No Time To Bleed

“Over here is where people eat.” Bethany, a girl who seemed to be the tour guide for Level A said to us.

Level A was a jail like compound with one large main hall holding tables, chairs, and loads of boring looking books. Off to the sides of the hall were halls leading to rooms. Speakers and intercoms seemed to be going off constantly, calling upon people to testing.

“Where do we get the food at?” Jesse asked.

Cece answered. “Men in suits come out and serve you in these cold metal trays. It’s disgusting.”

Bethany raised her eyebrows at Cece. “You’ve been here before?”

Cece nodded, sulking to the back of the group.

“Did they give you guys your room assignments?”

I had been roomed with Cece, Ashley with Anna, and Alex with Jesse. Ashton had been given a completely empty room.

“So, this is the wonderful Level A. Home of the misfits.” Bethany greeted.

Alex stepped forward and a blush went to Bethany’s cheeks. I took a look of disgust as he started to ask her questions.

“Is there anyone here named Clarissa or Max or Ryant or Aliah or Antoinette?”

Bethany’s eyebrows rose. “People who come down here looking for others usually don’t end up well. You should be careful.”

Alex clenched his jaw and turned away from Bethany.

“Look.” Cece cut to the chase. “We don’t care what they do to us. We have to find these people and get the hell out of here.”

Bethany shook her head gently. “But, that never happens here. They watch us 24/7 and record our conversations.”

All of our shoulders sank and we’d come to the realization that Bethany would be giving no help.

“What time is it?” I asked.

Alex looked to his watch. “It’s 11: 16.”

Jesse, Alex, and I all sat to a table.

“You mean we’ve been here for 3 hours?!” Jesse exclaimed.

I nodded. “Yup and we’ll be here until they think we’re ready to leave.”

Silence fell over us and Alex held a vacant look in his eyes. Jesse looked to the two of us, eyes squinting a bit as we all sat the cement table.

“So, are you two like going out or something?” he asked.

Alex’s eyes went wide and I choked on some of my spit.

“You think we’re going out? In the middle of all this?!” My jaw dropped.

Jesse shrugged. “I get the feeling this dude over here will try and kill me if I make a move on you.”

Alex rubbed his temples, elbows resting on the table. “Jasmine and I are not going out?”

“Then, what is it?” he asked. “Cause it’d really love to know why you have that stick so far up your ass whenever I’m around her.”

Alex’s eyes glared at Jesse. His black hair glistened in the intense light.

“So, this is your game. You put me on the spot and try to act all bold, but I might just need to ask. Where were you this entire time? Were you by her side making sure that she was safe? Or did you get your ass kicked the time she got you? There’s a reason she got away from you.”

Alex shoved his way from the table after his long torrent of words. My heart was racing fast and I wanted to go after him, tell him we didn’t have to rush things. Especially in the situation that we were in right now.

But, instead I turned my anger to Jesse.

“Why the hell would you do something like that?”

Jesse shrugged. “I was trying to help you. If I can’t know whether or not you like me, I have figure out whether he likes you.”

“I don’t need your help. All I need from you is to stay away from me.”

He snorted. “You don’t need my help? I see him drooling over you and it makes my stomach sick to know that you can’t make a choice. There’s a thing called making a decision, you should try it.”

“Well, you wanna know my decision?” I stated. “I’d never choose you.”

By the time we made it two hours into being in Level A, I noticed a few things.

People here kept their conversations hushed, to the point of whispers even. There were never truly any visible guards, but cameras could be seen all over the place.

And at 3 pm, lunch came on the dot with Alex still avoiding me. Before then, I’d played blocks with Ashton and Anna. The little girl seemed to take a liking to me, telling me all about her parents and the last time she’d seen them. When the three of us ate together, Ashton and I talked of what we planned to do when all of this was over.

I told him I just wanted to see my father.

He said he’d wanted to go to California and finish college.

In reality, we both knew nothing outside of the world we saw. The rest of the Earth could be infested with the Rogue Virus and we wouldn’t even know.

We were in a bubble.

And with the restrictive ways of Level A, we seemed to be getting nowhere. At some parts of the day, people would be dragged out to testing, guards tazzering them and dragging their unconscious bodies behind large white doors. Whenever someone’s words stepped too far out of line, guards would come in once again and escort them to their rooms.

It truly felt like a prison and it was all Lexicon to blame.

I wondered how long some of them had been here and what would happen to them when this was all over, if they ever were released.

And overall, it made me want to do anything required to get the hell out of here.

That’s why I kept pretty much to myself after lunch and after dinner the time eventually came for our night schedules examinations.

All six of us were called to the white doors and waited.

Cece’s hand dug into mine and she was the first to be called. Pain etched into her face as she swallowed the lumps in her throat.

“I don’t want go back in there. Be trapped again.” She uttered.

I looked up to her. “It’ll be okay. You’ll make it out. You were the one that told me they don’t keep good track of their old subjects.”

Her name was called first and she walked through the doors, arms crossed anxiously before her.

Alex still stood off to the side, completely silent when Jesse made his way over to me.

“Look, Jasmine I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to try and intrude in your love life.”

I secretly scowled. I hated when people used words like that, love, it made my stomach want to turn because so little people knew anything true about it.

“Can you at least look at me?” he asked.

I just stared ahead and soon enough my name was called.

I left Jesse and the others behind me as I walked through those doors.

Time to get this over with.