Purgatory

Chapter 33

By the time I finished my report I received my next assignment, and I wasn’t surprised.  I was assigned to observe the boy named Jason on a more focused scale.  Ten hours each day would be dedicated solely to watching the kid and how he interacts with his surroundings.   I knew the reason why I was assigned him, and I wanted out.  Just thinking about the boy made me nauseous.

I made my way to Cole’s room as I usually did in my times of need, hoping he would be in his room at that hour.  My hands felt clammy as I uncurled them from fists and placed my palm upon his door.  The cool surface soaked in the heat emanating from my skin for the brief moment I held it there.  I stood for a minute and a half before pressing my hand to the panel again, but I knew Cole was likely not in his room, so I headed to the recreational ward.

The simulated night sky in the entryway was dotted with the faint twinkle of starlight.  Laughter reverberated throughout the large open space that originated from the pool area.  It was odd to me how the people stuck in Purgatory seemed so leisurely and complacent enough to lark about its corridors.  Do they not realize we’ve been changed and we’re being used against our wills?

I searched every room within the recreational ward, but to no avail.  As I began to continue my search in the training ward, I nearly ran into Uvine with my determined stride.  Before I could say anything, she began a long string of apologies that ended in a long sigh.  She looked stressed and tired, likely headed to her quarters for the night.

“Long day, I’m sorry,” she said to me as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked.

“No, not really.  But anyways, why are you headed to the training ward at this hour?” she asked to change the subject.

“I’m looking for Cole,” I replied.  “Have you seen him?”

Uvine’s lips hung slightly apart as she reflected upon my question, and her brow furrowed slightly in the process.  It was the expression I knew very well; it was the physical manifestation of contemplating a lie.  Her head tilted to the side as her eyes darted to the ground, her jaw moving slightly as she formulated her words.  It was a struggle that showed me she did not want to lie to me, but she felt she had to.  The longer she waited to lie, the harder it would become to produce it, especially with the gradual hardening of my knowing gaze upon her.

“Come on, Uvine, spit it out,” I prompted in frustration.  Either she needed to lie to me or she had to come clean, either way I didn’t like standing in silence while she debated her morals.  Eventually she gave in with a sigh, her eyes closing in defeat.   Her morality won the fight and would hand over the truth easily.

“I saw him while you were away on your mission,” she began.  “I wasn’t with him, but he was standing by the waterfall.  I was walking over to talk to him, but, I don’t know, suddenly I blinked and I opened my eyes and I was on the ground.  He was gone, but I found blood around where he stood.  I also noticed twenty minutes had passed from when I first started to head over there.”

“Did the blood have a trail anywhere?” I asked urgently.

“For a while, yes,” Uvine answered.  “But the trail ended as soon as the grass did.  It was in the direction of the medical ward.  I’m due for an assessment to see if my implants are malfunctioning.  I feel terrible that I blacked out when he could be hurt.  I’m sorry, Helena.”

For a moment I almost tuned Uvine out to try and piece the puzzle together, but her constant apologies were confusing.  I eyed her thoughtfully and noticed her eyes were puffy and reddened as if she were crying before I ran into her.  She couldn’t even look me directly in the eye, her small hands ringing the hem of her shirt absentmindedly.