Three

Chapter 8

That night I had a nightmare. A dream where it almost felt real in a sense. The world is aquiver. Shaking. I couldn't tell where I was. Smoke filled the air all around me making it pitch black. The darkness worried me, my imagination supplied many beasts with fantastical jaws to lurk beyond the range of my vision and attack me viciously. Suddenly a lightning bolt had struck a tree close by me, the world had become illuminated. In the distance, I could see thick gray smoke billowing into the night sky. The once clear lit sky is now shielded by a veil of darkness as the smoke swallows up the whole sky. A fierce fire could be seen sneaking their way out from the rows of trees. The world around me was destroyed. The once green lands of the earth were no more than ash and charcoal.   with very little sunlight coming from the roof of the cave. I was covered in sweat and dirt and had to breathe rapidly as if I just finished a cardio run. Green vines covered the walls of the caves and sculptures of female Aztec warrior heads scattered all around me. I couldn't move my body, I was stuck and the only thing I could move was my head. I yelled out for help but I was mute, no sound came out of my mouth or a scream. I started to panic and sweated rapidly, getting anxiety on how the room was getting humid and warmer each time I tried yelling. 

Something caught my attention in front of me that I didn't notice before. A green ray of light flickering from a hand-sized pyramid crystal sitting on a dirty covered throne. It was beautiful and eye-catching as it rotated slowly with the sun's reflection beaming off it. I heard voices coming from inside the cave but there was no one was in there except me. I couldn't move but I felt the sensation that I was floating towards the object moving closer to the bright green pyramid crystal. Closer and closer until it was it was within hand reach. The voices around me grew quitter fading into a hissing sound. A hissing that sounded familiar that I didn't want to remember. The hissing grew louder with the sound of a slithering movement sliding through the cave followed behind. 

Behind the throne of where the pyramid-shaped green crystal stood, two large yellow glowing eyes appeared out of a dark huge hole in the cave wall. A huge tall slithering reptile tongue revealed out of the shadow hole revealing a fifteen meters length head of a large anaconda snake. The snake slithered out the hole locking eyes with me as it circled around me. The body of the anaconda had a yellow and green scales that saturated more as the sun hit the scales. I was shaking tremendously and wanted to run. But I was still not able to move my body. The snake slithered around my unmoveable body feeling the pressure of the snake increase each wrap it did. Until the only thing visible was my head. The enormous snake looked at me and rapidly attacked my face. That's how I woke up.I woke up pretty early at 5:00 AM I was confused on what I just dreamt and tired still but I knew I couldn't go back to since the bed sheets were covered in sweat. 

I took my bed sheets down to the laundry room on the first floor. Luckily enough no one was in there and the good washing machines weren't vacant. The only people awake now in the building were the employees clocking in for an 8-hour shift at the Winchester. Construction workers cleaning any debris and repairs left over from the earthquake yesterday. Once finishing washing and drying my bed sheets it was 5:58 AM.  I walked out of the laundry room with a hand full of bed sheets not seeing what was in front of me bumping into Chester Winchester. 

"Watch were you're going you brat." Raged Chester pushing me away. 

"My bad." I answered. 

"My bad." Chester imitated as he walked away towards his office wearing another suit. This time a grey color.  "Use your eyes next time Mr. Smith. No person wants a retard as a kid." Chester added as he faced me and winked. 

"Dick." I muttered as I walked over to the steps and up to my room. Carrying my bed sheets over my shoulder.

 I passed Wesley Bran walking up the staircase. Wesley was walking down, probably to the cafeteria. He was a little odd and scary but still a good kid. I assumed he was Jack's age only a little different in the head. Wesley had a puppet of the Swedish Chef from "The Muppets Show" and would only interact with anyone through the Swedish Chef puppet. I couldn't understand half the stuff that puppet said. Wesley Bran does a great impersonation of the voice of the Muppet and I do give him props for that. All he would say though the most were

"poppedicorn." which I guess meant popcorn and Wesley would get a bag of popcorn from the cafeteria room and bring it to his room. The only thing I actually see him eat. 

I got back to my room and placed my fresh downy smelling bed sheets back onto the piece of crap bed. Jack was still dead asleep snoring, the sun was barely peeking over the mountains now letting a small ray of light hit the room wall. I took a quick rinse in the shower room with hot water touching my skin. It was always a blessing to get some hot water when showering. Usually, when everyone is taking a shower at once the hot water gets used up quickly and ending up with only cold water. Which is always a pain in the ass when the weather outside is freezing. 

I got dressed in some casual basic clothes. A red baseball tee, light blue jeans, and some beat up vans. Jack woke up around 7:45 AM, stretching and placing his Casio Databank Calculator Watch on his wrist and getting ready for the day by taking a shower and changing into some casual clothes. The plan we had for yesterday was now today's. The earthquake was a surprise for everyone but today felt like no surprises from mother nature would happen today. At least hopefully. The weather outside was normal for a June day. It was 95 degrees outside and 10 miles per hour winds. But clouds were seen appearing over the town which meant rain but hopefully, it doesn't pour once we reach the storage unit. I still wanted to see the stuff my parents had left in there and pray that none of their stuff was thrown away.  

Once both of us were ready we headed down the staircase passing by kids who were now up and moving talking and playing around as they sprinted up and down the staircase. The Game Room floor was packed as usual with kids taking turns on the foosball and hockey table. Others hogging the TV. The walls now plastered with posters of tomorrow's Foster Adoption gathering of the month for anyone wanting to adopt at a low cost. I spotted Clover looking rather stunning sitting next to a couple of girls that I have seen around here frequently. Clover looked up from her conversation and noticed us. She got up as she acknowledged the girls around her that she would be right back. Clover dashed over to Jack and I and hugged us both. That was a first for myself since no girl ever was excited to see me, but it felt good.

"There you guys are. I didn't know what room you guys were staying in so I decided to wait down here and see if any of you would show up." Clover explained releasing her hug. 

"Sorry about that I forgot to mention that to you yesterday night. I see you made some new friends already." I asked.

"Yeah. My roommate came in when you guys left from the showers. She's back there on the sofa, her name's Ruby." Clover said looking back and smiling at Ruby who was Asian and had short brown hair that reached to her neck, wore blue overalls with a red and pink strike turtle under, square thin glasses, and a couple dark freckles on her cheeks. "She's a very sweet girl and was nice to introduce me to a couple other people." 

"That's good to hear. Already starting better than the other foster homes huh?" Jack said.

"Completely. Thank God. Anyways whats the plan for today?" 

"Well, the plan was to go into town and head to the "StorageCube" on Wilson and Craig St. I know it's a bit random to go to a storage unit but I believe my parent's personal belongings had been stored in there. Hopefully, it's all still there. Maybe find some stuff that's valuable that can help us get out from here without living on the streets?" I informed Clover.

"Sounds odd. . . but interesting. I'm down let's go." Confirmed Clover without hesitation. 

"Perfect! Aminos!" Jack commented.

Clover scattered back to the sofa to say her goodbyes to her innocent looking roommate Ruby and her friends. She then followed us down the steps to the first-floor passing by Karen who was sitting behind the front desk waving hello to us and warning the three of us to be back before curfew as we walked out the front doors of the building. Walking down the hill towards town.