Legacy's Ghost

Episode 11: Special Delivery

I wake up with a start.

How long I've been out? My eyes dart from right to left trying to figure out where I am. It takes a few seconds to realize that I'm in my room. My room. All mine, nobody else's.

My muscles relax. Why was I tense? A nightmare?

The sky above me is so dark with thousands, maybe millions of stars spanning from one wall to the next. I must've only been out a few hours then.

I listen to the sounds of this new environment. It's oddly silent, actually.

When I used to sleep in the alcoves, I had a spot I liked to use where I'd fall asleep to a dripping sound from the leaking pipe and a humming from one of the machines. I knew Cook got up every morning at three to begin her work because that's when the smell of coffee beans began to waft through the lower level of the Monastery's main treeous.

Real coffee is saved for special occasions. So Cook has a synthetic plant that smells a lot like coffee but is genetically modified from one of Legacy's plants. The modified plants don't have as much caffeine as a coffee bean, but at least she could pretend.

Focusing on the sounds around me, I glean what information I can from environment. Why did I wake up?

Slowly, silence fades into the background I concentrate on the barely discernable. Someone from the LA room next to me snores. It's a deep, throaty sound, like a beast on the outskirts of the colony.

Goosebumps prick my arms, reminding me I'm missing something. My survival instinct is on high alert. What is it?

With no other unusual sounds, I open my eyes and gaze into the darkness. There isn't much to see.

I focus on the door and the straight lines where it fits snug into the wall. There's a slow twist of the doorknob. The knob glints off the near-nonexistent light in the room as it shifts. I squint at the handle, wondering if the movement is a trick of my eyes.

Except muted light widens at the cracks of the door as it ever-so-slowly swings open.

Fear snakes down my spine as the door continues to open and a large, shadowy person fills my doorway.

I'm trapped inside my bedroll wearing no shoes and nothing near me to fight off this person if they choose to attack me.

My mind flashes to Rigel and the look on his face before he tried to attack Trina. Something inside me shrinks, making me feel vulnerable and small.

The person has something in their hands. I squint, trying to figure out what it is as they bend down, placing the object on the floor next to the doorway.

My brows raise. Is that a pile of clothing?

The person straightens, then backs out of my room again, closing the door just as slowly and quietly as they did when they entered.

I'm alone again.

I wait for my heartbeat to slow then slowly climb out of my bedroll and tip toe to the pile left by my door. I glanced at it as I slowly twist the doorknob hoping the knob doesn't squeak.

Peaking my head into the hallway, I glance left and then right. But the hallway is already empty.

Maybe if I hurry, I'll catch them on the stairs. Jogging in bare feet, I hurry to the end of the hall, sliding my feet along the smooth wooden beams to muffle my footprints. When open the door, the stairs are also empty.

How far do I want to chase this person? They must know where they're going to be so quick.

I glance over my shoulder to make sure they didn't sneak up behind me but I see nothing. So, I listen, hoping to hear the squeak of the stairs or the shuffling of feet.

Nothing.

Finally, I let out a slow quiet sigh and return to my room.

Glancing at the bundle again, I pick it up and shake the first article of clothing out, to get a better idea of what it is.

Something falls out of the folds onto the ground.

I feel around in the synthetic grass with my hand until my fingers graze a cold metal object. Slowly running my fingers across its surface, I feel movable parts but I can't figure out how to open the object. Not in the dark.

After several minutes, I sigh and give up, then check the rest of the clothes to make sure there isn't anything else hidden inside them.

Bunching up all the clothes into my arms, I suddenly realize how tired I am. I'll need my wits about me tomorrow. Who knows what the apprenticeship, Rigel, and who-knows-what-else will throw at me. I need to be alert and ready to act.

Adding my new clothes to the bundle on top of my other clothes on the boulder, I grasp the metal object in my and climb back into my bedroll.

If nothing else, I can use it to strengthen my punch if I have to defend myself from an attacker later on.

Focusing on the quiet snoring in the adjacent room, I began to sense the rhythm of their breathing. My eyes begin to sag again until once again, the world fits to darkness, giving me the blessed sleep I will need to prepare me for whatever tomorrow brings.