The Disparate One

Chapter 4

"Rules?" Ray asked, still cuddling his sheet.

Oxford crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame, looking at the teen with a serious look. There were too many rules to even keep track of. He was confident not a single one knew all the rules. He admitted, ever since his early days he could only memorize at least 50! That was long ago, now as he tried to call them by memory, he only got to 15.

He had witnessed a lot of individuals getting executed for not following the rules. It got to the point where it had become nothing to them anymore. This was one of the ways to portray life in this artificial world. They couldn't even call it a 'world', they'd rather call it a prison.

"Get yourself freshened up, I'll tell you what I can remember on our way. I still have a few people to introduce to you," Oxford told Ray before leaving his sight, he moved to the living room, plopping himself on the sofa.

Thank god I didn't hire the designer of this piece of shit, he thought, shuffling on the concrete-like sofa.

Ray stretched out his arms and legs on the edge of the bed to bring back free circulation. He could hear each joint popping like popcorns. Once every joint was loosened, he waddled to the bathroom, locking the door. He was somewhat relieved to see Oxford again after that devastating moment.

He wanted to know more about the innocent girl. What they did to her and whether she was still alive or not. Thinking about her, the voices of the guards, made him shiver from the cold water running down his thin body.

After his little crisis in the shower, he snagged the towel from the rack and dried himself in front of the mirror. He was still bothered by the sight of his white irides, and he could tell it was also disturbing the others, hence Chap was so eager to get samples and details.

Putting his white general uniform back on, which he noticed didn't have any stench or whatsoever, he reappeared to Oxford whose eyes were dozing off.

He cleared his throat as a gentle wake-up call.

Oxford snorted and groaned when he heard the noise. He smacked his lips when he stood up and headed straight to the door without saying anything. Ray followed behind him as usual.

When they were waiting for a lift, Oxford was on his phone when Ray asked, reminding him about the rules he was curious about. He didn't want to end up with something in him not seeing another day.

Stepping into the elevator, Oxford began stating the rules. Not entirely, but what he could retrieve from his memory.

The first rule stated that all test subjects must follow orders from anyone above them, failing to do so would result in them being either in isolation for a few days to months, or receiving a bullet straight to the head.

The second rule stated that all test subjects must not enter areas where they were not authorized despite having their Guardian with them. Oxford was Ray's Guardian. Failing to do so would result in the same punishments.

The third rule stated that all test subjects must not retaliate with any sign of violence to anyone above them, doing so would instantly kill them.

The rest of the rules were not so clear anymore due to Oxford's losing interest. He figured Ray could get to see another day unharmed with those three rules.

Though, this reminded him of one time where Oxford nearly got himself killed by violating a rule, which was to not steal any property from the facility. Thankfully, his predecessor saved his life by proving him innocent, despite knowing he did steal something. His predecessor understood his reasoning because even he had done it before. Unfortunately, his predecessor paid the price for Oxford's innocence.