Red Skies- Book One [[ DRAFT ]]

Chapter Eight

"You did what?" Wynn said, a mix of fear and accusation in her voice. 

"We volunteered. We want to have everything back to normal as soon as possible, and we're willing to sacrifice ourselves for that purpose," Rodney said, standing up straighter. 

"Of course, you most likely won't lose your lives. We'll be performing some very minor experiments at first, and if all goes well work up to more intense testing," Anne explained. Acker looked at her, a peculiar expression on her face.

"And how long will that take?" she said. 

"Hopefully no longer than a few weeks," Anne replied. 

"We can't wait that long! Who knows where the missing people went? Have you seen those monsters out there?" Rodney asked, voice rising. Anne just smiled.

"They're safe, I assure you. We can't bring them back just now, for it's unsafe. But they aren't suffering, and they will come back. And yes, we've seen the monsters and we have been actively exterminating and studying them.

"Why don't you all sleep on it? We'll discuss this later," Anne finished. Rodney sighed. It finally sunk in that Cherry hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Just the thought of it made her incredibly drowsy. 

"Where will we sleep?" Hina asked. 

"There are sleeping quarters upstairs, I'll have Mr. King show you to them," Anne said, waving towards Cherry's father. He nodded and motioned for the group to follow him out of the room. 

The sleeping quarters were multiple rooms down a hallway containing four bunk beds each. 

"You all can stay in here for the time being. There's a phone if you need anything, just pick it up and it'll automatically connect you to someone. The doors will be locked, so you can't wander around. It's for your safety," he said. He smiled at his daughter and she gave him a quick smile back.

"Goodnight, Cherry," he said.

"G'night, Dad," Cherry said, walking over to a bottom bunk. Everyone picked somewhere to sleep. She pulled a soft blue blanket over her shoulders. The bed was decently comfortable but a bit cramped for her liking. All the beds were very uniform, she noticed. She stared at the empty bunk above her. She had trouble falling asleep for the longest time, until she finally drifted off into a deep sleep, having only faint dreams about boar monsters and running not quite fast enough. 

Cherry woke up with a start, for a moment she just stared at the top of her bunk. 

She felt really thirsty. Cherry stood up to go to the restroom, trying to make as little noise as possible as to not wake her companions. She entered the bathroom and turned on the lights. The sudden brightness hurt her eyes and it took a moment for her to open them fully. 

Cherry drunk from the sink. She stood up and wiped her mouth off on her shirt sleeve. She was about to leave and go back to bed, but she noticed a small imperfection in the floor below her. She squinted at it, and then dropped to her knees to inspect it.

It was a door, slightly raised above the bathroom floor. She removed the rug that was over it, and found there was no lock on it. She wrapped her fingers around the edges and managed to pull it open. It made a loud, creaking noise and she winced. 

Cherry looked down into the hole. It was dark and dusty looking, but she saw a light at the bottom. Just then, she heard someone's footsteps outside of the bathroom door. In a panic, she quickly lowered herself into the hole and shut the door above her.

It was pitch black. She felt around and found a ladder. Cherry was sure a spider just crawled over her face, and she shuddered. She inched her way down the passage, which was cold metal. When she finally reached the bottom, there was a glass panel. She paused for a moment, not seeing a handle or anything.