Blackout Experiment 1.0

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jefferson, Ohio, December 22

They'd been on the bus for two whole days.

Skye sat in the very back, her head down, a book open but unread on her lap.
Caitlin, Rose, Eliza, Carrie, Meghan. They were all there, all sitting a little bit ahead of her. Eliza and Meghan sat across the isle from the other three.
The two other people from their town were a middle aged man named Mr. Copper who sat up by the driver and a 12 year old boy named Dylan who sat across the isle from Skye.

After an hour of driving, the two guards on the bus had covered up the windows, saying where they were going was supposed to be a secret.

They'd stopped six times. They'd eaten and gone to the restroom four of those times and picked up more passengers at the other two.

Oh yes, they'd picked up 12 more people. Some of said people had been bused to where they'd been dropped off or picked up from their towns or bused to their current bus. But no one knew where they were going.

There was a rowdy group of four boys who'd been flirting with pretty much everyone on the bus and talking back to the guards and causing trouble but they seemed happy so all the power to them.

There was an elderly man, a war veteran, from what Skye gathered, who was all around very angry. He was screaming at one of the Rowdy Boys when he started choking on a cough. Skye put a hand on his back and patted gently until he stopped. He didn't say any thanks to her but was in a better mood for a while.

"We're picking up more people. We're going to need you to make more room. This is our second to last stop before the airport." One of the guards started. "If you need to use the restroom, now would-."

"Airport? Where on earth are you people taking us? I came here so that my wife could be put back on her meds. She's going to die without them. But don't you dare think that I'm not planning on seeing her before one of us goes because-" The elderly man dissolved into another fit of coughs.

"Sir, what I think he's trying to say is, are we ever going home? Are we ever going to see our families again?" The words had apparently come from Skye, not that she'd told them to. And it wasn't as though she had much of a family to see.

Dylan began to cry. "I-I just want to see my mom again a-and I don't want to die." Even the Rowdy Boys looked heartbroken.

The guard faltered. "I- Wilson, take over I can't-." And the guard turned away.

Wilson looked less than pleased. "If these experiments go as planned, then most likely, yes, you'll go home. I'm not allowed to answer many questions here, so does anyone need to go to the bathroom." He spoke quickly. No one raised their hand. "Then I'm going to need you ladies to move back there with her and you two men to move together and you to sit with them." Dylan had to go sit with Rowdy Boys. Veteran man had to sit with Mr. Copper. The girls moved to sit with Skye.

Wordlessly, Skye moved her bag and allowed Meghan to sit next to her and Eliza to sit on the other side of Meghan. The other three girls sat in front of them.

It was an awkward silence to say the least.

But Skye remembered why she'd come and was the first to speak up. "Meghan, right? I'm Skye." And she held out a shaking hand.

"Yeah, Meghan. Nice to meet you Skye. I've seen you around school a bit. Never got to talk to you though. This is Eliza, Rose, Caitlyn and Carrie, they're my friends."

Each girl said their own hello and they settled into a less awkward silence.

A new group piled onto the bus. One boy's shirt read 'Nebraska State'.

"Nebraska." Meghan and Skye spoke at the same time, startling them both.

"How far have we come?" Carrie looked terrified by this new information.

"Me might have met them midway, in Iowa or Missouri or Illinois." Rose suggested, as Caitlyn put her arm over Carrie's shoulder.

"Yeah, or we might be even closer to home, who knows how far they've traveled." Eliza gave a convincing smile, though Skye could see the fear beneath it.

Skye smiled, seeing them like that. They were all so happy with each other, so supportive.

I want that.

They all smiled at her like they could hear her thoughts.

It was the closest thing Skye'd ever had to friendship, and she wasn't going to let it get taken away. Not for anything.