"Friend, cover your eyes for a while. I'm turning the lights on."
The naked bulb suspended from the ceiling flickered on, gradually increasing in luminescence. Aside from the door to the kitchen, there was also a door on the wall left of it and another on the opposite wall. These were marked "7", "5", and "9" respectively. The remaining structural face was entirely covered by a single storage unit with multiple shelves and panels. At the centre of the room were two rows of open shelves. Each of these units had an assortment of containers and bottles filled with pills and fluids. Some of these were labelled, some were questionably labelled with a black marker, while others were simply unidentified. This room, too, was equipped with a camera at an upper corner of the room; the trio had first backtracked through the bunk bed room and storage room, and confirmed that they were under surveillance also.
Seated on the floor with his back against a wall was a young man who looked no older than twenty with his elbows on his knees, and his palms over his eyes. He trembled subtly.
"Are these doors locked?" Ruth asked.
"We haven't checked. That one is locked from this side though," Edgar replied, pointing to door marked "9".
"Why didn't you check?" Huck asked.
"He can't move around too freely, and look at me," Edgar explained, gesturing to himself from head to toe, "I got nowhere to be. This isn't home, but it's the closest thing I've got."
"A'ight," said Huck. "Let's go, uh, whatever."
Seeing as they were all in the same boat, Ruth finally relented and volunteered her name. Then, she asked, "will you help us escape, Edgar?" The old man agreed without hesitation. She thanked him, and they proceeded to one of the doors.
"Sure, leave the blind guy to die alone. Well done, team." The one with impaired sight kept his eyes shut, but based on his expression, the penetrating light still seemed to cause him great discomfort. Yet it was not severe enough to deter him from applauding obnoxiously.
Huck turned back to him, scowling. "Bitch, you got legs. No one told you to sit still."
"That's right, I do. And if I can see you I'd kick you right in the nut sack."
In an instant, Huck was towering over him. "Try me!" Huck challenged. He grabbed the other young man by the collar of his hoodie and pulled him to his feet.
Edgar stepped in and gently pulled the aggressor off. "A real man doesn't pick on the defenseless," he advised Huck. "And Neddy, we'll be back for you."
"It's Nedward," he corrected. Nedward squinted hard to shield his delicate eyes from the light, and he kept his arms up protectively. Standing at five foot six, he was the shortest in the room, and was a top contender for the feeblest of the four as well.
Huck shrugged Edgar's hands off of his arms. "I got no time for your shit, Neddy," he spat, and then to the others, "leave this punk ass bitch and let's get moving."
"Just sit tight, Nedward," Edgar added. "It's safer here."
"You can't guarantee that! Come on, I won't slow you down," Nedward pleaded.
Ruth stepped forward and took a hold of Nedward's hand, and placed it on her forearm. "I'll guide you, okay, Nedward? We'll go at your pace."
His lips parted, but for a moment no words came. Then he said softly, "thanks."
"She's got a knife, so watch yourself," Huck threatened on her behalf.
Ruth felt the tension in his grip and she patted his hand twice. "Only for self-defense."
Huck dusted off his hands, and then checked door "5". It was immovable. He next proceeded to the last door and unlocked it. With a firm push, the steel door pivoted.
The quartet entered one by one into a room with one other door and two separated single beds, positioned in parallel with their headboards against a wall. The sheets were ruffled on one bed, as if it was slept on.
"Looks like there are more of us," Ruth reasoned.
"Don't assume they're friendly just yet," Huck warned.
"Shh. I hear voices," Nedward noted.
They all stood still, and true enough, there was a conversation happening behind the next door, which was identified with a scrawled "6". Huck crept up to the already unlocked door and pressed his ear to the cold metallic surface.
