Chapter 3
The following night Dib was sent home with a letter informing him on what and what not to bring. He was surprised to see that almost everything was contraband.
Things not to bring
NO cellphones, computers, or anything that you can communicate with
NO spare clothes (a uniform is provided for you)
NO valuable items (they will be taken)
NO watches or time devices (you will be on our time)
NO jewelry
NO toiletries
NO sharp objects (for the safety of others)
Things to bring
ONE metal item
ONE food item
ONE bottled drink
ONE writing pad
ONE pencil
ONE pen
Nothing else will be permitted to bring you. We want you to pack lightly. You'll only be here for a few weeks.
Sincerely, WIN Meat Corporation Factory Worker Amanda Sterling
Dib walked through the empty kitchen and over the cabinets. There was nothing but pest control. He checked the fridge and found a case of bologna. It was made by WIN. He stored it in his backpack. Maybe the leader favored kiss-ups. Along with the bologna he found a bottle of Poop and put it in with his writing pad, pencil, and pen. Now he just needed to find a metal item.
Well there were a lot of metal items just not small ones. Then he remembered the tool box that he kept in the garage to fix Tak's spaceship. He snatched up a hammer and tossed it in on top of the rest of his stuff. He left his watch, computer, and devices locked up in his room as instructed.
Now he waited for them to take him.
Hours later he heard a truck move down the street and towards his house. He slung on his backpack and waited for them to slow down. But they didn't. They kept going at the same barreling rate. They were going to miss him.
"Hey!" he waved, "Slow down!"
Suddenly he found himself being grabbed then dragged towards the speeding truck. As they ran behind the open behind they swung Dib forward into the wooden floor.
'Well," he thought, 'That was a nice warm welcome."
He looked up at the barely surprised faces of his soon-to-be co-workers.
"Hey, kid. Get up. We didn't select you to lay around." a guard barked at him then thwacked him with a wooden stick.
Dib got to his knees and stumbled on his feet to a seat on the side of the truck. He noticed the roof was a worn tarp. They roped back the tarp to open up the back again for another person. This time he was one of the others looking down at the newbie barely fazed.
The newbie was a young girl about his age. She was still face down on the floor. Soon the guards would yell at her. Dib reached out a hand to the girl but it was kicked away by the huge boots of a worker.
"No physical contact with workers of the opposite gender." he informed Dib with a hiss.
"What's up with you lazy kids? Get up, girl!" he struck the stick on his legs. She yelped and shot up like a bullet. Instantly she was seated across from Dib, making no eye contact with anyone.
The ride to the factory was tiresome and long. No one could even guess how long they had been under the tarp roof. A few were asleep only to be snapped awake by a worker. Dib could tell the senior workers were getting tired of baby-sitting himself and the others. If somebody yawned; a tap to the mouth by the stick. Stretching was also consenquenced and basically movement of any sort ended up with a hit from the wooden weapon. Dib found himself perfectly still for the rest of the trip.
Finally, after what seemed like hours the truck jerked to a stop and trough the tarp sides he could hear the ocean; the rumored location of the factory. Rumor confirmed, he guessed.
"Alright everybody. Listen up. We're only gonna say this once."
"You aren't here to have fun, you're here to work. To experience what we go through on a daily basis. This isn't a summer camp so stop treating it like one. Now line up in front of that gate over there." the worker pointed.
The tired crowd dragged their feet along as they lined up, single file, to the gate.
"Pick up the pace people!" he shouted in his commanding voice. He acted as if he was the leader but he was more than likely not him. He was like a mall cop. Too proud of his position to notice how unimportant he really was.
Dib waited outside the gate with the rest of the group taking in the huge building before him. Its paint was chipping, the locks on the front doors were rusty like the chains and the search lights were busted. Seems like a shabby place. Dib promised himself not to judge until he saw the inside. But he had to admit, the security was poor. The only security there seemed to be were the workers. Maybe they nagged trespassers to death.
In the dead of the night the roar of an engine started and to their surprise was moving the iron gate.
"Now take out your metal item and place it under the scanner. Only real metal will pass." the worker informed.
Dib took out his hammer and was the first to get his scanned. It passed with a brief alert as a green light blinked above his head.
"Move along, kid, you're holding up the line."
Dib mocked him under his breath as he walked through to the other side of the gate.
Eleven people later and they were on their way to the entrance.
Another alarm sounded and the huge doors separated apart and slowly slid open to reveal a booming factory filled with intricate machinery. One part was blocked off so he couldn't see what the machine did but he could make out the grinder, the cooker, and the slicer. Weenier after weenier poured out from the opening and was packed in their natural juices.
It was too dark to see anything else but he would make out several guards because of the dim lighting refracting from their goggles.
"Each of you will be assigned to one of the four dorm halls. There will be no sharing of rooms nor any visitors allowed. Only you or one of us can go inside your room. It has the necessary toiletries and your uniform is folded on top of your bed. You are to wear it at all times so we can keep track of your attendance. Go to sleep immediately after changing. You have a long week ahead of you." and with those final words the naggy guard disappeared.
Dib hoped to never see him again. He hoped he would see Amanda soon so that he wouldn't feel so alone and to find out where his sister and father were.
He was in D-15 so he walked down the D Hall and unlocked his door with the pass he was given. He dropped his backpack on the floor and picked up his uniform. It was a long button-up labcoat, goggles, rubber gloves and a pair of simple black rubber boots. He went into the bathroom, changed, and went into his new bed. He could have sworn it was a rock.
"Well better get some sleep." he turned over and closed his eyes.
Dib was soon fast asleep on the tiny twin bed.
Innocently dreaming while inside a factory of nightmares.