The Opportunity ✘ Rex Salazar; Generator Rex

3.00

"I imagine that your wings just haven't come in yet, my little caterpillar."
- Diana Finch

With her memory skewed a bit, Nice recalled that it had taken her approximately five hours of running through dunes before she had collapsed in the sand, sweat moistening her now-brown clothes, her tongue dry, aching for a taste of anything liquid, and her wounds burning with irritation. The sun had receded slightly, the sky releasing flecks of light reds, and for the moments before she had blacked out, she had watched those light blues turn to reds and those reds turn into dark blues.

If she had been stressed, it would have been calming for her but she was already calm, used to the feeling of death approaching her slowly. It was so easy for her to close her eyes and just pretend that she was sleeping, thinking of the nights she sent back with the other children, where some snored and others ground their teeth together. Nice imagined that when the grains of sand rubbed together, they made the same sounds as those children did at night. The thought brought her a slight pleasure, a comfort, and it was what lulled her into a slumber, acting as the sand was her thin blanket back at the place that she had escaped from.

When she woke, the sand was no longer her blanket and the sky was no longer her roof. Instead, she had both of those things and an IV stuck into her largest vein of her right arm. The smell of something sweet invaded the air and, when she struggled to identify it, she felt a headache growing.

Getting up from the weird object that she was laying on was difficult, she was a bit dizzy from her collapse and her mouth still felt like a cotton ball was stuffed inside of it but she managed, moving into a sitting position. Glancing at her arm, she gently applied pressure on the application site of the IV with her the cleanest part of her sleeve and started to carefully pull it out the way she had seen the nurses after her treatment do, hissing as it eased out and tried to keep her movement smooth.

It had taken her a lot longer than the nurse but she had finally got it out, throwing it on the floor, and pressed the rest of the clean spot where blood was bubbling from the sudden puncture. She didn't know what was in the IV, which was cause for concern, but all that could happen now, at the best, is an infection, which could be handled if the location she was at had basic medical supplies like hydrogen peroxide.

Nice stumbled up, pressing her shoulder against the wall to keep her steady and inhaled a deep breath before exhaling. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the things around her, the smells and the noise that was a part of the location. She could hear the light sound of sizzling ahead of her.

Taking another deep breath, she pushed herself forward on uneven feet, trying to make herself as quiet as possible. The sweet smell grew stronger the closer Nice got to the burning sound, the combination of both making her head pulsate even further. It was unusual for her, all the sounds and smells, and it felt dirty in a way. Everything smelt the same back at the place that she had escaped from, even the people.

Shaking her head, she tried to knock those thoughts out of her head, trying to organize her brain so that she was just focusing on the sound of the fire and getting out of her current situation without harming herself further. It took her a moment but when she finally managed too, Nice crept forward, attentive to which steps would make noise the moment she stepped on them.

She listened well for the sounds of other humans, for breathing or a heart beating, but she heard dead silence, making her wonder what kind of place she was in. Taking another juncture of time, she leaned against a corner, wondering if she had enough strength to take on a person of any size while she was in that condition. Deciding that it was in her best option to try, she lifted her hand off her arm, pressing it against the wall, and pushed off, moving quickly to encounter another room.

This one was much different than the one Nice was in before, contain a sink that she had seen from the bathrooms at the facility that she had escaped and ovens, which she knew from the cafeteria. It also had tables and chairs but that was all she recognized, though she did notice that the longer she stood in that room, the stronger the sweet smell got.

It was an unknown scent, one that jumbled her nerves and made her head pulsate, but it reminded her of stories told by the children that had entered the place she had escaped, who told about things called candy that looked like her daily meals. Following the smell while sniffing lightly, Nice neared a plate but couldn't identify what was on it except for a knife, layered in something white.

Picking up the knife, she held the sharp end up to her nose, the part coated in the frosty color and sniffed. It smelt partially like what she had been detecting since she woke up. Leaning forward slightly, she turned her attention to the plate in front of her, sniffing the mysterious thing in front of her. It had the same scent as the rest of the house.

Dipping lower, Nice placed herself at eye level with the plate and the strange object on it, staring hard at it. It had the sweet scent to it, as well as a toasted smell, but what was it? She didn't know, and honestly didn't have much time to bide herself with it, as it as a door had slammed closed two rooms down from her.

Bristling, Nice glanced down at the utensil in her hand, tightening her grip. Even with the white substance on it, she could tell that it wasn't very sharp, actually being rather dull. She couldn't understand why anyone would have it at their base, much less it wasn't coated in blood, but she didn't have much time to think as two sets of footsteps were advancing in her direction.