The Post Sunday Experiment | COMPLETED 2020

Chapter 29

Walking through the halls, Eric and Ody could not help but feel their veins to fill with adrenalin. Their hearts pounded and their spirits lifted as they did their best to contain themselves.

However, it didn't take them many steps out of the closet to run into a man who stood in the middle of the hall with a turtleneck suit with a raven lapel pin and tinted sunglasses. Both froze as the man caught sight of them.

"Welcome, Ody and Eric," the man smirked as if he had been expecting them.

The world seemed to freeze as both boy and man froze at the sight of Mr. Aldrich. Neither said or did anything but instead opened their mouths to simply close them again in fear.

"That's not my name." Ody broke the silence as he removed the face mask built into the suit. The man pulled off his black mask as well as he took a step forward. Although Ody wasn't sure this man was Mr. Aldrich, he could sense the man's importance. He was running out of chances to leave this building of his own accord.

As much as Ody hated having to humor this man with conversation, he knew it would buy time if nothing more.

"Excuse me?" Mr. Aldrich's confusion was clear. Eric looked around at all the faces behind Aldrich and behind his own back who stood there, armed just in case Eric and he tried to run.

"My name isn't Ody."

"I don't care what your name is, boy. You're coming with me."

"No."

Mr. Aldrich looked at Ody with contemptment but allowed the boy time to reply. "Fine, Winter. What is your name?"

"Odysseus. Odysseus Joseph Winter. Do you know who I'm named after?" Ody's voice shook from the effort of forcing those words from his mouth. He hated sharing this piece of himself.

He hadn't gone by that name for his entire life. Although that's what was written on his birth certificate, it wasn't what he liked to be called. He had told his mother it was the name of someone who he felt never even existed. He felt he didn't deserve the dignified name of a man who was greater than Ody ever could.

"Well of course I do," the man laughed.

"Do you know what he did?"

"Did he not sail home to his wife?" Mr. Aldrich frowned. He wasn't amused by this little history quiz. For some reason, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end with each confident word that fell from Ody's lips.

"Yes, but that isn't all." Ody took in a deep breath as he continued. "Odysseus came up with the idea of the Trojan horse. Odysseus's people were losing a war against a more powerful enemy; a war they had been fighting for ten years.

"Odysseus knew he couldn't win the war, but for the glory of his people he wouldn't surrender, even when he was surrounded." Ody looked around him. "He used what he did know to fight for his family even if that meant his own death."

And with that, Ody smiled triumphantly.

"Do you know, sir, what's happening today?" Ody continued. "The news outlets are taking the death of my father and making his passing out to be a suicide. I saw it on my way back in." There was a stiff pause. "They are dishonoring an honorable man, but for every up there is a down and, sir, don't pretend that I don't know what you've done."

Laughing to himself, Mr. Aldrich spoke, "And what is that?"

"You have forced these people to work unconstitutional hours and keep important information from the public. People are dying. People on your staff are dying because you are too scared to tell them the truth about the PSE. You won't tell even your own employees the whole story because you are paranoid they'll let your secret out to the public.

"And you can't have the public knowing because you're afraid they won't want an infected man in charge of the experiment."

There was a soft murmur that began to rise from the people as Mr. Aldrich put on his poker face.

"And what do I have?"

"The disease. Just take off those glasses. I know what's underneath them."

Opening his mouth and then closing it again, Mr. Aldrich gestured for the armed men watching to take the boys but Ody didn't move. He continued to stare at Mr. Aldrich with an intensity he had learned from Penny.

"Take them off. If I am wrong, I'll go willingly, but if not... you're technically illegally harming a child you kidnapped," Ody taunted.

"Such pride in such a little, weak, useless boy," Aldrich spat.

"Weak and useless? Why so threatened then? Don't try to mess with me. I know that trick."

"Look, just take the glasses off and no one gets hurt," Eric interjected. He could feel the tension rising in the room.

"Fine." Mr. Aldrich raised his fingers to his glasses. All eyes strained to get a glimpse of his eyes as Mr. Aldrich removed his glasses yet held his eyelids closed.

Taking in a deep breath, the man opened his eyes.

"Take them and put them with the other two," Mr. Aldrich's yellow eyes twinkled with mirth as his pupils flashed from human eyes to snakes in a second and then back again.

Too stunned to speak, Ody and Eric didn't protest the guards leading them to Mae and Penelope's room. After the door was closed behind them, the boys turned to face the girls with disappointment and confusion.

Ody, on the other hand, didn't hesitate to walk over to Penny who continued to draw, the pile of papers on the desk slowly growing. He picked up her papers and thumbed through them until he caught sight of the picture with Aldrich's eyes.

Examining the paper, Ody placed it down on the table and turned to look at Penny.

"What do they want from us?" he spoke melancholily.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Hmmm."

It wasn't long before the artificial light outside the window dimmed. Someone slid four meals in through the little mail slot in the door. The four ate in silence and after they had finished, they each settled into a cot.

Staring at the ceiling, they slowly drifted off to the gentle hum of the air conditioning somewhere above them. It was all terribly frightening. The thought of how or even if they were to get out of this place worried them all deeply.