US (Formerly The After Effect - Book 2)

34 - D E J A / V U

//HEY THERE GUYS. let me just start by apologizing for having none of these chapters clean and edited as they should be before posting. ugh. i've been so busy and i have plans to make these 1000x better than they are currently. you can expect grammatical errors (ew) so feel free to point them out. much of these recent chapters are idea spillage without refinement. meh. so forgive me and try to enjoy them as they are...for now.//

I'm sitting on the floor, pouting like a three-year-old, but rightfully so. Cells are not where I am meant to be. And I've been down this road. I'm over it and my toleration for it is diminished entirely. I'm so frustrated by where we're at that I don't talk much. Stella strokes my back every so often to console me, but I only roll my eyes at any comforting gestures. They don't comfort me. Only further plant the reminder that we have yet to be released.

At first, I felt bad when I snatched my hand away from Brink, or when I leaned against the stupid cinderblock wall away from him. But I hope he understands. Not to mention he threw me in one the first time around.

I attempt to block my thoughts about that in particular, because I don't want to hurt his feelings. I'm trying to move on from our rocky past. But when I'm angry, a lot of my self-control goes out the window. I can only hope I'm being somewhat successful.

Sounds coming from the front door cause me to sit up a little straighter and wait for the person to enter.

"Me again," calls Travis. His voice is off; silly almost, like he's drunk. He makes his way over to our cell and I glance up at him from the floor. I'm too tired to stand, especially when I know he has no jurisdiction or ability to let us out. Regardless, I smile at his familiar face and want him to stick around.

"Where have you been?" I ask casually. Really it's a nonchalant start to a crapton of questions I have for him.

"Wandering this place like a lost dog, if you want to know the truth. See, I've be assigned border patrol, so I have 'free' access to everywhere, but I have no clue where to go or where anything is." He rolls his eyes. "This room is the easiest to find."

I frown. "They don't care if you come in here? And how do you have a job already? How long have you been here? When did you make it in? Did you see all those people outside?" I'm panting by the end of my word explosion.

"That all?" he replies. "No, well, they don't care if I come in, I guess. I don't know. I don't really ask anyone. Luckily they kinda leave me alone. Ever since I told them I was military, it's like I grew instant respect and trust, which I guess is kinda nice." He shrugs.

"Where is everyone?" I spout off.

He purses his lips. "I guess...around. Jada and her brother were locked up for a while, too. Mason and the other guys pretty much have free reign like me. They've been running around crazy since we got here. They're nuts." He grunts like they have been annoying him for the past few days. Wouldn't surprise me. Travis is far more mature than they ever will be.

"How did you guys get in?"

Travis reaches up and scratches his head before rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, we uh, took out a guard. Held him at gunpoint around the southside of the entrance. We tried taking the route less travelled, which...didn't seem to be the case with you guys."

I sigh. "We didn't have much of a choice. We were practically a moving target. People came after us like animals."

"Well you probably stood out like neon signs with their suits. Glad those things are gone. Weird shit..." he mumbles.

I hear someone behind me start to react, but they are quickly hushed.

"So I'm guessing you don't have the keys to get us out of here."