Capture

Chapter 4: One Screw Loose

Chapter 4: One Screw Loose

I must have fallen asleep while in my sitting position. My legs were cramping, and my feet had fallen asleep. The room's light had been turned off. There was no switch on any of the walls.

The darkness was comforting. When we first moved under the house, the dark scared me. I wanted the sun or artificial light, not to be left in my shared tomb. Now it reminded me of the safety of that place.

I listened to the quiet, hum of the air vent at the top of the far wall. I pressed my ear against the door. When I could not hear as well, I put my hand to cover my other ear. I could feel the vibrations outside in the hallway, but I couldn't distinguish what was voices or footsteps.

Ok, then let's take a look at that vent. The vent itself wasn't very fancy. It was just a tin grate held up by screws in the corners. I could barely reach it standing on the tips of my toes and with my arms stretched high above my head. I had nothing to stand on but the bed that I didn't sleep in.

The metal frame was heavier than the wooden one bad home in my room. My socked feet did not help to provide any leverage. I was still able to shove it to the wall. Not as quietly as I would have liked though. Pickers can't be choosers.

The mattress was in no way soft. It reminded me of the foam mats that Emilee's dorm provided her freshman year. It was stupid, but I felt a little joy of standing onto of the bed. Childish, still true.

With the added feet of the frame and mattress, I could see into the vent. It was much darker than in the room. The vent's slants were gray with dust. I didn't think I could lift myself into the vent shaft, let alone fit enough to make a break for it in unmapped territory. I felt a big defeat against my small victory.

That's when it caught my eye; the top corner screw was sticking out much farther than the others. It almost looked like there was enough surface to grab onto and twist. The moment took much more effort that I had originally expected. I switch hands and had to wipe them on my shirt when they got to sweaty. I eventually had two very pink, indented fingers and one screw, about two inches long.

The light box above whirled to life with a series of clicks. I hopped down from the bed. I wedged myself between the bed frame and the wall and pushed. The bed screeched back into the same approximate place. I looked back to the vent. Unless someone was to look closely, the missing screw wasn't noticeable.

But where to put the screw? After some quick thinking, I rolled down one of my socks. I held the screw vertical with inner side of my ankle and rolled the sock back up. I shook my leg. The screw stayed in place. Good, now I have a weapon.

The lights coming on had triggered my adrenaline now my heartrate slowed. I sat down on the bed. And waited.

I had completely calmed down when the door opened wide. It flew into the connecting wall and bounced back, making me jolt. I glanced up to see that it was a Natural.

"Let's go!", he commanded.

I got up from the bed and walked forward. In the hallway, there were five other humans standing in a single line. My dad and sister weren't one of them. Where are they? And why are we being kept apart? With a shove, I was behind the nearest woman. Were they going to make us shower? I'd hadn't thought of how I could hide my screw in there.

With another shove to the back by the beast behind me, I started walking behind the line that had begun to move forward. We were lead to a different side of the building. The leading guard swiped a card at every entrance we passed through.

I didn't see another human in the hall, but the numbers of Natural beings increased. At one point, it looked like a tour was being shown to pubescent beasts. They leered intensely at us as they walked by. Their pace slowed, nostrils flaring. The creepy grins that I remember seeing in the halls of my high school and the socials Emilee and I went to. This is fun to them.

One stepped away from the group. He approached the woman in front of me and stopped. His face leaned towards her. He took a large breath and made a comical face. Waving his hand in front of his nose, he rejoined his buddies laughing. All the while the woman in front of me was trembling. I reached out the hand closest to the wall and grabbed her hand in mine. I squeezed and she back, while we use our bodies hid the connection.

The guard barked, and their little tour continued on past us. When the snickering was no longer heard, our line turned to the nearest set of doors. These were different. They were double doors with vertical, rectangular windows. The front Natural swiped in but didn't lead us in. The boy in the front did not move.

"All of you in", the guard said and gave the boy a rough shove.

It sent him stumbling into the room. He fell to his knees, hard. The rest of us scurried in and the door clanked shut behind me. A second later there was a soft beep. We were locked in.

The room was long and tall. Looking up, I gasped as I saw skylights. Real sunshine scattered upon the rows and rows of bunk beds. There were humans milling about in the same grey sweats as me. Some people were grouped together talking or playing games. I didn’t see anyone much younger or older than me but both males and females were present.

It wasn't likely I could find my dad in this room, but I could find Emilee. I felt the reassuring ridges of the screw against my ankle. I could plan later. Family first.

"Nat?"