Ruby

Chapter 28

I wake up in the passenger seat of a car. My arm is bandaged neatly. I look over and see David driving. We travel over a hilly landscape. I can see a building in the distance, but only barely. The world is covered in a light fog.

David glances over at me. "Hey, Ron. How're you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess. I think I'll live," I tell him.

"Are we almost there?" I hear Cinda's voice call from the back seat. "These two twerps won't stop groaning." I turn around and see who my two attackers are. Luckily, I don't recognize either of them. They both have bandages tied around one of their thighs where David shot them. They're tied up and gagged. I'm glad it's not me this time.

"Yeah, we're almost there. Just a few more minutes. Hang on," David tells her.

We drive for a few minutes, just like David said. Then we pull up to the building. A few people come running out to help us.

"Wait here in the car until we get them inside," Cinda tells me.

Cinda waves them over to her; she needs them to help her get the two hostages into the building. They're all carrying guns. Not just small ones like the one in my closet, but huge ones. They pull the two traitors out of the car and push them towards the building. I wait until they're inside. Then I push the door of the car open and get out, standing on shaky legs. I take a few wobbly steps toward the building.

David jumps out of the car and hurries over to me. "Let me help you."

"It's okay, I've got it," I say, taking a few more small steps. I shake badly with each step. "Maybe I don't."

David smiles slightly and puts a hand on my waist, steadying me."Whatever they knocked you out with, it seems to have lasted for a long time."

I find a small smile on my lips as well. With his help, I walk all the way back to the building, and then to my room. I head straight for my bed.

"You must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat," David says.

"Thank you, David," I say as he leaves the room. Almost as soon as he leaves the room, my mom comes swooping in. She wraps me up in her arms.

"This never should have happened! I should have kept a better eye on you, I should have checked everyone's pupils-" but I cut her off short.

"Not all Rubies have ruby pupils. And I'm here, I'm still breathing, so it's okay," I say.

"Wait, not all of them have ruby pupils? Are you sure?" She asks.

"Yes, I'm sure. They told me. They also told me that Ruby is performing experiments on people. They're here now if you want to ask them yourself."

She straightens herself up. "I'm going to arrange a time for them to be interrogated right now. As for now, you are to go nowhere without a gun. There is one in your closet, if you didn't already know. I'm glad you're okay, Ron," She brushes a loose hair out of my face, and then she leaves.

I lean back against my pillows. David comes back in. He's carrying a tray piled high with food. My mouth waters. The food looks delicious. There are a few bread rolls, a small steak, and a huge bowl of ice cream. A glass of water sits next to the food on the tray.

"Mmm... It looks delicious. Thank you," I tell him, digging into the meal.

He chuckles softly. "You're welcome."

"What's so funny?" I wonder.

"Well, you just eat like you've never seen food before!" he says, still chuckling.

"Hey! You would eat like this too if you had just been kidnapped!" I say defensively, but I try to eat slowly. Once I finish, he takes my tray away.

I carefully put on some nightclothes, staying close to the bed for support. My legs still don't want to move. Then I crawl under the covers, snuggling up under them. Suddenly, the door opens again, and David enters.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" I ask him. Then I notice that he's carrying a rifle in his hand. "Oh..."

"I'm not going to let them slit your throat in the night. I'm staying here to protect you," he says. I know that nothing I say is going to make him leave.

"All right. But if someone does come in, just don't get yourself killed."

"I won't," he says, and cocks his gun.

I pull the blankets up and close my eyes. I fall into a deep, quiet sleep.