Barely Human

Chapter 12

Hello, my lovely readers! i am so so so so very sorry that i have made you all wait this long for another update. But, school started up a few weeks back, and my schedule is absolutely packed with school events, soccer practice and games, and my marching band comps.

so yeah, i'm an awful human being for abandoning y'all for so long... but this chapter hopefully reveals a big part of the mysterious scientists behind Casey and the others' mutations and part of who they are running from. so i hope you enjoy.

Happy reading!

 

 

Chapter 12

“Sam!” I shouted. “Where’s the remote?”

We had been living at the cabin for about a week now and so far we were safe. I was rummaging around the room for the TV remote that someone had lost.

“How should I know? You used it last.” He replied from the other room. We had both relaxed a lot since we arrived at Sam’s old hideout. I can’t say it was necessarily good; but it wasn’t bad either to just relax without worrying about the evil scientists chasing after you.

Choosing to ignore Sam, I kept looking through multiple cabinets, drawers, and even between seat cushions. What I did find, however, was a few crumpled candy wrappers, three individual socks none of which matched, and half an apple. I knew I was living with a slob, but I didn’t know it was this bad.

“Eww,” I exclaimed pulling out yet another dirty sock. “Sam why is there an apple in the couch?”

He poked his head through the doorway. “Apple? Couch?” Sam asked seemingly confused.

I shook my head at him and raised my hand, which was still holding the apple. “Yes. An apple. In the couch. Do you have any idea how it got there?”

“Uhm… well… I may have possibly put it there on accident,” he admitted hanging his head. “But it was like five years ago so how am I supposed to remember?”

I dropped the apple. “Five years? That’s disgusting!”

Sam looked up at me sheepishly. “That’s when I was last here. By the way, I found the remote,” he said holding it up.

“Thanks,” I said sarcastically taking the remote from him ad setting it on top of the TV. “You know what, I changed my mind. I think I’m going to go out for a bit.” I turned and walked out onto the wrap-around balcony. Shedding my jacket, I flexed my wings and jumped.

I will say that I was much looking forward to a little reprieve from living with a 15 year old boy who had no respect whatsoever for those who were around him nor the environment in which he lived. I say that, for once in his life, he should be the one to clean up after himself. I mean, what am I, his maid?

However, I didn’t get but twenty feet before I felt something heavy land on the left side of my back. I could no longer use that wing because it was so weighted down, so being completely unbalanced; I fell in a spiral to the ground.

 “Ahh,” I moaned as I landed roughly on the ground with one of my legs twisted uncomfortably beneath me.

“Finally,” I heard someone say. “I’ve been waiting quite some time now for you to come out of your little nest, Casey Hanson. And I’ll say, I am not at all disappointed.”

“Who are you?” I asked the mysterious voice, wincing as yet another shock of pain rippled through my right leg.

“Who am I?” the voice repeated. “That’s a good question. Do you mean who am I as in, simply, my name; or who am I as in what am I doing here?”

“Yes. Both I mean.” I still could not see the person who belonged to the mysterious voice so I was so taken aback when he stepped forward and showed me his face.

He was wearing a plaid shirt and cargo shorts with a baseball cap worn low over his head. Everything about him was as familiar as my own parents. Only the smile that contorted his features was completely alien to me and sent a chill through my bones

“Well,” he said, “my name is Robert Chapman as I am sure you now know.  And as to why I am here,” he paused to chuckle, “I’m sure you know by now that you are not a normal human being. Who am I kidding; none of your little friends are either. But believe it or not, the people who did this to you did it for a good cause. You see, the world is failing. We are running out of resources worldwide, and sooner or later, contrary to popular belief, the world will come to an end.

“There will be no fancy cars, no floating houses, and no iPhone 30. That’s all just propaganda to take people’s worry off the real issue. Earth is dying and with it, so will the human race. Our goal- my coworkers and mine- is to create a superior breed of humans who will be able to survive the fallout damage.”

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked.

“You, my dear,” he said. “Were test subject number one. And with you was our biggest success. That is why I was given orders to capture you and bring you back to the lab for testing. I assure you it’s nothing personal.” And with that, a dark hood was thrown over my head, and I blacked out.

***

I opened my eyes to a dark room. After a quick check, I confirmed that there was no longer a hood restricting my vision, but rather the room was pitch black and void of all light. I stood up from where I was lying and attempted to explore the room, keeping one had on a wall at all times.

I trailed my left hand along the wall, and after a few steps, it fell into a doorway. I fumbled for the handle and once I found it, I turned it. The door was, thankfully, unlocked.

Out in the hall, there was light enough to see by. I followed the left corridor as far as it went, taking so many twists and turns that there was no way I was finding my way back.

Rather unwisely I called out. “Hello?” I shouted. “Is anyone there?”

Before I had finished speaking, an earsplitting alarm echoed throughout the hall. I instinctively covered my ears and ducked my head as an attempt to block out the noise.

The sound of boots shook me out of my reverie and back into the harsh reality. I shot back up to my feet and took off at a quick jog down the hall the way I had come. However, it wasn’t long before I rounded a corner where a group or armed soldiers were also patrolling the halls.

“Over there,” one of them shouted as he spotted me. I quickly turned tail and fled hearing the echo of their shoes on the polished tile floors behind me.

Again, the shock of how much my life had changed in just a few short months hit me. Just three short months ago I was sitting in my advanced English class, bored out of my mind, counting the minutes until the final bell rang and I was free to go home. Now I was running, possibly for my life, from a group of trained, armed soldiers who were no doubt much quicker and fitter than me.

“She went that way,” I heard a different voice shout from behind. It was much closer than before which meant that they were gaining on me and my freedom was short-lived.

In a spur of the moment decision, I shed my jacket so that I was wearing a loose fitting tank top which allowed for my wings to spread out. I unfurled them as wide as these narrow hallways would allow and lifted into the air. Suddenly much faster, I shot through the corridor as fast as a speeding bullet, whipping around corners at break-neck speeds.

I whipped around a corner and sped through a group of startled looking men, who, once they had recovered, picked their weapons up off the floor and took aim. However, by that time I was already gone.

Still not having any clue where to go, I swirled blindly around the building. I went up stairs, down stairs. I went through every hallway on every floor until I reached what I believed was the top and final floor. Exhausted, I walked into a room that I deemed safe, at least at first glance, and collapsed against the wall.

 What I didn’t realize, however, was that someone was in the room with me.