Population Zero

Chapter Eighteen

A few weeks passed and I hadn't opened that book back up. I couldn't face what I read. It was still hidden away in my jacket pocket hanging inside the closet. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't shake the thought out of my head. If I became a father I would never get to meet a female. I would have to live an isolated and lonely existence according to that passage highlighted in yellow. I didn't want to live that way. I felt like I couldn't risk ending up like that and I needed to act fast to avoid being a "seed" to be planted. I kept thinking back to Dustin. That is not what he wanted for me. I thought back to Benjamin and Asher and wished I was back with them on the adult compound. I felt cheated by Van Whittle for bringing me back after promises of good treatment and fine foods. He tricked me into believing I was fulfilling my fate by returning when I was really just fulfilling his sick plan. I need a new plan. It's about time I decide who I'm going to trust so tonight I'm going to pull out my book and show it to Renzo and Fabian. I need another perspective immediately, after all, my training begins tomorrow.

When night fell and the three of us returned to our room, Renzo started joking about how tonight was my last night in my bed. Fabian started faking crying. "You can't leave us here! What will become of us without you!" He cracked.

"It's like he's already left anyway." Said Renzo. "He's barely here when he is here."

"Yeah. What's been going on with you? You've been acting so weird ever since we got back from that library."

"Yeah, that was it! That's the last time he acted normal." Renzo snapped his fingers. "Now he's always going to bed early and waking up late. Doesn't even want to play pranks on Zach!"

"Guys." I interrupted. "I have to show you something I found in the library."

"What? You said you didn't find anything." Fabian snapped. "Keeping secrets!"

"I wasn't sure what I should do. I found a book." I walked over to the closet and shuffled around so they couldn't make out the fake pocket in my jacket. I returned with the book in my lap.

"Fathers?" Said Renzo. "What is that about?" He grabbed the book out of my hands and opened it. Van Whittle's note spilled out and Fabian grabbed it off the floor fast. Renzo turned to the first earmarked page and began to read it to himself. Fabian read the note. They both looked at me stunned and switched. Once they had read everything they were quiet. Finally,

"That's messed up." Renzo blurted out. "Are you supposed to be a father or something? I thought you were going for Youth Officer training."

"There was something wrong with that whole picture to begin with." Said Fabian. "He's only 13. He's way too young to be starting YouthQuest to begin with. Unless they had different plans for you this whole time."

"That's what I was thinking." I said. "But I'm not doing it. That's not what I want for my life. If I'm not going to be a youth officer then I'm going back to the adult compound. I already decided I am going to tell Van Whittle tomorrow morning."

"What! That's crazy! No way your going to do that!" Renzo stood up. "That's suicide!"

"There's gotta be a better way. He can't be forced to choose between being banished to the adult compound or banished to live in isolation. That's not right. There has to be another option!" Fabian said.

"Well, there's not. Those are my only choices. What else could I do?"

"Well..didn't  you once try to escape the compound? If you got caught you would end up in the adult compound anyway, wouldn't you?"

Renzo had a really good point. If I tried to escape again and got caught I would just end up back with Asher and Benjamin. But if I actually made it out.. I'd have a real chance at meeting the females. But how could I hatch a plan to escape on such short notice? Fabians eyes lit up as he guessed exactly what I was thinking. He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out Dustin's telepad. "Didn't you say this would start up an ATV? As like a key?" Of course! I completely forgot about Dustin's telepad! That was the missing element of our last plan to escape. I grabbed the telepad out of Fabian's hand and felt a jolt of energy course through my veins. My heart beat fast in my chest. "So you guys think I should make a run for it then?" I said with a hint of uncertainty in my voice as it cracked. "What do you mean YOU?" Asked Renzo. "You think you are going to get to enjoy all that fun and excitement without us? God has more planned for me than sitting here to rot."

"Yeah. You aren't leaving us behind to wither away on this God forsaken compound." Fabian half smiled. "Especially not while Eric is still around plotting his revenge!"

"But guys. You aren't being forced to make this decision, I am."

"Right. But isn't the adult compound where we will all end up, anyways? And you make it sound not half bad. Besides, we aren't losing you. This place would be boring without you." Fabian said with a serious tone. "So. What's the plan?"

I sat on my bed quietly for a moment with the rush of anxiety in my chest. I struggled to remember everything Asher and I had plotted out so many months ago. It's been nearly a year since Asher got hauled off to the adult compound and months since I last saw him. I know where the ATV's are. I know for sure now, since Eric's trick, which direction the female compound is. I have the telepad. The only thing we need to do is figure out how to get out of our cottage without getting caught. There were night officers who kept watch over us. That was the biggest difference between the East wing and here. Over there you could just walk right out the door.

"Just pretend to be sick." Suggested Fabian.
"Yeah. We can all pretend to be sick. What was that contagious disease you almost died from again? The one that took your hearing?" Asked Renzo.

"Meningitis? You want us to pretend we have meningitis?" I practically yelled.

"Shhh!!" Cried Renzo. "Someone is going to hear us!"

I cupped my hand over my mouth breathing hard under my fingers. I took a deep breath sucking the dense air that refused to reach my lungs. "Okay." I said. "These are the symptoms."