Survivors

Chapter 28: Jada

Chapter 28: Jada

          Why did I run? I should have gone and woken up Xain. I’m now trapped on my own in the near ruins of C-5. The soldiers are picking through bodies of unconscious or dead warriors trying to figure out which ones to take. I don’t know why they want the bodies, but I’m almost certain that it’s for nothing good. Some of the warriors were snatched it the air by aircrafts.

          I hid in the training center for about half of the attack, but then it was stormed with soldiers, so I stealthily snuck out with my weapons and out the back. Someone was back there, an old lady. The old lady from the antique store. She signalled for me to be quiet, and then motioned towards a building across from us, the armory. She took my hand and we ran to the building. Inside was an elevator, but intead of pressing a button to go down, she knocked on the roof and someone pulled us up. We’re put into an air duct just big enough for us to climb through.

          There was something strange. The air unit went from metal and square, to all of a sudden circular. It slanted down, but the old lady and other person told me to slide. I drew a breath and slid down.

          The bottom was just a cushion outside the fence of the encampment. The people at the bottom brought me into their underground hide out, where I stayed for a couple of hours. I’m the only survivor of the attack apparently. No one else was in the underground with me, not even Katya.

          I returned to the camp at around noon and have been watching the soldiers since. The underground dwellers said that I shouldn’t be here, but I told them that I had to get some things. They agreed to let me go so long as they came as protection. I don’t care for it, but I really needed to come back.

          The power is still off in most areas, so that means no security system is online. First, I need to get to my room back in section-5. I quietly time my movements so that I don’t alert any soldiers. One actually swears he heard something moving behind the buildings, but another reassures him that it’s just a rat. I get to the back door and try to open it, but it’s jammed. I peek around the corner to make sure no one is near, and then I stick my sword into a crack in the door. I try and wedge it open, hoping the sword doesn’t bend or break, but it won’t budge.

          As soon as I pull my sword out, the door begins to move. I hold the sword ready for an attack, but then a hand with a white cloth comes out with a wave. I stand down, but don’t put away my blade until I see the face of one of the underground dwellers. He motions me over into the doorway.

          “How’d you get in here?” I ask once we’re inside.

          “We built a secret tunnel way into the camp,” the man says, “I came through the plumbing.”

          Now that he mentions it, I do smell a little sewage on him. He must notice, because he strips off his outer clothing and leaves them by the door.

          “Name’s Jackson, by the way,” he says as he approaches me, “You met my sister, Elaina, the cook with a couple teeth missing, and our grandmother...”

          “The old lady who runs one of the entry ways into the undergrounds,” I cut him off. He just smiled and nodded.

          “So why’d you come back to this place?” Jackson asked.

          “There are some things here that I need,” I answer, “I figured that everyone would be focused away from here, so I would have a chance to grab some important things before heading out.”

          The building is quiet and almost dark. There is absolutely no power in the building, so also no security. We have to climb up flights of stairs in order to get to my room. My room is still unlocked when I push it, so we just go right in. I grab a black backpack from my closet and examine the belongings: a flashlight, small medical kit, dried fruit and meat packs that are air sealed, and a water bottle. I place the bag on my shoulders and find that it fits snuggly without dragging down. It also buckles in the front. Without hesitation, I pack my knife from Katya, some extra rope, and a blanket. The load feels light on my back.