Barely Human

Chapter 16

Hey guys. another speedy update for you.  I hope you all enjoy :)

Happy Reading

 

Chapter 16

“How come you didn’t arrive with the others?” Calyx asks me as we continue to walk from room to room. So far we had been through a total of four main rooms: the gathering room, which was the room with the big trampoline that I had arrived in, the kitchens, the garden, where the residents grew their own food and raised animals, and the backyard, which is where we were now.

“I was kidnapped,” is all I say. I look around the yard. It was a good interpretation of a park. There was grass on the ground, a playground with swings and a slide, and benches scattered around the room. The only way that you could tell it was really not outdoors was the artificial lighting shining down from the ceiling and the fact that it was heated.

“How did that happen?” Calyx asks.

“I went for a fly and my wing got caught in a net. Apparently there was a group of men hiding in the woods and they took me to the lab.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright,” I reply. After that we walk in silence.

Calyx takes me through the whole underground complex. Considering it was basically built, or re-built, by children- it used to be a military base but had been abandoned years ago, or so i was told- it was very impressive. There was a large communal restroom, split for boys and girls, with toilets and showers, a mess hall, working kitchens, and a strong power supply. There was also somewhere between twenty and thirty bedrooms which had been converted from large military bunks with forty or more beds in a room to a series of small, single bedrooms meant for one person each. They also had a gym, all of which was there originally, that was used by the older kids for staying in shape. I was told that there had not been an attack yet, but many close calls and the group wanted to be ready for an invasion.

We stop in front of one of the many bedrooms. “Ryan said that you needed a room which means that you’ll be staying for at least a week,” Calyx says opening the door in front of her. “Your whole group is in this hall so I figured that you would be more comfortable here.”

“Thank you, Calyx,” I say.

She nods. “There should be fresh sheets on the bed but I would check for bugs and rats before settling down.” And with that she walks off.

Pushing the door further open, I flick the light switch and walk in. Sitting in the far corner of the room is a small twin sized bed with a bedside table set next to it. On the opposite wall, was a wooden dresser with a lamp on top. The walls were painted orange and the carpet was thick and fuzzy beneath my feet.

I wander over to the bed and, before sitting down, pull back the sheets and inspect it for bugs and rodents like Calyx said to do. Luckily there is no sign of either because I would have screamed had there been any sign of them.

I sit down on the small bed and lay back staring up at the ceiling. How good it is to be somewhere safe. Somewhere that I don’t have to worry what is going on behind me. Where I don’t have to wonder if I will make it through the day, free.

I hear a knock at the door. Sitting up, I look into the smiling face of the one person from my old life that I can still count on 100%. She was holding a plate covered in an array of breakfast food. There were eggs, bacon, fruit, French toast, and a packet of pop tarts.