It feels like years since I've written. I'm still not sure if this will be allowed to be put up, but the fact that I typed up my entire French conversation without fail was a good enough sign to coax me back onto this thing. So here, in all its glory, just for you, is another chapter.
By the way, to those who haven't checked out my profile lately (it has a detailed description of my current situation):
My laptop is currently unserviceable, and I'm stuck on this monster of a computer, really old piece of barely functioning garbage, which is very difficult to write/post on.
Also, I guilted Iggy into commentating with me.
Iggy: Anything to get her off my case.
Me: He's just scared I'll bring out the chainsaw again.
Happity Howl-o-ween everbodies! (My birthday was the 29th! Squee. I survived another year!)
3rd person POV:
Jeb stood in the doorway, watching the children sleep. He shifted his eyes to the hallway, checking for any wayward employees caught after hours, then picked up a small phone-like device.
His fingers flew over the keys, tapping out complicated numerical codes until it beeped quietly. Jeb nodded. This would disable the monitoring and alarm system for a short period of time.
He walked into the room and, in his calmest voice, said "children, get up. We're leaving." He opened up the doors to their crates, cringing at the sound of metal against metal as the hinges squealed open.
Six sets of rapidly blinking bleary eyes stared back at him. Angel was the first to crawl out, chubby hands clapping to see him. The others followed slowly, lining up in front of him, glancing warily around for anything that he might want to use on them.
He knelt before them, looking each one of them in the eye. "Listen. I'm going to take you away from here, far away, where no one can ever hurt you again." He offered Max his hand, and together they led the rest of the children down the hall.
Ten…nine…eight… the timer on the door counted down until it could reload and reboot its alarm. Jeb pulled Max around the last corner. Seven…six…five… the children broke into a run.
Four…three…two… they reached the door. One…Jeb grabbed the handle as the light signaling the reboot flashed. He pushed everyone through, slamming it closed just as the alarm began to activate.
"Run! We need to get away from here!" Jeb knew they had precious seconds before someone realized that the experiments were missing and sent the erasers after them.
He ushered them into the shadow of the dense forest around them, running into the dark, away from the place that had been their prison for ten long years.
One last pair of small feet pattered down the corridor, far behind the others. The little boy ran, tripping over his feet. He fell into the door, stretching on his toes to see through the window, the criss-crosses of chicken wire casting a latticework of shadows across his tearstained face as he watched the only family he had ever known disappear into the shadows.
"Dada.." he said, his voice choked with sobs, "why can't I come too?" and Ari collapsed against the door, howling with grief for things he could barely comprehend.
I was really worried about writing this chapter, because I knew how hard it would be for me to write the end.
Sorry it's short, I'd planned for a longer chapter, but I needed to end it there. More to come soon.
On a happier note, I got onto the costume design team for the school play at the local public high school. : )
Iggy: And you're gonna screw it up, because you're afraid of the guy you're working with.
Me: I find it very hard to talk to a six-foot-five guy with bright orange hair and fangs, yes. He's intimidating. He's a really nice person, but he's intimidating.
(And yes, he has for real fangs. Like, professional dental work sorta fangs.)
R&R&R&R&R&R???? Huh??? Will yah??? Prease????