The Typhon Project

Chapter Fifteen: I'm on This Planet, Unfortunately

I stood before the human man, his gun trained on me, a willing target.

His chest pumped. Sweat dewed on his forehead. He glanced down to the floor and then back to me. His shoulders slowly relaxed, and he let out an exasperated sigh. He lowered the gun. "You're from the project?"

I dropped my arms to my sides. "Yes."

"I thought they didn't let you guys out."

"I'm not supposed to be out."

He chewed on his cheek for a couple of breaths. "If you promise not to tell anyone you saw me, I'll let you go."

"I wouldn't tell anyone. I promise. I'd be in trouble if they found out I left."

His narrowed gaze bore into mine as though trying to dig through my thoughts to see if I was telling the truth.

He tucked his gun into his belt. "You're free to go then."

I stepped closer to him, but stopped, my gaze locked on his face. I took in the texture of his skin. One last look at a human. I hadn't realized how much I'd thirsted for the familiarity of human features. Could he be one of the last of his kind?

I forced my feet forward, every step drawing me nearer to him. My heart pounded faster with each stride. I wriggled my fingers. They longed to touch him, even just to graze my fingers over his smooth skin. But I couldn't let them have their way. He would surely recoil from my touch.

Before I could pass him, he grabbed my upper arm.

I gasped and stopped short. His warm, soft hand wrapped my arm. I was only inches from him. From here, I could see the gold flecks in his brown eyes and, in the middle, perfectly round pupils. I drank in his humanness.

"You shouldn't come back here," he said, and then he let go.

I nodded, then hurried through the living room and into the entryway. I opened the door and peered over my shoulder. But he was gone. 

After stepping outside, I closed the door behind me. I jogged into the street and climbed back through the manhole. I sprinted through the cool underground corridor back toward The Farm.

I threw the hatch open and poked my head out of the hole. The sun was just painting the eastern horizon in oranges and pinks. I climbed onto the perfect lawn inside the dome. I stood, gazed around at my perfect surroundings and my heart sank. I'd returned to my prison.

I ran back to the dorm, slipped in through the back door, and hopped into my bed. I lay there and stared at the ceiling, white and textured.

Was the human man even real? Or did I imagine the hole thing?

I rubbed my arm. I could still feel where he'd grabbed it. He had to be real.

I closed my eyes to force an hour of sleep before I'd have to get up and get ready for class. Images of the human played on my eyelids. I tossed and turned on my bed until doors opened and closed in the hallway.

I dragged myself to school. Halfway through first period, exhaustion hit. My eyelids were as heavy as that manhole cover. My third period teacher asked if I was feeling okay. I told her I didn't sleep well.

Though I wanted to take a nap in the worst way, I had work duty at the coil in the afternoon. I was assigned to sweep floor. Yay for me.

I zoned out, half asleep as I pushed the broom around the massive coil room. The human guy kept popping into my mind, but I forced him out. Maybe I did make him up. Maybe he was a combination of grief, longing and too little sleep. Who knows.