The Post Sunday Experiment | COMPLETED 2020

Chapter 18

Six hours away, the two children woke up at that same time. These two children hadn't a clue in the world as to where they were. They sat up and rubbed their eyes in confusion.

Eyes drifting about the room, they found themselves on thin cots in a room with a locked door. The glass window had bars on the outside looked out at the sun which sat high in the sky.

Ody stood up and walked around the room in hopes of finding a way out or—for that matter—anything that would show him where out would lead him. The boy was clueless as to where his sister and he had been brought to. It irked him to no end.

When his eyes fell upon the security camera attached to the high ceiling, he sat back down on his bed and allowed his heart to sink to his feet.

"Where are we?" Penny yawned as she looked around the room.

"I don't know." Ody sighed as he stared at the concrete walls.

"Feels like jail," scoffed Penny. Ody nodded as he continued looking around. "They're watching us, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"But why? We didn't do anything too bad did we? I mean we were simply just trying to-"

"Penny! Hold your tongue. They're listening to every word you say." Ody scream-whispered at her, his aggravation clear.

"Oh, don't ya take your anger out on me, bud! Ya were the one that wanted to get in that van in the first place-"

"Oh, so now it is my fault?"

"Shut up and listen to me! Ya were the one who pressured me to get into that stranger's van and now we have to deal with the consequences! Choose to be angry if ya like, but don't take it out on me!"

Rolling his eyes, Ody looked away from her without responding. Deep down he knew she was right like she always was.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Penny placed both her hands on her hips and looked up into the security camera.

"Ya can't expect us to just starve to death, do ya? If ya wanted us dead ya would have killed us already so let us out, will ya?"

Ody was about to tell the girl that shouting at their captors like that would never work. Before he could, the door swung open to reveal someone in a full-body, white suit that looked as if it were used by doctors back in the coronavirus pandemic years ago.

"Follow me," a man's voice spoke. Penny began to follow him, but Ody paused behind her.

"Oh, don't ya hesitate now, come on, Ody." She shook her head. He crossed his arms as he followed his little sister and the strange man out of the room.

They walked down dimly lit stairs and through concrete tunnels. Left and right they turned down endless passageways that all looked identical. Eventually, the silent three came across two doors.

"The girl goes left the boy right." The masked figure spoke again.

"No, we're not splitting up. That is out of the question," Penny spat as she sunk into one hip like she owned the place. Ody rolled his eyes. What a Karen.

Not responding to the upset twelve-year-old, the man pulled a type of walkie-talkie out of his pocket and spoke into it. "Send in 342 and 343," the man sighed.

Eyes widening, Penny walked closer to the man and opened her mouth to shout at him. Another man in a similar suit came up from behind and grabbed her arm.

Alarmed with terror, she struggled to get free. The man continued to pull her away. She was so caught up in struggling to get away from this man's grasp that she nearly missed another figure restraining Ody as well.

The terror of the situation finally set course in her bloodstream. Like a mother when her child gets hit by a car has the strength to pick up the car, so did Penny's eyes burn with fire as she screamed into the man's ear. She twisted her way out of the man's arms and flung herself at the person trying to grab Ody.

Jumping at the person who held Ody, the man loosened his grip on the boy while be braced himself. The boy pulled free and didn't hesitate before turning and darted down the halls. The last thing he heard before he was out of earshot was his younger sister's blood-curdling scream. "Run, Ody! Bring help! Please!" her voice faded.

The people let Ody run, their focus on pinning Penny down to the ground. She screamed in pain as they twisted her arm to push her down into the choke hold. Someone raised a strongly scented cloth to her mouth and the world slowly started to fade as her heart slowed.

Continuing to run down the corridor, Ody didn't have time to think about what was happening. Rather than panicking on instinct, he flew from the people. The halls were surprisingly empty so he continued running as fast as he could through the maze of underground tunnels.

Finally slowing in front of an open door, Ody walked into a room full of the same white, protective clothing the three men had been wearing in the other hall. As he allowed himself to take a deep breath, Ody's eyes latched onto the racks of clothing. An idea slowly formed in his brain. He could hide behind those racks until he found a way out of this place.

Ody found an outfit that was only slightly too big for him. His skinny figure made even the smallest suit bag up. It was good enough considering the circumstances. Securing the last few parts of the equipment, the boy looked down at what he was wearing. He shook his head at the sight of himself.

Never in a hundred years would he have thought he'd be here. But now was not the time to flood his mind with such pitiful thoughts. He had to find a way out of the very place he got his sister trapped in.

Being sure to slip his flashlight into his pocket, his heart sank as his hand felt the empty space where his cell phone should be. He must've left it in the room or the van.

Pushing his disappointment deep down, he placed the protective mask over his face and stood up a little taller. He had a mission to do.