Through the kitchen's large, double doors, Shadow led Victor into another dark space. As the white walls and red stained concrete floors brightened from timed overhead fluorescents, the expanse of the building appeared.
Floors sloped down into what appeared to be two endless halls lined with an equally infinite set of doors on each side. In front of Victor was a double set of doors, a mirror image of those leading to the kitchen. A trickle of blood lead from whatever happened behind them.
"The sanctuary is through there," said Shadow, watching Victor's eyes.
"What do all those doors lead to?" said Victor, looking down the hallways.
"Bunk rooms, four apiece," said Shadow. She pointed to the first one on the right. "This one is mine, it backs up to the sanctuary, it's how I listened in."
"How many of you are there?"
"There were one hundred and twenty of us, sixty in each group, but now there's only one hundred and sixteen."
"Where are they? Where do we go?"
"Straight ahead. Regan had us in the next room. She wanted to teach us a lesson."
"Four of you, oh my God," rambled Victor, upset over what he had seen, and what he had not seen in the refrigerators.
"There's nothing we can do for them now, let's round up the group and get out of here."
Shadow opened the doors to the sanctuary. "Come on," said Shadow, "right in here."
Dark figures rustled around in the back of the room. Fabric brushed fabric, while delicate shoes with soft treads shuffled around the floor.
Victor heard muffled breathing. When he entered the room, more and more mouths drew deeper, stronger breaths, until a collective gasp stole the silence.
The darkness did not last long. Though Shadow did not turn the lights on, Victor's eyes, once again, seemed to chase it away. Everything in the room came into full view as the crowd gathered toward the back saw his glowing, golden eyes.
"Are you an angel?" said one girl. Her large, lidless, almond-shaped eyes questioned the figure in front—Victor. The ones around her stood quiet, the same look of awe on their faces.
"They believe in angels?" whispered Victor to Shadow,
"We do attend your church. We do form our own beliefs," said Shadow. She scanned his eyes and said something he didn't expect: "Aren't you an angel, now?"
Victor looked at one of the girls. He guessed her age to be around ten. He couldn't believe someone would want to harm such small, young, and mild-looking children.
"They're not all children," said Shadow, "some of us are quite old, older than your folks."
"But, are there not any males among you?" said Victor
"Our relationships are different than those of humans. I suppose I can say it now, you know."
"These all look like girls."
"We only have one father," whispered Shadow, "he resides elsewhere."
"Oh," said Victor, intrigued.
He knew they had little time, and he needed to load them on the buses. He sensed more complications surrounded them, but he pledged his help to Shadow. It needed to be accomplished, in the dark, away from prying eyes.
"Are they ready? Do they know what is in store for them?" said Victor.
"We are industrious. My group is ready to do whatever you tell them."
YOU ARE READING
Victor Black - And the Garden of the Gods
Science FictionVictor Black seems to have it all. He graduated at the age of sixteen. His parents have money, and his father is a high-ranking military official in Colorado Springs. Victor is also a competitive figure skater and world traveler. Everything was supp...
