Unplugged: The Hidden World (#2, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Eleven

"They were kind of weird. Like, giant lizards or something." He laughs and I join him. It sounds so absurd.

"These western-folk sure are strange," my mother says. "Why would there be a random hotel literally in the middle of nowhere? Not to mention a gas station, where there aren't any roads for miles! I thought it was supposed to be dangerous out here..." I take a seat at the high-top table, and Matthew takes the one next to me.

"Maybe it is." I ponder. "We were relatively protected in the car and in the store, but out here, the only protection we can rely on is staying indoors." Grim silence follows my comment and I clear my throat hurriedly. "Just a suspicion, of course."

The rest of the day, we settle into our new room. Ariel had browsed the television stations multiple times before giving up on finding a children's program. Most of the channels were extremely harsh entertainment options, even for this day and age. Life must be really tough out here. The light filtering through the single barred window at the end of the room grows dimmer and dimmer as time goes on: based on the position of the sun, our window faces the front side of the building. If only we could see out of it. At nine o'clock, my mother is the first to voice what all of us are thinking.

"I'm hungry." The comment stirs each of us as though a large wind had blown through the room.

"I'll go down to the lobby and see if they have any dining options," I propose. "I'm kind of getting sick of canned vegetables." Matthew offers to go with me: no one complains. We grab the key card and the credit card just in case.

"Maybe they have cheese fries... Or pizza! Or doughnuts!" Ariel exclaims, growing more and more excited with each new possibility. She almost falls off of the bed.

"We'll see," I reply, amused. The door closes softly behind us as we walk down the hall. I'm pleased to notice that my wound had started to heal: it doesn't hurt nearly as badly as it had before. Matthew reads my mind.

"You're not limping."

"Thanks to you," I mutter. "I probably would have bled to death otherwise." He bites his lip as if struggling not to say something. The elevator cruises up to us as soon as I touch the button. The metal doors slide open soundlessly and we enter the empty space. As soon as the button of our next destination is pressed, the doors close and we glide downwards. My stomach temporarily flutters up to my throat. Just moments later, the door opens and we walk into the lobby. It is empty as before, except for the woman who we had met earlier. She drums her fingernails against the front desk boredly-or tensely. I can't tell which.

I turn to examine one of the tall metal sculptures in the lobby: Matthew was right about them being strange. The one near me depicts a tall, muscular humanoid with the face and tail of a lizard and the scales of a snake. The thin-slitted eyes just above the snout awake some sort of primal fear within me that I can't quite understand. Shuddering, I turn away and follow Matthew towards the front desk. The woman doesn't look up at either of us until Matthew clears his throat.

"Hello again." She smiles in a reserved manner. I feel like I recognize something about her face, though I can't place it. Her tan skin glows against the candlelight that illuminates the room. "What can I help you with?"

"We were wondering if you have any... Well..." Matthew breaks off awkwardly at the end, unsure of how to finish the request. He rubs the back of his neck.

"Food?" We nod. The woman laughs, revealing straight teeth. "I can't tell you how many times we've been asked that question." We pause, patiently awaiting her answer. "We have our own chefs here, providing food to all Workers. It's an added bonus for choosing to stay with us." The woman pulls out a menu and hands it to me.