What's Out There?

Chapter 25

Luke pops out and asks, "Sarah, how do you like your new job?"
I don't answer. Well, at least not in words.
I answered by leaving a not-so-nice bruise on his eye.
I stood there and took in the relief of the punch. But also waiting for his response.
It took a matter of just a few seconds Luke to recover and get his mind straight. Right before he slapped me so hard I lost my balance, causing me to fall down. As I struggled to get myself up, Luke slammed his door. I got the crutch that was under me to the side of me. I couldn't get up, at least not without some help.
I look to the entrance of the hall and Jackson is standing there with a shocked expression.
"Are you okay?" he asks as he rushes to me and helps me up.
"I guess so," I say quietly as he hands me my crutches. He helps me back to my room. "Thank you," I say.
"He's such a jerk," Jackson says.
"Trust me, I know. And thanks again," I say as I walk into my room, "Bye Jackson."
"Bye Sasha," Jackson said as he closed the door for me.
I walk to the bathroom and look in the mirror. I see a not-so-nice bruise getting ready to form on my cheek.
I check the time to see that it was almost five.

Taylor came in around six and offers,
"Hey do you want to come to the cafeteria with me and Jackson?"
"Sure," I say.
We walk to the end of the hall of our room and into the cafeteria. I go sit down while Taylor and Jackson get our food.
They come back a couple minutes later with three trays filled with hamburgers, french fries, and waters.
A while into eating, Taylor asks, "So Sasha, where have you been? Last I saw you was after the fight."
"I went talk to Luke," I say with a cold voice.
"You mean commander?" Jackson corrected.
"Yeah," I say.
There was a pause of silence until Taylor said, "You can have the bottom bunk until your ankle heals."
"Thanks," I said.
Another awkward moment until Jackson nudged me. 
I was looking down at my plate, so I looked up as I asked with a mouth-full of food, "What?"
"Look who just walked in," Jackson said with a somewhat laugh.
I looked at the doorway and saw Luke. But not just normal Luke like he was to me this morning. Luke with a black eye.
I swallowed.
"How did that happen?" Taylor asked.
Jackson and I both smiled.
"Do you two know something I don't?" Taylor asked.
"Do you want to tell her?" Jackson asked.
"Okay so I may have done that to him," I mumble. Then take another bite of my hamburger.
"What?" Taylor asked in a semi loud voice.
She just stared at me for about a minute. "Is that a bruise on your cheek?" Taylor asks.
I swallow once again.
"Yep," I say to Taylor, but I'm looking a Luke straight in the eye. He breaks away first.
"I'll explain later," I tell her. Then I shove a fry in my mouth.
"Wait, Jackson, did you know about this?" She asked.
"Yeah, but I think she would have wanted to tell you when she was ready," he answers.
"Oh," Taylor says.
We finish off our meals in silence. They go to pick up the trays.
We all walk together back to our rooms. We walk past Luke and through the entire cafeteria.
By the time we left everyone had noticed Luke's black eye.
We exit the cafeteria just as the chatter starts to rise.
Let them talk. Let them see who he is. I think to myself.
We walk the whole way in silence.
"Bye Jackson," Taylor and I say as we reach our room.
"Bye guys," he says as he goes to his room.
Once we get inside and get comfortable, Taylor says, "What happened?"
"Okay, so you know how Luke did this to my ankle?" I say.
"Yeah that was just earlier today," she says.
"So I just got so mad at him, so I went to his room and punched him. And his response was slapping me across the face, which knocked me down and Jackson just so happened to be there, so he helped me up," I rambled on.
"But why?" Taylor asked.
"Why what?" I ask in response.
"Why did you go and punch him in the first place?" she asks.
"Cause he also brought me here and I had no say in it. And no offense to you, but I would rather be home right now," I answer with the yet again a cold voice.
"I wish I could go home too," Taylor said.
"How did you come here anyway?" I ask her.
"Well, in my village at the age of 16 when you have to be drafted, and you have to come here," Taylor explains.
"That sucks," I say, "Could you come to the computer lab with me?"
"Sure, but why?" Taylor asks.
"Cause I wanted to get my laptop, but I can't walk and bring it back," I answer.
"Okay," she responds.
We walk down the hall and into the computer lab. It was pretty much empty. There was three people working on their laptops.
I made my way to the back of the room, to my spot.
"That's my laptop," I point to the brand new laptop that Jackson have to me earlier today.
"Okay," Taylor says as she picks it up, "Is this all you need?"
"Yeah," I respond.
She starts walking back to our room, and I slowly follow behind her. 
Once we get into the room, Taylor helps me wrap my cast up so it won't get wet when I take my shower.
I try to quickly take a shower, but I get lost in a daydream.

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I was walking in a field. Not on crutches but on my two legs.
I am walking towards nothing. Not a thing around me.
Until I see a person in the distance, I start to run towards him or her. I get close enough to see that it was Clay.
I call out his name at the top of my lungs. A million things running through my head: relief, freedom, happiness, joy...
I keep on running toward him yet he doesn't move a muscle.
"Clay," I call out again.
No movement still.
I am only a few feet away from him, when something changes in his expression.
It becomes horrified. I stop immediately.
I can see the end of a blade from a knife sticking through his stomach.
As he crumpled to the ground with death, I crumple to the ground in a mess of tears.

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By the time I come back to reality, the shower is icy cold. I shut it off and start drying off.
I get dressed as quickly as I can. As I finish drying off my hair in front of the mirror, I see a dark bruise on my left cheek.
I quickly brush my teeth and get out of the bathroom. 

When Taylor came out of the bathroom, I was falling asleep.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's fine," I say.
"Goodnight," Taylor says as she climbed up the ladder to the top bunk.
"Goodnight," I say. I glance at the clock, and it's 9:29. No way I was going to bed. I grab my laptop off of the dresser and crawl back into bed. I watch the surveillance footage of my village's compound in the woods. The footage from today starting at midnight.
I see Clay running to my house at 12:17am.
Almost everyone I know going to my house at about 1:00am.
No movement throughout the whole day.
Not until now.
I start to watch the live footage. I see Clay walk out of my house and go to our spot.
Tears silently falling down my face as I watch him sit there and cry because of me. Because Luke took me from him. Because of Luke.
What made Luke change? Why did Luke change?
At least I knew one thing for sure: Clay was alive. He may have been in pain, but he was alive.