Overwhelming
I decide to take a look around to see how Maddy got this idea in her head. She’s not wrong about everything, they are acting stranger. Most of the guards that I’m sure see me, dodge past giving me looks. They don’t know I’m a Servie, so they just whisper, but I can hear every word.
“She’s in here, Maria. Eight floor by the second stairway…should I keep an eye on her? No? But what if she goes to…ok, yes ma’am…”
It doesn’t make sense. Where can’t I go? Why does he have to keep an eye on me? I just act casual and walk around innocently. Nothing looks strange, windows with people being sliced open, smells of anesthesia, sounds of drills and monitors…just like a normal hospital. I see a door at the end of a hallway that’s never been there before…or at least I’ve never seen it.
NO SERVIES
NO PERFECTS
EMPLOYEES ONLY
NEW EXPERIMENT
Weird…they’re normally not that bold with their…’experiments.’ But this one must be special if it has its own room and staff. Maybe they’re making a new pill so you don’t have to have surgery to be a Perfect or Servie. Maybe they’re studying remains from the Hideout. But I don’t bother to try to break in. I keep walking until I freeze and realize every other sound in the hospital is silent. I count ten seconds when the loudest scream I’ve ever heard hits my ear. “MADDY!” I start running, and I see out of the corner of my eye four guards just inches behind her. She looks towards me and screams for help. One of the guards sees me and freezes, holding back the other three telling them to stop. Then I realize—I’m untouchable. Maddy keeps running, eventually reaching me, blood’s dripping down from a slash planted above her eyebrow, into her eye. Her straight black hair is starting to repair itself, going back to its perfect placement. “Maddy what were you doing!?”
“I wanted to-to prove to you what I was saying, but I…I went into a restricted section and they started chasing me…why did they stop like that?”
“Because of me… come on we have to go, you have to show me where you were.” We start walking, trying to retrace her steps.
“Uhm…I went…down there, and then to the right, and…” Then we see it, a red door, identical to the one I had seen. I walk in. It doesn’t seem all that special. It’s just a room filled with hundreds of file cabinets, an examination table with a sheet-covered body on it, blinding lights, tools, and posters. I start snooping, trying to jam open a couple cabinets. Breaking them open for me would be easy; I’d just tear one out. But I don’t want to leave any evidence that I’ve been here, so breaking them might be a bit hard to replace last-minute. None of them open. I keep trying to find something strange, but they’ve done a good job at covering everything up. All of the medicine bottles are empty. I keep looking when I hear something behind me, something beeping. I turn and look at the body on the table. The monitor it’s connected to is running, when a second ago it was dead. I fall back in the corner of the room, waiting for something to happen. I see two hands come from under the sheet and pull it down. The face turns towards me. “Who are you…?” He sounds drowsy.
“Nobody important…who are you?”
“None of your business, why are you in here? Are you a doctor…?””
“No. Look you’re going to find out anyway, my name is Azurite.”
“Azurite…really…”
“What’s so ‘really,’ about my name?”
“It just sounds…familiar…” He shakes his head and stands up.
“Maybe you shouldn’t stand up; I mean…it looks like you have…problems…”
“I’m fine, why should you care?”
“Who are you? Come over here.”
“Why?”
“Just-I just wanna see something…”
“Whatever…” The figure walks over towards me, inch by inch I see him. I’m almost taken back by how beautiful he is; perfect face, perfect body, muscular, shaggy brown hair, and eyes that look like they could see right through you. “Are you okay…?”
“What…y-yeah…I mean…you look so…”
“What…?”
“You’re…perfect.” He’s not just a Perfect, he’s more… there’s no word for it.
“Ha, well look at you, you’re not exactly average looking yourself.”
“Thanks…?”
“Don’t mention it. Wait…what did you say your name was?”
“…Azurite…” Out of nowhere he starts collapsing on the floor. He’s holding his head, screaming. After about a minute it stops and he sits back on the table.
“What the hell was that all about?!”
“It-it was nothing…” he’s out of breath, “It’s just when you said your name…I don’t know something just…hit me…”
“You’re sure you okay though?”
“Yeah…”
“Hey, you never told me your name.”
“I didn’t…?”
“No.”
“Oh. Well, hey, my name’s Michael.” He grabs my hand, but I don’t feel it. My whole body feels numb.
“W-what did you say…?”
He laughs a little and holds me steadily, “Hey are you okay? You look pretty pale. You better lay down.”
“No, no I’m okay. I’m just…I have to go.”
“Hey, are you gonna come back?”
“I don’t know…”
YOU ARE READING
Equals
Bilim KurguAzurite is a fourteen year old girl, only wanting to be like everyone else in her world--equal. That is, until the day she's supposed to become a fifteen year, and is instead chosen by the city's leader, Judge Maria to go out into the world alone t...
