Storm

Chapter Fifty-One

I remembered getting to the apartment.

I remembered a bit of the trip. Riding on bicycle with the boy. It hurt. But there wasn't much that could be done.

I couldn't go to their hospital. If they even had a hospital.

I'd sat on the boy's couch as he'd worked on my leg for hours. I don't know where he learned how to do that kind of thing. But at the end, I was, thankfully, bandaged up and on some painkillers to at least cope with some of the pain.

It hadn't been fun getting here though.

As I laid practically immobile on the couch, I took a moment to just to try re-gain my bearings. The apartment was tiny. Just a mini kitchen, living room, bedroom, and small bathroom. The place was pretty tidy though. Definitely looked well kept.

The boy, on the other hand, looked a mess.

He was frantically scribbling something out on a pad of paper. He'd been at it for a solid five minutes. I had no idea what could be so important, and I didn't think it would be polite to ask.

I didn't even know his name.

Suddenly, he tore the page out of the pad and began searching for an envelope. Could you even send mail here? I mean...sure, the Equator was big, but it wasn't like society used to be.

I realized I had so many questions. Did phones still exist? Were the advertisements? What kind of government ran this place?

When I'd been in the wall, everything had been military. Just follow orders, do what they tell you, and get through it. Then, you'd be allowed in.

We were provided with everything. Did they keep that system up here?

Would the boy get pissed off if I started grilling him? It would at least give me a bit of a distraction from the pain in my thigh.

"Hey...what are you doing?" I asked, slightly alarmed as he began marching towards the door. I wasn't usually clingy...but I also didn't know if I'd be safe left alone.

"I'll be back." He opened the door, not even glancing back at me.

"Wait, what-?" The door slammed shut.

I'd barely been around this kid and he'd already ditched me.

I stared out the window, wondering if he would be right back, or if it would be more like a couple hours. Hopefully, he'd at least considered locking it.

I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't really trust him enough yet. What if the letter he'd written was for some higher-up in the Equator who'd be here to drag me away?

It was unlikely. He'd been unusually kind so far. He also hadn't pushed me when I begged him not to drag me to a hospital.

And I guess I trusted him a little still. He was nice to me. And I think that meant something.

Still, it didn't mean I was content with lying on a bed semi-immobile while I could easily be in danger.

I pushed myself into a sitting position, grimacing at the slight pain in my thigh. Fortunately, the boy had some good drugs. There wasn't much to do in his apartment, but maybe I could at least learn a little more about him.

There was a pile of magazines, an empty pizza box, and a couple of ancient-looking game controllers sitting on the living room table next to me. The TV was off, but the remote worked.

I spent about an hour just looking through everything on his table, leaning over in awkward positions just to reach the different magazines. Then, I sifted through as many channels on the TV as I could. He didn't really have that many options. And all of the shows that did exist were totally unrecognizable to me.

The ads, too, were highly disturbing. I knew about the Equator. I knew what they did...how they survived. But I still struggled to stomach the cheerful actresses insisting you "buy a new body, today!"

I wasn't sure I could ever get used to it. Especially after knowing the dark side behind the Equator, and what nearly was my own fate.

I'll be honest, I couldn't help but get distracted by some of the magazines. Sure, they talked a lot about celebrities who I'd never heard of and fashion trends that I didn't care for, but it was a good way to pass the time.

Until I heard the knock on the door.

When you're a fugitive, camping out, immobile in a stranger's house, a knock on their door is the last thing you want to hear.

The knock came again, a bit more aggressive this time.

What was I supposed to do? Get up and let them in? It definitely wouldn't be the boy...he'd have a key. And it wouldn't be the Equator's police force. They would've just barged in and asked questions later if they assumed I were here.

I wasn't sure I could even make it to the door if I wanted to. I heard something rattling, and realized that whoever it was was genuinely trying to get inside. Did they actually have a key? Or were they picking the lock?

I looked around me for something to throw. I needed to fight back. If someone was breaking in, I couldn't just sit here defenseless.

I picked up the TV remote.

The door flew open.

I didn't even think, just threw.

"Holy sh-!" There was a loud crack as the remote slammed into the wall and broke into pieces, batteries flying across the room. The girl who'd barely ducked in time, stared at me incredulously. "Who the hell are you?!"

Whoops.