Chapter 15: A Clean Departure
As we went back down the hallway, my stomach growled. I realized that it was probably past lunchtime. Maybe even past dinner.
"Hey, do we have enough time to eat something before we leave?" I inquired as the three of us approched John, who was leaning against a tall metal box.
"You're thinking of food at a time like this?" Matt scolded.
"Hey, a kid's gotta eat." I responded.
"And you are not a kid." Matt shot back.
I winced at the reminder. "That hurt."
"Hey, it's no problem." John responded. "I need time to think of a way to get you guys in the truck, anyway."
John stepped away from the metal box he was leaning on and pointed at it. "The food's in here. Bon appetit."
Matt leaned over and opened the door on the side of the box.
"Wat our choices?" Ro asked, impatient.
"Let's see..." Matt mumbled, fumbling around inside the box. "There's...white stuff, white stuff...or white stuff."
"I'll have da white stuff." Ro said, oblivious to the fact that the three items Matt had listed were all the same thing.
Matt pulled out three bowls of the soupy material. "It's really not that bad." he added. "I had some earlier."
He handed me a bowl, and set one down on the ground for Ro. Ro carelessly gulped down the soup. Matt started on his bowl, using his paws to scoop up the slop.
"What's wrong?" Matt asked between swallows, noticing that I was just staring at the bowl.
"I...well...um..." Having trouble responding, I closed my eyes and hurriedly slurped up the gruel-like substance. It was better than I thought it would have tasted.
As we were finishing the lunch, John walked back towards us. "I have a fool-proof plan." he said, grinning.
"How fool-proof?" Matt questioned.
"Don't worry." I said reassuringly. "John knows what he's doing."
"I'm not worried!" Matt said.
"Uh, well, anyhow, I would escort you three at gunpoint to the truck, and put you all in it." John continued. "Then I'd come back here."
"Now wait a minute!" I stopped him. "You've never even held a gun before!"
"I'll keep the safety on." John replied.
"What 'bout any guards we come across?" Ro asked. "We gonna beat 'em up?"
"No, I know just what to do in such an occasion." John said slowly. "You'll see what it is if we meet a guard."
"Figures he won't tell us..." Matt stated under his breath.
John reached behind a box and pulled out a shotgun. "Single file!" he ordered in a fake-serious voice. We formed a line, and John took the front. We marched to the enterance of the hall, and John pushed the door open with a grunt. We stepped into the main area of the mall, and John closed the door behind us. He led us again down the large hall of the shopping center.
Looking around, I saw many creatures rushing around. There were more guards then I had expected. Most of the creatures seemed to be civilians, most of them wandering on the routes that the guards shouted out. They all looked looked scared, confused, or angry.
Most of the numerous shops in the mall had bars across their entrances. A few stores didn't have any barrier, and were being used for several reasons. One shop had several guards lounging in comfortable-looking couches. It appeared to be a recreation area for them, where they could read, converse, or just nap.
"That's not fair." Matt whispered from behind me, noting the relaxing guards.
"Shhh." I whispered back.
We reached a more open area that was obviously the food court. Several of the food businesses had guards giving out more of the slop I had so unwillingly eaten earlier. There were many windows showing the outside of the mall. These were barred off, however.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I turned my attention back to the front to see who had spoken. A guard that looked kind of like a lion on two legs was speaking to John.
"That's a Leomon." Matt informed me with a whisper.
"I'm taking the prisons to the depot. They are being moved to another base." John cooly replied.
"That's not what I'm talking about. Why are you letting them hold those items?" the Leomon replied. I realized that he was talking about my backpack and Matt's computer.
"Rule 786 of the red book says that prisoners can be allowed to hold non-dangerous items if the escorter has no way of holding the items." John replied with a smirk.
"What red book?" the Leomon replied quizzingly.
"What?" John said with a gasp. "You forgot about the all-important red book!?"
"Um, n-no! Of course not!" the Leomon shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I j-just remembered, I had something important to do! Carry on!!"
The Leomon walked quickly away. "And you have witnessed my master plan." John whispered back at us.
"Dat's better den beating dem up!" Ro replied happily, but a little loudly.
"That rule doesn't even exist." John added, grinning ear to ear.
We stepped over to the front door. John pulled out a key from the barrel of his gun and unlocked the door.
"Why...?" I started as we walked out the door.
"When you're not going to shoot it, use it as storage." John said, sliding the key back into the barrel.
"You're better with guns than I thought!" I joked.
I examined my surroundings. This was not the same area where all the trucks were lined up, making a barrier, with lots of civilians walking through. It seems we had left the building from another exit. We began walking down a sidewalk towards a new area.
"This is the depot." John explained when we arrived. It was only a clearing with lots of trucks, boxes, and crates.
John led us to a small building and told us to wait outside. Moments later, he came out beaming. "Alright, I found a truck that will take you straight to the hospital."
"Great!" Ro said.
We moved to the back of a truck that looked very much like the others. However, this one had a white canopy, unlike the other trucks with their green canopy.
John looked around. "The coast is clear. Get in." he commanded. We crawled in. There was a lot of boxes just thrown in.
"This truck is carrying medical supplies." John said from outside the truck. "Just sit tight and be quiet. See you later."
John turned to walk away. "Be careful, John!" I said, concerned.
"You too." John said over his shoulder. He walked back to the mall.
"Well, this is comfortable." Matt said sarcastically, referring to the numerous boxes that we had to sit on
Minutes later, the truck sprang to life. I sat back to relax as we drove off to the main road, thinking about what we were going to do when the ride ended...
As we went back down the hallway, my stomach growled. I realized that it was probably past lunchtime. Maybe even past dinner.
"Hey, do we have enough time to eat something before we leave?" I inquired as the three of us approched John, who was leaning against a tall metal box.
"You're thinking of food at a time like this?" Matt scolded.
"Hey, a kid's gotta eat." I responded.
"And you are not a kid." Matt shot back.
I winced at the reminder. "That hurt."
"Hey, it's no problem." John responded. "I need time to think of a way to get you guys in the truck, anyway."
John stepped away from the metal box he was leaning on and pointed at it. "The food's in here. Bon appetit."
Matt leaned over and opened the door on the side of the box.
"Wat our choices?" Ro asked, impatient.
"Let's see..." Matt mumbled, fumbling around inside the box. "There's...white stuff, white stuff...or white stuff."
"I'll have da white stuff." Ro said, oblivious to the fact that the three items Matt had listed were all the same thing.
Matt pulled out three bowls of the soupy material. "It's really not that bad." he added. "I had some earlier."
He handed me a bowl, and set one down on the ground for Ro. Ro carelessly gulped down the soup. Matt started on his bowl, using his paws to scoop up the slop.
"What's wrong?" Matt asked between swallows, noticing that I was just staring at the bowl.
"I...well...um..." Having trouble responding, I closed my eyes and hurriedly slurped up the gruel-like substance. It was better than I thought it would have tasted.
As we were finishing the lunch, John walked back towards us. "I have a fool-proof plan." he said, grinning.
"How fool-proof?" Matt questioned.
"Don't worry." I said reassuringly. "John knows what he's doing."
"I'm not worried!" Matt said.
"Uh, well, anyhow, I would escort you three at gunpoint to the truck, and put you all in it." John continued. "Then I'd come back here."
"Now wait a minute!" I stopped him. "You've never even held a gun before!"
"I'll keep the safety on." John replied.
"What 'bout any guards we come across?" Ro asked. "We gonna beat 'em up?"
"No, I know just what to do in such an occasion." John said slowly. "You'll see what it is if we meet a guard."
"Figures he won't tell us..." Matt stated under his breath.
John reached behind a box and pulled out a shotgun. "Single file!" he ordered in a fake-serious voice. We formed a line, and John took the front. We marched to the enterance of the hall, and John pushed the door open with a grunt. We stepped into the main area of the mall, and John closed the door behind us. He led us again down the large hall of the shopping center.
Looking around, I saw many creatures rushing around. There were more guards then I had expected. Most of the creatures seemed to be civilians, most of them wandering on the routes that the guards shouted out. They all looked looked scared, confused, or angry.
Most of the numerous shops in the mall had bars across their entrances. A few stores didn't have any barrier, and were being used for several reasons. One shop had several guards lounging in comfortable-looking couches. It appeared to be a recreation area for them, where they could read, converse, or just nap.
"That's not fair." Matt whispered from behind me, noting the relaxing guards.
"Shhh." I whispered back.
We reached a more open area that was obviously the food court. Several of the food businesses had guards giving out more of the slop I had so unwillingly eaten earlier. There were many windows showing the outside of the mall. These were barred off, however.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I turned my attention back to the front to see who had spoken. A guard that looked kind of like a lion on two legs was speaking to John.
"That's a Leomon." Matt informed me with a whisper.
"I'm taking the prisons to the depot. They are being moved to another base." John cooly replied.
"That's not what I'm talking about. Why are you letting them hold those items?" the Leomon replied. I realized that he was talking about my backpack and Matt's computer.
"Rule 786 of the red book says that prisoners can be allowed to hold non-dangerous items if the escorter has no way of holding the items." John replied with a smirk.
"What red book?" the Leomon replied quizzingly.
"What?" John said with a gasp. "You forgot about the all-important red book!?"
"Um, n-no! Of course not!" the Leomon shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I j-just remembered, I had something important to do! Carry on!!"
The Leomon walked quickly away. "And you have witnessed my master plan." John whispered back at us.
"Dat's better den beating dem up!" Ro replied happily, but a little loudly.
"That rule doesn't even exist." John added, grinning ear to ear.
We stepped over to the front door. John pulled out a key from the barrel of his gun and unlocked the door.
"Why...?" I started as we walked out the door.
"When you're not going to shoot it, use it as storage." John said, sliding the key back into the barrel.
"You're better with guns than I thought!" I joked.
I examined my surroundings. This was not the same area where all the trucks were lined up, making a barrier, with lots of civilians walking through. It seems we had left the building from another exit. We began walking down a sidewalk towards a new area.
"This is the depot." John explained when we arrived. It was only a clearing with lots of trucks, boxes, and crates.
John led us to a small building and told us to wait outside. Moments later, he came out beaming. "Alright, I found a truck that will take you straight to the hospital."
"Great!" Ro said.
We moved to the back of a truck that looked very much like the others. However, this one had a white canopy, unlike the other trucks with their green canopy.
John looked around. "The coast is clear. Get in." he commanded. We crawled in. There was a lot of boxes just thrown in.
"This truck is carrying medical supplies." John said from outside the truck. "Just sit tight and be quiet. See you later."
John turned to walk away. "Be careful, John!" I said, concerned.
"You too." John said over his shoulder. He walked back to the mall.
"Well, this is comfortable." Matt said sarcastically, referring to the numerous boxes that we had to sit on
Minutes later, the truck sprang to life. I sat back to relax as we drove off to the main road, thinking about what we were going to do when the ride ended...