Want (Numbered #1, YA Scifi Dystopian) Wattpad Featured Story

Chapter Four

She opened the door to the steward's cabin again and saw what had failed to capture her full attention the last time: a rounded alcove on the wall. Touching the line where two panels met in the middle of the alcove, she felt a depression, and then the door slid open, revealing a long, dark stairwell.

Now she needed light. She had no idea which deck she was on. She thought for a moment. If you don't understand a situation, try to think of something it reminds you of. Another solid medical rule. What was this like? She rubbed her tongue across the front of her teeth, thinking.

Yes, fire drill. That's exactly what this was like. All schools had fire drills, and Aurelia's was no exception. And what did they do during fire drills?

Ha! It was so simple. Aurelia stepped into the stairwell and closed the door. As soon as it was shut, a soft orange emergency lamp glowed into life. The door closed the circuit for the light.

Easy. She looked at the door and saw that the number 91 was engraved on it. Deck 91, presumably. Her deck was 27, so she had 64 flights of stairs to go. Well, at least they were going down.

She took a deep breath and started walking. For a moment she considered what she might be up against, what she might see, how many people would be injured. Then she shook her head. Thinking too far ahead in the process would make her panic again. Best to concentrate on the job at hand.

Aurelia quickened her pace, jogging now. Obviously whatever had happened had now stopped, since she felt no more movement from the shuttle and heard no explosions. By floor 60 she had worked up a sweat and was breathing more heavily. But still she went on.

She met no one in the stairwell, though occasionally she heard footsteps running on other floors. The orange light was dim, and she kept her attention on the edges of the stair treads.

Deck 40. She paused to catch her breath. Then continued.

Finally, she reached deck 27. Without taking time to think about what she might find inside, she clawed the door open, hurried out of the steward's cabin and almost banged into the steward himself. He was bleeding heavily from a cut on his forehead, and when he saw her he closed his eyes in thanks.

"Med star," he said, thickly.

"Right here," said Aurelia.

She took his arm and steered him back to his cabin before placing him on his seat.

"How bad is it?" she asked him.

"Bad," was all he said.

"Are there first aid supplies?"

"Next door." He pointed towards a storage room next to his cabin.

She found the supplies clearly marked and, grabbing the box, took it back to him. She pulled out a sterile pad and held it to his head to stop the bleeding. She knew she was putting off going out into the main deck, afraid of what she was going to see, but she justified this by the fact that she might need help from the steward.

She lifted his hand and made him hold the pad in place while she rummaged in the box to find tape, then stuck the makeshift bandage down securely.

"Alright. Now I'm going out onto the deck," she told him. "I need you to sit here for a couple of minutes until you can stand without feeling dizzy, then come and join me."

He nodded, dumbly.

As she was leaving him, he grabbed her arm. His face was almost as white as the bandage on it, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips trembled as he spoke.

"It's bad," he said again.

She shook off his hand impatiently, grabbed the first aid box and left.
Aurelia took a breath before exiting out on to the deck. Stepping over the threshold, she stopped. The deck was unrecognisable.