Chapter 21

Think out of the box

I wake up in silence, I didn't bother to rise up from the bed 'cause the only thing that pops right into me was, what the hell happened to me? I couldn't master being alone and deafened by silence and so I slowly get up and put my feet on the ground to get the balance, but on the other hand, I felt slight dizziness. I just closed my eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath to contemplate my system.

When I feel it is okay to move, I open my eyes and stood up from the bed. There's the curtain dividing my bed space. I slowly parted the curtains to see what's on the other side but when I get to see what's on it, I came out of it and saw the whole room. It is like an emergency room where every patient filled the beds. The curiosity had me, I walk towards every curtain to know if someone is there but when I did, no one. At least one of them isn't vacated.

I headed to the door, it automatically open when it senses a human intervention. I didn't hesitate to go out and search for another way out. I could totally sense that there's something wrong. Like, where's the people here? Al and Cha?

Another hallway greeted me. Both ends have more hallways and I don't know which way to go. From the right side, I can sense a dark aura on it and I think it is not good to visualize those things but on the other side, blinding light would tell that it is safe and good to lead the way there. But I remember what my Mom told, looks can be deceiving, it doesn't always apply into peoples appearance but can be on places such as this.

What you perfectly see insight doesn't always come up how good it is, it never was.

I chose to lead the dark side. The risk for myself went up high. I know how dangerous choosing the wrong side but you won't be sure 'till you know it. I walked towards the right side of the hallway and getting through deep of it, makes me feel so anxious. The lights were flickering and somehow stopped causing the pathway enveloped in darkness. I stopped in motion, didn't move and just feel what might happen. My chest was at a rapid rate, I tried to calm myself for some time.

Fuck, Dy, let's get out here.

A little more time, I stayed in silence. Hearing only my breathing got me alarmed when the next noises are coming from the opposite end of the hallway. A mechanical sound was getting louder. I came to a decision to look out what's coming for me, I let myself out in the dark groping what's ahead. When I get a sight of it, I hurriedly run back towards the darkness and let it eat me.

What's happening here? A robot battalion?!

When I'm bound to reach the end of the hallway, I really don't have any idea which way to go or if there's any way of getting out. I shouted at both hallways, on my left side there's an echo filling the room and on the other side, it feels like a dead end. And running isn't the answer again. I decided to stay in my position, I sat down the floor and waited for the robot battalion to come. Their movements were giving the mechanical sound. How in the world would they let a battalion roam around the hall? Or maybe... the High Council is gone and took by this new generation? But that's too impossible to think. High Council has its ways to evade their destruction.

It doesn't take long when my surroundings come in silence. I stood up from sitting and realizing that none of the battalions reached my direction. I keep asking myself what's going on but I won't get an answer doing that. The electricity goes back and one by one, the lights on the ceiling restored its current. That's when I notice, the battalion is gone and it's like they were never there. But that's a good sign, I think.

I look at the dead-end side of the hallway. I walk towards to it, searching for a passageway out. I put my hands on the gritty metal wall, my palms felt every single detail on it. I don't know if this would work or not but I'm trying my best to get out from here. On trying to find something on the surface, wasn't that long when I felt something different on it. I immediately push hard the small bulging on the surface. I got excited when it set down and somehow, it shows a rectangular evasiveness light.

"I knew it!" I hissed, knowing that there's always a passageway into every place like this. High Council isn't that dumb to build something like this.

The image of the door panel slides to the side and shows me the exit. I didn't hesitate, I just wanted to get out from here. The atmosphere changes real quick from the tingling cold and more fine and warm. Moments later, two white-gown personnel attended me. I asked them what are they doing but they didn't even say a word. The other personnel rolled up the sleeves of my white shirt, while the other one prepared a syringe. I was about to push him away but he was so fast that he gets to inject it immediately. He pushes the serum on the syringe and somehow, just a matter of seconds, my head were going around.

"Dy! Dy! Are you okay?" a voice called me, hold my shoulder but I couldn't get a sight. My head was still unclear. "Dylan?" her voice were sounded familiar.

"Dude! You did it!" his hands landed on my shoulder, his voice was also familiar, I can tell.

Slowly, I felt my heads getting light and free from the blurry vision. I can finally see the face of the voices calling my name. I couldn't hold myself seeing both of them alive. I pat Al's back and it's like I have been gone for a long time and it's like winning a prize seeing the both of them. I could also tell, even if we just met, there's something Cha to me.

"At least you've gone through your first test."

"What test?" I asked confused.

"Look," Al holds my shoulder and turn me around seeing the passageway I exited. I was surprised to know that I didn't recognize, or I just didn't know that there are many of us screwing our way out of that hallway. "You weren't alone there, we also did the same but we got here first."

I shift my attention back to them, "what does this test mean?"

"It helps to keep your mental state healthy," Cha stated, but I shook my head didn't get what she just said. "Well, basically, somehow pregnancy has become more attached to the physical, the emotional and mental state of a person. The test made this to us. We were physically moving, using our strengths. Putting our emotion into the game where we thought we are alone, that no one was there to help and mental state which you thought, it will be the end of your life—your process." She explained.

I nodded, slowly understanding it. "But how would they know if we passed the tests?"

"By just thinking of any possible ways, Dy," Al said. "You just don't observe things, you think out of the box."

"And what made our head think we're alone?"

"I think it is the serum they inject us before putting us on the tests."

"I don't remember that part..." I said, shaking my head.

"You really don't," Cha said. "If you remember that," she pointed the bondage on my arms. I nodded on her because I do remember the part where a medical staff gets to clean it and somehow... I looked up to them with wide eyes, realizing what happened. "Now you know, I can tell."

"Yes!" I touched my neck but suddenly I twitched when I felt pain touching it. "What the hell?"

"Your tracker almost killed you. It burns but you're now good, I think." She said.

"So, they didn't bother to wake me up after passing out and just put me right ahead to the tests?" I asked, still couldn't believe how things go by so fast. But there's still some parts of my head that this isn't real, maybe it was just the serum they put to make me hallucinate and it feels like I still am. "What happens next?"

"We wait for the next procedure," Al said.

"What procedure?" I asked.

Al shrugged off and shook his head, "I don't, we don't know. But a good thing to know we made at this point... and still to count a few months to reach the end." He took a deep breath.

Suddenly, what makes me stoned was the screaming of the participants on the other side of the wall.

"What was that?"

"That was them, trying to resist themselves from being eaten by their mind." Al said, "can I talk to you for a minute, Dylan?" he said, I nodded and we left Cha alone as we stopped at the corner. I was trying to get what he's gonna do but I have no idea and my head couldn't still think clearly but enough to understand. "I know you will be mad after you will see this but I need to know what it is for."

My forehead creased and by the curiosity, I followed his hands sliding to his pocket, he took it and showed it to me. When I saw the earpiece on his hands, I was about to snatch it from his hands but he immediately moves it away and so I didn't get a chance to have it.

"Give it to me, Al," I said, gritting teeth.

He shook his head, disagreeing. "no, Dy, just answer me first. Where did you get this?"

I took the earpiece from his hands, he didn't fight off and let me get it back. "How did you get this, Dy?" I asked him.

"The medical staff found it on your pocket when you were assisted back on your room, you were lucky because they will surrender it to the High Council but I said, it is a comms I made, and let me have... so you have to thank me for that." He said I smirked didn't respond on him. "Just tell me, Dylan, I won't be mad at you. I just wanna know what that is for."

I sighed, "you don't wanna know it."

He raises his eyebrow, "why I don't wanna know it?"

"Because—shit Al, it's nothing, so don't bother to ask."

He smirked, "whatever you say, Dy. We're still good right?"

I nodded on him, "this is nothing, just so you know."

"Okay, I believe you."

"Guys!" Cha called us and comes to our direction, "we're being told to proceed on our next tests—though it wasn't that physically—you know what, in pregnancy they always make sure every woman takes their medicine and check-ups, I think this is the time. It won't get hold our time and... what you guys are talking about?"

I shook my head, "it was nothing."

"And what's on your pocket?" she looked at my hands and pulled it out showed to her that it was nothing. She looks at Al, and I have might a thought that she knows about the earpiece. "Nevermind, we should fall in line."

We followed Cha where the other participants are falling in line guided by the personnel. Al patted my shoulder and I was still denying him about the earpiece. The dreadlock headed girl must have been hitting us to give up the process. Maybe that's her way to put us down. I think it is, there's no other way to end this right. Just survive the remaining months and we'll be reborn again.