SAVE ME

Ch#4 We call it The Base

Ch#4 We call it The Base

I climbed down the stairs beginning to see a patch of light coming through. Just how many stairs are there here! Right then I tumbled over my foot and ended up rolling down the stairs and fell right on my butt.

"Oww! Holy Heavens! Too much for asking to climb down."

After agonizing over my hurting butt, I saw people gathering around me. Wow. This wasn't what I was expecting. They seem like students of around my age and of different nationalities. Who are they?

"Who are you and how did you find the base?" asked a blonde with retainers and with her hands on her hip. She had an overly aggressive tone for a girl.

What? You're being sexist now? Based on her tone? You do know that you too are as aggressive as the average teen boys right?

Yeah, whatever. I rolled my eyes at myself and stood on my feet.

"You see, when someone falls, the least they expect is 'Are you alright? Need some help? Here'. But nah, I guess being aggressive is the trend here. By the way, I'm alright, thank you."

Why can't you keep your sarcastic self to yourself?

"Excuse me?" I guess the blonde can't keep up with my sarcasm. The others around seemed moved by my retort though.

"How did you find this place?" This time the source of the voice came from a girl with long black hair and brown skin. I couldn't make out her face while the student body split up for her to walk. She looked like a model on a runway. When I finally could see her face, I was taken aback.

Holy moly! You're in for a ride Al.

Of all the people, she was the last person I was expecting to see. She was still as beautiful as ever. With her perfect proportions, she looked like a model waiting to be cast away by some big company.

"Uhm, well, you see, I-I- just...."

Wow. Now you're stuttering, genius. Way to go to repeat your past.

No. Not again.

I cleared my throat and replied her back with confidence. "Well, you see, the stairs seemed so welcoming and I guess they loved me too much and just threw me off onto the floor. Me and floor, we've always had this untold love story going on between us."

None of them were fazed by my witticism. Every student here had gone silent the moment this so called runway model had appeared on the scene. Everyone seemed to be under some spell of hers. Right when the black head was about to speak something, we heard some shuffling noise coming from the stairs. She stared at me with an amusing smile while the others' eyes widened in shock. She pushed me to one corner of the room which blocked my view from the stairs. Instead of being pushed onto the wall, I felt a soft yet hard chest on my back. I turned around and found a pair of  beautiful hazel eyes staring back at a pair of my own. The eyes, it held many emotions. Anger, hatred and pain. That's when I noticed the deep cut on his neck. It looked fresh.

It probably hurts like a bitch.

"How did you-"

I couldn't even complete my question. The guy before me, closed my mouth shut with his palm.

"Shhh. You wanna die already?" he told in a whispered tone.

What is this place? Why is everyone holding in all the suspense? This place looks scary enough already. Whatever this is, it is totally opposite of the room above. Dim lit with some scrap metals thrown here and there. On one corner of the room, I could see a pile of comforters and pillows thrown away carelessly. I looked back at this guy and at the cut on his neck. Now that I see, every other student does have some kind of scar on their face or arms.

"Riley, you're up. There is a family here. Do your job right", I heard the man who came from the stairs speak. He sounded like Mr.Smith. I tried to take a peek but I was totally blocked. Mr.Smith left the room and this angry young guy let me loose. Everyone waited for a while and when they heard the sound of the door closing behind, they left a heavy breath which they didn't even realize they were holding.

"I thought I was gonna die!"

"Me too!"

In a blink, the guy who held me, pulled me back and thrashed me onto the wall with his forearms choking my neck. "Now tell us who you are before I choke you to death."

Is he bipolar? Didn't he just save you and now he's planning to kill you?

"Woah woah. Easy boy, easy." I tried to loosen his grip around my neck. "Look I'm not here to hurt you guys or anything. I'm just a new student here who came to look around the place. I'll be joining here soon." Though I wish I wouldn't.

"How did you find the base?"

"Base? You mean this place? I was just looking around the room above and I found a door to this base or whatever." Riley, the black haired runway model, seemed quite taken aback by how I could find the door. She looked disturbed yet relieved.

"They call it the dungeon. We call it the base" said a guy who looked like an Asian. He too had a deep cut on the nook of his shoulder peeking out of his t-shirt. I looked back onto the cut on hazel eyes' neck. Subconsciously, I tried to touch it.

"It's quite deep. Probably needs a stitch. Why haven't you gone to the hospital?" my curious self asked him.

"Stay here and you too will be welcomed by these."

"Hey, newbie. Come up before you're caught." Riley walked up to me and released me from the death grip of the hazel eyed guy. I never realized I was choking until he let me loose. I coughed up a little and followed Riley.

I thought she hates you.

Yeah, me too.