CONCENTRATION

Chapter Three: Planning

It's about 7:43am when I wake up, and Axle has already left for "work", and I have an entire list of chores that need to get done. I lay in bed for what felt like hours. Of course it was only a couple of minutes. I pull the blanket off of me and roll out of the empty bed that is only warm from my body heat. The floor is cold and putting my feet on the floor sent shivers up my spine.
My head is light and all I can remember is what had happened. Flash backs of my grandmother falling to the last step, eyes open, forehead bloody.
After I was done dancing in my own head, I got up and got dressed in the clothing that was assigned to me yesterday and I notice something on my arm. The numbers '98261'. Shock ran through my body. "What is this?"
I wipe my finger on it and nothing comes off, I don't remember getting a tattoo. Or anything at all of the sort. I haven't done my makeup yet and I'm running through the house looking for the remote and realize that my TV doesn't have one anymore. I rolled my eyes, walked up to the dinosaur of a TV and flicked the on button and turned the dial to the "news", the robot that came on the news was different. He was explaining just what I wanted him to
'You might have woken up with a number on your wrist- of course you wouldn't have known it wouldn't be there. The racking devices have given you a new name.'
I blocked out everything else he was saying and put my hands on my head and realized they will always find us- that Axle was right, that this is a lot more dangerous then I thought. I shut off the TV and paced around the house and all I could think of is being a mother- which lead me to a better idea.
I can plan a nursery.
I want to feel excited. We were given money to shop around for groceries and build a babies room. I smile at my idea, and I go to the bathroom and do my face with the make up, tighten my heels, and grab my purse.
I walk out and realize "I don't have a car" and that I have to wait for Axle to come home to take me.
Another idea strikes me, I look over at Abby's house and see, long behold a car. Of course, I think this will be more exciting to tell her what I have in mind. I walk up to the house and knock on the door. Shifting my feet. From my end I can her the chain lock fall and the door open, it's Jason, her husband.
"Hey, Crystal, what do you need?" He answers after scanning my face making sure I was who I was.
"I need to talk to Abby. Look, we can't talk about this here." I shift my way rudely through the door pushing Jason out of the way, he closed the door.
I'm assuming Jason didn't have work today assuming he was still in sleeping clothing. "I have an idea to fix this." I say out of the blue.
He looks at me and crosses his arms, "You. Of all people, have an idea?"
"Yeah, is it so wrong to have an idea?"
"Well let's hear it."
"We can escape, those robot aliens may know a lot, but we know over 1000 ways to kill someone." I say.
"Go on." He responds unamused. It's like he has truly lost hope.
"We can easily eliminate them."
"Have you seen the water?"
I freeze, "What's that have to do with anything, Jason! Can't you hear what I'm saying!"
He snaps, "There is no escape, the drinking water is red. They are controlling us by what we put in and on our bodies, the water is no longer water, it's red. And once you realize this is the end- it's the end. The water is contaminated, don't you watch the news? We have to drink the bottled shit from the stores, even then is not water. But it's supposed to keep you alive."
I sheer away as if I'm disgusted by who he is, "Jason, we can do this together."
"What, do you plan to kill us all with your empty ideas?"
Abby comes out and her make up is done and she's thinner from the pills, "What is going on? What's with all the yelling? You're going to gain attention."
My eyes water and I'm hurt, "I had an idea."
Abby looks at me crazy and gets down to my eye level, and puts her hands on my shoulders. And shakes them a little. "Are you crazy?" She asks, it rings in my head.
"No, but I know how to get rid of them."
She shakes her head and let's go of me, "Crystal, I-"
"Help me, you have to listen... please..."
Abby and Jason look at each other hopelessly.
"Abby... Jason, please..."
Abby sighs and looks back at me, and Jason puts his hand on his head.
"What's your plan, Crystal?" Abby says at last.
My face lights up and I hug the both of them. "Listen closely."
I push off, "We have access to some of the most poisonous substances... all we need to do is get close and live life how we are supposed to—"
"That's your idea? To be stuck here??" Jason is irritable like he gets over Xbox. He's angry, and scared, and I don't know how to make it any better.
"Listen," I put my hands up, "we need to work together and make things right, so stop talking."
Jason took a breather and paced anxiously. Abby pulled closer to me to listen to what I have to say, holding a towel from this morning.
"We go out and get baby stuff and regular house cleaning ingredients. Jason said the water in showers and sinks are contaminated, so that must mean that these things are tolerant to it." Abby grabbed my hand and walked to the sink in the kitchen, and took a tooth pick out from a dirty can that had been rusted once before, and turned on the faucet. She put the tooth pick under the stream, and it was pulled out burnt and rotting. "They want us on special water. They don't want us on regular water." Abby said sounding distract and scared.
"Then we will work around it. There has to be a place where regular water is.. they would have taken it somewhere where a lot of people won't know where to go..." I add.
"The school is a place where everyone goes to get checked up... so..." I gasp and start squealing, "it's all where I wanted to go the whole time!!! All the bottled water is in the school basement."
Abby looks confused, "Wait, what?"
That must means that whatever is with the water is the main source of all calling of the aliens- the robots! Everything will be shut down!!!"
I'm excited and Abby looks like she knows what I'm talking about now, "The school is the core! We need all the toxins in the store we can find."
Abby smiles and turns to Jason and he seems like he feels better, "Let's go get Axle, Linda, and Zach. Axle should be off at 1:00."