The Blind, The Deaf, and The Mute

Prologue

    If someone asked me to tell them how I felt about everything that has happened to us before it all happened, I'd wish to tell them to go screw off.

They know I can't speak, every day since the time I was caught and brought here, they've known that and bullied me for it.

"What are you gonna do? Tell on me?"

Time after time, I'd hear that, them jabbing it in my face that I couldn't do anything to protect myself vocally. Could never snap or shoot threats back, just forced to ignore it or hiss at them, one of the few noises I couldn't make without the aid of my useless vocal cords.

I wasn't sure how old I was when he arrived through the vents one day. All I knew was that other kids were suddenly surrounding him, trying to ask questions or anything like that.

The boy would be surrounded, question after question, I was curious as to why he wasn't holding his head at so many voices.

He would shake his head at them, trying to make some sort of noise, pointing around to a couple of vents.

"Runaway said the vents should be clear enough to go through, the Janitor won't be back for a while. Now's our chance,"

At first I didn't know what they were talking about. Why were they so content with leaving all of a sudden? I watched them with curiosity as some of the kids climbed on each other's shoulder, twisting and pulling on vent coverings, before climbing inside, helping others as well.

Slowly but sure, the playroom was cleared that day. Well, all except me of course, and who 'Runaway' was.

The boy came over to me, looking to be around my age. His hair was scruffy, a dark brown color with bangs that hid his eyes. A slightly too big jacket was on him, with dark jeans, a broken shackle around his ankle.

He tried to talk to me, he really tried it seemed like. All the noise that escaped him though was moans and groans, pointing back up to the vents.

I shook my head, I wasn't going, not with them anyways. It took a bit to get him to understand that, but my point was finally clear to him with shaking my head and hissed as I too pointed to the vent.

I wasn't going with those kids, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.

The boy was seemingly taken aback by it, but after a moment, he nodded. He gave me what I guessed was a 'good luck, stay safe' and left, climbing up into the vents, seeming to join the other kids. He closed the cover behind him, but the other one on the other wall hung open.

I went to it, climbing up and went down the opposite direct the other kids went. It lead deeper and deeper into this stupid ship, but it was better than being trapped with them wherever.

I dropped down into a large room, furniture was huddled into corners, a small chair with a hanging, long limbed body over it. The scent of death and decay was something I was use to sadly, not finding myself all that bothered with it as I carefully made my way across and climbed into another air duct.

It was smaller, and lead further down. Creatures scuttled off into the shadows, whether it be a rat or a Nome, I wasn't sure. Eventually I came to a room with a very tall ceiling, so tall in fact, I couldn't see the actual ceiling.