The Yellow Roof

The Factory

I wiped away the sweat stinging my eyes. The red glow of the furnace made it hard to see what I was doing. The factory was hot by nature, but this close to the furnace made working almost unbearable.

I trimmed at another long metal strip. When Overseer shouted at the workers to finish them, he called them swords. I didn't know what they were used for, but a lot of them came through my station today. I carefully changed my grip, not wanting to cut myself (even though it hadn't been sharpened yet), and clipped away the excess metal.

I tossed it into the wheelbarrow beside my table, and stretched my hands. I rubbed them through the ill-fitting gloves. A new shipment of them had arrived that morning, but holes were already forming in the palms and fingers.

A girl no older than nine pushed yet another wheelbarrow of crude metal tools to my station. She wobbled under the weight of it. She lost her grip and it toppled to the side, clanging of metal on metal halted the work of the factory as everyone looked our way.

Chains started rattling as the Groanies jumped around in the beams above us. I sprang into action and jumped to the girl's side. She was frozen stiff. "Help," she whispered.

My ankle screamed with pain from all the movement, but a child was not going to suffer the wrath of the Groanies and Overseer by herself.

The chains dropped to the work floor and the Groanies scurried down. Their eyes were wide and hungry for power. Their tattered clothes hung loosely over skeletal bodies. Overgrown hair and oozing sores covered most of them. Rumor said they hadn't left the factory since they were "promoted" to Groaning.

I put all my weight on my good foot and grabbed an armload of heavy metal. I dropped it into the wheelbarrow at an angle, creating a high pitched screech. Everyone on the work floor clamped their eyes shut and covered their ears. Except me. I grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shoved her under my work table.

The Groanies snapped their heads toward me at the same time. They all took a step forward.

What were they, telepathic?

They spread out and formed a line. There was no use running. An absurd amount of them were left up in the beams, keeping an eye on the rest of the factory. They came closer, the line curving around to encircle me. I stood still, keeping my eyes on the spilled tools. What had I done? The punishment for halting work was three weeks without pay, but helping anyone could result in being fired. And not the lose your job fired.

I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. I wished the air was cooler so I could breath.

The circle of Groanies opened and Overseer stepped into it. His faded brown overcoat covered a patched button down shirt. Both looked like they'd been rubbed in dirt just before he put them on. He scowled. "You've been nothing but trouble since you started working here." He clasped his hands behind his back and started pacing. "First, you sang while you worked. Then, you drew on your break." He faced me and narrowed his eyes. "You are the reason we don't have breaks anymore."

I stood straight. It wasn't like I could get into any more trouble. "Singing gave the assembly line a rhythm so there were less accidents. I was drawing out a design for a furnace, hoping to make it more efficient and safe. And--"

Someone on the outside of the circle broke through the line of Groanies. "And production levels are highest on Sarah's shift. Which happened the day we hired her."

I twisted my neck to see who he was. No one in the factory had ever stood up for her. Overseer spun around to test him with his meanest look, blocking my view in the process.

"How DARE you interrupt ME?" Overseer spat at his feet. "Who are you?"

"Big City official, Joathom Smirk." He looked over Overseer's head and winked at me.