Forget

Part 2

 I made it all the way to the stairs before I got caught. It was the same doctor as before. “What are you doing?” he yelled. Then he dragged me by the arm to the elevators, furiously pressing the up button. When the doors dinged open, he shoved me inside, stomping in after me. The ride up to my floor was silent and I refused to look at the doctor although I could feel his glare. The doors glided open and he again pushed me forward. He grasped my arm more firmly than before and continued leading me until we reached my room. Once safely inside, with the door locked I waited for the yelling to begin, but it didn’t. He stood there, staring down at me with a loathing expression. “Where did you go?” He seethed.

“I- I wanted to go outside,” I lied. I was sure that if I told him the truth, then Zoe would get in trouble.

“Did you talk to anybody?”

“No,” I said. He studied me with his dark brown eyes, an intense look across his face. Then he left the room with out another word.

     I changed out of the clothes I borrowed and back into the hospital gown. I sat on the edge of my bed wondering about my life. Who were my parents? Who were my friends? Did I have any other siblings? What was the rebellion? The most important question that was eating away inside me was who did this? How could someone take away your memory? I kept going through these questions in my head until I noticed how late it was getting, almost two o’clock in the morning. I turned off the lights and waited for the people to get me like Zoe said. There was a light tap on my window. I quickly pulled open the blinds and look for her face, but I was shocked to see a child’s face. A little boy, who couldn’t be older than seven, with a buzz cut, smiled at me through the glass. He looked almost too happy to see me. I figured we must’ve been friends at some point. 

     I opened the lock on the window and alarms blared all around me. A strong hand grabbed me and pulled out of the hospital. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt my stomach rise up into my throat. I could’ve sworn I was falling, but when I opened my eyes, I was in the arms of another boy. It was too dark to make out his face. “Hold on,” he whispered, then we started falling again. I would’ve screamed if I had a chance, but as soon as it had started, it was over and I was on my feet. The two boys led me to a bush, which they pulled right out of the ground, revealing a large hole. The little boy jumped in first. “Go on, jump,” The other one whispered. I looked at him dumbfounded. 

“Jump in there?”

“Yes, it’s completely safe. Hurry, they are coming. Trust me,” he said. What other choice did I have? So I slowly lowered myself down the hole and let go. I slid down the tunnel with ease, just like a child’s slide. I saw the light at the and and my feet hit a soft, red cushion. The room I had landed in was a giant chamber. It looked like the rooms that someone built to survive a nuclear war. The walls floor and ceiling was all crafted out of metal. I heard noise behind me and moved out of the way. The other boy landed soundlessly on the mat. In the better light, it was much easier to see his face. I was stunned. He was absolutely gorgeous. His eyes were a brilliant shade of green. His hair was cut short, just like the younger boy’s, making him look just like a soldier. He was tall and trim but a little muscular, too. He was wearing a dog tag chain around his neck, adding to his military effect. He caught me looking and smiled. “Hey Tyler. It’s good to have you back,” he said.

“Yeah! We really missed you Ty! You’ve got a lot of training to makeup!” The younger boy smiled at me like he’d just won the lottery. 

“Uhm,” I started. “I don’t really... know- who- where?” The little boy’s smile faded from his face, but his eyes still sparkled. 

“It’s okay, we know. I’m your little brother, Gabe. I missed you,” he said again. He ran at me and gave me a big hug. He let out a loud childish laugh, I couldn’t help but laugh along. “You’ll get back in the groove soon.” He let go of me, and grabbed my hand, tugging me along. “Oh yeah, and that’s Winston, he’s a... close friend.” Gabe tugged me along leave Winston alone.

     Gabe led me down a large corridor. A couple other people were walking around as well. They all wore the same black shirt, camo pants, combat boots, and a dog tag chains around their necks. All the guys had buzz cuts and the women wore their hair in ponytails or cut short. A lot of people were staring and pointing, making me feel very uncomfortable. That’s when I noticed the pictures on the walls. There were eight frames and the end of the corridor. There were two frames next to each other and then two rows of three below them. Above them was a large sign reading: The Vanderbelts. I recognized three of the pictures; me, Zoe and the other was Gabe. I headed forward in a trance. “Is this our family?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Gabe said. “That’s Mom and Dad at the top and below them is Jack, Zoe, and Kaitlin. The next row is you, me, and Teddy.” He walked to the left of the portraits and slid his hand in a circle along the wall. There was a loud popping noise and then a door appear. Gabe opened it up and walked inside. I followed.

     This room was much more welcoming. The ceiling was lower and the walls were painted a nice cream color. A fire was burning bright in the fire place. There was a long dining table in the center and lots of furniture. Couches, chairs, tables, and paintings gave the room a nice, cozy, homey feel. Along the back wall, there were seven doors. “This is our house,” Gabe said. He led me over to the doors. “This one is you room. The door only opens to your touch, so go on, open it,” He said. I reached out and grabbed the cold handle. It was a thick metal door inside, but on the outside, it was covered by wood. The room’s interior was concrete. The ceiling came down at a slant. A bed was pushed up against the shortest wall. Other than that and a hook, a small dresser was the only other thing in the room. “In the top drawer there are black t-shirts and camo pants, second drawer is socks and stuff. Everyone has to wear a dog tag like this,” he pulled out his own which had the number 7 and Gabriel Vanderbelt printed on it. Yours, however, it missing, so your knew one will be ready tomorrow. Now, if you slide your hand up on this far wall, the bathroom will open, and if you slide it down, the weapon closet will open. Wake up is a six, an alarm will go off for you, then we eat once everyone is out. If you have any questions, press this button by the door. It’s an intercom connected to all of our family’s rooms. Press the ‘7’ button for my room. You’ll learn everyone else’s number soon enough. Also there is a manual in the bathroom. Get a good nights rest.” He smiled and headed for the door. “It’s really good to have you back.” He gave me a hug and a kiss and left my room. 

      I pulled open the top drawer, hoping for a nice pair of pajamas, so I could get out of the hospital gown I was still wearing. Lucky for me there was. I climbed into bed and was fast asleep before my head even hit the pillow.