So.... update as usual! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this update schedule, which is the first time in four years XD Also, just wanna say that I'm really grateful for all of you guys! You are my inspiration, and you are the reason I write :) And, ps, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter :D
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02 - 05 - 2089
"Are we really doing this?"
Cade is kneeling in front of me as I sit on my bed, lacing up a pair of boots he brought. He told me that my shoes wouldn't work outside, and these would keep me warmer, along with the jacket he brought me. But I didn't know how to lace them up properly, so he offered.
Cade lifts his chin, strands of hair falling away from his face. His beautiful eyes meet mine, and I feel stronger. He gives me courage to be more than I ever could have imagined. I know this is real; I know what he makes me feel.
"I am willing to do whatever it takes," Cade says, focusing back on my shoes. He finishes tying the last one before straightening. He readjusts the straps of the grey bag on his back. "Are you ready to trust me?" His eyes lock onto mine, and they hold me there. Frozen.
"I am," I manage through the lump constricting my throat. Cade offers me his hand, and I use it to stand. Once I'm standing, I don't let go, finding the warmth of his contact comforting. Human contact was something I received less than often in this place. And now I understand why. They don't see me as a human, so why should I need the same love and care?
I turn my thoughts to less bitter subjects. More specifically, to the subject that I am going to be free. We are going to escape, and then I will never have to see Doctor Acosta or the others again. That brings a smile to my lips.
"What?" Cade breaks me out of my thoughts as we head for the door, a faint smile tugging at his lips as well. Adorable. The thought slips into my mind unbidden.
"Nothing. Let's get out of here."
"Agreed."
Cade tugs me closer as he types in the password to my door. It clicks open, revealing the quiet hallway. No one is around; Cade made sure of that. He told me how he signed up for the overnight shift and took out the guard who was assigned with him. The cameras are rigged on a loop, he said, and no one will know we are gone until it is too late.
I can't help but admire his plan. It seems foolproof.
We head down the hallway at a brisk pace, still making sure to keep quiet in case some scientists or doctors are behind the closed doors of the rooms we pass. We walk, hand in hand, Cade leading me down each hallway with determination.
After several minutes, we reach a section of the compound that I haven't been to before. The hallways are still a drab white, but the doors are polished wood, and the lights are cleaner somehow.
"Where are we?" I absorb this new place hungrily, my hope for seeing the outside only growing.
"Employee wing. For those who need a break, or are working the overnight shift."
"Oh. So what are inside these rooms?" I point to the door we pass, labeled as the recreational room.
"That is the rec room. It has couches, a small kitchen, and other stuff to do on your breaks. We're almost to the employee entrance. It is the only door I can get through without setting off an alarm."
The hallway comes to an end, splitting off into two other hallways. Cade leads me to the right hallway. It is short, and at the end lies a double set of doors. A heavy keypad is on the handle of the left door, presumably to keep unauthorized people out, or in my case, in.
Cade types the code in, and the door unlatches. But I am not prepared for what happens next. Before we can open the door, the lights in the hallway turn red and flashing, and a loud alarm begins to blare through the halls. So loud that I have to cover my ears.
"Is that the alarm you were talking about?" I shout above the screaming alarm.
Cade nods, his expression grave. "It's time to leave." He yanks the door open and pulls me out into the night.
The cold hits me first. Colder than solitary. But this temperature isn't artificial. We really are outside.
My eyes scan over a large cement lot with... with several cars parked nearest us. Cars, I am seeing real cars. Cars that travel at amazing speeds. That can do things a human could only do in their dreams.
"Gis, we need to go," Cade urges me.
I nod, forcing myself to focus on the present, and the fact that we have set off an alarm. We have to hurry.
Cade breaks out in a slow run, still holding onto my hand, and heads down several steps to the cement lot. I take in the large lights hanging on poles at the corners of the lot, and beyond that... a whole.... lot... of snow.
"Wow," I breathe as we run past the cars and towards the hills of snow. Real snow. Snow that I have now seen for the second time. But this time, I will get to feel it.
Right then, a question fills my mind as we pass a silver car. "Wait, why don't we use a car?" The word feels peculiar coming from my lips. Untested.
"They know all the license plates. We'll have a better chance on foot."
I don't understand what he says, but I decide to trust him anyway. He asked me to trust him, and I said I would. Now I need to prove that.
As we leave the cement lot behind, the light begins to fade. My eyes start to adjust as I use the moonlight to see, and I take careful steps as we run. My ears pick up the amazing sound of the snow crunching beneath my feet, and I see my breath come out in cold, crisp puffs. Joy fills my lungs, my heart, and my soul.
And then I do something embarrassing. I am so busy enjoying the real world, that I trip over a rock, disguised as a snow mound. My hand is ripped from Cade's and I go flying face first into the snow.
Cade instantly bends down and helps me stand, brushing the snow from off the jacket he gave me and my pants. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asks, searching me for injuries.
"I'm okay. Just that darn rock," I mutter, glaring at the rock sticking out from the snow. I cross my arms, feeling more embarrassed than hurt. The snow stings a little on my cheeks, but other than that I feel fine.
Cade laughs, loud and hard. He bends over, clutching his stomach, before recovering. "I'm sorry," he says when he sees my incredulous face. "You just cursed a rock. A rock."
"Well, it tripped me!" I frown and cross my arms, feeling like I have to defend myself.
Cade shakes his head, a grin still splitting at his seams. "You're adorable."
My face becomes a tomato. "Whatever. Let's keep going." I turn away from him and start trudging through the snow again, heading away from the lights of the compound and the faint sounds of the alarm.
But before I can go two feet, Cade's strong hand circles around my arm and stops me. He pulls me around to face him, his face so.... very... close. I hold back a shiver, and the urge to do something even more embarrassing.
"Hey." Cade faces me with a serious expression, the laughter gone from his eyes. "I was just kidding. I didn't mean to... embarrass you." I don't meet his eyes, keeping my lips sealed shut. He sighs and releases my arm. "We need to keep moving. We don't have much time before they begin to search out here for you."
"Yeah," I agree, turning and picking up my pace. Cade catches up and sets the pace, jogging in line with me. Conversation dies down completely and we run in silence, eventually even the sounds from the compound fading away. We run across the hill pocked landscape, occasionally passing a grove of prickly trees.
The first time we enter a grove of trees, I have to pause and touch one of the trees. I don't say anything, and neither does Cade, but I think he senses that I need this. The bark is rough and cold, but sturdy. I can still feel the life pulsing beneath the scraggly bark. The life that wants to burst forth.
"Does the snow ever go away?" I ask out of the blue, forgetting for a moment that I am angry at Cade.
Cade steps up beside me a lays a hand on the bark, inches above mine. "Yes. Right now it's February, but in a couple of months the snow will be gone, and everything will grow back."
A faint smile curves the corner of my lips. "I can't wait."
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