The Human Zoo (1)

Chapter 5 - Priya

Benjy and I lie under a beautiful green tree. Lush hills surround us, and the sweet air of the open space fill my lungs.

"What a lovely day," I say, running my fingers through the fresh grass. We lie side by side, staring up at the endless blue.

"Agreed," he replies back.

Far away, a dark cloud floats across the sky until it entirely blocks out the sun. A sense of panic fuels my heart as I jerk up confused at the sudden change in weather.

"That's odd. Ben, what's going on?" I look down to my right but he's not there.

Suddenly, four yellow walls slam against me, forcing me to contort my body to fit into the small space. My mouth gapes open in a silent scream as I remain unable to move. A man dressed in black reaches from above and lifts me up by my neck. A shock goes through me as a clink of metal fills the air. Then the walls disappear, and I'm being dragged down the hallway by the collar around my neck.

The people on the other side of the glass are laughing and smiling snapping pictures of my misery. "I ...can't ...breathe ..." I stammer through ragged breaths, but no one hears me. Then I find them, those blue eyes. He stands amidst the blackness and chaos like a beacon of light.

A cold drop of water falls from above as rain starts to pour from the dark cloud blocking the sun. It rushes over me, drowning me.

Taking a deep breath of air, I gasp, my eyes bulging open. My heart rapidly thrums, and my lungs burn from the lack of air I felt from the dream. It's pouring rain and I'm lying face up on my back. Tiny droplets splash against my arms, legs, and cheeks as I wiggle my fingers and toes to make sure I'm no longer dreaming. Rolling over, I push myself up into a seated position, trying to compel the blue eyes that have haunted my dreams for years out of my mind. Why do I still think of you?

Something about my body feels off like I'm carrying a heavy object around. An annoying sensation like a bug crawling on me spreads across my neck. I reach my hand up to my neck to itch it and touch cold metal. Lightly, my fingers tread against the object, tracing its outer lines all the way around my neck. Panic fills me as my fingers grasp it, attempting to rip it off with no avail. I thrash around on the wet earth, trying to rid myself of the foreign object, tugging and pulling relentlessly.

"It won't come off," a deep voice says, making its way from the shadows to me. The voice belongs to a man with jet-black hair and long thin eyes. He wears tattered shorts and no shirt. His mouth sits in a grim line, and although muscular, his ribs poking out of his skin.

"Wh—what is it?" I sputter with a hoarse voice.

"It's a collar," he says reaching his hands down. "Name's Li."

"Priya," my voice is smoother now as I reach out to grab onto his extended hands.

He lifts me up.

"Here, let's get out of the rain," he says. I notice his darks eyes speak into me a sense of trust that ease me into following him further upon our journey.

He leads me toward a decomposing wooden shelter, which has only three walls and a rusty metal roof. It's still a way away but even from here I can make out some finer details. It's tall enough to hold a little less than twenty people, I can see bodies huddling there together in the unrelenting rain. The structure, lacking a definitive form, could not protect them from soggy clothes and wet hair.

"I didn't know if you were going to wake up," Li says to me as we get closer. "You've been passed out for a while lying on the ground. I tried to shake you awake earlier but you didn't budge. The Guardian who tossed you there must have given you too large of a dose."