Broken Bones

Antidote

It's been 27 days since they locked me in what they call quarantine. Three times a day, everyday, there's food slipped through a small flap in the door.

I know. How stereotype.

The room is the same as the other one. All concrete. A prison bed in a corner. A toilet in another. Nothing special. I don't do anything. I'm kinda like a baby. All I do is sleep, eat and poop. Except for the first week I was in here. I thought that if I made myself sick they would take me out. No such luck. So I just sit and wait. Every time the third meal comes, I take the fork and make a mark in the wood on my bed. 27 marks, 27 days.

But on the 30th day...

*******

The weird scientist guy, I'll call him Bazooka, walks in. I'm on my bed, staring at the ceiling, like I do everyday, all day. He walks over and stands by my bed. I don't move. Bazooka brings his hand up to his mouth and coughs into it. I still don't move. I didn't care about what he wanted from me. He did it again. My eyes shifted to his. I gagged. His eyes were disgusting.

"So, come on dearie. We need to run... some...uh, tests. So let's go," said Bazooka, uncomfortably. Tests, what a load of bullshit. I wouldn't believe it for a second. I grunted and rolled over. I wasn't going anywhere, at least not by choice.

I felt a sharp jab in my back. Then nothing. Colors danced around the wall I was starting at. Ahh, beautiful colors. I shook my head. I couldn't give into whatever they put in me. I was stronger than that. I had to be...

A cold, clammy hand grabbed my forearm. I turned my hand and saw a small, mousy boy. He had a mop of messy white hair, gray eyes so light they could pass as clear, and was so pale he could be snow. He couldn't have been older than seven. He was adorable, but his hand was so cold.

Why is his hand so cold?

"Anika, come on or Dov will have to do something he doesn't want to. Let's go," said Bazooka, and walked away. The child, Dov, tugged on my arm, motioning for me to go. I stood up, but Dov kept his hand on my arm. I was hoping he would let go. I guess not.

Bazooka was standing at the door, holding it open with his metal hand. He let us out first, and then slammed the door behind us with a loud, metallic clang. He stepped in front of us and set a quick pace.

"Don't try anything. Dov has been trained to deal with people like you."

Trained? What? "What do you mean by trained?" I asked. No response. "Dov? What does he mean by trained?" I felt my forearm go slightly numb. What?

"No talking," came the meek response from the boy. Feeling came back to my arm. I was so confused, but I let it drop. Instead I studied my surroundings. Everything here was made out of metal or concrete, with the exception of the weak lights that were in the ceiling.

Were we underground?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of voices. Voices that weren't Bazooka's or Dov's. Bazooka led us through a room that smelled like bread and tomatoes. The room was filled with people, all dressed in blue coveralls, sitting at round metal tables. They each had a bowl of something and some bread. The murmuring stopped as we entered. Bazooka led us over to a small metal door in the corner. He opened it with a wave of his regular hand. It disappeared into the ground. Inside was a filing cabinet and a metal table with three chairs. There were two bowls and two loaves of bread at two of the chairs. The other chair had a manilla folder at it.

Bazooka, again, held the door open for us. Dov led me in and sat me in one of the chairs with the food. He sat at the other. Bazooka sat in the only one left. The one with the folder.

"I have brought you in here to discuss something very impor--" Bazooka started. He was cut off with a loud bang from the room with all the people. We all looked toward the door, startled. There were multiple screams and then silence.

Then a shorter man with a flushed face ran in, panting. "There..... is a ...... giant dog in the computer room. But right before it burst in through the cafeteria, Mr. Eludes got word that our enemies had gotten into the Underworld," said the man. Bazooka looked back at Dov and I, a look of terror on his face.

He got all stern and said, to Dov, " You know what to do."

A cold sensation spread through me, starting at my forearm, where Dov still hadn't let go. I saw Dov mouth the words I'm sorry before darkness took over.