She still couldn't see anything, but the sound of the footsteps was blasting in her ears. As soon as the door opened just wide enough, she squeezed through and quickly ran away into the windy desert.

She looked back, but she didn't see or hear anything. The wind was too loud, and the sand was obscuring her vision. She ran farther and farther away. Her legs were hurting so much that they eventually went limp, and she collapsed onto the warm sand.